Month: October 2017

On Husbandry

Gospel of Judas

Cyprian

Questions and Answers on Genesis

On the Giants

Angels in Philo of Alexandria, part 3

Herein we continue, from part 1, part 2, providing quotations and citations on Angels from Philo of Alexandria (20 BC-50 AD). The fuller complete result consists of quotations of those sections within the text that refer to Angels, Cherubim, Seraphim, Devil, Satan, demons, serpent and dragon. The point is not to elucidate these references but to provide relevant partial quotations and citations. See my section on Angels here, Cherubim and Seraphim here, Satan here and Demons here.

Angels in Philo of Alexandria’s On the Life of Moses, On the Confusion of Tongues, Questions and Answers on Genesis, On the Migration of Abraham and On the Giants.

On the Life of Moses, I
XII But let it be called an Angel, because it merely related (dieµngelleto) the events which were about to happen in a silence more distinct than any voice by reason of the marvellous sight which was thus exhibited…The Angel, again, was the emblem of the providence of God, who mitigates circumstances which appear very formidable, so as to produce from them great tranquillity beyond the hopes or expectation of any one.

XLVI Accordingly, having after some time seen the Angel opposing him, not because he was desiring to see so astonishing a spectacle…the Angel beholding his insincerity, and being indignant.

On the Confusion of Tongues
VIII For Moses does not speak of some as having consented and of others having stood aloof; but, as he says, “The whole people surrounded the house all together, both old and young,” having entered into a conspiracy against all those holy actions and words which it is customary to call Angels.

XXVIII And even if there be not as yet any one who is worthy to be called a son of God, nevertheless let him labour earnestly to be adorned according to his first-born word, the eldest of his Angels, as the great Archangel of many names; for he is called, the authority, and the name of God, and the Word, and man according to God’s image, and he who sees Israel.

XXXIV But Moses, perceiving their design, says, “O Lord, Lord, King of the Gods,” in order to show the difference between the ruler and those subject to him, “And there is also in the air a most sacred company of incorporeal souls as an attendant upon the heavenly souls; for the word of prophecy is accustomed to call these souls Angels…”

XXXVI And there is an evidence in favour of this assertion of mine in this expression, which was uttered by the man who was made perfect by practice; “The God who nourished me from my youth up, the Angel who defended me from all Evils;” for by this words he already confesses that those genuine good things which nourish the souls which love virtue, are referred to God as their sole cause; but the fate of the wicked is, on the other hand, referred to the Angels, and even they have not independent and absolute power of inflicting punishment, that this salutary nature may not afford an opportunity to any one of the things which tend to destruction.

Questions and Answers on Genesis, I
19 Perhaps those things which were created in the six days were incorporeal Angels, indicated under these symbolical expressions, being the appearances of terrestrial and flying animals, but now they were produced in reality, being the copies of what had been created before, images perceptible by the outward senses of invisible models.

92 On what principle it was that giants were born of Angels and women?…But he relates that these giants were sprung from a combined procreation of two natures, namely, from Angels and mortal women; for the substance of Angels is spiritual; but it occurs every now and then that on emergencies occurring they have imitated the appearance of men, and transformed themselves so as to assume the human shape; as they did on this occasion, when forming connexions with women for the production of giants…But sometimes Moses styles the Angels the sons of God.

Questions and Answers on Genesis, III
11 But to me he appears to intend to indicate the incorporeal substances and inhabiters of the divine world, whom in other passages he is accustomed to call Angels.

27 What is the meaning of the statement, “The Angel of the Lord found her sitting by a fountain of water in the desert in the way to Sur?”…she was found by an Angel in the desert…And who is more holy and more excellent than the Angel of the Lord?…she is found and after the discovery has been made by an Angel.

28 Why did the Angel say to her, “Hagar, the handmaid of Sarah, whence comest thou, and whither goest thou?”…Therefore the Angel says to her, “Whence comest thou?”

30 Why did the Angel say to her, “Return to thy mistress and be humbled beneath her hands?”

31 Why did the Angel say to her, “I will multiply thy seed, and it shall not be numbered for multitude?”

32 What is the meaning of the statement, “The Angel said to her, Behold, thou hast conceived, and thou shalt bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has heard the voice of thy affliction?”

34 But still why is he here called Lord or God who ought only to have been styled his Angel?…But we may not suppose that she mistakenly looked upon the Angel as God.

35 …the Angel appeared before the well as God.

On the Migration of Abraham
XXXI the attendants of God, which we are accustomed to call Angels…the sacred oracle of scripture: “Behold, I send my Angel before thy face that he may keep thee in the road…”

On the Giants
II “And when the Angels of God saw the daughters of men that they were beautiful, they took unto themselves wives of all of them whom they Chose.” Those beings, whom other philosophers call demons, Moses usually calls Angels; and they are souls hovering in the air.

IV If, therefore, you consider that souls, and demons, and Angels are things differing indeed in name, but not identical in reality, you will then be able to discard that most heavy burden, superstition. But as men in general speak of good and evil demons, and in like manner of good and evil souls, so also do they speak of Angels, looking upon some as worthy of a good appellation…for he says, “He sent upon them the fury of His wrath, anger, and rage, and affliction, and he sent evil Angels among Them”…These are the wicked who, assuming the name of Angels.

