Los Angeles herald., 1905-12-17

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w came the popular symbolism
w of a heavenly messenger
with it's wings. it's flowing draperies,
it's branch of lilies or its haming
sword? What historic or religious rea-
son is there for putting wings on anger
figures and why should there De any
argument about their sex? Out OF
recent controversy between the artls-
tic and the religious Interpretation OIL
an angel these questions have grown,
and have called attention to the 1act
that very few people have any deflnlte
conception of an angel
When an artist saws. off the heads
and hands of his marble creations be-
cause some one says they are too fem
mine 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 ecclesiastl-
cal council. Whether there was dis
appointed artist who smashed his
angel creations in burst of tndfgna-
ton 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 John S
decision. which was firm for the man.
He gave it as his opinion that angels
were like men and should be repre-
sented 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. 1t is taken for granted that
the angel host existed prior to the
creation, and its numbers We're in
finite. each host consisting of a 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 a man clothed in linen whose
loins were girdled with pure gold Of
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 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 in simple
draperies 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
were at rest the tips of the wings
dropped TO the ground.
There Is quaint tradition that the
idea or giving wings to Gods mes
senSers came from the maple key,
that odd little winged blossom OF the
maple, which at certain seasons of the
year forms on the stem and then flut-
ters 20 the earth, horne by two deli
cate transparent wings Whether this
IS responsible for assigning wings To
The upper ones or not Is still a Inys-
terry, but long before the time OF
Michael Gabriel and the musical
choirs OF heaven the messenger Of Isis
Travelled earth and heaven upon wings
thither by their aid INV
Angel hosts We're assigned tc vayious
duties. Some OF them ministered to
man. some carried the dead to heaven