One of the most obscure and perhaps shadowy topics that one can investigate is that of angels. These beings, which have captured the minds and hearts of people throughout the ages, are found in religious texts, legends, myths and even fairy tales. Indeed, one can hardly sift through a collection of sympathy cards at the local store, sentimental or religious artwork or even album covers in a music store without seeing some depiction of angels. Their very image seems to inspire a sense of security and safety and tranquility. They are often associated with the departure of the soul and presented as guides to one’s heavenly eternal dwelling place.
One of the more salient associations most have with angels is their connection with religion. For, most of the world’s religions have some form of angelic beings included into their doctrine. Whether it is as a protector of the divine realms or some messenger that stands between the Will of God and the part that humanity plays in it. Most people in Western countries that have grown up around Christianity remember various Christmas plays that portray the Angel of the Lord descending down to the shepherds in the fields at night. And the Angel, with its commanding presence, inspired fear in them so that it had to remind them not to be afraid.
This story of Christmas and the Angel of God brings to mind many of the images that one has of angels. As mentioned, the depictions of them on sympathy cards, works of art, album covers and innumerable other sources of either classical or pop iconic themes usually have one similarity to them; they are winged. Indeed, the idea of angels with wings as almost tautologous. The presence of angels assumes a being with wings. It’s as natural as a tiger with a tail, an elephant with a trunk or a fish with fins. And yet, the clear difference between these examples is that these are of animals; biological species. Angels, however, in contrast to this, are not an identifiable species. No one has managed to capture one in flight, pin its wings down and attach it to some examination table. In fact, it is highly unlikely that such a situation would be possible. Angels, after all, appear and re-appear as out of thin air. It is doubtful that such a situation is possible.
To further this point of investigating the nature of angels, clearly they are a speculative species of beings: For to know of their existence is to believe in them. There is no empirical evidence of them and are therefore outside the spectrum of science; or at least normative and generally accepted scientific investigation. Many would say that they are fancies, the product of unbridled imagination and the creation of an era that accepted myth and superstition as fact. And while many people believe in angels, and one recent study found that most Americans believe in angels, the evidence of their existence is ultimately unfalisfiable.1 In other words, one has to believe in their existence as opposed to being aware of their existence.
If one is to admit that they exist, based on either eyewitness accounts, their necessity based on some ontological system stemming from a philosophical perspective, or on the authority of one’s religion, their appearance, therefore, is limited to that; mere appearance. On cannot, as stated earlier, analyze them in the normal sense. So, the only way in which one can understand them and know more about them is based on either eyewitness accounts or the authority of scripture and the descriptions provided by their involvement in religious history. With this in mind, the general perception is that of a human-like creature sporting a majestic and glorious pair of wings. But, is this an accurate depiction of them? What do they really look like and what are the actual accounts of their appearance in history?
From the Judeo-Christian perspective, the Holy Bible has numerous references to the presence of angels and their interaction with mankind. In the Bible, accounts of individuals sighting angels and being visited by them is rather common; particularly by those that God is seeking to communicate His will to. The narrative of Christianity, in particular, with the Christianization of Rome and subsequent Medieval Europe, was the foundation for art and literature that reflected the Christian story along with the characters of the Bible; this included angels. However, what one will find is their depiction as being winged humans that descend upon earth as a bird descends down from the sky in which it is flying. This begs the question of how accurate this is in contrast to their portrayal in the Bible; or in other words, does the Bible portray angels as having wings, and if not, why is it the case that subsequent portrayals, secular and religious, are of them being winged? And so, this is where the discussion starts.
Angels, however, are creatures without wings. They have always been described, at least in the Bible, as looking very much like humans. Typically, the only difference was that of countenance. For an angel was one that had always appeared to mankind in a majestic and glowing manner. In fact, this would explain the inclusion of halos in many depictions of angels in art. In that, angels had usually either terrified, excited or simply startled humans suggested that there was something special in their appearance. The inhabitants of Sodom found them to be attractive and wished to make love with them. If this is the case, they would have been nothing short of looking at a movie star times a million. They are attractive and radiant, but nonetheless human in appearance.
And yet, the majority of people throughout history, have depicted them, in art and in literature, as sporting wings. The earliest depiction of an angel is one of a human looking creature without wings. However, in the very same century, in the tomb of a famous ruler in Italy, there were depictions of angels with wings. Furthermore, throughout history angels had been depicted as being winged things. We had seen that there are primarily two reasons for this. The first has something to do with Greek and Roman Mythology. Mercury, or Hermes, a messenger like an angel, had wings upon his feet. Naturally, then, to the pagan Christian, an angel should have wings as well. But even more than this, the very fabric of pagan thought demanded a naturalistic explanation of spiritual matters; this included beings such as angels. In order to make it believable that angels had wings, a pagan would find that angels must have wings. For how else could they travel from earth to Heaven unless they were carried by wings.
Furthermore, there has always been a confusion with angels and other Heavenly beings, such as cherubim, seraphim and other creatures. The women with stork like wings that Zechariah saw was unlikely an angel. For, an angel was with Zechariah at the time, as well as the fact that, the women were not messengers, like angels were. Furthermore, cherubim, which are bearers and guardians of those precious things pertaining to God’s glory, are no more messengers than seraphim, which express the glory of God in His throne room. And while demons were angels at one time, it is either highly unlikely that they are winged, and if they are, then it is not an inheritance of their angel origin. And so, it is with great regret, as all great truths are, to state that angels indeed do not have wings. However, while this may excite some sense of confusion or disappointment at our own conception of angels, just remember, angels can be just as effective without wings as with them. And besides, I doubt one should go about erasing all of the artwork with angels of their wings, for it seems to comfort us to see them with those splendid, feathery, white, soft wings; even if its not true.
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