Description
A beautiful collection box containing 4 Carnelian, 4 Rose Quartz, 4 Opaline, and 4 Avanturine stones. The angels are 60 mm tall.
An angel (Hebrew: מלאך; mal'ach, Arabic: ملاك; malak, Latin: angelus, Ancient Greek: ἄγγελος; ángelos) is a supernatural, intellectual being found in various (often monotheistic) religions. In Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Zoroastrianism, angels, as attendants or protectors of humans, usually act as messengers of God (or the gods), from whom they are clearly distinct, and possess superhuman abilities and characteristics. In other religions, supernatural beings are sometimes compared to angels because they share some characteristics with angels and are considered angelic. The word angel comes from the Greek ἄγγελος, ángelos, meaning “messenger.” The Hebrew word for angel is מלאך, mal'ach, which also means “messenger.” The Arabic word ملاك, malak, is etymologically related to it. The term 'angel' itself does not denote a divine being. Thus, the author of the last book of the Old Testament is referred to as 'Malachi' – 'my messenger', and the leaders of the seven churches in the Book of Revelation are called 'aggeloo'. Angels can take on any external form. In the Christian tradition, angels often have a perfectly human appearance, usually that of a youth, although angels are sexless. In the stories from the Bible, angels are in a number of cases not initially recognized as such by humans. See for example Genesis 18 (where it is only revealed later who the visitors are), Judges 13:21 (where the visitor makes an impression but is only recognised as an angel upon his departure). This is also mentioned in Islam: for example, when the archangel Gabriel appeared, Mohammed thought he was dealing with a djinn. Sometimes angels also appear in the form of a fearsome and light-radiating being and their appearance is almost physically unbearable for humans. Angels are usually depicted – in art and on icons, for example – as beings with wings. That is understandable, after all, they have to maintain connection with heaven. Yet, there are no texts in the Bible or in Jewish scriptures where angels, when they come to deliver a message, have such an appearance; for example, Jacob saw angels descend from heaven using a (Jacob's) ladder. It is different with angels who proclaim the greatness of God, as in Isaiah 6 (seraphim with six wings) and Ezekiel 1 (beings with four wings). In the Quran, in the first verse of Surah 35 “The Founder” (فاطر), it is written that angels have wings “two, three and four”. The way angels are depicted is largely based on convention: for humans, angels, supernatural and incorporeal beings, cannot be depicted truthfully. In the tradition of Orthodox Christianity, cherubim are often referred to as “many-eyed” and seraphim as “six-winged,” although they do have human form. This agrees with what we read about seraphim in Isaiah 6.
