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Systematic theologyWhat does it teach as a whole?

Angelology

What is angelology?

Angelology is the branch of theology which treats of angels. In dogmatics it is the doctrine of angels as a locus of Christian theology, usually placed within the doctrine of creation; in religious studies it is a comparative study of intermediary beings. It covers the nature, fall and ministry of the angels, Satan and the demons, and the powers.

  • 139Sources
  • 15Traditions
  • 16Dated entries
  • 14Minutes

Study v1.1, 15 October 2026

Angelology

At a glance

Why it matters for reading Scripture

Angels, demons and the unseen world, studied as part of creation. The question of the Nephilim depends on it.

What the study found

Angelology usually sits within the doctrine of creation; the Fourth Lateran Council (1215) taught that angels were created, and that the devil and demons were created good and fell by their own doing.

Where traditions divide

Catholic and Orthodox churches honour angels and seek their intercession, Lutheran and Reformed confessions warn against invoking them, and Jehovah's Witnesses identify Michael with Jesus.

How the traditions compare

  • Roman Catholic

    Teaches that the existence of angels is a truth of faith: they are spiritual, personal and immortal creatures with intelligence and will, and Christ is the center of the angelic world.

    With the Fourth Lateran Council it holds that the devil and the other demons were created naturally good but became evil by their own doing, and that their choice is irrevocable. The Church asks the angels' help in its liturgy and teaches that an angel stands beside each believer as protector, a belief Hugh Pope noted has never been defined. The Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy discourages assigning names to angels other than Gabriel, Raphael and Michael.

    Sources1–5

  • Eastern Orthodox

    The Orthodox Church in America's catechetical series calls angels strictly spiritual beings, not part of the material universe, and teaches nine ranks of bodiless powers.

    John of Damascus calls angels incorporeal only by comparison with human beings and holds that they guard the divisions of the earth. The Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers is kept on 8 November; the OCA names seven archangels and adds Jeremiel, teaches that each person has a guardian angel, and, tracing the feast to canon 35 of Laodicea, keeps the proper veneration of angels while rejecting their worship as gods or rulers of the world.

    Sources6–8

  • Oriental Orthodox

    In the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, whose canon of 81 books includes 1 Enoch, Mahibere Kidusan presents Michael as a guardian of souls invoked in emergencies and commemorated on the 12th day of every month.

    The Coptic Orthodox Church, as a parish Synaxarium page records, asks Michael's intercession in every Liturgy and keeps his major feasts on 12 Hatour and 12 Paona. The Armenian Apostolic Church, following Dionysius the Areopagite, teaches nine orders of angels, created at the beginning of creation together with light.

    Sources9–12

  • Church of the East

    Its characteristic term for angels is watchers, and in Narsai's liturgical homilies the deacons stand before the altar in the likeness of angels.

    The Book of the Bee sets out nine classes of angels in three orders, each with cosmic offices, and states that each person has a guardian angel from conception until the resurrection. A parish document on the liturgical year lists no separate feast of angels.

    Sources13–15

  • Anglican

    The Thirty-Nine Articles contain no occurrence of the word angel, and Article XXII rejects the invocation of saints as a fond thing vainly invented.

    The Book of Common Prayer (1662) keeps Saint Michael and All Angels on 29 September, and its collect prays that the holy angels who serve God in heaven may help and defend people on earth.

    Sources16–17

  • Lutheran

    The Augsburg Confession holds that Scripture does not teach the invocation of saints, since Christ is the one Mediator.

    The Apology grants that the angels pray for us, citing Zechariah 1:12, but finds no command, promise or example for invocation. Luther's Small Catechism asks God in its morning and evening prayers: "Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me."

    Sources18–20

  • Reformed

    Calvin's rule is not to speak, think or long to know more than the Word of God has delivered: he will not affirm that each believer has a single guardian angel and dismisses the Dionysian hierarchy, while insisting that angels are true spirits and not mere qualities.

    The Westminster Confession holds that some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life, gives religious worship to God alone and states that the apostate angels shall be judged. The Belgic Confession holds that God created the angels good, to be his messengers and to serve the elect.

    Sources21–23

  • Methodist and Wesleyan

    John Wesley's sermons hold that angels are spirits who minister to souls and bodies, usually unnoticed, and that they may not be worshipped but should be esteemed in love.

    Evil angels tempt and blind the understanding within limits that God sets, and the remedy is the "whole armour of God", which Wesley reads as universal holiness, with watchfulness and prayer.

    Sources24–25

  • Baptist and evangelical

    The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 has no article on angels and mentions Satan once.

    The Lausanne Committee's Intercession Working Group (1993) reaffirmed the Lausanne Covenant's language of constant spiritual warfare but was cautious about territorial spirits and warned against blaming demons in place of personal responsibility for sin.

    Sources26–27

  • Pentecostal and charismatic

    The Assemblies of God's Statement of Fundamental Truths mentions angels twice.

    Its 2019 paper "Spiritual Warfare and the Believer" holds that believers cannot be possessed but are oppressed, that no fixed formula is to be drawn from Jesus' varied methods, and that Daniel 10 is no solid basis for teaching about territorial demonic activity. C. Peter Wagner's International Spiritual Warfare Network, as Gerald Ediger reports it, took the opposite view, with strategic-level warfare against territorial spirits.

    Sources28–30

  • Seventh-day Adventist

    The Fundamental Beliefs set the angels within the Great Controversy between Christ and Satan, who led a portion of the angels into rebellion, while Christ sends the loyal angels to guide, protect and sustain his people.