In the next segment, we will consider Philo’s A Treatise Concerning the World, On the Virtues, On the Birth of Abel and the Sacrifices Offered by Him and by His Brother Cain, On the Posterity of Cain and His Exile, Concerning Noah’s Work as a Planter, On Abraham and The Special Laws.

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William Katt

The Special Laws

Selpitius Severus

Angels in Philo of Alexandria, part 4

Herein we conclude, from part 1, part 2, part 3, providing quotations and citations on Angels from Philo of Alexandria (20 BC-50 AD). The fuller complete result consists of quotations of those sections within the text that refer to Angels, Cherubim, Seraphim, Devil, Satan, demons, serpent and dragon. The point is not to elucidate these references but to provide relevant partial quotations and citations. See my section on Angels here, Cherubim and Seraphim here, Satan here and Demons here.

Angels in Philo of Alexandria’s A Treatise Concerning the World, On the Virtues, On the Birth of Abel and the Sacrifices Offered by Him and by His Brother Cain, On the Posterity of Cain and His Exile, Concerning Noah’s Work as a Planter, On Abraham and The Special Laws.

A Treatise Concerning the World
III Moses, giving them a most felicitous appellation, calls Angels, acting as they do the part of ambassadors and messengers, announcing to the subjects all kinds of blessings from their rulers…Therefore, if you look upon souls, and daemones, and Angels, as things differing indeed in name, but as meaning in reality one and the same thing…For as people in general speak of good daemones and bad daemones, in the same manner also do they speak of good and bad souls; and so they speak of some Angels as being by their title worthy ambassadors from men to God…he speaks as follows: “He sent among them the anger of his wrath, by the operation of evil Angels.”

On the Virtues
XI he sang his hymn of praise in the middle of them all, with every description of harmony and symphony which men and ministering Angels hear.

On the Birth of Abel and the Sacrifices Offered by Him and by His Brother Cain
II …for Abraham also, leaving mortal things, “is added to the people of God,” having received immortality, and having become equal to the Angels; for the Angels are the host of God, being incorporeal and happy souls.

On the Posterity of Cain and His Exile
XXV And in another passage he says, “Ask thy father, and he will tell thee; ask thy elders, and they will make it known to thee, how the Most High, when he divided the nations, dispersed the sons of Adam, and fixed the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the Angels of God.

XXVI When God was dividing and drawing a wall between the nations of the soul, separating those who spoke different languages; and when establishing the sons of the Earth in their abodes, he dispersed them and removed to a distance from himself those whom he called the sons of Adam; then he fixed the boundaries of the offspring of virtue, making them equal in number to the Angels; for as many Angels of God as there are, so many nations and species of virtue are there. What, then, are the portions of his Angels, and what is that share which is the inheritance of the ruler and governor of all?

Concerning Noah’s Work as a Planter
IV For it is said that some are assigned to mortal bodies, and are again subjected to a change of place according to certain defined periodical revolutions; but that others which have received a more divinely prepared habitation, look down upon the region of the Earth, and that in the highest place, near the other itself, the purest souls are placed, which those who have studied philosophy among the Greeks call heroes, but which Moses, by a felicitous appellation, entitles Angels; souls which go as ambassadors and messengers of good from the ruler of all things to his subjects, and messengers also to the king respecting those things of which his subjects have heard.

XIV And on this account, indeed, it is said in the greater prayer, “Inquire of thy father, and he will tell thee; of thy elders, and they will reply to thee, when the Most High divided the nations, when he separated the sons of Adam, he fixed the boundaries of the nations, according to the number of the Angels of God, and the portion of the Lord himself was his people Israel.”

XIII And what is said in the scriptures appears to coincide with this, for Shem is planted as a root of excellence and virtue; and from this root there sprang up a tree bringing forth good fruit, namely, Abraham, of whom the self-instructed and self-teaching offspring, Isaac, was the fruit, by whom again the virtues which are displayed in labour are sown, the practiser of which is Jacob, the man trained and exercised in wrestling with the passions, having the admonitions of Angels for his gymnastic trainers.

On Abraham
XXII …he appears to me to have begun to entertain a different opinion of his guests from that which he conceived at first, and to have imagined that they were either some of the prophets or of the Angels who had changed their spiritual and soul-like essence, and assumed the appearance of men.

XXIII I know not what excess of happiness and blessedness, I should say, existed in that house in which Angels condescended to tarry and to receive the rites of hospitality from men, Angels, those sacred and divine natures, the ministers and lieutenants of the mighty God.

The Special Laws, I
XII We ought to look upon the universal world as the highest and truest temple of God, having for its most holy place that most sacred part of the essence of all existing things, namely, the heaven; and for ornaments, the stars; and for priests, the subordinate ministers of his power, namely, the Angels, incorporeal souls, not beings compounded of irrational and rational natures, such as our bodies are, but such as have the irrational parts wholly cut out, being absolutely and wholly intellectual, pure reasonings, resembling the unit.

In the next segment, we will consider Philo on Cherubim.

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A plea: I have to pay for server usage and have made all content on this website free and always will. I support my family on one income and do research, writing, videos, etc. as a hobby. If you can even spare $1.00 as a donation, please do so: it may not seem like much but if each person reading this would do so, even every now and then, it would add up and really, really help. Here is my donate/paypal page.

Due to robo-spaming, I had to close the comment sections. However, you can comment on my Facebook page and/or on my Google+ page. You can also use the “Share / Save” button below this post.