angel
In Jewish, Christian, and Muslim belief, a supernatural being intermediate between God and humans. The Christian hierarchy has nine orders, from the top down: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones (who contemplate God and reflect his glory), Dominations, Virtues, Powers (who regulate the stars and the universe), Principalities, Archangels, and Angels (who minister to humanity). In traditional Catholic belief, every human being has a guardian angel.
In Islam, two angels watch and record the actions of people through their whole lives, so that no action goes unseen. On rare occasions, some angels, known as jinn, may take human or any other form and make their presence known. Jibra'il (Gabriel) is the messenger of God who appeared to the prophet Muhammad. Mika'il (Michael) protects worshippers, and Azra'il is the angel of death.
angel
| English gold coin introduced in 1465, named after the image of the Archangel Michael embossed on the face. They were worth 6 shillings and 8 pence, and half-angels were minted into the 17th century. |