    Ellen G. White identifies Michael with Christ; Adventists, as Spectrum reports, deny that this makes Jesus a created being, and the Michael teaching is not a fundamental belief.

    Sources31–33

  • Jehovah's Witnesses

    Identify the archangel Michael as evidently a name given to Jesus before and after his life on earth, citing Daniel 10 and 12, Jude 9, Revelation 12:7 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16, and argue that both names refer to the same person.

    Sources34

  • Latter-day Saints

    Doctrine and Covenants 129 distinguishes angels, resurrected personages with bodies of flesh and bones, from the spirits of just men made perfect.

    The tradition identifies named angels with figures of human history: Michael is Adam, a church manual states that Noah is the angel Gabriel, and Moroni is the angel of the Restoration.

    Sources35–37

  • Jewish thought (for comparison)

    Outside Christian theology, Maimonides places angels among creatures having form without matter, in ten levels from the chayyot to the ishim, and in the Guide for the Perplexed holds that natural forces and angels are identical.

    The Talmud, Hagigah 14a, gives a very different picture, of ministering angels created each day from the River Dinur who sing to God and then cease to exist.

    Sources38–40

  • Islam (for comparison)

    Belief in the angels is an article of faith (Qur'an 2:285), and Gabriel and Michael are named (2:97 to 98).

    Iblis "was one of the jinn" (18:50), so the Qur'anic adversary does not map simply onto the Christian doctrine of a fallen angel.

    Sources41–43

How the field developed

  1. Second Temple
    Mid 1st century BCE

    The Qumran copy 4Q403 of the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice is made. The work has thirteen sections, one for each of the first thirteen Sabbaths of the year, and depicts angelic praise, an angelic priesthood and a heavenly temple.44

  2. Early church
    150s

    Justin Martyr's First Apology names the host of the other good angels among those Christians worship and attributes the persecution of Christians to the instigation of evil demons.45

  3. Early church
    c. 177

    Athenagoras writes that the office of the angels is to exercise providence for God over created things, and that some angels fell into impure love of virgins, from whom came the giants, a reading of Genesis 6.46

  4. Early church
    Early 3rd century

    The Sethite reading of Genesis 6, which takes the sons of God as the line of Seth, first appears explicitly with Julius Africanus. On Robert Bradshaw's account no Christian had challenged the angelic reading before the third century.4748

  5. Late antiquity
    Between 343 and 381

    Canon 35 of the Council of Laodicea forbids Christians to go away and invoke angels, calling it covert idolatry. Hefele concluded that the council cannot be dated more closely than these years; other dates given are 365 and about 363.49

  6. Late antiquity
    c. 500

    An author writing as Dionysius the Areopagite, probably in Syria, sets out nine orders of angels in three triads in The Celestial Hierarchy. The earliest reliable citations narrow its composition to about thirty years around 500.5051

  7. Late antiquity
    590 to 604

    Gregory the Great, pope in these years, writes in his Homily 34 on the Gospels that Scripture shows nine orders of angels, giving the Latin Church its own form of the list.52

  8. Medieval
    745

    A Roman council under Pope Zacharias condemns the preacher Aldebert, whose prayer invoked Uriel, Raguel, Tubuel, Michael and others, judging them, with the exception of Michael, not angels but demons.53

  9. Medieval
    787

    The Second Council of Nicaea orders holy images to be set up, the revered angels among them, and gives them respectful veneration, not the full adoration paid only to the divine nature.54

  10. Medieval
    1215

    The Fourth Lateran Council confesses that God created from nothing both spiritual and corporeal creatures, angelic and earthly, and that the devil and other demons were created naturally good but became evil by their own doing.3

  11. Reformation
    1559

    The final Latin edition of Calvin's Institutes treats angels and devils in Book I, chapter 14, within the doctrine of creation. Calvin dismisses the celestial hierarchy of Dionysius as merely idle talk.21

  12. Modern
    21 April 1941

    Rudolf Bultmann first delivers "New Testament and Mythology" in Frankfurt am Main. The essay describes the New Testament world picture as three-storied, with heaven above as the home of God and the angels.5556

  13. Modern
    1950

    Karl Barth's Church Dogmatics III/3 appears in German, with the angels in §51, "The Kingdom of Heaven, the Ambassadors of God and their Opponents", after "God and Nothingness". The English translation follows in 1961.5758

  14. Modern
    1952

    Hendrik Berkhof's Christus en de machten appears at Nijkerk, arguing that Paul demythologized the apocalyptic angelic powers into the framework of creation. John Howard Yoder's English translation, Christ and the Powers, follows in 1962.5960

  15. Modern
    26 January 1999

    The revised Catholic rite of exorcism, De Exorcismis et Supplicationibus Quibusdam, is presented at the Vatican. The exorcist must establish that he is dealing with the presence of the Evil One and not an illness.61

  16. Modern
    16 to 22 August 2000

    The "Deliver Us From Evil" consultation at Nairobi, convened by the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization and the Association of Evangelicals in Africa, warns that spiritual authority must not become spiritual abuse and rejects warfare prayer as the only key to effective evangelization.62

How to study angelology

The questions it asks

  • Does the word angel name a nature or an office, since mal'akh and angelos are also used of human messengers?63641
  • Are angels wholly incorporeal, or do they have subtle bodies, and when were they created?
  • What was the angels' first sin, and when did they fall?65
  • Is the angel of the LORD God himself, God's representative, or later theology inserted into older accounts?66
  • Do Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 speak of Satan, and who are the sons of God of Genesis 6?
  • May angels be invoked or named, and is a guardian angel given to each person?
  • Are the principalities and powers personal beings or social structures?

