1 Some sources regarding angelic hierarchy are: the Bible (Isaiah 6, 2-3; Ezekiel 1, 14-24; 10, 4-22;

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1 ANGELS Theme: Angels or angelic choir. Keywords: Angels, Angelic Choir, Celestial Beings, Light, Christian Iconography. Summary: The angels are celestial beings who help and worship God. However they are not a compact group, but a mixture of different creatures put under a strict hierarchy. Concerning angelic hierarchy it was the Bible and some medieval theologians who wrote about it 1. The term angel is normally used in a wide and inaccurate way, since it is employed generically to call all the different celestial beings. According to the Bible, and more specifically to the Book of Colossians 1, 16, there are at least four types of heavenly beings: For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. Taking into account this biblical description, the Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (5 th 6 th century) set a definition and a hierarchy for angelic beings, which was explained in the treaty De coelesti hierarchia (About heavenly hierarchy), at the beginning of 6 th century. Some of the ideas of the Pseudo-Dionysius were inherited by Gregory the Great (6 th century) and were valid during all the Middle Ages; ideas that were only questioned by the Humanists and onwards. The Pseudo-Dionysius distinguished nine angelic choirs, divided in three orders: Seraphs, Cherubs and Thrones are in the first order (Advisors), Dominations, Principalities and Powers are in the second order (Governors), and Virtues, Archangels and Angels are in the third order (Ministers). Each of these choirs has specific functions and attributes. Nevertheless, the term angel is used either to call the last one of the angelic choirs (according to the Pseudo-Dionysius division), or to call generically any of the nine choirs that take part in the celestial hierarchy. In this paper, the last choir will be the central point of the explanation, although we will mention indirectly the others. Attributes and types of representation: Although at the end of the 19 th century authors such as Didron and Cloquet tried to establish the attributes and types of representation of all the choirs, iconographical contamination was frequent concerning the celestial beings. Generally speaking, there are many differences. The Seraphs, inspired in Isaiah s vision (6, 1-3), have six wings and are associated with fire and the colour red. The Cherubs, inspired in Ezekiel s vision (10, 4-22), have four eyed wings and are associated to the blue colour. The Thrones, also inspired in Ezekiel s vision (1, 15-21), seems to be eyed wheels, sometimes with wings and associated with fire. The Dominations, Principalities, Powers and Virtues are not frequently depicted and for that reason they lack a steady iconography. The Archangels (Michel, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Sealtiel, Baraquiel and Jehudiel) 2, whose name means important or superior angel 3, are 1 Some sources regarding angelic hierarchy are: the Bible (Isaiah 6, 2-3; Ezekiel 1, 14-24; 10, 4-22; Colossians 1, 16; Ephesians 1, 21), the Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (De coelesti hierarchia), Gregory the Great (Homiliae in Evangelia), Dante (Paradise). 2 Theologians include seven archangels (the seven is a sacred number, symbol of the universe): Michael is known by the Book of Revelations 12, Gabriel by the Luca Gospel 1, Raphael by the Book of Tobias, Uriel by the Apocryphal Book of Enoch and the 4 Book of Ezra. Moreover, there are other three archangels: Sealtiel, Baraquiel and Jehudiel. It is very rare, at least in Western art, to find the complete group of the seven archangels, since the Roman Church considered the Book of Enoch as apocryphal; and it is there where Uriel appears. In 746 the Lateran Council accepted the worship only to the three first archangels: Michel, Gabriel and Raphael.

