Angels in the Bible from symbolism to realism

## From Symbolism to Reality: The Biblical Question of Angels Between Allegory and Personal Reality in 20th-Century Exegesis### From the Scriptural Plurality to Realities:Looking at Sacred Scripture, we observe the plurality of elements regarding angels. At this synthetic moment, we do not intend to repeat specific affirmations but to grasp the truths that are constant and fundamental for the Bible and answer the question posed at the beginning about the symbolic or actual value of angels.These conclusions arise from recognizing that “the problem of angels remains open between two unacceptable extremes”: the past error consisting in taking every biblical affirmation as doctrinal, and today’s recognition of all passages as having only a symbolic value, imported from cultural data.### What is the Functional Role of Angels?#### Servants of God’s Salvation Design: Heb 1:14 and the Ministerial Function of Angels in Scriptural Anthropological PerspectiveThe discourse on angels falls within an anthropological perspective according to which the Bible speaks of God not directly to reveal who He is, but to show what He does for humanity. Not who God is in Himself, but who He is for us. Thus, sending the angels constitutes a moment of great interest, of *pathos* that God has for the world.Therefore, we read in Heb 1:14: *”The angels are not all spirits ministering for those destined to inherit salvation”*. That is, we speak explicitly of “*’ministry for salvation’*.”#### The Theological Perspective: The Angel of YHWH in the Old Testament and Divine Mediation in Salvation HistoryThis service of the angelic figure to God’s plan is already present in the primitive conception of the angel of YHWH. The impossibility in certain texts to distinguish between an angelic figure and divine reality, or the indeterminacy of the angel, attests on one hand to the presence of God and testifies to His transcendence, and on the other, to His loving closeness.Since the beginning until the entire development of the salvific history, **the angel** maintains the divine presence awake, stirs up attitudes of adoration, praise, and thanksgiving with interventions of aid to individuals and institutions, such as the promulgation of law, and conveys the greatness and omnipresence of YHWH seated on cherubim.Subsequently, **angels are qualified as involved in celestial liturgy.** They invite men to direct their lives towards the Eternal, putting them in contact with divine gifts and secrets through **mediation**. **They transmit God’s will to humans, present prayers, and worship God.****The names of angels, more than expressing their individuality, communicate a quality of God**, such as their strength (Gabriel: *Lk* 1,19.26) or uniqueness (Michael: *Rev* 12,7. *Jude* 9). They reveal and translate, particularly in the New Testament, the reality of God as spirit, power, glory, light, of which they participate without exhausting it.Looking is being filled by what one looks at. The martyr’s face and the angel’s face shine with the glory of what they see.## The Christological Perspective: Angels in the Mystery of Christ, from the Announcement (*Lk* 1:30) to the Resurrection and Apostolic MinistryAny discourse about angels in the New Testament must be seen in this close connection with the event of Christ, regarding His coming and departure for His subsequent work in the Church, and His return in glory. God’s plan of salvation finds its fullness in Christ. This is prefigured in the restoration of Moses’ role as constituted by the chief angel and liberator of the people (*Acts* 7:30-38) and in the function of the law, now regarded positively (*Acts* 7:38), or limited (Gal 3:19. Heb 2:2).**In the mystery of Christ, angels play an explanatory role for Mary (*Lk* 1:30ss) and Joseph (*Mt* 1:20), for the shepherds (*Lk* 2:13), for Zechariah (*Lk* 1:11.19), making them capable of conscious response and immediate action.**Angels are present when God establishes contact with humans, and they appear **in less clear moments of Revelation, such as the mystery of the Incarnation, Resurrection, and Christ’s return.** They continue the role of former human mediators, since **there is no more prophet** (Ps 74:9). From this perspective, it is understandable the near absence of angels during Jesus’ public life, **the sole mediator between God and men** (*1 Tim* 2:4). They serve Him at the beginning of His life (*Mt* 4:11), console Him at the end (*Lk* 22:43. Cf. *Jn* 1:51), marking continuous and mysterious assistance from the Father who, if invoked, would not delay sending more than twelve legions of angels in times of need (*Mt* 26:53).# When time is qualitatively changed by Christ’s resurrection, anticipating the eschaton, angels reappear **to reveal the new situation, “He is not here; he has risen,”** the new life to all men.## The Ecclesiastical Perspective: Angels Serving the Early Church in Acts 5:20 and the Issue of Their Personal Nature**Angel service to Christ continues to serve the Church and within the Church.** An angel frees the apostles from prison, inviting them to preach to the people (**Acts 5:20**), does not disappoint Peter’s trust when he is snatched from Herod’s hand (**12:11**), collaborates in evangelization of the excluded (**8:26-29**) and pagans (**10:3**), ensures there will be a tomorrow (**27:23**) for which Paul also called to testify with his life as well before angels (**1 Corinthians 4:9**). What is said about each man is proof of what happens to the **”little ones”**, who always have advocates with the Father (**Matthew 18:10**). Collaboration in the historical journey of men will continue until the world’s judgment, realized by Christ.The question that has been asked many times returns at this moment: **does this aspect of service exhaust the nature of angels, or does it come from real beings?