Its method

Start

  1. Begin with the vocabulary: the Hebrew mal'akh and the Greek angelos, which name a messenger, human or heavenly, and the further terms sons of God, watcher, cherub and seraph636467.

  2. Read the biblical texts with their witnesses, since some readings depend on them: at Deuteronomy 32:8 the Masoretic, Qumran and Septuagint witnesses disagree, and the angelic reading of Hebrews 2:7 rests on the Septuagint6869.

  3. Read the Second Temple writings, above all 1 Enoch, Jubilees, Tobit and the Qumran texts, in which the angels receive names, ranks and offices7071.

  4. Set the texts beside the comparative evidence of Ugarit and the wider ancient Near East, as the history of religions approach does7273.

  5. Take up the metaphysical questions of the philosophical approach: incorporeality, matter and form, species and individuation, and the angels' measure of time747576.

  6. Keep the rule of restraint stated by Calvin, not to speak or think more than the Word of God has delivered, and the limits of angelology with which Barth opens §512177.

  7. Weigh the modern question raised by Bultmann's demythologizing and by functional readings such as Walter Wink's of the powers5678.

  8. Describe each tradition from its own catechisms, confessions, liturgical books and calendars122.

What to read

Its primary witnesses

  • The Hebrew Bible's texts on the heavenly court and the angels, among them Genesis 6:1 to 4, Deuteronomy 32:8, Psalm 82, Job 1 to 2, Isaiah 6 and Daniel 10 to 12797280.
  • The Septuagint, whose renderings at Deuteronomy 32:8, 32:43 and 33:2 and Psalm 8:5 shape the angel texts of the New Testament818269.
  • 1 Enoch, above all the Book of the Watchers, with Jubilees, Tobit and 4 Ezra83848586.
  • The Qumran texts, chiefly the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice and the War Scroll4487.
  • The ascent texts: the Testament of Levi, 2 and 3 Enoch and the Ascension of Isaiah88899091.
  • The New Testament, among its texts the infancy narratives of Luke, Hebrews 1 and 2, Colossians 1:16 and 2:18, Jude and Revelation92939495.
  • The Fathers: the Shepherd of Hermas, Justin, Athenagoras, Origen's De Principiis and John of Damascus964546977.
  • The Celestial Hierarchy and the scholastic treatises, among them Aquinas, Summa Theologiae I, questions 50 to 64, and Bonaventure on the second book of the Sentences517498.
  • Conciliar and confessional texts: canon 35 of Laodicea, the Fourth Lateran Council, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 328 to 336, and the Lutheran and Reformed confessions49311922.

Standard reference works

  • Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible, edited by Karel van der Toorn, Bob Becking and Pieter van der Horst (1995; second edition 1999)99100.
  • The Anchor Bible Dictionary (1992), with Carol Newsom's entry "Angels"101.
  • Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception, from volume 1 (2009)102.
  • The New Catholic Encyclopedia entries "Angels" and "Angelology"103104.
  • The Jewish Encyclopedia entry "Angelology" by Ludwig Blau and Kaufmann Kohler, and Hugh Pope's "Angels" in the Catholic Encyclopedia (1907)10552.
  • Karl Rahner's articles in the Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche (1957) and Sacramentum Mundi (1967)106107.
  • Serge-Thomas Bonino, "Angels in Christian Theology", St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology (2024)108.
  • David Albert Jones, Angels: A Very Short Introduction (2011)109.
  • Tobias Hoffmann (ed.), A Companion to Angels in Medieval Philosophy (2012)110.
  • Friedrich Reiterer, Tobias Nicklas and Karin Schöpflin (eds), Angels: The Concept of Celestial Beings (2007)111.

Scholarship referenced in this study

The works below shaped the field and are cited in this study, from the earliest to the most recent. Hover over a book, or select it, to see its author and the sources behind it.

  • 1984Naming the PowersWalter WinkNaming the Powers (1984)Walter Wink (passed away 10 May 2012)Sources112
  • 1985Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice: A Critical EditionCarol A. NewsomSongs of the Sabbath Sacrifice: A Critical Edition (1985)Carol A. NewsomSources113
  • 1988One God, One LordLarry W. HurtadoOne God, One Lord (1988)Larry W. Hurtado (passed away 25 November 2019)Sources114–115
  • 1992Powers of DarknessClinton E. ArnoldPowers of Darkness (1992)Clinton E. ArnoldSources116
  • 1998Angelomorphic ChristologyCharles A. GieschenAngelomorphic Christology (1998)Charles A. GieschenSources117
  • 1999Michael and ChristDarrell D. HannahMichael and Christ (1999)Darrell D. HannahSources118
  • 2014The Myth of Rebellious AngelsLoren T. StuckenbruckThe Myth of Rebellious Angels (2014)Loren T. StuckenbruckSources119
  • 2015The Unseen RealmMichael S. HeiserThe Unseen Realm (2015)Michael S. Heiser (14 February 1963 to 20 February 2023)Sources120–122
  • 2016Angels and Demons: A Catholic IntroductionSerge-Thomas BoninoAngels and Demons: A Catholic Introduction (2016)Serge-Thomas BoninoSources123
  • 2019Against the DarknessGraham A. ColeAgainst the Darkness (2019)Graham A. ColeSources124–125
  • 2020Demons, Angels, and Writing in Ancient JudaismAnnette Yoshiko ReedDemons, Angels, and Writing in Ancient Judaism (2020)Annette Yoshiko ReedSources126
  • 2024Angels and MonotheismMichael D. HurleyAngels and Monotheism (2024)Michael D. HurleySources127

Listed because this study draws on their published work; no association with or endorsement of Numa Verse is implied. Suggest a correction.

