Biblically-Accurate Angels Explained

Join my online class about ancient magic and guardian angels!: religionforbreakfast.eventbri...
Join our Patreon community!: / religionforbreakfast
One-time donations here!: www.paypal.me/religionforbrea...
Check out my favorite religious studies books by following this affiliate link to my Amazon page: www.amazon.com/shop/religionf...
Biblically-accurate Clippy was used with permission from the original artist. Check out the work by Evangeline Gallagher on Twitter: @egallagher_art
Angel animations by ‪@ECHenry‬
You may have seen the memes about "biblically-accurate angels." These memes often emphasize the weird, visionary creatures mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. Technically, though, 'biblically-accurate' angels also just look like humans.

[@ReligionForBreakfast]

Join my online class about guardian angel magic!: religionforbreakfast.eventbrite.com/

[@nicanornunez9787]

Why did the On the celestial hierarchy omitted the Ophanim? Btw great love your work.

[@ready1fire1aim1]

On Bible Gateway if you search for RUACH ELOHIM and RUACH YAHWEH you can see the difference between Spirit of God and Spirit of Satan.

[@jameswright...]

@@ready1fire1aim1 Difference? In the bible god kills more people than the devil and the devil only kills with gods permission so god can win a bet. Both are very similar in the fact they are both myths.

[@jimmywim]

I'm there.

[@sdc319]

See you then!

[@tuvia4082]

Gabriel said do not be afraid because he was just some dude showing up telling an unmarried virgin woman that she was going to get pregnant.

[@stillnoided8280]

Same type of thing in Luke, where John the Baptist's father Zechariah is alone in a dark room in the temple and suddenly there's another person. There are only two places in the bible where an angel says "don't be afraid" and means "don't be afraid of me". The other time is when the shepherds are watching their flocks at night time, and suddenly there's all this light around them and people coming down from Heaven to tell them of Jesus' birth.

[@starmaker75]

And also Gabriel angelic jumpscare Mary. If fact come to think it would scary for Mary that someone that just appear out of nowhere just said “hey your pregnant and that baby is going to be the messiah. He also going to died pretty brutally”

[@C.Fecteau-AU-MJ13]

If some dude shows up and says that to your daughter... You should tell her to probably be afraid. I keep a rottweiler in our house, just in case Gabriel goes getting any ideas.

[@Amila5209]

How do u know the exact reason?

[@ckay_real2765]

@@C.Fecteau-AU-MJ13 true, but gabriel wasn't just a dude

[@Lis-ek9wm]

"I'm an expert in ancient magic. It's what I got my PhD in.". Instant subscribed. ✨

[@elihinze3161]

Top contender for coolest PhD subject matter!

[@SquigglesZero]

This also explains the glorious beard.

[@xxxxneoxxxx]

It's the closest you could ever get to being a wizard here in the Muggle world.

[@jakeaurod]

@@xxxxneoxxxx Then realize Arthur Weasley is his counterpart in the Wizarding World.

[@Shadowonwater]

saying that makes him sound like a wizard, lol

[@Lordlaneus]

No idea if this reflects the ideas of ancient authors, but to me, the wheels covered in eyes suggests a creature that is capable of looking at every side of something simultaneously, which feels like a decent metaphor for the perspective of an all knowing being

[@LimeyLassen]

I'm reminded of beings in the Hindu faith with similar descriptions

[@LmaoMoni]

Yeah pretty much

[@christophecrist2171]

Definitely reads a lot better as a metaphor. That was an interesting thing that you pointed out, it got me thinking. Keep up the good work.

[@bookmoon7244]

Eyes= glass balls/windows. Small alien ship/drone with technology more advanced than us. Ancient people were not stupid, they tried their best to describe what they saw with the vocabulary they had

[@ne0nmancer]

@@bookmoon7244 Stupid

[@Jamesssssssssssssss]

That clippy as an angel drawing is perfect. I love it so much

[@gallanosa]

The only way to have made it better would have been with the choices, "I am afraid" and "I am very afraid." 🤣

[@MicroStarlight]

It's so unexpected yet great, I totally forgot clippy existed

[@yuki-sakurakawa]

The clippynim is the highest order of office angel.

[@IronX77]

Timestamp?

[@kevinaguilar9454]

That really tickled me 😂

[@tysongames2750]

I see an Ophanim and think, "Wow, how complicated is God's imagination?", but then I think Jellyfish and I'm like "Ok."

[@harrymon0]

Care to elaborate?

[@LimeyLassen]

A "wheel covered in rings of eyes" so a clam, yeah

[@holothuroid9111]

@@harrymon0 I don't know what the poster above is thinking, but the fact that the "jellyfish" is only one stage in their life cycle and the fertile form is sessile is beyond amazing.