**Are the words about angels an expression of a truth about God as a supremely loving person for men, worthy of receiving their adoration and prayers, or do they also rise to the dignity of a person?Identify with their message, exhausting itself in it, or are they capable carriers able to announce new messages?The body of biblical texts makes certain the second part of the question.## Angels as Real Beings: Biblical Foundation in Hebrews 1:14 and 1 Timothy 3:16**A person is understood in a general sense as a free being, capable of dialoguing with God and with humans.** Admitting the existence of angels as real beings, it becomes almost a postulate for understanding faith the existence of good spiritual beings, in full friendship with God and solicitous for humanity’s well-being. We speak of the testimony the Bible gives about the existence of angels, not descriptions of angelic experiences by humans, although the two aspects are linked.## Continuity from the Old Testament to Affirmations About Angels: From the Angel of Yahweh to Jewish Intertestamental Angiology**The uninterrupted and peaceful acceptance of faith in angels for centuries is of great value in itself.** Such security is a fact that is far from insignificant. We do not consider here a purely quantitative data, such as the multiplication of biblical texts that speak of angels. We evaluate a fact: continuity in the development of a mental attitude in the growth of revelation and contact with other peoples, different in religion and culture.# A Comparison Reveals a Significant Difference The content of the personality of the **”angel”** differs from purely symbolic theological categories such as **”glory,”** **”cloud,”** and **”face.”** In eschatological contexts, the mention of angels carries a distinct value compared to certainly symbolic elements like the trumpet, fire, the sign of the Son of Man, and a cloud.# Expecting Direct Information from the Old Testament is Misguided It is incorrect to seek direct information about concepts like **”nature”** and **”pure spirit”** in the Old Testament. On the contrary, the **”spiritual”** is fundamental to religion and theology developed outside the Old Testament.# Revealing Concepts of Angels Sudden appearances and disappearances, descending from heaven, refusing food (Judges 13:16; Tobit 12:19), and being part of celestial courts are revealing aspects of a conception that positions them in a special relationship with the celestial sphere and different messengers sent to ordinary humans, without, however, connoting their spirituality.# The Inferiority of Angels to Christ The clear inferiority of angels to Christ confirms their nature as mediators, available for executing God’s will, reflecting His glory, light, and spirit, and distinguished by praise and adoration that encompass the universe (Revelation 5:11-13). This becomes a call and invitation to all humanity.# Balancing Symbolic and Real Aspects of Angels Angels are fundamental in providing aid, salvation, custody, protection, and nearness to God who guides, leads, and provides in situations often devoid of help and hope. The angel is primarily a messenger who fulfills a mission for his Lord as His servant. He is an expression of the always-new experience by Israel and its devoted ones that God’s aid here on earth reaches every place where the confident and faithful man is found.## The Originality of Biblical Thought: The Angel of YHWH and the Distinction of Spirits in the Development of Old Testament Theology# Distinctive Aspects of Angel Doctrine The originality of angel doctrine is more pronounced when compared to another subject, the devil and demons. Indeed, the figure of the Angel of YHWH who preexists exile and continues into New Testament texts is typical of the Bible. In apocalyptic literature, the angelic figures are described with soberness in contrast to the fantasies of apocryphal writings. Above all, the Bible distinguishes itself from other literatures and reconciles angelic doctrine with the evolution of revealed truth about God and humanity.## The Testimony of Jesus and the Apostles About Angels: Matthew 18:10, Luke 15:10, Acts 12:15, and the Synoptic Tradition The testimonies of Jesus and the apostles regarding angels—such as in Matthew 18:10, Luke 15:10, and Acts 12:15—form part of the synoptic tradition.When a belief is peacefully accepted, it is difficult to find arguments in contemporary writings that prove the obvious. **Therefore, mere indications of reflexive acceptance hold great value.**In his response to the Sadducees who deny the resurrection and angels (Mt 22:30), Jesus connects traditional data about them with his doctrine on the resurrection. If angels do not actually lead a life with God distinct from that of humans, the force of Jesus’ argument is undermined, as he would have deceived his opponents and the crowds. **Analogous arguments can be made for his announcement of his return (Mt 16:27) and by appealing to angels as a reason to honor the “little ones” (cf. Mt 18:10: See, do not despise any of these little ones. For I tell you, their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.).