Los Angeles herald., 1905-12-17
7 HAT is an angel and whence


M came the popular symbolism
w of a heavenly messenger
with its wings. it's flowing draperies,
it's branch of lilies or its hamlns
sword? What historic or rellglous rec,
son is there for putting wings on anger
figures. and why should there be any
argument about their sex? out OF
recent controversy between the arlls-
tic and the religious Interpretation OF
an angel these questions nave grown,
and have called attention to the 1act
that very few people have any definite
conception of an angel.
When an artist saws off the neadS
and hands of his marble creations be-
cause some one says they are too fem
mime to belong to the angelic host the
question of angel sex assumes Import
ance. and along with the sex arises
speculation as to other angenc at
tributes Gutzen Mothe- Borglum is
not the first to stir up a fuss over this
subject. Long before the building COM
mittee of the Cathedral of St John the
Divine pronounced a verdict against
woman angels the very same contro-
versy wrought up another ecclesiasti-
cal council. Whether there was dis
appointed artist who smashed ms
angel creations in burst of indigna-
tion and rage history does not record
but very probably it was some such
outbreak which prompted John of
Thessalonia to call a meeting OF the
church council and talk over the sex of
angels. John may have met with
strong opposition, though the circum-
stance seems to have been lost sight
of in the more important one of Johns
decision. which was firm for the man.
He gave il as his opinion that angels
were like men and should be repre-
6ented as such.
Centuries Old
That was centuries ago and here we
have the same question being threshed
all over again.
The Egyptian, the Greek and the
Persian deities all had their winged
messengers, who obeyed their COM
mands, and the Biblical angels follow
the same idea, but no writer of ancient
times goes very deeply into the origin
of angels It Is taken for granted that
the angel host existed prior to the
creation, and its numbers We're in
finite, each host consisting of "thou-
sand times a thousand" and the hosts
themselves innumerable.
What these upper ones" these mes
sengers from heaven, looked like opin-
ions differ. as religious paintings of
every century show. Daniel says that
when an angel appeared to him he be
held n man clothed in linen, whose
loins were girdled with pure gold Of
Uphaz. His body was also like the
beryl and his face as the appearance
of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of
fire. and his feet like in color to bur-
nished brass and the voice of his words
like the voice Of u multitude"
But those who saw these heavenely
visions described them differently. One
beheld an angel that seemed to extend
from earth to heaven, and another
vision lowered above his companion
by The length of journey five thou
sand years. There are other Biblical
authorities than Daniel for the belief
that angels had bodies like our own.
The ancients painted them i'm simple
dra peries and with wings large
glorious and magnificent in color, tint
ed with the rainbow hues OF heaven.
When these angel wings We're out
spread they formed a gorgeous back
ground for the figure. and when they
We're az rest the tips of the wings
dropped to the ground
There Is a quaint tradition that the
idea OF giving wings to Gods mes
sengers came from the maple key.
that odd little winged blossom Of the
maple, which at certain seasons of the
year 1orms on the stem and then flut-
ters 10 the earth, borne by two deli
cate transparent wings. Whether this
IS responsible for assigning wings To
The upper ones or not Is still Inys-
lery, Dut long before the time OF
Michael Gabriel and the musical
choirs OF heaven the messenger Of Isis
Travelled earth and heaven upon wings,
while Mercury also sped hither and
thither by their aid.
Angel hosts were assigned tC Various
duties, some OF them ministered 10
man, some carried the dead to heaven