Key terms

The words that carry the most weight in this field, each defined from the sources of this study. Turn a card over to read its definition.

The branch of theology which treats of angels; in religious studies, the comparative study of intermediary beings across religions105103.

The Hebrew word for a messenger, used of human envoys, prophets and priests as well as of God's messengers; context decides which is meant63.

The Greek word for a messenger, especially an angel of God, used 176 times in the New Testament and also of human messengers64.

Augustine's principle, quoted in the Catechism, that angel is the name of their office, not of their nature: by nature they are spirits, by office messengers152.

The assembly of heavenly beings at whose head God stands in passages such as 1 Kings 22, Job 1 and 2 and Psalm 8272.

From the Aramaic 'ir, wakeful one, used only in Daniel 4; in 1 Enoch both a title of the holy angels and the name of the fallen company677183.

The scheme of The Celestial Hierarchy: nine orders of angels in three triads, which Aquinas ranks from the Seraphim down to the Angels51128.

Aeviternity, in Aquinas the measure of angelic duration, mean between eternity and time76.

The thesis, argued by Charles Gieschen, that angel traditions, above all the Angel of the LORD, shaped the origins of Christology without producing a rival Christology129.

The Pauline rulers, authorities and cosmic powers of Colossians 1:16 and Ephesians 6:12, read either as personal spiritual beings or as the spiritual dimension of earthly structures94130.

Where it sits

Builds on

Angelology

From the Journal

Shepherds with their sheep by a fire on a hillside, wings of light in the night skyAI-generated imageAngelology

What does the Bible say about angels?

In the Bible an angel is first of all a messenger: a created spirit that serves God and is never to be worshipped. Scripture names only a few, and the detailed ranks of angels come from later Christian writers. The traditions agree on the core and differ on the detail.Numa Verse Editorial · November 2026 · 5 min read

Questions people ask

The oldest reading takes them as angels, the Watchers, attested in 1 Enoch, Jubilees, Philo and Josephus and among Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian and Origen47. The Sethite reading, which takes them as the godly line of Seth, appears with Julius Africanus and was taken up by Ephrem, John Chrysostom and Augustine48. A minority rabbinic reading takes them as sons of the nobility, and Jaap Doedens favors unspecified heavenly beings, possibly other gods47131.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that an angel stands beside each believer as protector and shepherd, though the belief has never been defined as dogma14. The Orthodox Church in America states that each person has a guardian angel8. Calvin would not affirm that each believer has a single angel and held that all the angels together watch over each believer21. Erkki Koskenniemi reports that most commentators reject individual guardians for every Christian in Matthew 18:10132.

All the traditions deny worship to angels; invocation is disputed. The Catholic Church asks the angels' help in its liturgy, and the Coptic Church asks Michael's intercession in every Liturgy111. The Lutheran Apology grants that the angels pray for us but finds no scriptural basis for invoking them, and the Westminster Confession gives religious worship to God alone1922. In Revelation 22:9 the angel refuses John's worship: Worship God133.

Hendrik Berkhof argued that Paul demythologized them into the framework of creation, and Walter Wink read them as the inner spirit and outer form of institutions60134. Clinton Arnold holds that they are organized, personal beings defeated at the cross135. Peter O'Brien holds that they are personal agencies that may work through structures but are not identical with them, and the Lausanne consultation at Nairobi in 2000 describes them as working through human institutions13062.

In the United States an AP-GfK poll of December 2011 found 77 percent of adults believing angels are real, and an AP-NORC poll of May 2023 found 69 percent; the two polls differ in method, so they do not form a trend136137. In Great Britain the figures are lower and vary with wording: 46 percent believed in guardian angels in an Ipsos MORI poll of 2009, and 31 percent believed in angels in an ICM poll of 2010138139.

