Everyone knows what angels look like - a beautiful woman with wings who watches children crossing rickety bridges, a rosy-cheeked naked infant who rings bells at Christmastime, a beatific stone man with a haughty expression and a sword guarding a church portal, or perhaps the souls of the dearly departed, frolicking about in white robes on the clouds and playing harps....or so says popular culture. Angels as envisioned by the prophets of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - many of whom are, after all, identical - are just a bit different. Angels are a strange and terrible force. Many of them wouldn't look out of place in a round-up of science fiction characters, and they certainly aren't cute.

Angels in Christianity

These are the ancestors of the angels now inhabiting sentimental films and fuelling the greeting card industry. The general mould of an angel is a proud, beautiful, androgynous¹ being, usually winged and larger-than-life, but especially the higher orders are described as having a much stranger appearance. Though it's not entirely clear how they came into being, Christianity's angels are thought to be entities entirely separate from God and possessed of free will. They inhabit a higher plane of existence than Man and generally follow orders rather than merely being encouraged to do right, though they are able to think for themselves and even sin, as in the case of the most famous fallen angel, Lucifer².

The Nine Angelic Orders of Christianity

The classification of these angels has evolved over thousands of years of Judaeo-Christian tradition, with a slight reshuffling of the hierarchy and the number of orders ranging from six to twelve. The pecking order proposed in The Celestial Hierarchy, a 5th-century text attributed to 'Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite'³ is generally considered canonical. This hierarchy was also employed by Thomas Aquinas and Dante, and will be used here.

The Nine Orders are further divided into three Spheres, each of which has a different task and a greater or lesser proximity to God. They are sometimes further grouped into Choirs, usually in pairs.

The First Sphere

These are the highest-ranking angels, and never sleep. They're God's personal servants and responsible for heavenly security.

The Seraphim (sing. Seraph), the 'burning ones', are the highest order of angels - and the closest to God. Four of them hover around God's throne and eternally sing His praises and they are said to regulate the energy flowing out into the Universe, making Love, which in turn creates Life. They have a total understanding and knowledge of God, and represent eternal love, peace, and contemplation. Their name, which can also be translated as 'ardour' or 'carriers of warmth', implies that they are made of pure energy - usually, knowledge and love - so bright⁴ that not even divine beings, such as other angels, can look at them directly. However, Isaiah's description tells us that they have six wings, two which cover their faces (so that even they cannot look at God), two which cover their feet (perhaps a euphemism for the genitalia), and two with which they fly. Seraphim are usually dressed in red.

The Cherubim (sing. Cherub), whose name means 'fullness of knowledge', are the next-highest order of angels, and serve as God's protectors, record-keepers, and even as divine chauffeurs by commanding the Ophanim. They guard Paradise and the Tree of Life, restrict access to celestial wisdom through the Akashic Records (the Book of Life), and are the first line of defence on the way to God's throne. Though they have perfect knowledge of God, they cannot match the love of the Seraphim. These seem to be the most misunderstood of angels - modern representations usually show them as putti⁵, but Ezekiel describes them as having four faces - that of a man, an eagle, an ox, and a lion, though that of the ox is the 'true face'. Though their legs are straight, they have the feet of a calf⁶ and four wings on each of their four sides, with 'the form of human hands under the wings'. This arrangement means that they can move in any direction without turning. They are also often depicted dressed in blue and with eyes on their wings to symbolise their all-seeingness. Solomon used representations of cherubim to decorate his temple, and perhaps a more 'lifelike' depiction can help settle the question of which way the angel on top of the Christmas tree should face.

The Ophanim (sing. Ophan), the 'wheels', are the strangest angels yet. Guided by their own individual Cherubim, they symbolise the seekers of God's wisdom and are very, very close to Him - they form his throne or chariot. This takes the general shape of a throne and is 'something like a sapphire', but each individual Ophan is shaped like a great jasper-coloured, eye-covered wheel with a 'high and awesome' rim turning separately inside it - Ezekiel's famous 'wheel in a wheel' - which means that God had the first spinner rims, according to David Plotz's 'Blogging the Bible' project. They are also sometimes represented as flashing balls of wings and eyes.