[@randyhelzerman]

Ophanim never really freaked me out. Its just when they started talking to me that I got real scared..

[@chompythebeast]

Neither the idea of jellyfish nor Semitic lesser deities seem all that had for humans to imagine, especially since that's where the latter actually came from

[@UniDocs_Mahapushpa_Cyavana]

Angelic powers are basically always forgotten about. They can: - Shapeshift convincingly - Alter minds (like Gabriel removing a man's ability to speak) - Enter visions - Burn everything with their radiance as they are made of fire - Thus, they are also immune to fire.

[@blksmagma]

There's this story in the Bible where God has a council with them and asks them who can come up with the best plan to tempt a king he didn't like and get him killed. One of them finally suggests that it will become a lying spirit in the mouth of a bunch of prophets. God says, "This will work. Go ahead". And the angel does exactly he says. So angels can also either posses a bunch of people at once or cause people to lie through spirit magic or something. Either way, they can become lying spirits in service of God.

[@UniDocs_Mahapushpa_Cyavana]

​@@blksmagma Legion also possesses multiple beings at once. Though, technically it only says spirit, so it could be any spirit of any lifeform, from transformed human to fire serpent. Though a powerful one, at least compared to humans.

[@onnimannimaki8846]

@Ignis i wanna know too

[@UniDocs_Mahapushpa_Cyavana]

@Ignis He is probably referring to the lying spirit story in 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles. Due to the spirit's race being ambiguious, it is often not said to be an angel. Thus, it would be hard to find by searching for lying angel.

[@blksmagma]

@@UniDocs_Mahapushpa_Cyavana Yep! This is in 1st Kings 22:19-23. And it appears again in 2 Chronicles. The passage says God has a council with "all the host of heaven" . To interpret what the species of the host are, that'll depend on whether you believe: -other gods (lesser or not) exist -any spirits other than God are angels -there are spirits not elaborated on in the Bible that God will use in his army. Because a host = army in this context. I'm not sure the Jewish writers at the time would be comfortable with saying that there were other gods. True about Legion! But isn't Legion like a bunch of demonic spirits at once, like a hive mind? Referencing the fact that a Roman legion is like 5000+ soldiers?

[@stephanieparker1250]

Something I’ve always loved about religious texts and stories are the fact that these stories are a reflection of the time periods hopes, dreams, fears and daily lives. You can see this brilliantly reflected in how biblical stories change based on the political environment of Middle East. Loving hopeful god, vs vengeful angry god, for example. It’s a window into the lives being lived in those times..

[@LPVince94]

The conflicting nature of the jewish father god probably stems from it originally being a warrior storm god that absorbed the pretty chill head of the caananite panteon El.

[@thebobbrom7176]

2:40 I know the term originated in this kind of context but it is kind of funny seeing a biblical passage end "very awesome" It's hard not to think of Samson's mum as a stoner

[@merseyviking]

... and he was like totally rad!

[@shaolin1derpalm]

The book of Ted Theodore Logan

[@giullianorb]

''and then I beseeched him: 'dude, I'm like, wtf bro'''

[@a.howardsmith3243]

Bad Version ....try KJVersion same text.

[@thebobbrom7176]

@@_hs.edjw-._du The Bible verse isn't relevant And honestly I'm pretty sure God would be greatly offended you think they're so insecure that they'd take offence to that

[@geoffreyrichards6079]

It is mentioned (I can’t recall if it was from the Bible or not) that Angels can assume human form. So it kinda makes sense as to why the most common depiction of them found in the old texts describes them as humanlike. But when they’re not in human guise, well… I guess that’s the real mystery.

[@maxxor-overworldhero6730]

The most common belief is that (except for maybe the Archangels), the higher up you get in the hierarchy of Angels - as in the closer to God - the more they don't resemble easily recognizable things. Especially when specifically in Hebrew the most common usage of Angelic terms that were used for regular human interactions was _Malakim,_ and those were usually depicted as nearly all Angels are commonly depicted in pop culture today.

[@benbittinger9789]

"Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13:2

[@JamesJNothingIsTooSensitive]

​@@benbittinger9789 And this negates what the OP said how? Because it doesn't. At all.

[@MrCmon113]

The texts don't say that they took some form though. And we have inhabitants of heaven lusting after human women and having offspring with them. Most plausibly angels and most other inhabitants of heaven were originally supposed to look just like humans.