2 usually depicted as the chiefs of the celestial army, dressed in military clothes, with nimbus and wings 4. Among the archangels, only Gabriel and Michel have a specific iconography (for more details about Michel, see the Psycostasis study, available on 5. At the bottom of the hierarchy are the angels, ordinary ministers of God, whose iconography is very well defined. The angels are the choir that most frequently takes part in Christian stories. For that reason, in the Middle Ages a specific angelic iconography was created which was easily recognized. The angels carry on two main activities: either they assist or they worship. The assistant angles are privileged messengers and mediators between God and Mankind. Sometimes they translate God s messages to human beings 6. Sometimes they put into practice God s punishment or God s justice, as it happens in the Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise. Usually they helped men and women of the Old and the New Testament (Abraham, Jacob, Elias, Pieter, Christ, Mary, etc.), the martyrs and saints, or even mankind (see for example the guardian angel who guarantee a good death, or the angels who help dead people to get out from their tombs on the day of the Last Judgement). Consequently, these helping angels took part in many sacred stories, included not only in the Bible but also in non-biblical sources 7. The adoring angels are those that glorify, praise, and cover God with frankincense. They are similar to the Byzantine court paying tribute to the emperor, since they glorify the magnificence and grandeur of God. According to Christian thought, all creatures must worship God, but angels worship him constantly. This obligation appears in Psalm 148, 1-2: Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights above. Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts. But adoring angels can be depicted paying tribute not only to God the Father, but also to Christ, to the Trinity, and even to the Virgin Mary. The creation of angelic iconography had to overcome one obstacle: how to find a depiction of something that is pure spirit, has no matter, no body, and is invisible. In the end, just as it happened to the depiction of God, angels were depicted under a human By contrast, in Byzantine art there are depictions of the four archangels, not only Michel, Raphael and Gabriel, but also Uriel, since the Book of Enoch was very popular in Eastern Church, almost as important as other canonical texts. Moreover, these four archangels, linked to the four cardinal directions, are very appropriate for the decoration of cupules. They used to be surrounding the Pantocrator and praising him, as if they were the Tetramorphs. Thus we can find this depiction not only in the Eastern Church but also in other places under Byzantine influence, such as the Church of Martorana in Palermo (Italy, 12 th century). 3 The difference between angel and archangel is the same that the difference between bishop and archbishop. 4 Military clothes are the main characteristic in the works of art made in Latin America in Modern Ages, as we can se in the archangel of the church of Calamarca (Bolivia), 17 th century. 5 RODRÍGUEZ PEINADO, Laura ( ): Psicostasis, PIMCD nº 87 Base de datos digital de Iconografía medieval, available on 6 The most important messenger angel is Gabriel, who says to the Virgin that the Incarnation miracle would take place in her body. However he is -properly speaking- an archangel. 7 Regarding the biblical text, we have examples of this in Genesis 18, 19, 22 and 32; 1 Kings 19, Acts 12. Concerning extra-biblical sources, they are numerous and they are included in the Apocryphal Gospels, in the Golden Legend by Jacobus de Voragine, and in the life of saints.

3 appearance. Although they could be depicted as children or young women 8, in Western Medieval art they used to be depicted as young men, without beards and blonds 9, with extraordinary beauty. Several biblical texts seem to indicate that angels are of the male sex 10. Moreover, the Apocryphal Book of Enoch stated that angels fell in love with the daughters of mankind, so they must have been of male sex 11. The most common attributes of angels are the light and the wings. Nevertheless, they can also be represented with nimbus (from the 5 th century onwards), sceptre and a celestial sphere, although these attributes are less frequently used. Medieval written sources associated angels and light, as it can be seen through the texts of John Damascene (7 th -8 th century) who considered angels as immaterial beings made out of light. Medieval works of art also included the light in angelic depictions, by adding white clothes and white, golden or multicoloured wings. Concerning their wings, in Early Christian Art it is possible to find angels without them. But from