Angel and demon

Начало книги

Celestial and noncelestial forms: relationships of beliefs in angels and demons to views of the cosmos

Types of angels and demons

Varieties of angels and demons in the religions of the world

Angel and demon, demon also spelled daemon, respectively, any benevolent or malevolent spiritual being that mediates between the transcendent and temporal realms.

The Angel with the Millstone, manuscript illumination from the Bamberg Apocalypse, c. 1000–20; in the Bamberg State Library, Germany (MS. Bbil. 140, fol. 46R).Courtesy of the Staatsbibliothek Bamberg, Ger.

Throughout the history of religions, varying kinds and degrees of beliefs have existed in various spiritual beings, powers, and principles that mediate between the realm of the sacred or holy—i.e., the transcendent realm—and the profane realm of time, space, and cause and effect. Such spiritual beings, when regarded as benevolent, are usually called angels in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and those viewed as malevolent are termed demons. In other traditions, such intermediate beings are less categorical, for they may be benevolent in some circumstances and malevolent in others. Nature and significance Angels

Читать дальше →