[@JamesJNothingIsTooSensitive]

@@MrCmon113 That doesn't fit at all actually. 1. Considering that we have humans who lust after animals, one doesn't need to be the same "form" to lust after something. 2. Shapeshifters can lust after anything even moreso, because they can change to become anything. 3. We were made in God's image, not the image of Angels. 4. None of the other ranks of Angelic beings are the least bit humanlike in appearance. Why would the lowest rank be, when clearly God - the highest rank - is? 5. It makes FAR more sense for the Angels - the low rank "messengers" - to be able to shape-shifting so they can take messages to ANYONE in the cosmos. Other worlds, with alien life? Doesn't matter. Angels go where they need to and take whatever messages that they need to. 6. Taking anything taught by someone who teaches "Angelic Guardian Magic" as biblically accurate is laughable at best. Magic is forbidden by the Bible, and rather explicitly so. He very clearly cherrypicks and preys on people who don't read their bibles in full.

[@mathieuleader8601]

Clippy as an Onaphim is fantastic

[@yuki-sakurakawa]

Clippynim is the highest order of office angel. 😇

[@genghisgalahad8465]

Ophanim?

[@--Paws--]

*Ezekielly Accurate Heavenly Creatures

[@ReligionForBreakfast]

Exactly. Though technically, also Revelationally-Accurate too, since the Book of Revelation draws heavily on Ezekiel's visions.

[@falnica]

Manoah: Oh divine messenger! Please explain us your mystical command, so we may follow it The Angel: As I said to your wife, pregnant women shouldn't drink alcohol Manoah: What's your name? The Angel: Lol, as if

[@BeepDeige]

@Richdragon more or less the same as the origin of the name "I Am" for God.

[@HansLemurson]

We were visited by the great angle Loluseph!

[@thomasprislacjr.4063]

@@HansLemurson hail Loluseph! Divine instrument of his will!

[@shaolin1derpalm]

She saw a hot dude, he saw an average looking dude.

[@jonnylawless6797]

Angels and demons are pretty protective of their names, you can use it against them.

[@heressomestuffifound]

The fractal multiple eyes is a very common motif in psychedelic experiences too… or so I’m told.

[@LimeyLassen]

Yeah, I respect some religious historians refrain from speculating but it's pretty obvious. Or it could be non-drug induced hallucinations, like from fasting, sensory deprivation, etc.

[@LmaoMoni]

I was *told* that too

[@Image1Nation]

I told myself the same thing.

[@jonnylawless6797]

Can confirm, three different substances

[@goodmorning7358]

yeah i *definitely* cant attest myself, but ive heard similar

[@jacobduncan2142]

Also, in GDT's Pinocchio, the Wood Sprite that brings him to life is absolutely modelled after one of the types of Angel from Ezekiel.

[@chelseariddle6662]

And that model is BEAUTIFUL. I instantly got the reference when I watched the movie and was astounded by the horrifying beauty it held, it genuinely captivated me

[@ErikNilsen1337]

The "biblically-accurate angels" meme is just the new "Super Mario Bros. 2 was actually Doki Doki Panic"; a piece of trivia endlessly parroted by those who think themselves to be "in the know," but has since been so removed from its initial context to the point of being oversimplified and inaccurate.

[@ReligionForBreakfast]

I very much am the intended audience of this analogy.

[@ErikNilsen1337]

@@ReligionForBreakfast That’s because there’s actually a lot of inherent overlap between retro video games and angelology.

[@whathell6t]

@@ErikNilsen1337 And then there’s Evangelion and Ultraman.

[@MisterJang0]

"Christmas was invented to replace Saturnalia" is also in the same boat. It's cool that the same guy who debunked that also debunked this recent perception of what a "biblically accurate angel" is.

[@ErikNilsen1337]

@@MisterJang0 Oh, geez. That’s another obnoxious one.

[@idraote]

I always wonder about the later attempt at establishing a hierachy of angels as if the spiritual world had to reflect the inequalities of our own.

[@starmaker75]

An flawed, but human attempt to understand the holy, but strange divinity

[@chrissonofpear1384]

That and it's rather messy politics, as a realm, yes.

[@irkendragon]

When there's a void of information from a source material, it seems inevitable that people will want to fill in the blanks. And people write what they know.

[@CephirDay]

@@irkendragon iirc the bible sometimes warns humans to not interpret heavenly beings because we're told it's beyond our comprehension

[@remilenoir1271]

And who is to say that inequality is a bad thing ? That and the fact that inequality in the spiritual world is a given. God is fundamentaly higher than His creation, and the creation subordinate to him. Inequality is at the very core of monotheism as it puts mankind in relation with an infinite being.

[@Matt_The_Hugenot]

My very first priest when I was a kid called angels mythical Persian beings and made the congregation sing that well known carol 'Hark the herald mythical Persian beings sing'. He went on to become an Anglican bishop so that must have been a pretty mainstream view in the 1960s.

[@pixadavid]

Anglican moment

[@AngelHernandez-zl5yr]

Anglicans saying heresies bordering in blasphemy? Who would have thought

[@maxxor-overworldhero6730]

Yeesh.