**Arguing that Jesus did not intend to abolish general belief but to allow humans to discover for themselves over time that angels are part of a cosmological element, does not do justice to the value and does not exhaust the *intentionality* of the texts. The author of Hebrews then finds himself facing an exasperated angelic worship that obscures Christ’s primacy. He would have made the task easier by denying their existence, rather than limiting their value and following the difficult path of distinguishing between incorrect and valid claims. These signs of a somewhat reflexive acceptance of angels are connected to faith truths such as resurrection, primacy, and Christ’s return.**The mention of angels among the truths of faith: 1Tm 3:16, Heb 1:14, and Rev 19:10 in defining the nature of angels.**The pre-Pauline hymn reported in 1 Timothy (1 Timothy 3:16: And without doubt, great is the mystery of piety: God manifested himself in flesh, was justified in the Spirit, *seen by angels*, preached to gentiles, believed in the world, received above in glory), the “mystery of piety,” or Christ, includes among its fundamental moments or highlights “the appearance to the angels.” A beautiful antithetical parallelism contrasts two by two the six moments of Jesus’ life proposed as objects of faith: flesh/spirit, angels/peoples, world/glory. The realism of the remaining elements and particularly the announcement leads us beyond a purely symbolic exegesis, regardless of the context of the appearance to the angels (Paschal appearances or undetermined moments).# In the ContextBoth the description of the angelic nature in Heb 1:14 and the analogous references in Rev 19:10, 22:9 take on significance by using the identical verb that connoted Christ’s and angels’ appearances: **“he was seen”** (ōphthē) (Lk 1:11, 22:43; Acts 7:35; Lk 24:34; Acts 13:31; 1 Cor 15:5-7), and consequently also **“he entered”** (Lk 1:28), **“he appeared”** (Lk 2:9; Acts 27:33), causing a **“vision”** in humans (Lk 1:22, 24:23). The reality of Christ’s appearances imbues angelic apparitions with a certain eventful character, fitting them into the broader category of epiphanies.## Angels as Models of Union with God: Contemplative Dimension in Biblical Theology and Patristic Monastic TraditionThe presentation of angels in attitudes of praise and adoration to God is consistent, appearing in various contexts and styles:**Historical-Midrashic** (Lk 1:13-14: **”But the angel said to him, ‘Zaccharias, do not be afraid, for your prayer has been heard, and Elizabeth, your wife, will give birth to a son, and you shall name him John.'”**)**Homiletic** (Heb 12:22-23: **”Instead, you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of God, Jerusalem, which has thousands upon thousands of angels residing in it—a joyful meeting of the children of God, those who have been named in heaven.”**)**Exhortative** (Mt 18:10: **”Be careful not to despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven are always seeing the face of my heavenly Father.”**)**Doctrinal** (Rev 5:11-14: **”And I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders. The number was millions upon millions, thousands upon thousands, saying with a loud voice: ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, and glory, and praise forevermore.'”** And the four living creatures said, **”Amen.”** The twenty-four elders prostrated themselves and worshiped him who lives forever.)The absence of these acclaimed beings would nullify humanity’s longing for divine intimacy and remove the basis for glorifying having approached a multitude of angels, distinct from **“the church of the firstborn”** (Heb 12:23). The texts would lose their exhortatory force.## Open Questions: The Existence of Angels as Personal Beings and the Limits of Contemporary Biblical ExegesisThe existence of angels as personal beings presents open questions that challenge contemporary biblical exegesis. While traditional Christian theology has consistently affirmed angelic personhood, modern scholarly interpretations often question or limit their agency and consciousness due to evolving philosophical perspectives on personhood and the nature of spiritual entities. This debate highlights the ongoing dialogue within theological scholarship regarding the proper interpretation and understanding of scriptural passages related to angels.

It can be argued that the problem of angels remains open in many aspects:

The need to deepen the existence of angels as personal beings through a thorough study of biblical texts.

Confronting biblical doctrine with extra-biblical literature, highlighting the space of its originality.

Reflecting on the nature of “pure” spirituality and immortality.

For the theologian, angelic issues should determine the participation in divine life of servants of salvation. Moreover, questions addressed in pre-conciliar manuals must be subject to critical examination in light of contemporary psychology and knowledge about angels, affective life, and communication methods.

For the biblical scholar, the fact that the problem remains open points primarily to a reference to Catholic tradition within which the Bible must be read.

To deepen the role of angels and Mary in salvation history, consult Pope John Paul II’s encyclical Redemptoris Mater, which addresses the Annunciation and dialogue between Gabriel and Mary.

Dive deeper into your studies: explore Mariology, Theological Marian Studies, Marian Apparitions, and the Master’s in Mariology.

Check out our comprehensive guide to Catholic Angelology.