Files
Abstract
This study examines the gradual development of angels in the Hebrew Bible. Scholars often attempt to homogenize the definition of an angel before considering the Bibles understanding of the topic. The majority of scholars use a concept of what an angel is, instead of defining a word, this study takes a new approach. The Hebrew Bible contains three periods explaining the development of how angels are perceived. By first identifying an angel according to the Hebrew Bible, one will see the stages in which the development of angelology takes place. The goal of this examination is to see how angels are viewed as a hypostasis of God in the earliest strata of the Bible, but by the latest period angels are separate divine beings. This method offers a complete definition of how angels were viewed in the Israelite religion during the authorship of the Hebrew Bible.