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  1. 1Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 325 to 354, Heaven and Earth (Holy See)https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P1A.HTM (opens in a new tab)
  2. 2Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 391 to 395 (Holy See)https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P1C.HTM (opens in a new tab)
  3. 3Fourth Lateran Council, 1215, constitutions (Papal Encyclicals Online)https://www.papalencyclicals.net/councils/ecum12-2.htm (opens in a new tab)
  4. 4Guardian Angel, Catholic Encyclopedia (New Advent)https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07049c.htm (opens in a new tab)
  5. 5Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy (Holy See)https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_20020513_vers-direttorio_en.html (opens in a new tab)
  6. 6The Orthodox Faith, vol. I, Angels and Evil Spirits (Orthodox Church in America)https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/doctrine/the-symbol-of-faith/angels-and-evil-spirits (opens in a new tab)
  7. 7John of Damascus, Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, Book II (New Advent)https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/33042.htm (opens in a new tab)
  8. 8Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers (Orthodox Church in America)https://www.oca.org/saints/all-lives/2010/11/08/103244-synaxis-of-the-archangel-michael-and-the-other-bodiless-powers (opens in a new tab)
  9. 9The Ethiopian Orthodox Bible: A Unique Biblical Canon (Mahibere Kidusan, Next Generation)https://nextgeneration.eotcmk.org/learn-geez/blog/the-ethiopian-orthodox-bible-a-unique-biblical-canon (opens in a new tab)
  10. 10Annual Feast of Archangel Saint Michael (Mahibere Kidusan)https://eotcmk.org/e/?p=4041 (opens in a new tab)
  11. 11The Commemoration of the Honored Archangel Michael (St Mina Coptic Orthodox Church, Hamilton)https://www.stminahamilton.ca/2010/06/the-commemoration-of-the-honored-archangel-michael/ (opens in a new tab)
  12. 12Commemoration of Archangels Gabriel and Michael and the Entire Heavenly Class (Armenian Apostolic Church, Diocese of Georgia)https://www.armenianchurch.ge/en/kalendar-prazdnikov/description-2/november/commemoration-of-archangels-gabriel-and-michael-and-the-entire-heavenly-class (opens in a new tab)
  13. 13The Liturgical Homilies of Narsai, Connolly translation (Internet Archive)https://ia601603.us.archive.org/4/items/liturgicalhomili00narsuoft/liturgicalhomili00narsuoft.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  14. 14The Book of the Bee, chapter V, Of the Angels (Internet Sacred Text Archive)https://sacred-texts.com/chr/bb/bb05.htm (opens in a new tab)
  15. 15The Ecclesiastical Liturgical Year for the Church of the East (Beth Kokheh parish, Assyrian Church of the East)https://bethkokheh.assyrianchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/The-Liturgical-Year.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  16. 16The 1662 Book of Common Prayer: Articles of Religion (eskimo.com)https://www.eskimo.com/~lhowell/bcp1662/articles/articles.html (opens in a new tab)
  17. 17Book of Common Prayer (1662): Saint Michael and All Angels (Church of England)https://www.churchofengland.org/node/800/printable/print (opens in a new tab)
  18. 18The Creeds of Christendom, vol. III, Augsburg Confession, Article XXI (Christian Classics Ethereal Library)https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/creeds3.iii.ii.html (opens in a new tab)
  19. 19Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article XXI (Concordia Publishing House, Book of Concord online)https://bookofconcord.cph.org/en/apology-augsburg-confession/article_xxi_ix/ (opens in a new tab)
  20. 20Small Catechism, Daily Prayers (Concordia Publishing House)https://catechism.cph.org/en/daily-prayers.html (opens in a new tab)
  21. 21Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book I, chapter 14 (Christian Classics Ethereal Library)https://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/institutes.iii.xv.html (opens in a new tab)
  22. 22The Westminster Confession of Faith (Orthodox Presbyterian Church)https://www.opc.org/wcf.html (opens in a new tab)
  23. 23Belgic Confession (Christian Reformed Church in North America)https://www.crcna.org/welcome/beliefs/confessions/belgic-confession (opens in a new tab)
  24. 24Sermon 71, Of Good Angels (ResourceUMC, United Methodist Communications)https://www.resourceumc.org/content/sermon-71-of-good-angels (opens in a new tab)
  25. 25Sermon 72, Of Evil Angels (ResourceUMC, United Methodist Communications)https://www.resourceumc.org/content/sermon-72-of-evil-angels (opens in a new tab)
  26. 26The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 (Southern Baptist Convention)https://bfm.sbc.net/bfm2000/ (opens in a new tab)
  27. 27Statement on Spiritual Warfare (1993) (Lausanne Movement)https://lausanne.org/content/statement/statement-on-spiritual-warfare-1993 (opens in a new tab)
  28. 28Statement of Fundamental Truths (General Council of the Assemblies of God)https://ag.org/Beliefs/Statement-of-Fundamental-Truths (opens in a new tab)
  29. 29Spiritual Warfare and the Believer (General Presbytery of the Assemblies of God)https://ag.org/Beliefs/Position-Papers/Spiritual-Warfare-and-the-Believer (opens in a new tab)
  30. 30Strategic-Level Spiritual Warfare in Historical Retrospect (Direction)https://directionjournal.org/29/2/strategic-level-spiritual-warfare-in.html (opens in a new tab)
  31. 31What Adventists Believe, 28 Fundamental Beliefs (General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists)https://www.adventist.org/beliefs/ (opens in a new tab)
  32. 32The Death and Resurrection of Moses (Ellen G. White Estate)https://text.egwwritings.org/read/146.567 (opens in a new tab)