The Ophanim may or may not be the same as the Thrones described in the New Testament, angels who can reflect God's wisdom perfectly and are humble enough to make fair judgements. They symbolise God's authority and justice, and are the angels that come closest to achieving divine spiritual perfection.

The Second Sphere

These mid-range angels see to the day-to-day business of running the Universe.

The Dominions (also known as Hashmallim) are heavenly generals or perhaps managers. Their main job is knowing how to delegate. They have great authority and good leadership skills, controlling all the lesser angels and making sure the heavenly and natural laws are obeyed in the battle against the forces of darkness and chaos. They rarely manifest so that humans can see them, but are generally accepted to be beautiful humanoids with feathered wings - much like our idea of a 'normal' angel - though they usually carry glowing orbs on their heads or the pommels of their swords to symbolise their authority.

The Virtues make up the tradesmen and craftsmen of the heavenly orders. They control the movements of the heavenly bodies and the natural forces such as rain and wind, and are responsible for making miracles, whether they be physical miracles or just encouragement and illumination of minds. Like the Seraphim, they are beings of light, love, and energy, and rarely manifest.

The Powers are warrior angels, whose job it is to patrol between Heaven and Earth to keep the forces of Evil at bay, and to guide souls to their proper destinations. They're not just well-muscled brutes, though, because they're also the keepers of history and experts on philosophy, theology, and ideology, and allegedly use that knowledge to make sure power and might are distributed fairly among mankind. They were created after the fall of Lucifer to be completely loyal to God, and are generally considered to look quite war-like.

The Third Sphere

The lowest order of angels is usually the only one to interact directly with humans, functioning as messengers and soldiers.

The Principalities are the first of what we would recognise as 'guardian angels', responsible for protecting separate groups of people, whether they be nations, cities, or religious groups - perhaps there's even an angel of punk. They usually don't interfere directly, but guide and inspire the leaders, though they can, apparently, manifest in a variety of forms⁷. Most of the fallen angels seem to have been Powers or Principalities.

The Archangels are the non-coms of the angel world. Not very high-up in the grand scheme of things, but much more likely to instil fear and respect in those who feel their wrath. Besides being at the forefront of the battle between Heaven and Hell, they carry God's messages to humanity. They also carry big flaming swords.

Classically, there are seven head archangels. Michael (also Prince of the Seraphim and commander-in-chief of the heavenly hosts) and Gabriel (who told Mary she was pregnant) are named in the New Testament. The name of Rafael (or Raphael) comes from the Book of Tobias⁸. Uriel is mentioned in the Book of Enoch⁹. The other three are generally accepted to be Sealtiel, Jhudiel, and Barachiel by Roman Catholics¹⁰ and Selaphiel, Jegudiel, and Barachiel by the Eastern Orthodox church, though the Book of Enoch names them as Raguel, Zerachiel and Remiel¹¹, Pseudo-Dionysius calls them Chamuel, Jophiel, and Zadkiel, and they were known to early Christians as Simiel, Orifiel, and Zachariel. The precise tasks of these seven angels is even more debated than their names, though they may guard different countries or celestial bodies, and are believed to correspond to the seven spirits of God described in the Book of Revelations.

The Malakhim are just plain old ordinary angels, and the ones most often represented in art and literature. They come in many different shapes and forms, but are generally concerned with the lives of individuals, be it as guardians or as messengers. Though they are divine beings, angels can make mistakes.

Angels in Judaism

Judaism recognises ten angelic orders, many of them shared with Christianity, as are their sources in the Hebrew Bible¹², though the hierarchy is different. The accepted order is that established by Maimonides, a 12th-century Egyptian rabbi, in his Mishneh Torah, a book of religious law. They can appear in many forms, as animals, men, pillars of fire or light, and even, as in the case of Moses, as a burning bush. Some are created for a specific task and then disappear, some exist forever, but none can disobey G-d - though, if ordered or made that way, they can commit acts of evil or even be evil, meaning that the fall of the angel Samael (Satan) was preordained by G-d. Angels are sometimes shown with one leg to demonstrate this lack of freedom, and prayers are never directed at angels, only carried by them, even though specific prayers may later be answered with the help of angels, such as Raphael's power to heal.