[@vladprus4019]

What's interesting here that the most common theme in those dscription is pretty much almost always forgotten with modern depictions, including "bibilically accurate" ones - this theme being the fire.

[@Malroth00Returns]

Bronze age shepherd ate the wrong mushroom and now 5000 years later we have this....

[@ridleyroid9060]

There is a video game series, Megami Tensei, where I was introduced to a lot of 'biblically accurate" angels and the biblical lore in relation to them, and a lot of them, like Throne, Merkabah, Mastema, really piqued my curiosity. Really happy to see a video on this. You probl'y have so much more smart things to do but I recommend looking into some of the games from this franchise, it has a metric ton of religious/mythological references and depictions.

[@kokuinomusume]

There's this little anime about giant robots called Neon Genesis Evangelion that also has a bunch of angels... some like Ramiel or Leliel look like geometric shapes, others like Tabris (here be spoilers) go for the humanoid shape.

[@fenix0seraph]

@@kokuinomusume The angels in Evangelion are space aliens who happen to have Hebrew names. At least in SMT they are actually intended to be the deities on some level.

[@garvielloken8494]

Finally someone mentions SMT under one of these videos, such underrated franchise for history/culture/religion geeks

[@whathell6t]

@@fenix0seraph Not true. Humanity are Angels descended from Lilith, but when fused with flesh of Adam, they’re more powerful. And the Angels themselves are descended from the Ancestral Race who are said to be the cousins of the Ultra, the people of the Planet of Light-Nebula M78. Hideaki Anno picked up the Abrahamic aesthetics from Ultraman which is created by Eiji Tsuburaya, a devout Catholic convert, and even has the Vulgate (the Latin version of the Bible).

[@KidCapes]

Shin Megami Tensei is a great experience, it's a shame how detailed the references to religion and philosophy are that often go under-looked. There's really no other video game series like it.

[@dargossss]

I like the term "Angel Magic". I'm gonna try to get a ticket for that class. Thanks for the video!

[@harrisonsaunders8529]

I don't think you mentioned this, but the fire in the bush and the pillar of flame (I believe) are both described in the Hebrew as mal'akh adonai. Great video though, I've been waiting for one like it.

[@thetachmoniteb8069]

To add to that, the Lord (YHWH) was in the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night in Exodus 13:21,22. Then in Exodus 14:19,20 angel of God was in the pillar of cloud guiding Israel in front then went behind Israel; Ex. 14:24 Again, states that YHWH look down on the army of the Ehyptians from in the pillar of fireand cloud. Putting these texts together, YHWH and the Messenger/Angel, is Christ. Similarly, in book of Daniel 10:5, and in Genesis 18, are theophanies of YHWH appearing as a men The certain men in the book of Daniel 10:5 is Christ bearing resemblance to Revelation 1:13-16; could become man, not an angel, but as an epifany of Christ, because he is YHWH, who also, became a man, not an angel, appeared to Abraham in the plains of Mamre, in Genesis 18:1-3.

[@joshwood8206]

We just talked about this in my Medieval Art class today! Imagery of Devine beings from that era is so fascinating and this video just adds to it!

[@a.howardsmith3243]

Why not get SAVED and GO see for your self, Rapture is leaving in a few days !!

[@xaayer]

Thank you for this video. Seeing the memes was fun at first, but the more people took it seriously, the more I got a bit frustrated that no one did the research for themselves.

[@stillnoided8280]

It hurts a lot that for at least 15 years the wikipedia articles related to the subject take what can only be called a Hard Dyonisian view of things. They place a strange amount of emphasis on the hierarchy texts from him and Maimonides while simultaneously ignoring the huge caveats they put on their own ideas, and then also ignoring the places where scripture doesn't say the same thing. It's easy to do some reading, see that it's cited, and feel like you've done your research without knowing that there's more to the story.

[@xaayer]

@@stillnoided8280 what are you talking about? Did you mean to reply to me or someone else?

[@DoctorLazertron]

Same here, and maybe I’m overly defensive but it sure feels like another thing in pop culture to try and make Christians look ridiculous.

[@xaayer]

@@DoctorLazertron I don't think it made Christians look ridiculous (though this bus more jewish than Christian tbf) if anything it gave judeo-christian religions street cred with modern audiences. But the thing I didn't like is when people lourded the design.over others as if they knew something others didn't.

[@DoctorLazertron]

@@xaayer I’m not sure I agree with the street cred thing, but I’m with you on the last part. I also feel like a “correction” on the materialistic description kind of misses the point. I’m sure most people understand it as a symbolic description but the focus is more on the “um, actually” aspect.