the 5 th century onwards, under the influence of the vision of Ezekiel 1, 1-24 and the depictions of Victory and Eros from Antiquity, wings became essential. The wings, as the wheels of the Thrones in Ezekiel s vision, symbolised the permanent movement of angels and their role as God s messengers. The wings can be white, golden, multicoloured, or of the same colour as the angelic clothes. The wings can also be adapted to the shape and size of the pictorial or sculpted frame which surrounds them. Whenever angels are depicted under a young man s appearance, they are dressed, although they can be barefoot as other divine beings 12. Their clothes changed throughout the Middle Ages. In Early Christian Art, they were dressed in long white tunics symbolising purity and light. In Byzantine Art they were dressed as people from the court, that is to say, with luxurious clothes and with veiled hands (symbol of respect and consideration to God). In Western medieval art, from 13 th century onwards, under the influence of liturgical drama where the role of the angel was made by the clerics, angels started to be depicted with clerical clothes, moving frankincense containers or carrying candles, and even with tonsured heads, as depicted in the altarpiece of Saint Christopher in the Prado Museum (13 th century). Primary sources: The main written sources about angels can be divided into two different groups: Sources regarding angelic hierarchy and the characteristics of the different choirs: - Isaiah 6, 2-3 (Bible, Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they 8 Female angels are not depicted before the end of the 14th century and the beginning of the 15th century, having a good example in the Wilton Diptych, National Gallery in London, ca Children angels are frequent in Renaissance and Baroque art. 9 Sometime blond golden hair is included in order to reflect the light of angels. 10 At least two biblical verses state that angels are male: Genesis 18, 2 (because angels are called male) and Genesis 32, 25 (because an angel is called a man). 11 Apocryphal Book of Enoch, chapter 9, verse 8: And they have gone to the daughters of men upon the earth, and have slept with the women, and have defiled themselves, and revealed to them all kinds of sins 12 Medieval Christians consider nudity a shame and a humiliation and for that reason only demons are bare.

4 covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." - Ezekiel 1, (concerning Thrones) and Ezekiel 10, 4-22 (concerning Cherubs): texts available on [last access 25 th June 2010] - Book of Colossians 1, 16 (Bible, For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. - Book of Ephesians 1, 21 (Bible, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. - Pseudo- Dionysius the Areopagite, De coelesti hierarchia, 6 th century: facsimile available on [last access on 18 th June 2010] Sources regarding the role and the physical appearance of angels (the last choir): - Psalm 148, 1-2 (Bible, Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights above. Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts. (concerning adoring angles) - Genesis 18, 19, 22; 1 Kings 19; Acts 12: texts concerning to assistant angels who help God in the following episodes: Abraham hospitality, Sodom destruction, Isaac sacrifice, Elias, Saint Pieter Apostle. Available on: Kings+19&version=NIV [last access on 25 th June 2010] - Apocryphal Book of Enoch, chapter 9, verse 8: And they have gone to the daughters of men upon the earth, and have slept with the women, and have defiled themselves, and revealed to them all kinds of sins ( last access on 25 th June 2010) Other sources, non written sources: there is no evidence of the influence of non written sources (oral traditions, popular religious practices) in angelic iconography. Geographical and chronological framework: the angels, who were a central point of Christian iconography, were depicted from Early Christian Art onwards, having examples in catacomb wall paintings, such as the angel who stops Balaam in the Dino Compagni hypogeum (Via Latina, Rome, 4 th century). The angel of Via Latina lacks wings and has a beard, so his angelic attributes are not totally defined. From the 5 th century onwards angels would have a specific iconography, both in the Eastern and Western traditions. They would be one of the most frequently depicted figures of the

