THE DOCTRINE OF ANGELS by Edward Langton

The Doctrine of Angels by Edward Langton is an account of the Christian belief in angels from the earliest records of the Christian religion and which continued without any significant disruption throughout the life of succeeding generations of the Church. It is a belief reflected in the literature, architecture and folklore of the Church.

From the very beginning angels have played a significant role in the development of the Christian Church. Indeed, both the Old and New Testaments are filled with narratives about the activities of angels in the lives of the faithful. In the New Testament, angels fulfil a distinctive role in the events of the Life of Christ, featuring notably at His birth, passion and resurrection. It is, then, pertinent to ask the question ‘what are angels, where do they come from and what do they do?’

The word ‘angel’ is derived from the Greek angelus meaning a messenger. In Hebrew the word for ‘angel’ is Malak, also denoting a messenger. In popular terms the word signifies a supernatural intermediary between God & humanity.  Thus, angels are heavenly messengers that have been sent to assist people, usually individuals, but sometimes groups or communities, in their duties and hardships. An angel can take the form of a vehicle of inspiration, a spiritual messenger, or a bearer of spiritual knowledge about human affairs.

The author, Edward Langton (1886 – 1965), presents in The Doctrine of Angels the concept of ‘angels’ firmly within its historical context, whilst avoiding the fanciful ideas of the nineteenth century phantasy world so prevalent today. He is, arguably, one of the most enlightened authorities of his generation in this specialised area of research, and his books are an outstanding source of accurate information on the subject of both demonology and Angelology.

Publisher: Imagier Publishing: 2016
Paperback: pp.222
Extent: 222 pages
Artwork: b/w illustrations