[@christopherknorr2895]

I always thought that the bizarre descriptions could just be ancient authors attempting to describe a 4th dimensional being dipping into our 3 Dimensional plane

[@gjhartist3685]

Thats my pet theory too

[@indigogodhead6481]

That makes a lot of sense actually …so much sense that It can apply to other beings as well and it still makes sense

[@christopherknorr2895]

@@indigogodhead6481 Gods, for instance. A shape shifting god may just be scrolling to a different 3D slice of itself

[@MBarberfan4life]

Yes, because apocalyptic literature contains symbolic imagery. It seems most people don’t appreciate different literary genres.

[@jacobduncan2142]

I've been waiting for this episode since I found your channel. I always found it fascinating.

[@justinward3218]

Be not afraid wasn’t the first thing Gabriel said to Mary. That’s one of the things that makes this meeting unique. He didn’t say that until after she was troubled by his message, not his presence.

[@Janizzary]

Interesting that the Assyrian main god, Ashur is often shown in a winged wheel of sorts in carved reliefs. Also, the Sumerian gods, like Inanna, had "Sukkal" messengers, like Nin-Shubur.

[@Funny_Muffler]

I like how you changed 2:43 to “most awe inspiring” instead of “very awesome” 😂

[@ReligionForBreakfast]

Technically I'm quoting the NRSV. The image on screen I think is KJV.

[@Funny_Muffler]

@@ReligionForBreakfast ah makes sense! I just thought “very awesome” sounded too out of place so you rephrased 😂

[@MAMoreno]

@@ReligionForBreakfast The screen image is from the ESV, which is essentially the NRSV for conservative Protestants. The ESV is about 90% similar to the original RSV by some counts, so the differences with the NRSV are minimal. (I could tell that some of the images came from the ESV simply from the distinctive Lexicon font that the publisher Crossway uses for the translation.)

[@varana]

@@MAMoreno Being able to distinguish translations of the bible by their typography must be some kind of superpower. :D

[@personal-qs6dz]

"I'm an expert in ancient magic" is a very cool job description

[@xxxxneoxxxx]

I always watch one of your videos before my 7am class (I'm an English teacher in Peru), so really, it is my breakfast. Religion for breakfast. Regards from Peru!

[@exvaran]

Now I want a crossover episode between the two Henry's discussing the angelology of the Star Wars universe based on that one line in The Phantom Menace

[@hackman669]

What about a video on Star Wars religions?!🐱🦧

[@voliol8070]

This one I knew, in bits and pieces, but it's still nice seeing it explained this concisely and in order! :)

[@sownheard]

To bad he skipped the book of creation where it clearly states that angels and fallen angels can take on different forms like shape shifter's because they are beings of creation. No one thinks all angels are snakes 🍎 🐍 even though some presented them like so. while the book also said fallen angels where tempted by the flesh and like living amongst the Humans so they pretend to be human. And that resulted in freak baby's that eventually became so bad he had to reset the earth with Noa's Ark

[@chrissonofpear1384]

@@sownheard And doesn't say why they were allowed to, yeah...

[@paulschlachter4313]

@@sownheard From what I read the book of creation is dated later then the new testament and therefore does not contribute to the topic of biblically-accurate angels.

[@Your.Uncle.AngMoh]

I love your research and dedication to the videos you produce. I'm learning so much from you. Thanks, and greetings from Australia.

[@jimmywim]

Yes! Ancient Magic seminar. This stuff and Justin Sledge's Esoterica are filling my evenings right now :D

[@larisael-netanany488]

Just to add 2 cents of a Hebrew speaker, the Hebrew word עיין - primarily translates as eye - is also used to describe a loop, like those you create in netting wool, or a connection point that is a hole. Also it’s used to describe middle like that storms have )the eye of the storm), but this use is not limited to storms. So taking that in ophanim as wheels full of eyes could very be just a blunt translation blunder. Here is a funny lingual exercise I was given as a kid to help me understand Hebrew biblical texts(alas, you have to be Hebrew speaker for that, but it is still fun to hear about): try to describe the caterpillar of a tank or a bulldozer using only words found in the Bible the same way they are used in the Bible and see what you end up with. The result is not too different than taking a paragraph through few hops of google translate, and hopping back to the original language you started with: there is a resemblance but the meaning often is altered.

[@asmodeus304]

thats super interesting actually!! heres a somewhat related fact-theres only 8000 some biblical hebrew words. Total. thats so little! part of the reason the tanakh is a pain to translate/is so vague

[@nouhorni3229]

That's interesting. In case of the Ophanim though, I'm pretty sure they are supposed to be the literal wheels of god's throne. That's how the translation makes the most sense to me anyway.

[@SobekLOTFC]

Another great video, Dr Henry- keep up the fantastic work 👏

[@nyc88s]

I just stumbled upon your channel tonight, and wasted no time in subscribing. Patreon could be next! You are so interesting, and you have fascinating and beautiful presented material. Thank you!