Generally, literal belief in angels, even among orthodox Jews, is lower than among Christians - they have a mostly metaphorical significance. For example, it is said that committing a bad deed will create a bad angel to speak out against one, while a good deed creates a good angel, who vouches for one.

The Ten Angelic Orders of Judaism

Maimonides ranked the angels not by their importance, but by their comprehension of G-d, in descending order.

The Chayyot or Hayyoth, literally 'living beings', are the four-faced, four-winged angels seen by Ezekiel at the Kebar River, but correspond with the Christian Seraphim rather than the Cherubim. They belong to the Merkabah, or godly chariot. Hayliel YHWH, their leader, is capable of swallowing the world in one gulp. They are sometimes represented as 'holy beasts' made of light and fire that pull the divine chariot, singing G-d's praises, though their flaming breath is a threat to other angels.

The Ophanim are not identical with the Thrones in the Jewish Angelarchy, and occupy the second rank. Also part of the Merkabah, they literally form the four wheels, moving because the spirit of the Cherubim is in them. They feature as mystical symbols in Kabbalism, and 'Ophanim' is also the name given to a set of sacred physical postures and exercises based on the Hebrew alphabet, which are meant to unify body and spirit, much like yoga.

The Erelim (sing. Arel or Er'el), the 'valiant ones', are equivalent to the Thrones (but not the Ophanim) of Christianity. They're not wheel-shaped, but are perhaps even more bizarre: according to early Jewish mysticism they are very large, to make room for their 70,000 heads, each with 70,000 mouths, which each have 70,000 tongues, each of which is blessed with 70,000 sayings¹³. They watch the grass grow - literally, guarding the vegetation and reporting to G-d on its status. However, they are also linked to death and destruction as a kind of 'Jewish Valkyries', retrieving the souls of the dead and witnessing death and destruction.

The Chashmalim (sing. Chashmal) are roughly equivalent to the Christian Dominations, and have their own realm, which is placed in the care of Metatron, the godly scribe. Their leader, Chasmal, is known as the 'fire-speaking angel' and stands near the throne of G-d.

The Seraphim have much the same role in Judaism as in Christianity, and share the same physical appearance, as recorded in Isaiah's vision. However, because the word used to describe them could also be transcribed as 'snake' - ancient Hebrew contained no written vowels - they have sometimes been represented as snake-shaped guardians, rather than six-winged beings of light.

The Malakhim (sing. Malakh) are the messengers of G-d, and sightings are common - they appear to the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) and numerous others, including Moses, Joshua, and Balaam. Individual guardian angels also come from the order of the Malakhim, and some angels have more specific tasks - Lailah ('night') oversees the conception, uniting the sperm with the egg, and watches over the baby until its birth, teaching it the Torah, which it forgets when it is born, though it retains the knowledge in its subconscious.

The Elohim (sing. Eloah) are simply general 'godly beings'. The word has been used to describe G-d Himself (using the plural form, but with a singular pronoun), but can also refer to multiple, polytheistic gods. As angels, they are usually seen as 'extensions' of G-d, rather than beings in their own right.

Etymologically, the word 'Eloah' is related to 'Allah', the name of God in Islam. The name has also been adopted by other spiritual movements - in anthroposophy¹⁴, the Elohim, a group of spiritual, star-dwelling beings led by Jesus Christ, are the ancestors of the human race. Raëlism¹⁵ shares a similar view, believing that the Elohim are a series of humanoid extraterrestrials whose advanced technology let them appear god-like, creating and watching over life on Earth.

The B'nai-Elohim, then, are the 'sons of godly beings', in contrast to the 'daughters of men', with whom they intermarried according to the Book of Genesis. According to Jude and the Book of Enoch, they are angels who have come to Earth, but other sources define them as the direct descendants of Seth, and thus the 'pure' line of Adam untainted by Cain, or just generally as the descendants of strong rulers. As angels, they are generally believed to belong to the order of the Thrones.

The Cherubim are a disputed order - some state that they are a metaphor for divine love, while others see them as real, divine beings led by Kerubiel. Part of the confusion stems from Solomon's use of cherubs as decorations in his great temple and, more specifically, on the Ark of the Covenant, as they are seen by some to be idols. However, as Rabbi Geoff Dennis of the University of North Texas explains, this use of icons is not prohibited because G-d himself specified their use, making this an exception rather than a breaking of the rules. It has been proposed that their form - zoomorphic, four-faced winged beings - was influenced by Sumerian shedu, winged bulls or lions with the heads of kings, which were placed in pairs at doorways as protective deities.

