Worship of angels
Encyclopedia
The term worship of angels primarily relates to either excessive honouring (or possibly invoking the names of) angels in Judaism
and Christianity
.
, in Acts 7:42, comments on Old Testament
worship of the Host of Heaven without making any connection to angels.
The primary contact point in the New Testament
is the condemnation of the “worship of angels” in Colossians:
There is however a question as to whether the word used here in fact means "worship". The word used is simply the common word for "religion" (θρησκεία thrēskeia, Acts 26:5, James 1:26,27) not the word "worship" (λατρεία latreia, cf. verb form in Acts 7:42) used of God or pagan deities. This leaves open the possibility that what Paul meant was not actually Christians who bowed down and literally worshipped angels, but a wider range of uses perhaps including:
and so on.
In the Latin
Vulgate
this had been rendered et religione angelorum, and this was rendered "religioun of aungelis" by Wycliffe
.
", Hypsistos, Jewish God and acknowledged the Gods of traditional Greek religion as angels. But the reference to angels is still from Judaism, not paganism, and some modern scholars identify the Hypsistarian groups, with Gentile God fearers, that is to say uncircumcised semi-proselyte
s to, and sympathizers with, Hellenistic Judaism
.
In 1981 A.R.R. Sheppard published an inscription (from near Kotiaion) related to Holiness and Justice, personifications honoured, or worshipped, in areas of Phrygia
and Lydia
The significant discovery in the inscription was Sheppard’s reading: ΦΙΛΑΝΓΕΛΩΝ (”Friends-of-angels”) an apparent evidence of pagan reverence of angels:
In 1996 Clinton E. Arnold
, based on Sheppard's inscription, advanced the theory of a pagan, not Jewish, background to Colossians 2:8-23. Arnold argued for the general importance of angels in Asia Minor as a common folk practice in this region. He suggested that pagans were invoking the names of angels for protection following Jewish influences. .
However in 2005 Hasan Malay revisted the inscription and argues that Sheppard likely misread a phi Π as a gamma Γ, and the inscription should read ΦΙΛΑΝΠΙΛΟΙ, “Friends-of-the-vine” or “Vine-lovers”, with no angels. Malay also published a second inscription, dated 161 CE, confirming the existence of associations devoted to the vine from nearby Katakekaumene in Cappadocia
, now in the Manisa
Museum. Hence the Kotiaion inscription should read:
developed heavily ideas concerning the archons. Celsus
repeats the charge of worship of angels against Aristides
were a heretical
sect of the 3rd century. Augustine supposes them thus called from their yielding an extravagant worship of angels. However Augustine provides no evidence for this charge and Epiphanius
derives their name from the belief that God created the world through the angels.
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
and Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
.
In Judaism
The Jewish Bible strictly prohibits worship of any other than God. For this reason actual "worship" of angels is not documented in Judaism beyond the following:- In pre-exilic Judaism the term the Host of Heaven has primarily pagan associations, the stars, or gods of the zodiac, unconnected with angels, as illustrated by the prohibition in Deuteronomy 4:19, later broken by kings AhabAhabAhab or Ach'av or Achab in Douay-Rheims was king of Israel and the son and successor of Omri according to the Hebrew Bible. His wife was Jezebel....
and ManassehManasseh of JudahManasseh was a king of the Kingdom of Judah. He was the only son of Hezekiah with Hephzi-bah. He became king at an age 12 years and reigned for 55 years. Edwin Thiele has concluded that he commenced his reign as co-regent with his father Hezekiah in 697/696 BC, with his sole reign beginning in...
in worshipping the Host of Heaven, documented in 2 Kings 17:16 and 21:3 respectively. This is consistent with rabbinical era teaching. In post-exilic Judaism, the Host of Heaven are possibly re-classed as angels, cf. Nehemiah 9:6 "the host of heaven worships you", but worship of the Host of Heaven has ceased.
- In Intertestamental Judaism, worship of angels is not found, but a developed angelology, angelic hierarchiesJewish angelic hierarchyMaimonides, in his Yad ha-Chazakah: Yesodei ha-Torah, counts ten ranks of angels in the Jewish angelic hierarchy, beginning from the highest:- Kabbalistic angelic hierarchy :...