[@JonathanGhost42]

Very interesting video! Even as a fan of freakish artistic depictions of "biblically-accurate angels" I knew of the exeggaration that came with that meme (like with many memes)... But what I did not know was, that this different beings are probably some sort of different "kind" of creatures in the mythology. On the one hand this is really fascinating news, but thinking about the diversity in different kinds of spirits and gods in their respective mythologies/religions, it makes definitely sense that there would not be just one kind of heavenly being, but different entities with different forms and functions. (Sorry for My bad English, but I am german and find it simpler to understand the language then write it).

[@ReligionForBreakfast]

Yeah, a good analogy would be a griffin. Would we call a griffin an "angel?" No probably not. It's a "kind" of mythological being.

[@JonathanGhost42]

@@ReligionForBreakfast It seems as if there was with time some "thinning out" of a mythology that was probably as diverse as many others in this place and age.

[@mormacil]

@@ReligionForBreakfast There some references to unicorns as angels. Which is an interesting albeit niche take to my understanding.

[@whathell6t]

@@ReligionForBreakfast What are your thoughts on Angels that are depicted in Hideaki Anno’s Evangelion and the Abrahamic aesthetics in Eiji Tsuburaya’s Ultraman (1966)?

[@m8sonmiller]

Which one did Shinji and Asuka fight by dancing?

[@andrewsuryali8540]

Israfel

[@gmcrosa]

Thanks for this channel. Every episode is fascinating. You present solid information but in a very interesting presentation. I'm an ecologists, former catholic, currently atheist but nevertheless fascinated with religions. Keep the good staff! Greetings from Uruguay

[@aceofspades3973]

This was so interesting and helpful! I always love your detailed and clear explanations. Love that you cite your sources haha. So much content on the Internet is just like, "This is what angels are!" or whatever, and it's like, okay, according to who...? There have been so many different perspectives on angels and attempts to sort them into a hierarchy throughout history, it's never possible to just say definitively what they are or are not, only what certain sources say/what certain sects or individuals believe.

[@eziowayne]

I really appreciate this channel!

[@stillnoided8280]

Worth mentioning that Maimonides and the author of De Coelestia Hierarchia both believe that heavenly creatures have no physical form, and all their traits are purely symbolic. The latter calls it "vulgar and irreverent" to imagine that any thing from Heaven has earthly characteristics of wheels or animals. He also has a chapter dedicated to justifying his use of the term angel, showing that he knew it was some thing that needed justification rather than some thing he got from scripture. De Coelestia Hierarchia is afaik our earliest source of a text calling any thing other than an angel proper by that name at around 500 AD.

[@BlackReaper0]

Yeah, he even says : "And I do not suppose that any sensible man will gainsay that the incongruous elevate our mind more than the similitudes; for there is a likelihood, with regard to the more sublime representations of heavenly things, that we should be led astray, so as to think that the Heavenly Beings are certain creatures with the appearance of gold, and certain men with the appearance of light, and glittering like lightning, handsome," I kind of wish this video had gone more into it, though to be fair, that could be a video of its own.

[@ryanbaker614]

Really love the artwork for this and the last video.

[@c.e.m7535]

I love your channel! Thank you, Broseph!

[@watchyourlanguage3870]

I saw this video a while back (one of my favorite videos on all of KZbin), but this upcoming Shabbat I’m reading the Haftarah portion about Samson’s birth from the book of Judges, so I came back. It was a wild experience reading the first few lines and being like “yo I think this is the story from that video about biblically accurate angels”

[@GarajedelMedioCR]

"I'm an expert in ancient magic"... that should definitely go on a t-shirt!🤣🤣

[@sewellparanormal6351]

Such a great video. Thank you so much.

[@amypieterse4127]

As always, love your videos.

[@lbjcb5]

This is such a great summary!!

[@ToshMatsum]

"Really bad acid trip" covers every single one of these.

[@ninja34744]

"I'm an expert in ancient magic" is a rad flex.

[@nichardogallez5584]

Fantastic video, you never disappoint!

[@bheemabachus5179]

Every single one of your videos is an instant classic. This is immensely useful. Edit: However, I do have one suggestion. At the end, where you said "just look for a super generic guy and see if he flies into the sky in a fire," it would've been really funny if you video edited yourself doing that.

[@scrubadubdub8360]

I've always loved the idea that these "heavenly creatures" are beings from another dimensional place, and they look all crazy and scary when they come to our three-dimensional space.

[@starmaker75]

It also show that the closer to heaven you go, the more surreal and weird it gets. It would be reflect how the angel/divinity look other worldly

[@Valerio_the_wandering_sprite]

Like Eugene the Jeep?

[@kalinmir]

3rd dimension?

[@oxid71]

They are. I saw one with my own eyes and its the only reasonable explanation.

[@charlesrb3898]

@@oxid71 Tell us more.

