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Angel of the Presence
In some Christian traditions, the Angel of the Presence / Face (lit. "faces", Hebrew: Mal'akh HaPanim, מלאך הפנים) or Angel of his presence / face (Hebrew: Mal'akh Panav, מַלְאַךְ פָּנָיו) refers to an entity variously considered angelic or else identified with God himself.
The phrase occurs in the Book of Isaiah (Isaiah 63:9), which states that, throughout the history of the Israelites, God has loved and been merciful to that nation and shared in its distresses, saving Israel with "the angel of his presence".[1] The Septuagint translation of the Book of Isaiah explains the term in the most explicit language as a reference to God: "not an ambassador, nor an angel, but the Lord Himself (Greek: αὐτὸς κύριος) saved them".[2]
In the Book of Jubilees, the Angel of the Presence explains to Moses the history of Israel.[3] Jubilees depicts this entity as one of God's special agents and does not provide him with a specific name.[4] In the Testament of Judah, Judah states that he has received blessing from the Angel of the Presence.[5]
In the book of Enoch, four angels that stand before the Lord of Spirits are given as: Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, and Phanuel. According to some scholars, the Second Book of Enoch identifies Uriel, known in various traditions under the names of Phanuel or Sariel, as the Angel of the Presence or else as one of the Angels of the Presence.[6]
- ^ Mark Bredin (2006). Studies in the Book of Tobit: A Multidisciplinary Approach. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 124. ISBN 0-567-08229-6. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
- ^ Margaret Barker (2003). The Great High Priest: The Temple Roots of Christian Liturgy. Continuum International Publishing Group. pp. 110–111. ISBN 0-567-08942-8. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
- ^ Margaret Barker (1992). The Great Angel: A Study of Israel's Second God. Westminster John Knox Press. p. 85. ISBN 0-664-25395-4. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
- ^ Andrei A. Orlov (2005). The Enoch-Metatron Tradition. Mohr Siebeck. p. 126. ISBN 3-16-148544-0. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
- ^ Gustav Davidson (1994). A Dictionary of Angels: Including the Fallen Angels. Scrollhouse. p. 40. ISBN 0-02-907052-X. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
- ^ Gabriele Boccaccini; Giovanni Ibba; Jason von Ehrenkrook; James Waddell; Jason Zurawski (2009). Enoch and the Mosaic Torah: The Evidence of Jubilees. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 142. ISBN 978-0-8028-6409-3. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
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