Good messengers
Saint Michel Archange terrassant le dragon
Sculpteur inconnu, vers 1919
Photo: Église Saints-Anges Gardiens de Lachine
Source: Arrondissement de Lachine
Since the very beginning of time, man has been inspired by the grandeur and the beauty of the sky. As early as the Sumerian civilization in Mesopotamia, 5,000 years before Jesus Christ, people believed that God lived in the “highest heavens”, namely the “seventh heaven”. The following generations created the foundations of what would become the Judeo-Christian tradition, recognizing the angel as the intermediary that united man with “God on high”.
For believers, angels belong to the sacred world and they are able to intervene in the lives of men. The texts of the Bible relate the appearances of three angels that are considered superior in the celestial hierarchy. The first was when the Archangel Raphael appeared to Tobias, and became his guardian angel; the second occurred when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary, and announced the birth of Jesus to her; and the third took place when the Archangel Michael appeared to John the Evangelist, who saw him fighting the dragon and the forces of evil.
|
The Book of Tobit, in the Old Testament, relates the story of a long and perilous trip that has a happy ending after Tobias meets a man who offers to guide him. With the guide, Tobias survives all of the trials and, at the end of his voyage, he restores his father’s sight, becomes wealthy and gets married. When he wants to reward his guide by offering him half of his wealth, the guide reveals himself to be the Archangel Raphael, appointed by God to note Tobias’ good actions and reward him. The angel returns to heaven after advising Tobias and his father to continue to pray and do good to those around them. |
||
 |
|
Described in the New Testament, the scene of the Annunciation is a key moment in the Roman Catholic religion since it describes the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary to inform her that she would be the mother of Jesus, son of God. |
||
|
|
St. Michael fought the dragon in heaven and this scene is described by John the Evangelist in Chapter 12 in the Book of Revelation, the last book in the Bible. Vanquished, the dragon, which always stands for evil, is thrown to the Earth where it represents the sources of seduction for man. Following the angel’s example, man should fight evil on Earth. |
||
|
These inspiring and exemplary scenes present the angels on missions, spreading a message of hope, trust and courage – strengths that grow out of faith. Represented by several artists, in paintings as well as sculptures, these traditional themes of art history are the subjects of works of art intended both to decorate churches and teach Christian values to the faithful.
Both “saints” and “winged”, these angels stand out from one another as a result of the different iconographic attributes assigned to them. Raphael is represented with a pilgrim’s staff and a fish, since he accompanies and protects travelers and proposed fish as a remedy for healing Tobias’ father. Gabriel is generally accompanied by a lily, a symbol of the Virgin’s purity, and a scepter, symbol of royalty, since he announced the designation of Mary as the mother of Jesus, son of God. Michael is usually portrayed with a lance or a sword to symbolize his battle for justice and good.
|
Iconographic attributes are signs (objects, elements of nature or attitudes) that serve to decode meaning or identify personalities in works of art. |
||
|
In religious artistic production, St. Gabriel, St. Michael and St. Raphael are codified in their roles as messenger, warrior and protector. In texts, the protective or guardian angels are the oldest since, according to the kabbalah, three guardian angels are assigned to each human being and the appearance of the Archangel Raphael is described in the Old Testament. Even today, the guardian angels are still the most popular when it comes to images and knick-knacks...
We invite you to return on March 30.
Source
MELVILLE, Francis, Le petit guide des Anges, [Montréal], Hurtubise, 2002, 128 p.
Back