Page:Jewish Encyclopedia Volume 1.pdf/639

587 THE

587

jp:wisii

strengllioneil it in tlio middle. Tliis is one view: is that the tinffels ver<' not cieated until the fifth <l!iy. They were not anion<r the six tliinjrs

another

whose creation was decided upon before the world was made (Geu. R. God indeed lield council 3). i.

Willi aii^'els at the creation of man. without, however, allowinj; them to decide against His decree in

favor of his creation

(^SaIlh.

Gen. R.

iiHh.

viii.

ot.

These sayings of the rabbis show u desire to preserve intact the idea nf monotheism. Angels also sit in council at the judgment of man. to decide his guilt or inriocence. If nine hundred and ninety-nine vote for conviction and only one for acc|uittal. God deci<les in favor of man. The soul announces the affairs of man to the angel, the angel to lh<' cherubim, the cherubim to God (Cant. R. i. 9; Yer. Kid. i. 61*/; Pesik R. viii., beginning). As zealous servants of the I.,ord, angels act in accordance Willi Ilis spirit; but not infrer|Uently they mistake Ilis intentions. They dispute Functions as to who shall rescue Abraham from of Angels, the furnace: but God reserves the decision to Himself. When God strove with the Egyptians at the Red sea. angels wanted to take part in the contest: when Phinehas interceded with God to Siive Israel from the plague, they wanted to strike him down. .Micah, the idolater (Judges, xvii.), they wanted to destroy utterly: but

God, remembering Micah's hospitality, had compa.ssion on him (Tan., Tezawweh. xii. Midr. Teh. xviii. 13: Sanh. 1034). Goil liarkened, however, to their representations concerning the extent of Jertisjilem. which they wished to be unlimited, since God did not limit heathen cities; and He yielded

They pleaded for Moses, when he was exposed on the river, that he should not be allowed to perish: it being the si.vtli day of Sivaii. to their reipiest.

day destined for the revelation (.Sotah. I'ili). Angels interest themselves deeply in the destiny of Isniel and of the pious. They take Israel's part when God proposes to punish him; they lament over the decreed destruction: they plead for Israel with the heathen; they accuse Ishmael's descendants for Israel's sake. They jirotect Israel, and come ti^ his assistance at the revelation. After Moses' death an angel takes God's place in the guidance of Israel. Angels help at the construction of Solomon's Temple; they weep over its destruction but their consolation is rejected bv God ((tit. T'/ Bcr. 204; Esther R. iii. 9, i. 14; Gen. i. liii. 14:' Kx. R. xviii. r,, near the





beginning: xxxii., beginning; Ex. R. xxxii.3: Cant. R., introduction, near beginning; Hag. oi; .Sanh. 9(54; Gen. R. xix. K). Angels ])rotect the pious and help them in their transactions. An angel nullities the conseort him lest he fall. Wlien Amrani takes his wife again, the angels rejoiceover the fact that Moses will l>e born: and at Moses' death they chaiil a funeral .song. They lament over the martyred Akiba: exclaiming, "'This is the F.aw, and this is its reward " (Sotah, Vi'i; I5er. 14; Shall. ^)'>li). They mourn the death of Adam; they carry olT the bodies of Nadab and Abiliu. Every man has a special guardian angel, according loTarg. Yer. (Jen. xxxiii. 10: "I have seen thy face as though I had seen the face of thy angel " (coni|)are Levi in .Sotah. 414). These guardian spirits are identical with the two angels accompanying man (Hag. KWi). When going into an unclean place, one begs these accompanying angels to wail, until he comes out again (Iter. l!04). (Juardian spirits are mentioned |iarlieiilarly in .Matt, xviii. lU, and in Acts, xii. l."i. They resoluble the Persian /raru*//!*.

encyclopedia

Angelolo^y

and were probably modeled after them.

The

spiril.s

of the elements, like the prince of the tire, etc., also had their oriL'in in Persia, as is shown by their names. The accompanying angels are probably not identical with the guardian spirits: for certain angels accompany Jacob in the Holy Land, and others attend him in foreign lands (Gen. R. Ixviii. 12). Accompanying angels are not permanent, but temporary, companions. Every angel wears on his breast a tablet in.scribed with the name of God (Pesik. xii. 1084; conip. Kaclier. "Ag. Pal. Amor.'" i. 412, note 1

).

man

Two angels —one good and one evil — accompany

on Sabbath eve. Thesoulsof the piousare received by three good angels; those of the wicked, by three
 * is he returns from the synagogue to his home

evil angels, who accompanv them and testifv for them (Tosef., Shab. xvii. 2;" Shab. 1194; Ket. 104(/;

Hag. 16rt). The angels associate with the pious and instruct them in certain matters. Ishinael b. Elislia says; "Three things did the angel of His presence impart to me. " To Johanan ben Dahabai ministering angels gave four teachings. They frightened Shesliet. Three angels appeared to a maid serving in the house of Sitnon b. Yoliai's father. If some one forsiikes the community in its need, his two guardian angels lay their hands on his head saying, "May he have no share in the salvation of the community." Man before his birth, being pure spirit, knows everything; but at the moment that he sees the light of day. an angel strikes him on the mouth, and he forgetsthe whole Torali (Ber. ,ilrt; Ned. 20a; Meg. 29rt: Mcilah, 174; Ta'anit. lb/; Nid. 304). In Hag. I'if/ it is stated ihat there is in heaven a Jeru.salem. containing a Siinctuary in which Michael, the great iirince, stands like the high i)riest on earth, offering up sacrifice. Angels chant the "Holy, holy, holy" of Isa. vi, 3 (Hul. 914 and elsewhere); and their voices sound soft and low (Sifre, i. .58). Angels in heaven, repre.senting the peoples of the earth, are mentioned as early as Ren .Sira (Ecclus. xvii. 17; Deut. xxxii. 8, LXX.). the number of the peoples being seventy, according to the reckoning of Gen. X. Rut while Ben Sira speaks of God as the ruler of Israel, as does also the Book of Jubilees (XV. 32). later sources unanimously designate Michael as the inince of Israel. It was to these angels that God sjiid at the building of the tower of Babel, "Let us confound their language" (Targ, Yer. to Gen. xi. 7, Pirke R. El. x.viv). They were the distinguished angels who came down with the myriads of angels at the revelation on Sinai (Pesik. R. xxi.. with reference to Ps. Ixviii. 18

s/iinaii,

[compare

(ial.

iii.

19]).

The

destiny of the nations and of their heavenly princes is closely interwoven. God punishes no nation; norwill He, even in the time of the Messiah, punish any, until He shall have punished its guardian angel (Cant. R. viii. 14; Mek.. Resliallal.i. Sliirah, The hostility of the ancient nations against Isii.). rael is rellected in Iheli'gend that the seventy princes of the nations bring charges against Isnii'l.wliose part God takes. The same angels favorid Egypt. (lod enjoined obediiiice on Israel in ordi'r thai he might ward olT the hostility of tho.se angels. Jacob .saw them in a dream ascending and ih'scending a ladder reaching lo heaven, and feared Ihi'y would always oppress Israel Ruth R.. introduclion Targ. Yer. on Ex. xxiv. 10 and Midrash Abkir; Pesil>. xxiii. l.")0/i). No individual names of lliese are given, with the except ion of .Michaid and Samael the following, however, are mentioned; namely, the princes of Egypt. Babylon. Media. Yavan (ireece. hence also Syria), The last occurs most frequently, Edoiu (Rome). since any great world-power easily suggested "to {





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