Angels and angelology?

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How do you know for sure? NOBODY knows where
Purgatory is, could it not possibly be that for SOME
souls w/ unfinished business to remain on earth?
And about angels not having families, have you not
read Tobit 5?
 
Raphael wasn’t related to Tobit. That was just a pretence, or perhaps an allusion to their common belonging to God.

I already allowed that humans who have passed on have appeared to men and women and even the possibility of ghosts.

Beings like Saint Michael, Saint Gabriel, Saint Raphael (the angels) are not human beings, and humans do not become them. That is just a pop culture idea. It’s like asking why a dog isn’t a cat. Angels are different “species” of beings than humans. A human dying doesn’t change that.
 
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Scott Hahn has a book titled “Angels and Saints: a Biblical Guide to Friendship with God’s Holy Ones.” I have not read it, but will at some point. His books are always excellent and easy to read.
 
I have read Dr Kreeft’s book on Angels and Demons. I also have read the parts of St Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica about the angels. I can’t seem to find a lot else about them. Most of the stuff out there seems to be New Age stuff.
 
Angels and humans were created completely differently form the beginning, and for all time. Even in our spiritual state after earthly death, we are different. Mankind is created (post-angelic creation) as the sole creature in the image and likeness of God. Fundamental difference. Secondarily, at the resurrection, we will receive our glorified bodies, while the angels will remain pure spirits.

Now, as to angelology in the scriptures, the Book of Tobit (already named) has the most advanced angelology in the entire Old Testament. Raphael was not a human, but took human form for his unique mission. As to his claim to be Azariah, some have postulated that there was an actual Azariah, and that Raphael assumed his likeness, becoming a “second self.”

*** For those who have not, it is highly recommended to read the Book of Tobit. An exceptional book, it contains virtually every human experience in it. Life itself, birth, death, loss, gain, captivity, freedom, wealth, poverty, work, leisure, friends, enemies, trust, betrayal, loneliness, companionship, solitariness, marriage, poverty, love, hate, faith, hope, despair, injury, healing - even a faithful dog wagging is tail as companion on the journey!

It is Ecclesiastes 3 in book form. It has also been called a “mini-Job.”
 
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This arrived in my email today:
The Work Of Angels

In the meantime, the whole life of the Church benefits from the mysterious and powerful help of angels.

In her liturgy, the Church joins with the angels to adore the thrice-holy
God. She invokes their assistance (in the funeral liturgy’s In Paradisum
deducant te angeli … [“May the angels lead you into Paradise …”]).
Moreover, in the “Cherubic Hymn” of the Byzantine Liturgy, she
celebrates the memory of certain angels more particularly (St. Michael,
St. Gabriel, St. Raphael, and the guardian angels).

From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful
care and intercession. “Beside each believer stands an angel as
protector and shepherd leading him to life.” Already here on earth the
Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men
united in God.

Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd Ed., p. 87). Washington, DC: United States Catholic Conference. #334-336

Past Daily Thoughts: http://ymlp57.net/archive_gubbemsgjgu.php Website: www.thegraceofpentecost.com
Click to expand...
 
I love the Book of Tobit.

One of the most interesting books of the Bible.
 
Since differing manuscripts were used in the various translations, I go with Saint Jerome’s translation form the Vulgate, as found in the Douay-Rheims, Douay-Confraternity and Knox bibles. I find it much more warm and human. It brings tears when I read it.

Believe it or not, there is a very good version of Tobit in the Catholic Living Bible by Tyndale, of all sources! I will note that the Deuterocanonical books were translated for Tyndale by Our Sunday Visitor.

My favorite Old Testament verse: Tobit 12:13 The Archangel Raphael (feast day today!) tells Tobit and Tobias, “Because you were acceptable to God, it was necessary that your faith be tested.”

“Acceptable to God” - imagine that! What powerful consolation in times of testing.
 
There isn’t a WHOLE lot. The field of study is rather under developed. When I was a student at Franciscan University of Steubenville, there was a Marionte Rite Catholic priest who offered a summer course on Angels and Demons. He used Dr. Peter Kreefts book “Angels and Demons.” I’ve read it, and while it’s not bad, it’s far more speculative on his part.

I think one thing that often gets missed is that ‘angel’ is a title that means “God’s messenger.” The Latin word daemon means “spirit” which is rooted in the Greek word “daimon” which meant lesser god. Thus, from the etymology alone, we can gather that the Israelites believed in many Spirits or the existence of gods. But God (who is spirit) revealed Himself as superior. So we go from believing in polytheism to understanding that all other spiritual creatures are creatures and that God alone is God. There are no others like Him.

From there we get the idea that some of these spirits (daemons) are messengers from God, what we call angels. Others are not. We had no specific word for them, hence daemon evolved into the word demon. So when we say the pagans worshiped demons, we’re saying they worshiped lesser gods or spirits. This idea got combined with “unclean spirits” which to my understanding would be spirits who possess people. Hence demons become altogether frightening to us.

I’m not saying that all pagan gods were evil spirits or even real to begin with, but the understanding does evolve like that.

The Orthodox have a more developed understanding of these things and their iconography of angels and demons does seem to have influenced Kreeft’s book.

Besides Kreefts book, I recommend one Orthodox source and one Catholic

Orthodox


Catholic source


Here’s another book, but I haven’t really looked at it
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QVN322I/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
 
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Hi, just a note… At my receiving of the
sacrament of confirmation my RCIA
director requested that I ask for a
particular “gift of the Spirit” 1 Cor. 8ff
I chose the “discernment of spirits”!!
 
The Summa Theologica of St Thomas Aquinas and the various treatises concerning the angels in it. Probably all catholic writing concerning angelology subsequent to the Summa Theologica is going to be based on St Thomas’ teaching.

Link to Summa Theologica online:
http://www.newadvent.org/summa/1.htm

Treatise on the angels, Part I, Questions 50-64. Part I, Questions 106-114 is more about the angels and their hierarchies under the Government of Creatures section.
 
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