5 repertory of Christian iconography, since they worship and help God in multiple situations (they worship the baby Jesus, they expulse Adam and Eve from Paradise, they guide Tobias the Young while he is looking for a solution to the blind condition of his father, they announce to Zachariah the birth of his son John the Baptist, etc.). They are present with the same intensity in the visual arts from the Early to the Late Middle Ages. Their iconography does not disappear in the Modern Age, it just suffered from some slight changes. Artistic media and techniques: the popularity of angels in Christian thought explains that all the artistic media and techniques were used to depict them: ivory, mosaics, wall painting, wooden carving, stone carving, textiles, illuminated manuscripts, metal works, etc. Precedents, transformations and projections: In Antiquity there were some precedents of angelic iconography. The Hebrew population had known and lived with Egyptian and Babylonian cultures. Both cultures had depicted winged creatures which must have had an influence in angelic depictions. In some Egyptian tombs Ba was depicted, a falcon identified with eternity which was protecting the mummified pharaoh 13. In Babylonian art there were also winged creatures, such as the ones found in the Palace of Sargon II (today in the Louvre Museum). Greek and Roman cultures surrounded the origins of Christian culture and had an influence on it as well. In fact, the name angel comes from the Greek aggelos (messenger) and of the Latin angelus. The messenger role played by the angels is linked to the role of the Greek god Hermes and of the Roman god Mercury, both of them winged messengers 14. Additionally, angelic depictions were inspired in Greek winged Victories (Nika) and in Roman winged little Eros or Cupids. Taking into consideration these precedents, medieval Christian artists created an angelic iconography, conceiving them as young winged beardless creatures. Their characteristics did not suffer from many changes during the Middle Ages, except from slight variations in their clothes (see the last paragraph of attributes and types of representation). With the rise of the Modern Age, some changes were introduced, trying to recover certain aspects of Antiquity. Thus, children angels became very popular, since they were seen as a revival of Roman Cupids. In Latin America angels had an increased military role, so that they were dressed in the same clothes as the contemporary army, relating them with the spiritual and the physical conquest of the new transatlantic territories. Typology and related themes: The angels, who are celestial beings, had common symbolic characteristics with the Tetramorphs described by Ezekiel (1, 1-24) and the Book of Revelations (4, 2-29), despite the fact that they are clearly different in terms of iconography. On the other hand, they are the antithesis of demons (the fallen angels according to theologians). Thus their iconography was also antithetic: angels were young, beardless, 13 WARD, Laura; STEEDS, Will (2006): Los ángeles en el arte. Edilupa, Madrid, p Mercury is depicted with winged feet. For that reason, the archangel Gabriel, the most important messenger of Christian art, can also be depicted with winged feet, inheriting that characteristic from Antiquity.

6 illuminated, and similar to mankind, while demons were hairy, dark, lightless, and had a mixture of men and animal characteristics. This antithesis is very clear in Last Judgement depictions. Images: - Balaam and the angel, Dino Compagni Hypogeum in the Via Latina Catacomb, Rome (Italy), wall painting, 4 th century. - Angels of the Hospitality of Abraham, Church of Saint Vital in Ravenna (Italy), mosaics, First Golden Age of Byzantine art, 6 th century. - Angel indicating the Magi the place of birth of Christ, Altar of Saint Martin or of King Ratchis, in Cividale (Italy), stone low relief, Lombard, 8 th century. - Angelic hierarchy, Church of the Vera Cruz in Maderuelo (Spain), today in the Prado Museum (Spain), wall painting, 12 th century. - Christ Pantocrator with four archangels, Church of Martorana (Italy), mosaic, 12 th century. - Angels behind the Christ Pantocrator, Church of Sant Angelo in Formis, in Capua (Italy), wall painting, 12 th century. - Angelic choirs, Baptistery of Saint John in Florence (Italy), mosaic, 13 th century. - Angels of female sex surrounding the Virgin, Wilton Diptych, National Gallery in London (United Kingdom), wall painting, Angel with frankincense and tonsure, Altarpiece of Saint Christopher, Prado Museum (Spain), wooden painting, 14 th century. Bibliography: BARBIER DE MONTAULT, Mgr X (1890): Traité d iconographie chrétienne. Louis Vives, Paris. CLOQUET, Louis (1890): Éléments d iconographie chrétienne. Types symboliques. Desclée de Brouwer, Lille. DIDRON, Adolphe Napoleon (1886): Christian iconography. The History of Christian Art in the Middle Ages. Frederich Ungar, New York, vol. II. [Translation of the first French version Iconographie chrétienne. Histoire de Dieu, 1843] RÉAU, Louis ( ): Iconographie de l art chrétien. Presses Universitaires de France, Paris WARD, Laura; STEEDS, Will (2006): Los ángeles en el arte. Edilupa, Madrid. Author and address: Irene González Hernando irgonzal@ghis.ucm.es