, and the invocationInvocationAn invocation may take the form of:*Supplication or prayer.*A form of possession.*Command or conjuration.*Self-identification with certain spirits....
of angels is found. For example the Maccabean fighters invoked the unnamed angel that earlier in the days of HezekiahHezekiahHezekiah was the son of Ahaz and the 14th king of Judah. Edwin Thiele has concluded that his reign was between c. 715 and 686 BC. He is also one of the most prominent kings of Judah mentioned in the Hebrew Bible....
had destroyed the army of SennacheribSennacheribSennacherib |Sîn]] has replaced brothers for me"; Aramaic: ) was the son of Sargon II, whom he succeeded on the throne of Assyria .-Rise to power:...
.
- The TalmudTalmudThe Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
knew of angelic apparitions, but not of the conjurationConjurationConjuration is used in many video games, mainly RPGs, where it is usually referred to as summoning.* A notable example is the Final Fantasy franchise which incorporates summoning of monsters to fight alongside the characters....
of angels, which must be distinguished from the conjuration of demons.
- In Gaonic Mysticism, the Book of Raziel gives directions for invoking angels, that change according to the date and purpose, such as prophecy. After this the CabalaCabalaCabala may refer to one of several systems of Mysticism:* Kabbalah, the religious mystical system of Judaism...
takes the same position re conjurationConjurationConjuration is used in many video games, mainly RPGs, where it is usually referred to as summoning.* A notable example is the Final Fantasy franchise which incorporates summoning of monsters to fight alongside the characters....
found concerning the conjuration and abjuration of demons in magical works such as the Testament of SolomonTestament of SolomonThe Testament of Solomon is an Old Testament pseudepigraphical work, the authorship of which is ascribed to King Solomon. It describes how Solomon was enabled to build the Temple by commanding demons by means of a magical ring entrusted to him by the Archangel Michael.- History :Despite the text's...
.
- Rabbi Ishmael, in a Midrash of time of HadrianHadrianHadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
(Mek.Yitro 10) prohibits worship of the likeness of angels of the ofanim and cherubim.
In the New Testament
StephenSaint Stephen
Saint Stephen The Protomartyr , the protomartyr of Christianity, is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox Churches....
, in Acts 7:42, comments on Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
worship of the Host of Heaven without making any connection to angels.
The primary contact point in the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
is the condemnation of the “worship of angels” in Colossians:
- "Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind" (Colossians 2:18)
There is however a question as to whether the word used here in fact means "worship". The word used is simply the common word for "religion" (θρησκεία thrēskeia, Acts 26:5, James 1:26,27) not the word "worship" (λατρεία latreia, cf. verb form in Acts 7:42) used of God or pagan deities. This leaves open the possibility that what Paul meant was not actually Christians who bowed down and literally worshipped angels, but a wider range of uses perhaps including:
- invocation of angels
- excessive interest in angelic hierarchies
- conception of angels as mediators
and so on.
In the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
Vulgate
Vulgate
The Vulgate is a late 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. It was largely the work of St. Jerome, who was commissioned by Pope Damasus I in 382 to make a revision of the old Latin translations...
this had been rendered et religione angelorum, and this was rendered "religioun of aungelis" by Wycliffe
Wycliffe
-People:*Wycliffe Grousbeck, CEO, Governor, and co-owner of the Boston Celtics basketball team*Wycliffe Bubba Morton , American Major League Baseball player*Wycliffe Juma Oluoch , Kenyan footballer*Wycliffe Oparanya, Kenyan politician...
.
In Greek and Roman religion
Angels are primarily a concept of Judaism, though the Greek word aggelos ("messenger") does have some use in Greek religion relating to divine messengers. The followers of the pagan monotheistic religion, Hypsistarianism worshipped the "Most HighMost High
Most High is a 2004 film starred in, written by, and directed by Marty Sader. The film deals with the descent of the main character, Julius, into drug addiction.-Plot:The main character Julius loves helping people, so he works at a clinic...
", Hypsistos, Jewish God and acknowledged the Gods of traditional Greek religion as angels. But the reference to angels is still from Judaism, not paganism, and some modern scholars identify the Hypsistarian groups, with Gentile God fearers, that is to say uncircumcised semi-proselyte
Proselyte
The biblical term "Proselyte", derives from the Koine Greek προσήλυτος/proselytos, as used in the Septuagint for "stranger", i.e. a "newcomer to Israel"; a "sojourner in the land", and in the New Testament for a convert to Judaism from Paganism...
s to, and sympathizers with, Hellenistic Judaism
Hellenistic Judaism
Hellenistic Judaism was a movement which existed in the Jewish diaspora that sought to establish a Hebraic-Jewish religious tradition within the culture and language of Hellenism...