  33. 33Jesus and the Archangel (Spectrum Magazine, Adventist Forum)https://spectrummagazine.org/article/ross-winkle/2012/08/20/jesus-and-archangel (opens in a new tab)
  34. 34Who Is Michael the Archangel? (jw.org)https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/archangel-michael/ (opens in a new tab)
  35. 35Doctrine and Covenants 129 (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/129?lang=eng (opens in a new tab)
  36. 36Doctrine and Covenants 27 (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/27?lang=eng (opens in a new tab)
  37. 37Pearl of Great Price Student Manual, Moses 8 (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)https://churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/the-pearl-of-great-price-student-manual-2018/the-book-of-moses/moses-8 (opens in a new tab)
  38. 38Mishneh Torah, Foundations of the Torah, chapter 2, Touger translation (Sefaria)https://www.sefaria.org/api/texts/Mishneh_Torah,_Foundations_of_the_Torah.2?lang=en&context=0 (opens in a new tab)
  39. 39Guide for the Perplexed II.6, Friedlander translation (Sefaria)https://www.sefaria.org/api/texts/Guide_for_the_Perplexed,_Part_2.6?lang=en&context=0 (opens in a new tab)
  40. 40Babylonian Talmud, Hagigah 14a, William Davidson edition (Sefaria)https://www.sefaria.org/api/texts/Chagigah.14a?lang=en&context=0 (opens in a new tab)
  41. 41Qur'an 2:285, The Clear Quran (Quran.com)https://quran.com/2/285 (opens in a new tab)
  42. 42Qur'an 2:97-98 (Quran.com)https://quran.com/2/97-98 (opens in a new tab)
  43. 43Qur'an 18:50, The Clear Quran (Quran.com)https://quran.com/18/50 (opens in a new tab)
  44. 44Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice (Library of Congress Scrolls from the Dead Sea exhibit, ibiblio)https://www.ibiblio.org/expo/deadsea.scrolls.exhibit/Library/songs.html (opens in a new tab)
  45. 45Justin Martyr, First Apology (New Advent)https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0126.htm (opens in a new tab)
  46. 46Athenagoras, A Plea for the Christians (New Advent)https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0205.htm (opens in a new tab)
  47. 47The Indecent Descent of the Sethites (Sárospataki Füzetek, Academia.edu)https://www.academia.edu/17793988 (opens in a new tab)
  48. 48The Sons of God (Genesis 6:1-4), chapter 5 (Robert I. Bradshaw, gospelstudies.org.uk)https://robibradshaw.gospelstudies.org.uk/chapter5.htm (opens in a new tab)
  49. 49Synod of Laodicea, Canons (New Advent)https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3806.htm (opens in a new tab)
  50. 50Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite, Catholic Encyclopedia (New Advent)https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05013a.htm (opens in a new tab)
  51. 51The Celestial Hierarchy (Tertullian Project)https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/areopagite_13_heavenly_hierarchy.htm (opens in a new tab)
  52. 52Angels, Catholic Encyclopedia, 1907 (New Advent)https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01476d.htm (opens in a new tab)
  53. 53Boniface, Letter 29: acts of the Roman council under Pope Zacharias (Roman Letters)https://romanletters.org/letters/boniface/29/ (opens in a new tab)
  54. 54Second Council of Nicaea, 787, decrees (Papal Encyclicals Online)https://www.papalencyclicals.net/councils/ecum07.htm (opens in a new tab)
  55. 55Foreword to Kerygma and Myth, H. W. Bartsch (Religion Online)https://www.religion-online.org/?p=9262 (opens in a new tab)
  56. 56New Testament and Mythology, in Kerygma and Myth (Religion Online)https://www.religion-online.org/?p=9264 (opens in a new tab)
  57. 57Church Dogmatics, T&T Clark Study Edition, contents listing (Internet Archive)https://archive.org/details/churchdogmatics0002bart_01ed (opens in a new tab)
  58. 58Karl Barth's Church Dogmatics Original Publication Dates (Post-Barthian)https://postbarthian.com/2016/04/21/karl-barths-church-dogmatics-original-publication-dates/ (opens in a new tab)
  59. 59Berkhof bibliografie (Theologie.nl)https://static.theologie.nl/2026/06/Berkhof-bibliografie.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  60. 60Christ and the Powers: Part 1, Paul's Demythologization of the Powers (Richard Beck, Substack)https://richardbeck.substack.com/p/christ-and-the-powers-part-1-pauls-13-10-07 (opens in a new tab)
  61. 61Congregation Publishes New Rite of Exorcism (Catholic Culture)https://catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=851 (opens in a new tab)
  62. 62Deliver Us From Evil Consultation Statement (Lausanne Movement)https://lausanne.org/content/statement/deliver-us-from-evil-consultation-statement (opens in a new tab)
  63. 63Strong's Hebrew 4397: mal'ak, with BDB (Bible Hub)https://biblehub.com/hebrew/4397.htm (opens in a new tab)
  64. 64Strong's Greek 32: aggelos (Bible Hub)https://biblehub.com/greek/32.htm (opens in a new tab)
  65. 65Summa Theologiae I q.63 (New Advent)https://www.newadvent.org/summa/1063.htm (opens in a new tab)
  66. 66Angel of the Lord, New Catholic Encyclopedia (Encyclopedia.com, Gale)https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/angel-lord (opens in a new tab)
  67. 67Strong's Hebrew 5894: 'ir (Bible Hub)https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5894.htm (opens in a new tab)
  68. 68The Sons of Israel or God? (Deuteronomy 32:8) (TheTorah.com)https://www.thetorah.com/article/the-sons-of-israel-or-god-deuteronomy-32-8 (opens in a new tab)
  69. 69Psalms 8, Septuagint (Elpenor)https://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/septuagint/chapter.asp?book=24&page=8 (opens in a new tab)
  70. 701 Enoch 9:1 and 1QM 9 (Texts in Conversation, intertextual.bible)https://intertextual.bible/text/1-enoch-9.1/1qm-9 (opens in a new tab)
