[Rodolfo Martínez]

Hello people,
I was thinking about How many paintings have a Saint Michael wielding sword and wearing armour and i was thinking, From where, artists took the idea of armored angels and so on, since the book of the Revelations do not depicts any angel wearing such gear. (Even, there is a Choir named ¨Powers¨ who are depicted in such way)

I know it may be simbolic, but...

Another thing i was thinking was, God puts a guardian Cherubim in Eden, wielding a flammard-ish fire sword, Do you know if it could be inspired in any weapon of that era?

Thanks.

[David McElrea]

Hi Rudolfo,

The images you see are derived from the "war in heaven" language found throughout Scripture. I don't think the artists in question necessarily thought the angels were wearing literal armor of steel (for example); rather there was an analogical principle that they were drawing out. The key for the artists is, humanity exists within the context of a great cosmic warfare that extends beyond the human sphere. The angelic accouterments present that reality in a way that we, as embodied beings, can understand.

In re: the Edenic Churubim, the imagery of the "flammard", it is taken from late medieval art. The Bibilcal text simply describes it as "herem" of fire, which can be translated "sword", "weapon" or "destroyer". The biblical writer was more intent on the reader understanding that re-entry into Eden was now blocked than he was in describing the details of the angelic sword. If we were going to do it today, it might look like a light sabre.

Hope it helps,
David

[B. Stark]

As far as I can recall there is no Biblical referrence to angels wearing armor. Artistic license of the those creators of the art in question. Being that angels are described as being powerful as they are, armor would likely be superfluous to such a being. Instantaneously being able to shift thru time and space. Striking dead those who attack them or they are called to strike dead, blinding multiple enemies and so on.

The sword also is an emblem of authority, justice, and irresistable power. Hence the Garden angel.

[Rodolfo Martínez]

MMM... a Jedi angel.... interesting....

I know that it is simbolic, but some artists, li Durer, engraved them as depicted in the Bible (If no, see the Revelation´s angel with towers instead of legs) So, i was wondering if any other artist was Biblically accurate.

Do you think that the armour or the shield could represent Faith?
I don´t know.

Thaks

[David McElrea]

Hi Rudolfo,

St. Paul, in Ephesians 6, did use the imagery of arms and armor, including the shield of faith, to instruct Christians regarding their part in the heavenly conflict. As to whether the artists may have carried that theme over to angels or not, I don't know. I suspect the only way anyone could know is if the artist in question kept a journal.

I think Mr. Stark is right in saying it is artistic license. If you were a 16th c. (or 12th c.) artist and you wanted to visually portray the conflict of Rev 12, how would you do it? You'd make the angels look like warriors, which means giving them suitably impressive arms and armor. I don't think it comes down to anything more than that.

[Rodolfo Martínez]

I agree with you David about Saint Michael, since he is depicted fighting in the Revelations, and in other books, he is imagined as a soldier, but isn´t the equipment of an Angel a symbol of its message too?
because, as Mr. Stark said, even swords, and tunics, and even a human form is superfluous.
Isn´t the armour supposed to represent Faith, or truth, the sword justice, and all? At least, for the Orthodox Byzantine Church?

Thanks.

[Tim May]

[David McElrea]

Spot on, Tim. I think men such as Dante, Milton and Bunyan had a tremendous influence on the way their contemporaries (and many who came after) perceived things. Allegory and physical representation go hand in hand.

Rudolfo, there is a great history of symbolism attached to arms and armor. In the biblical context, when employed metaphorically, the sword has typically been used to signify judgment-- which is also a facet of Divine Justice, Protection, and, (especially in the New Testament) as an image of God's powerful Word.

God himself is described (again, obviously metaphorically) as putting on armor in Isaiah 59:17-18, and this is the imagery that Paul later picks up on and applies to Christians in Ephesians 6:10-18. Their warfare against the "spiritual forces of darkness" is carried out through God's own resources. It is fluid throughout the Bible, though, as you will see if you compare the above passages to 1 Thessalonians 5:8; that's what makes it hard to say "this is symbolic of that." It is metaphor and not a 1:1 correspondence.

What does this mean, in re: angels? Not much, necessarily. Early painters may have had a degree of symbolism in the back of their minds, possibly, but, their main intent was not to communicate something metaphorical; rather they were communicating something literal, something that was continually being acted out in history, but outside of normal human perception. The only way to communicate this is on canvas is to give the angels forms and accoutrement. As such, the arms and armor we see in the paintings might tell us quite a bit about the arms and armor of the artists contemporaries, but it won't tell us much about angelic armor.

As to the Byzantine Tradition holding a key to your question-- I cannot say.

Take care,

David

[Rodolfo Martínez]

Thanks for your answer Mr. Elrea.

Do you know something about the miracle in Antioch, of the celestial host helping the crusaders, after finding Longinus´ spear?