The Ishim are man-like beings, led by Zephaniel. Their intellect is similar to Man's, so like the Malakhim, they are often used to communicate with people, appearing to Prophets in person or in visions and dreams.

Angels in Islam

Islam is one of the younger world religions, and as such, its traditions regarding angels draw widely on Judaism and Gnosticism. Islamic angels are made of light and are thus able to assume any form, though descriptions of angels in the shape of men with two, three, or four wings are common. Perhaps the most important difference to the Judaeo-Christian angels is that in Islam, angels are not believed to possess free will and are unable to do evil, though they are sentient. As such, Iblis, the primary devil, is not a fallen angel, but a different type of entity altogether, a djinn made of fire.

There is no recognised hierarchy among the angels of Islam - it is believed that such a hierarchy exists, but it is not considered important for anyone but God and the angels to know the details, and no attempts at such a classification have been made. However, the four archangels are generally considered the highest-ranking and closest to God.

The Four Archangels

Jibreel (Gabriel) is the chief archangel and sometimes equated with the Holy Spirit. As a messenger of God, he is believed to have dictated the Qur'an to Mohammed.

Mikaa'eel (Michael) is a merciful angel who controls the weather and other natural forces and rewards the virtuous.

Israfil (Rafael or Sarafiel) is responsible for blowing the trumpet on Judgment Day to signal the end of the world and its subsequent resurrection. The first trumpet blast will destroy everything, and the second will bring humanity back to life.

Izra'il (Azrael)is the Angel of Death. He can be benevolent or terrible, taking the shape of a horrible beast to painfully rip out the soul of a sinner, or as a gentle friend to ease the soul out of the body of a good person.

Other Angels in Islam

Besides the four archangels, there are lower-ranking, named angels with distinct, separate tasks, as well as a great number of general angels.

Malik is the King of Jahannam (Hell). Unlike Lucifer, he is not a fallen angel, and is not evil - he is merely doing his job, assisted by nineteen other angels, who hover over the flames, guarding the Seven Gates of Hell.

Ridwan or Rizwan is Malik's counterpart, in charge of Jannah (Paradise). He is believed to have spoken to Mohammed at his birth.

Munkar and Nakir interrogate the souls of the dead in their graves to determine their final destination. Ruman makes each soul write down an account of its life, aided by the Kiraman Katibin, two angels who sit on the shoulders of mortals and record their good (right shoulder) and bad (left shoulder) deeds - believed to be the source of the 'shoulder angel' and 'shoulder devil' often found in comics and cartoons. Sunni Muslims greet these angels as part of their ritual prayers.

Where Have All The Angels Gone?

So why is it that today, we seem to remember - or see, in fictional, metaphorical, or apparently true encounters - only the lower orders of angels, the Malakhim and Archangels, those of the humanoid-with-wings variety? At best, the higher angels can hope to lend their names or appearances to the heroes or monsters of roleplaying games or television series, a far cry from the fan-fiction press they were getting through thousands of years of storytelling. Their seemingly more harmless lesser brethren are used in thousands to sell everything from bookmarks to champagne to car insurance, a fate shared by their equally trivialised demonic counterparts.

Today, the 'Power of an Angel' sounds more like the title of a bedtime story than something to be feared and respected, and the word 'Cherub' conjures up images of sweet, pouting children rather than a powerful four-headed monster trained to kill. Are people just more willing to believe in sufficiently advanced technology than in magic? Are they so selfish that they're perfectly happy to believe in their own personal guardian angel, but not in angels that protect the deity-in-chief of their religion? Is there simply no more use for angels now that devils are no longer seen as a threat, and superheroes take care of everything else? Has the 'adorable' stereotype simply become so pervasive that nobody can see an angel with anything approaching fear? Are the metaphorical values for which they stood being lost, or are those values now better symbolised by something else? Whatever the case, angels are fast joining the ranks of those characters of myth and folklore now seen as something silly people once believed in.

Perhaps we just don't want our children to be scared of the angels under the bed.