  71. 71The Book of Enoch, chapter 20, Charles translation (sacred-texts mirror)https://neonvagabond.xyz/mirrors/sacred-texts/bib/boe/boe023.htm (opens in a new tab)
  72. 72Divine Council (Bible Odyssey, Society of Biblical Literature)https://bibleodyssey.com/articles/divine-council/ (opens in a new tab)
  73. 73Pro-angelology in the Ugaritic Texts and the Hebrew Bible (Edinburgh Research Archive)https://era.ed.ac.uk/handle/1842/35185 (opens in a new tab)
  74. 74Summa Theologiae I q.50 (New Advent)https://www.newadvent.org/summa/1050.htm (opens in a new tab)
  75. 75Duns Scotus, Ordinatio II d.3 p.1 q.7 (Logic Museum)http://www.logicmuseum.com/wiki/Authors/Duns_Scotus/Ordinatio/Ordinatio_II/D3/P1Q7 (opens in a new tab)
  76. 76Summa Theologiae I q.10 (New Advent)https://www.newadvent.org/summa/1010.htm (opens in a new tab)
  77. 77Church Dogmatics III/3, product page with contents (Logos Bible Software)https://www.logos.com/resource/LLS$CHRCHDOG3P3 (opens in a new tab)
  78. 78A Tribute to Walter Wink (Peace Theology, Ted Grimsrud)https://peacetheology.net/2012/05/12/a-tribute-to-walter-wink/ (opens in a new tab)
  79. 79Genesis 6:1-4; Job 1:6; Job 38:7; 1 Kings 22:19-22, ESV (Bible Gateway)https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+6%3A1-4%3B+Job+1%3A6%3B+Job+38%3A7%3B+1+Kings+22%3A19-22&version=ESV (opens in a new tab)
  80. 80Daniel 10:13-21; 12:1; 4:13, ESV (Bible Gateway)https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel+10%3A13-21%3BDaniel+12%3A1%3BDaniel+4%3A13&version=ESV (opens in a new tab)
  81. 81Deuteronomy 32, Septuagint (Elpenor)https://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/septuagint/chapter.asp?book=5&page=32 (opens in a new tab)
  82. 82Galatians 3:19 Commentaries (Bible Hub)https://biblehub.com/commentaries/galatians/3-19.htm (opens in a new tab)
  83. 83The Book of Enoch, chapter 6, Charles translation (sacred-texts mirror)https://neonvagabond.xyz/mirrors/sacred-texts/bib/boe/boe009.htm (opens in a new tab)
  84. 84The Book of Jubilees, chapter 2, Charles translation (CCEL)https://www.ccel.org/c/charles/otpseudepig/jubilee/2.htm (opens in a new tab)
  85. 85The Apocrypha: Tobias, chapter 12 (sacred-texts.com)https://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/apo/tob012.htm (opens in a new tab)
  86. 862 Esdras 4, King James Version (Bible Hub)https://biblehub.com/kjv/2_esdras/4.htm (opens in a new tab)
  87. 87The War Scroll (Israel Museum, The Digital Dead Sea Scrolls)http://dss.collections.imj.org.il/war (opens in a new tab)
  88. 88The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, Charles translation (Early Christian Writings)https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/patriarchs-charles.html (opens in a new tab)
  89. 89Enoch, Books of (Jewish Encyclopedia)https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/5773-enoch-books-of (opens in a new tab)
  90. 90Metatron as the Prince of the Presence (Marquette University)https://www.marquette.edu/maqom/metatronprincepresence.html (opens in a new tab)
  91. 91Ascension of Isaiah (e-Clavis: Christian Apocrypha, NASSCAL)https://www.nasscal.com/e-clavis-christian-apocrypha/ascension-of-isaiah/ (opens in a new tab)
  92. 92Luke 1 KJV (Bible Hub)https://biblehub.com/kjv/luke/1.htm (opens in a new tab)
  93. 93Hebrews 1:4-14; 2:2-5, ESV (Bible Gateway)https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Heb+1%3A4-14%3BHeb+2%3A2-5&version=ESV (opens in a new tab)
  94. 94Colossians 1:16; 2:18; Ephesians 6:12, ESV (Bible Gateway)https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Col+1%3A16%3BCol+2%3A18%3BEph+6%3A12%3BHeb+1%3A14%3BHeb+2%3A2&version=ESV (opens in a new tab)
  95. 95Jude 6-9; 2 Peter 2:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:16, ESV (Bible Gateway)https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jude+6-9%3B2+Pet+2%3A4%3B1+Thess+4%3A16%3BRev+12%3A7&version=ESV (opens in a new tab)
  96. 96The Shepherd of Hermas, Book II, Mandates (New Advent)https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/02012.htm (opens in a new tab)
  97. 97Origen, De Principiis, Preface (New Advent)https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/04120.htm (opens in a new tab)
  98. 98Bonaventure, Commentaria in IV Libros Sententiarum, Book II, question index (Franciscan Archive)https://www.franciscan-archive.org/bonaventura/II-Sent.html (opens in a new tab)
  99. 99Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible, second edition, front matter (Internet Archive)https://archive.org/stream/dictionary-of-deities-and-demons-in-the-bible/Dictionary-of-Deities-and-Demons-in-the-Bible_djvu.txt (opens in a new tab)
  100. 100Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible Online, browse page (Brill Reference Works)https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/browse/dictionary-of-deities-and-demons-online/alpha/a (opens in a new tab)
  101. 101KnoWhy #426 (Scripture Central)https://scripturecentral.org/knowhy/why-dont-we-know-the-names-of-the-angels-in-the-book-of-mormon (opens in a new tab)
  102. 102Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception, vol. 1, Aaron to Aniconism (De Gruyter Brill)https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/isbn/9783110183559/html (opens in a new tab)
  103. 103Angels, New Catholic Encyclopedia (Encyclopedia.com, Gale)https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/angels (opens in a new tab)
  104. 104Angelology, New Catholic Encyclopedia (Encyclopedia.com)https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/angelology (opens in a new tab)
  105. 105Angelology (Jewish Encyclopedia)https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/1521-angelology (opens in a new tab)
