Art, literature, and pop culture often depict angels to have humanoid features and wings and halos. The Prophets wrote the accurate depiction of angels in many chapters of the Bible seems to describe angels in another way, a far cry from the descriptions that most people believe. Verses from Genesis, Ezekiel, and other books from the Bible describe angels in almost Lovecraftian geometries, expressing their utmost power over mortals.
 |
| Image: holchelaga |
According to a paper published by Hebrew Union College Press, the first depiction of a winged angel in human form traces its origins in Christianity's early centuries. However, there is no verse in the Bible, stating that these angels have wings. These angels are different from the almost geometric and animistic descriptions of the Cherubims, Ophanims, and Seraphims.
The angels with the most human-like appearance are called Malakim. Malakims or messengers such as Gabriel can appear in human forms, but the description of having wings is notably absent in the Bible. Winged angels like Seraphims often have less anthropomorphic and having geometric shapes.
Another misconception about angels' design is how the cherubims look like Cupid or a winged toddler's characteristics. The accurate Biblical depiction of a cherub is the complete opposite of what most people think of its looks; it has a chimeric appearance.
 |
| Image: Pinterest |
The cherubs are guardian angels, having four wings that hide their human hands and four faces. Their legs end in the hooves of a calf such that when they move, their four faces never turn. The front face resembles that of a man, the right look like a lion, the left a bull (or ox), and the rear face is that of an eagle - Exodus 25:20;
On the other hand, the seraphim are also depicted differently compared to their Biblical description. They open sport a grander appearance by having more wings than regular archangels while still having a humanoid form. But the Seraphims as described in this Biblical verse is slightly different; nonetheless, the multiple wings are still present.
 |
| Image: Amatopia |
The Seraphim who stand before God have six wings: two used for flying, another pair for covering the angel's face, and the third pair for covering the angel's feet - Isaiah 6:2
Among all angels, the strangest and most geometric among them are the hierarchy of angels names as Ophanim or 'wheels' in Hebrew. In this verse by the prophet Ezekiel describe how the Ophanims look like and how it behaved. Ancient alien theorists often cite this verse to be a UFO sighting in the Bible.
 |
| Image: Pinterest |
“And then I saw four wheels beside the cherubim, one beside each cherub. The wheels radiating were sparkling like diamonds in the sun. All four wheels looked alike, each like a wheel within a wheel. When they moved, they went in any of the four directions but in a perfectly straight line. Where the cherubim went, the wheels went straight ahead. The cherubim were full of eyes in their backs, hands, and wings. The wheels likewise were full of eyes. I heard the wheels called ‘wheels within wheels.’”Ezekiel 10:9–13
Angels depicted having multiple heads, wings, and eyes are such sights to see, but questions arise. Why didn't Renaissance painters and sculptors depict angels accurately, just like what the Bible describes them to be? Classical art was reborn during the Renaissance; the same design philosophy favored human-like designs or anthropomorphic designs over geometric and abstract designs that angels such as Ophanims and Biblically accurate cherubims. The only franchise famous for their strange depiction of angels that is somewhat similar to what the Bible describes them to be is the Evangelion franchise. In that anime franchise(series, films, manga, video games), named angels are often Lovecraftian or geometric in appearance.
No comments:
Post a Comment