.
In 1981 A.R.R. Sheppard published an inscription (from near Kotiaion) related to Holiness and Justice, personifications honoured, or worshipped, in areas of Phrygia
Phrygia
In antiquity, Phrygia was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now modern-day Turkey. The Phrygians initially lived in the southern Balkans; according to Herodotus, under the name of Bryges , changing it to Phruges after their final migration to Anatolia, via the...
and Lydia
Lydia
Lydia was an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the modern Turkish provinces of Manisa and inland İzmir. Its population spoke an Anatolian language known as Lydian....
The significant discovery in the inscription was Sheppard’s reading: ΦΙΛΑΝΓΕΛΩΝ (”Friends-of-angels”) an apparent evidence of pagan reverence of angels:
- “Aur(elius) … the Association of Friends of the Angels (made) a vow to Holiness and Justice”.
In 1996 Clinton E. Arnold
Clinton E. Arnold
Clinton E. Arnold is a New Testament scholar who is currently serving as department chair of New Testament studies at Talbot School of Theology and 2011 president of the Evangelical Theological Society...
, based on Sheppard's inscription, advanced the theory of a pagan, not Jewish, background to Colossians 2:8-23. Arnold argued for the general importance of angels in Asia Minor as a common folk practice in this region. He suggested that pagans were invoking the names of angels for protection following Jewish influences. .
However in 2005 Hasan Malay revisted the inscription and argues that Sheppard likely misread a phi Π as a gamma Γ, and the inscription should read ΦΙΛΑΝΠΙΛΟΙ, “Friends-of-the-vine” or “Vine-lovers”, with no angels. Malay also published a second inscription, dated 161 CE, confirming the existence of associations devoted to the vine from nearby Katakekaumene in Cappadocia
Cappadocia
Cappadocia is a historical region in Central Anatolia, largely in Nevşehir Province.In the time of Herodotus, the Cappadocians were reported as occupying the whole region from Mount Taurus to the vicinity of the Euxine...
, now in the Manisa
Manisa
Manisa is a large city in Turkey's Aegean Region and the administrative seat of Manisa Province.Modern Manisa is a booming center of industry and services, advantaged by its closeness to the international port city and the regional metropolitan center of İzmir and by its fertile hinterland rich in...
Museum. Hence the Kotiaion inscription should read:
- “Aur(elius) … the Association of Friends of the Vine (made) a vow to Holiness and Justice”.
Gnosticism
While falling short of actual worship of angels 3rd Century GnosticismGnosticism
Gnosticism is a scholarly term for a set of religious beliefs and spiritual practices common to early Christianity, Hellenistic Judaism, Greco-Roman mystery religions, Zoroastrianism , and Neoplatonism.A common characteristic of some of these groups was the teaching that the realisation of Gnosis...
developed heavily ideas concerning the archons. Celsus
Celsus
Celsus was a 2nd century Greek philosopher and opponent of Early Christianity. He is known for his literary work, The True Word , written about by Origen. This work, c. 177 is the earliest known comprehensive attack on Christianity.According to Origen, Celsus was the author of an...
repeats the charge of worship of angels against Aristides
Aristides
Aristides , 530 BC – 468 BC was an Athenian statesman, nicknamed "the Just".- Biography :Aristides was the son of Lysimachus, and a member of a family of moderate fortune. Of his early life, it is only told that he became a follower of the statesman Cleisthenes and sided with the aristocratic party...
Angelici
The AngeliciAngelici (sect)
The Angelici were a heretical sect of the 3rd century. St. Augustine supposes them thus called from their yielding an extravagant worship of angels, and such as tended to idolatry. However, Epiphanius derives the name from their holding that the world was created by angels....
were a heretical
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
sect of the 3rd century. Augustine supposes them thus called from their yielding an extravagant worship of angels. However Augustine provides no evidence for this charge and Epiphanius
Epiphanius of Salamis
Epiphanius of Salamis was bishop of Salamis at the end of the 4th century. He is considered a saint and a Church Father by both the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Churches. He gained a reputation as a strong defender of orthodoxy...
derives their name from the belief that God created the world through the angels.