  106. 106Karl Rahner: l'Angelo e la dimensione cosmica (Annali di studi religiosi, FBK Press)https://books.fbk.eu/media/pubblicazioni/allegati/11._Zucal.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  107. 107Sacramentum Mundi Online, browse A (Brill Reference Works)https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/browse/sacramentum-mundi/alphaRange/Ah%20-%20An/A (opens in a new tab)
  108. 108Angels in Christian Theology (St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology)https://www.saet.ac.uk/Christianity/AngelsinChristianTheology.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  109. 109Angels: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford Academic)https://academic.oup.com/book/833 (opens in a new tab)
  110. 110A Companion to Angels in Medieval Philosophy, catalogue record (PhilPortal)https://philportal.de/records/kug/EBP9789004229792 (opens in a new tab)
  111. 111Review of Angels: The Concept of Celestial Beings (Journal of Hebrew Scriptures)https://jhsonline.org/index.php/jhs/article/download/11339/8671?inline=1 (opens in a new tab)
  112. 112Wink challenged powers and taught nonviolence (Christian Century)https://www.christiancentury.org/article/2012-05/wink-challenged-powers-and-taught-nonviolence (opens in a new tab)
  113. 113Carol Newsom, emeriti profile (Candler School of Theology, Emory)https://candler.emory.edu/faculty/emeriti-profiles/newsom-carol.html (opens in a new tab)
  114. 114Larry Hurtado (1943-2019) (Enoch Seminar)https://enochseminar.org/larry-hurtado-1943-2019/ (opens in a new tab)
  115. 115Tribute to Larry Hurtado (Christianity Today)https://christianitytoday.com/news/2019/november/died-larry-hurtado-new-testament-early-christian-worship.html (opens in a new tab)
  116. 116Clinton Arnold, directory (Biola University)https://www.biola.edu/directory/people/clinton-arnold (opens in a new tab)
  117. 117Dr. Charles A. Gieschen (Concordia Theological Seminary)https://www.ctsfw.edu/gieschen (opens in a new tab)
  118. 118Michael and Christ (Mohr Siebeck)https://www.mohrsiebeck.com/en/book/michael-and-christ-michael-traditions-and-angel-christology-in-early-christianity-9783161570865 (opens in a new tab)
  119. 119The Myth of Rebellious Angels (Mohr Siebeck)https://www.mohrsiebeck.com/en/book/the-myth-of-rebellious-angels-9783161532818 (opens in a new tab)
  120. 120Remembering Michael Heiser (Lexham Press)https://blog.lexhampress.com/2023/02/27/remembering-michael-heiser (opens in a new tab)
  121. 121Michael Heiser (February 14, 1963 to February 20, 2023) (Logos)https://www.logos.com/grow/michael-heiser-passing/ (opens in a new tab)
  122. 122The Unseen Realm (WorldCat)https://search.worldcat.org/pt/title/1013741459 (opens in a new tab)
  123. 123Angels and Demons: A Catholic Introduction (Project MUSE)https://muse.jhu.edu/book/44559 (opens in a new tab)
  124. 124Against the Darkness: The Doctrine of Angels, Satan, and Demons (Crossway)https://www.crossway.org/books/against-the-darkness-case/ (opens in a new tab)
  125. 125Against the Darkness, ebook (Crossway)https://www.crossway.org/books/against-the-darkness-ebook/ (opens in a new tab)
  126. 126Demons, Angels, and Writing in Ancient Judaism (Cambridge Core)https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/demons-angels-and-writing-in-ancient-judaism/FE40043C75CA0124995890674559E8C7 (opens in a new tab)
  127. 127Angels and Monotheism (Cambridge Core)https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/angels-and-monotheism/8ED69C30848A882F13E75DCD3978A5F2 (opens in a new tab)
  128. 128Summa Theologiae I q.108 (New Advent)https://www.newadvent.org/summa/1108.htm (opens in a new tab)
  129. 129Angelomorphic Christology: Antecedents and Early Evidence (Baylor University Press)https://www.baylorpress.com/9781481307949/angelomorphic-christology (opens in a new tab)
  130. 130Principalities and Powers: Opponents of the Church (Evangelical Review of Theology, gospelstudies.org.uk)https://gospelstudies.org.uk/biblicalstudies/pdf/evangelical-review-of-theology/ert_16-4_obrien.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  131. 131The Sons of God in Genesis 6:1-4, doctoral thesis (Theologische Universiteit Kampen)https://theoluniv.ub.rug.nl/32/ (opens in a new tab)
  132. 132Forgotten Guardians and Matthew 18:10 (Tyndale Bulletin)https://tyndalebulletin.org/article/29298-forgotten-guardians-and-matthew-18-10.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  133. 133Revelation 22:9 (Bible Hub)https://biblehub.com/revelation/22-9.htm (opens in a new tab)
  134. 134Remembering the thought of Walter Wink (Peace Theology, Ted Grimsrud)https://peacetheology.net/2024/06/17/remembering-the-thought-of-walter-wink/ (opens in a new tab)
  135. 135Powers of Darkness, description and reviews (Goodreads)https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8553033 (opens in a new tab)
  136. 136AP-GfK Poll: Nearly 8 in 10 believe in angels (Salon)https://www.salon.com/2011/12/23/ap_gfk_poll_nearly_8_in_10_believe_in_angels_3/ (opens in a new tab)
  137. 137AP-NORC poll on belief in angels (Bangor Daily News)https://www.bangordailynews.com/2023/07/31/nation/angels-belief-poll/ (opens in a new tab)
  138. 138Almost half of us believe in Guardian Angels (Ipsos)https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/almost-half-us-believe-guardian-angels (opens in a new tab)
  139. 139I Believe in Angels: The Reality Behind the ABBA Lyrics (BRIN, Clive D. Field)https://www.brin.ac.uk/i-believe-in-angels-the-reality-behind-the-abba-lyrics/ (opens in a new tab)

Page record

Reviewed and approved by Duane Herholdt, BA (Theology), Chief Executive Officer, Numa Verse

Study version: v1.1, 15 October 2026 (theology map v1.27)

Last reviewed: 9 November 2026

How these pages are made

  • 9 November 2026: First draft from the approved assessment v1.1.