[@bafys]

Angel: Be not Afraid Human: *Screams out of fear* Angel: 👁👁 👁 👁👁👄👁👁 👁👁👁

[@elijahd.techgnostic]

Fantastic video as always. I'm just wondering, but have you heard of the interpretation of Ezekiels vision where the Cheribum and Ophainum are linked to the constellations of the Babylonian zodiac? The four faces of the Cheribum are linked to the four cardinal directions of the Zodiac and the stars being the 'eyes' that are mentioned, as well as their cyclic motion through the year being the 'wheels' described.

[@zeogen]

I had always heard scholars equate the chair of them to the chair to guarded and pull the arc, and the garden of Eden to the Sphinx, and these other ancient near eastern

[@scottm2664]

I love your scholarly explanation in terms others can understand

[@ROMANTIKILLER2]

Very interesting summary. I feel like a lot of common debates and misconceptions around visualization of biblical elements very often find their roots in two issues: 1) looking at translations of the texts (be it Greek, Latin Vulgata, or often English/modern language) rather than the original, thus missing the actual meaning of the words chosen by the authors. 2) looking at the texts as a cohesive corpus that remained unchanged over time, rather than something that was discussed and reinterpreted multiple time througout the centuries. Of course there are also other elements, but these I see as recurrent.

[@luminous2585]

This was a very insightful video. I was curious where the idea of biblically accurate angels really came from. So, I'm really sorry my comment is going to be this but... I kind of like the idea that people in the past were doing tier lists of their favorite angels similar how people nowadays make tier lists of their favorite anime characters or videogames or whatnot.

[@Thelaretus]

As a very devout Catholic Christian scholar I remember the first time someone showed me one of those 'biblically accurate Angels'; I had to go on a lengthy explanation about the distinction between spirit and matter and how spirit has no form, but can project different shapes onto the material world -- one of those being similar to what she showed me, but not limited to it.

[@CRneu]

or none of this is true and it's all made up stories so anything can take any shape in these stories. add in that these were all passed along in a game of telephone and it makes sense that none of this really lines up properly.

[@MrCmon113]

None of that stuff is biblical though. In particular the older stories are free from this modern hogwash and the inhabitants of heaven simply have bodies like everyone else.

[@MrCmon113]

@@CRneu The stories of yore were much better than this belief in a "material" and "spiritual" world though. The latter is just a mythology of excuses. In the original stories, Yahwe and his angels are just dudes hanging out in the sky, in a real, physical location you could visit. That's honest myths.

[@entertherealmofchaos]

Can't go wrong with this subject. Well researched video.

[@ngusumakofu1]

Brilliant content as usual!

[@druidriley3163]

Jumped to some conclusions. You try to dismiss Ezekiel because no other book mentions angels thus. How do we know Ezekiel isn't correct and the other bible writers changed it because they found Ezekiel's angels horrific? The description of the angel from the book of Daniel doesn't really describe anything human. Body was like beryl - did he mean color? Or shape? Beryls in nature are hexagonal crystals. So did he mean this creature was hexagonal and crystalline? Color-wise, natural beryl can vary from green to pink. Hardly human. Face like lightning? That means blazing, electrical, blinding - white/blue/red? Eyes like flaming torches? I'm not seeing this as human in any way. And if the seraphim were using two wings to hide its face, how do we know that face was human? Snakes, dogs, salamanders, bears, horses, etc, all have faces. Octopi, chameleons and koalas have arms that can grasp things. That doesn't make them 'human like'.

[@differous01]

The Cherubim have virtues represented in Rev4v7 by faces of Lion (warrior), Ox (work), Man (trade) and Eagles (law), corresponding to Judea's 4 main sects at the time (Zealot, Essene, Sadducee & Pharisee). Their vices are expressed in the Horseman each summons in Rev6.

[@jhidalgo8592]

I love this channel!

[@katew.9402]

Great video, thanks!

[@teugene5850]

thank you for your cross-denominational presentation of religious ideas in a fair, balanced and intellectual way... you give me hope for the internet (and possibly the humans also...)

[@princesssshortie]

I'm so exited for this one!!

[@DoctorLazertron]

In Matthieu Pageau’s “Language of Creation” he describes the symbolism of the beings in Ezekiel’s visions, starting with the eagle above, the ox and the lion, and the human in the middle. The eagle representing the heavens, the ox and the lion as 2 depictions of opposite ends of earthly animals, and the human as the intermediary through logos (referring to Adam naming the animals). I’m paraphrasing but there’s a symbolic language in the otherworldly descriptions of angels. I haven’t gotten to the part about the wheels and eyes yet.

