THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA
585
belief. Since the Bible the light of tradition, haggadie teachingsare iiiiitc as important for the understanding of the religion and its forms as is the Bible
give the impression that angels are merely to voice
itself.
and His reply
Not infi-e(|uently the ministration of angels is inferred in Bililical narnilives when no mention is made For instance, when God wislus to create of them. man, the angels ask, " Wherefore dost Thou create him?" (Gen. K. viii. it); Sarah is protected from I'haraoh by an angel holding a whip u|ilifted in his
doings. Many other haggadot in which God antl angels converse are to be siniilarl)- construed as the figurative representation of differing opinions; and quite as often such intercourse between God and angels serves to present in a vivid and impressive form certain ethical doctrines a fact which has been misunderstood and misconstrued by Weber ("Jiidische Theologie," 2d ed., pp, 176 et seg., Leipsic,
to fiirm part of the
popular
An^elolo^y
was interpreted only
hand and making should use
it
it
in
dependent on Sarah whether
or not (Gen.
xii. 1-f ft wr/. ); five
lie
angels
appear to Ilagar; an angel leads Hebekah to the well (Gen.
Abraham
I{.
.li.,
near beginning,
.lv., li..);
when
about to sacrifice Isaiic, the angels intercede, protesting to the Lord that the intended act is unnatural (Hacher. "Ag. Pal. Amor." iii. 29); angels transfer the animals of Laban's flock to that of Jacob is
near end); in (Jen. ..xi. San angel speaks to Jacob (Tan. cd. HiilK-r. Wayeze, 24); Jacob employs some of the angels who meet him as messengers to Esiiu (Gen. ...ii. 4. Gen. R. l.xxv.); when Joseph seeks his brethren (Gen. Embellish- .xxxvii. '> et w/.) three angels meet ment him ((}en. R. Ixxv.); angels gather toof Biblical gether the sons of Jacob (Gen. xlix. 3; Accounts. Gen. R. xcviii.. near beginning); an angel speaks out of the mouth of Balaam and compels him to pronounce a blessing (Sanh. llJ.ji); the ministering angi'ls wait on Eliuil (Judges, iii. 2!)) in order to as.sist him (Gen. R. xcviii.): and an angel causes weapons to be found for Saul and Jonathan (I Sam. xiii. 22). The rabbis most frequently give angelological enibellishraeuts to the story of Esther; thus transforming the plain, straightforward account into a miraculous tale. Gabriel drastically jirevents Queen V'ashti from ajipearing before Ahasucrus and his guests, in order to liriiig about llie election of Esther in her place; and when Esther ap|)ears in the court of the king's house (Esth, v. 1). three ministering angels hurry to her help: one raises her head; the second invests her with grace; and the tliinl holds out to her the king's scepter. When Ahasucrus has the "book of records of thi> chronicles " read to him, it is found that Sliimshai, the scribe (see Ezra, iv. 8), has stricken out the ])assage recording Mordecai's rescue of the king; but the angel (Jabriel rewrites On Esther's complaint to Ahasucrus that .she it. and her pef)ple have lieen sold, the king asks who has done this thing. Esther is about to point Iier linger to Ahasucrus, to designate liini as the wrongdoer, when an angel turns her hand in the direction Ahasucrus then goes out in wrath to of Hainan. the garden, and. seeing there men tearing up the trees, asks the reason for their action; they reply that llaman has eomiiiiuided it. The men were angels, ofeour.se. Angels, too, throw Ilaman upon Kslher's couch. Ahasucrus' statement that the Jews had "slain and destroyed live hundre<l mvu" (ihiil. ix. 12) .sounds like a reproach against the queen; but an angel, touching the king's mouth, causes his sp<>ech to (iiil kindly (Meg. 1">, Ifi.i, lfi//». In two cases an angel strikes Xebuchadnezzaron the mouth when he begins to praise (Sod (Dan. iii. I!:! |A. V. iv.
- i|i. so that he may not cast Davids psalms into the
background, and when he says of the form of one of the four men "walking in the mid.st of the lire" (i/ii(l. iii. 2.'>) that it is like the Son of God, the angel thereupon thunders, "Has God a Son?" (Sanh. 92A, below; vT. Sliab. vi.. end). There arc many such examples in the Talmud of the addition of angels to the Biblical narrative which (Gen. H.
l..iii.,
Where
men's opinions.
there are possible objections
to the act of divine justice, these are put into the
mouth
of the angels
who
them
to
is
represent God's council; the justitication of His
—
1S!)7).
Jewish tradition frequently gives distinct and unmistakable expression to God's sublime superiority over the angels. When, in order to remove the anthropomorphism from the Biblical passage, Ex.
"There shall no man see me and live" Akiba interprets it, "Xoteven the holy hayyot carry the throne of glory, see the glory itself," Simon improves upon this; saying, "Not even the ever-living ones, the angels " (Sifra, Lev. i. 1). God's dwelling-place is in tiie seventh heaven, next to which is tlieabode of the pious; and the angels rank after the latter (Hag. 12A; Midr. Teh. on Ps. xxi. 7; Weber, ihid. ])p. G2 et scq.). The dignity of the pious is greater than that of the angels (Sanh. 93((, top). "God is first praised by Ezekiel; then by the angels" (Gen. R. Ixv.). Adam reclined in paradise; and the ministering angels roasted meat for him (Sanh. 59/(). When Israel recited the Sliema', the angels were silent till the end, and then sang their song of praise (Gen. R. Ixv.). The angelic hosts praise God during the night: for during the day, when Israel's praise is heard, they are silent (Hag. 12A). The pious command the angels (Baehcr, "Ag. Pal. Amor." ii. 2(i2. note 6); angels are not allowed to condone sins (Midr. Teh. xvii. 2). When Rabbi Joshua discourses concerning the throne of God, the angels gather about him in curiosity (Hag. 14/;). In the laudation of God, Israel Israel iiniis<'S every day angels is given precedence. liraise but once (Midr. Teh. ciii., beginning; Hul. 916, below). Every man that does not practise magic enters a department of heaven to which even the ministering angels are not allowed access (Xed. .32</). xxxiii. 20.
('ni),
who
In addition to the Biblical
name ikI'D ("angel")
the
term D'JV^yn " Ihe upper ones ") often occurs in contrast with D'Jinnnn ("the lower ones"). The former name desiuiiates them as inhabitants of heaven (Sanh. 2(J/-, Ket. l(l-(</, Midr. Teh. xxv. 14. etc.). By the creation of mankind God established peace between the upper ones and the lower ones (Lev. R. ix.). The upper household (n^yo h'C S'^DS)— from fdmiliii, servants, meaning the angels forming the heavenly court is often contrasted with Israel as God's servants on earth below (DDD bii' N'f?OS) (Bcr. 17r(: Sifre. Num. 42; Sanh. 9.s/i, H!)/-; Hag. 136, lielow). The angelic host iseven called "excrcitus" and "strateia "; and angels ol the lowest rank are called "galearii" (army siTvants; Cant. R. viii. 13; i
—
Num.
R.
xii.
H: Pesik! R. xv.
The essence themselves
and
Essence.
Pesik. v. 4.V.). they sustain
liri':
their voices (Cant. R. v. 10; Pesilj. v. Hag. 14A, above Shab. S,S6, be-
57i/
low;
"The angel
'Tan., itro. xvi.). " in
1, was Phinwhose countenance, when the Holy Spirit upon it, glowed like a torch (Lev. R. i..
of the Lord
elms, rested
ti9./
is
in lire; their liery breath consumes men; anil no man can endure the sound of
Nomenclature
of the angels
Judges,
ii.
