A Stranger Story Never Told - An Angelic Encounter

There seems to be no limit to the deep fascination of mankind with angels and their doings.  Likewise, there does not seem to be an end to the mention of angels in the literature of Western Civilization.  Angels also are a part of Moslem theology as well as Jewish apocalyptic literature.

The fascination of people in the US, and Western Civilization in general, with the subject of angels is well known.  The phenomenon has grown dramatically in recent years and does not seem to have an end.  That fascination is shown by the increasing sale of books with stories of angel encounters.

The subject of angels appears to excite the interest of almost everyone.  It seems that nothing in life holds a greater fascination for mankind than some fleeting display of seemingly super human intelligence.  This fascination seems to be intensified by the sure knowledge that angels are not bound by the same physical constraints that bind men.  One of the reasons for this fascination appears to be that angels are thought to possess a greater than earthly intelligence.  Most people also assume that angels are supernatural beings who have more than earthly powers.

In recent years there has been an increasing number of books written about angelic encounters.  The book by Billy Graham that seems to have aided and encouraged this interest was published in 1975.  It may be the "dean" of angel books and is titled simply "Angels."  It has sold over 2 million copies.  That is only another indication of the increasing interest in angels.  Many other titles have been published in recent years.

Christian scripture says that "man was created a little lower than the angels."  Some people thus may have an unknown and fleeting intimation of a higher realm of existence for which they secretly long.

Angels appear to know not the physical laws of earth that trap men in a sort of physical thralldom.  Angels apparently have super human abilities such as becoming visible or invisible by their own volition.  Thus angels are seen as not only possessing superior intelligence over men, but far superior physical powers.

Angels in Literature

The literature of Western Civilization is replete with the mention of angels.  They are seen in many odd nooks and crannies of that literature.  They are especially seen in the paintings of Christian literature during the Middle Ages.  They also are mentioned by many churchmen during that period.  A fairly extensive Angelology developed in Western Europe during those years.  It seems all this information only adds to the curiosity and admiration that many show toward angels.

St. Thomas Aquinas was instrumental in the development of some of these ideas during the latter Medieval period of religious thought in Western Europe.  His writing also has influenced the subject in the Americas.

Angels are mentioned by many later writers such as Shakespeare and John Milton as well as many modern writers.  The supposition of the existence of angels in the modern world also is evidenced by the name of one of the largest cities in the US.  That city is Los Angeles, "the 'city of' Angels."

The Hebrew Old Testament, the Christian New Testament, and the Muslim Koran speak to their readers of angels and their doings on earth and in Paradise.  The angelology in the Christian scriptures may, very probably, be the primary reason that the literature of Western civilization is so concerned with angels.  It also is quite evident that the Hebrew Old Testament is the source of the "angelology" of the Koran.

Angels are, first of all, immortal beings.  Unlike men they cannot die.  Also unlike men they can evidently travel very quickly from their abode in Paradise to the earth.  They have what St. Paul called "celestial bodies."  However, angels also can assume the shape of an earthly body that is visible to humans.

Angels in Archeology

Jesus is recorded in the New Testament as stating that the people of God will become "like the angels in heaven."  However, that station will be attained only in an after life.  That lofty status will occur only after the second Advent of Christ at the end of the world.  And, according to many theologians, human history on earth will end at that time.

Man's interest in these supernatural beings is seen even in the literature of ancient times.  One example of such an interest is the many frescoes painted on the walls of houses in ancient Herculaneum and Pompeii.  These ancient, buried towns have been excavated within the past 200 years.  After removing millions of tons of volcanic ash, many paintings of human like beings with