[@Nstone53]

9:51: Not sure if it matters but I know the term "Prince" used to be the word for what we call a king today. It was around the time of William the Conquerer that the anglo-saxon word for King started to be used in its place and the word prince was pushed down a rank. So if you're referencing a text that was translated after the middle ages, that text may not be referring to those angles at Prince's in the modern sense but more of creatures of the highest order.

[@Flozone1]

Since you mentioned the Babylonian exile as a point of change I wonder how post-babylonian angels relate to the Amesha Spenta from Zoroastrianism.

[@SlurpGoblin]

Bro if I knew you could get a PhD in Ancient Magic when I was a kid, I would’ve studied harder.

[@larsfrosznielsen3536]

Wow at last someone could tell me fair and square what an angel is. I'm educated religion teacher and have told my students about the wheel with eyes as angels.....that is history now. THANK YOU

[@kazebaret]

So hyped for this lecture!!! Unfortunately, here in Spain it will be around 1 in the morning, of a Thursday... Why do I have to work? Whyyyyyyy? :(

[@highlonesomed]

I've always been fascinated w how the Cherubic beasts match the zodiacal constellations that make up four quarters of the Platonic great year (the eagle sign is used instead of scorpio, which it rises with. forgetting that eagle's name tho). The cosmic horror vibes really intensify when you keep that in mind

[@SuperGnarWhales]

I didn't know your PhD was in ancient magic that's amazing

[@rodrigodepierola]

Awesome video. Good research, clealry explained.

[@robbabcock_]

Wonderful stuff!

[@fietehermans9903]

"I'm an expert in ancient magic" is a sentence you don't here that often these days...

[@Fordo007]

I always thought angels looked human when dealing with humans while the visions of them in heaven are their most true form

[@pmelsner]

Wow! thank you for this awesome video

[@DoctorLazertron]

Thank your for this, the “biblically accurate” meme has been bothering me and it’s nice to have a reference to clarify it.

[@MarcelloInvierno]

12:14 reminds me of The Witcher 3's Gaunter O'Dimm. No fancy clothes, no extraordinary face. He's even present in some scenes during your quest, blending into the crowd. But you have a hard time spotting him. In the end, he's turns out to be quite the opposite of ordinary.

[@cthellis]

I feel like you should use “that’s no fat baby” in every video from now on.

[@462n]

@11:17 Wow. I guess humanity has been obsessed with arguments on power scaling for centuries.. I'm just imagining some guy from the 5th century talking about the awesome might of Gabriel and some other guy responding to him saying "But can he beat an Ophanim tho?".

[@Nero_Karel]

Great video! Do you plan on maybe covering the Gospel of Nicodemus for Easter this year?

[@mdug7224]

Thank you for this. It's very helpful. I can correct myself in my discussions after my gut, 'freaky angels' comments elsewhere.

[@kaimamoonfury1335]

Used to be pretty heavy into the hermetic stuff, read the golden dawn a whole bunch, etc.... pretty interested to hear an experts take after I've been an atheist for a while now. I like neon Genesis so much in part, because the angels are all weird geometric shapes an such, but we still get some that are the stereotypical depiction too, one of which even is a human-angel hybrid things.

[@AlexFariaOliveira]

Yep that's what I like about Neon Genesis too... sometimes I think we are too uncreative, celestial beings might be so wierd that we maybe could not even realise they are lifeforms. Someone once said that we might not realise that some sort of rock is a lifeform or maybe there are beings that move so slow through time that we couldn't even comunicate with them. Or maybe some might be in higher levels and we might just seen to them like a straight line in a piece of paper. Could you imagine a line in a piece of paper being sentient and wanting to comunicate with us or wondering if there are more inteligent life over there? Maybe even God is just a higher dimension being that we can sometimes feel, but can we communicate with him? Can he make us ascend? The same way we can't grant a line in a paper the 3rd dimension?

[@VeraDonna]

I always love your teachings and this one made me laugh. :)

[@SuperSpidey313]

"That's no fat baby" - Religion for Breakfast

[@Vynzent]

This is so perfect out of context lmao

[@SuperSpidey313]

@@Vynzent right???

[@TheCrimsonPope]

Great video! Doesn't "awesome" in this linguitic historical context mean something more like "respectful fear"-inspiring? Like, scary in the way that inspires reverence?

[@fabrisseterbrugghe8567]

As a child, I thought God was all ears. Sincerely, if He heard all prayers, I thought every human had her own ear to talk to God.

[@mikevargas809]

love this channel

[@winminexp]

Someone should make “ancient magic accurate guardian angel” memes

[@polintr]

If the angel that Samson’s parents saw was forgettable, does that mean Keyser Söze and Linus Caldwell are angels?

[@CloroxBleachCompany]

The biblically-accurate angel memes are always funny 😂

[@jillvernes4310]

LOL I would pay money to get an app for Biblically Accurate Clippy to tell me "Be Not Afraid" on a regular basis