Guardian angel

A guardian angel is to protect a country, a place or a person undelivered angel after mythological or religious idea.

In addition to Christianity also know the other Abrahamic religions, Islam and Judaism, the concept of the guardian angel. In Buddhism, the Bodhisattvas are worshiped. Play a role, including in the esoteric, such as in anthroposophy, guardian angel. Even ancient animistic religions and know so-called guardian spirits: In Roman religion guardian spirits were called genii, in Greek mythology, Daimon.

Judaism

Engel, Hebrew מלאך Mal'ach " messengers " are usually understood in Judaism through interpretation of Tanach and a long tradition as supernatural beings who are God in heaven to the side, but strictly from God (YHWH ) to distinguish and this subordinate. You can give to recognize selected people God's will and his instructions occasionally.

In the Jewish faith in heavenly angelic being the complex explanation of their spiritual world is not governed by a precisely defining ordering scheme, as it seeks to build then the angelology of early Christianity for example. In later writings (such as the book of Daniel ) are listed the names of angels, which are assigned certain tasks.

Descriptions of angels and angel teachings are also found in the apocryphal writings. For example, is the Book of Enoch a chronicle reports in detail on a "journey through the ten heavens " and about angels, their names, their tasks and their characteristic properties. The Chronicles of Enoch were declared by the church father Jerome in the 4th century AD to the Apocrypha. The apocryphal Book of Tobit, which probably dates from the 2nd century BC, describes the protective action of the Archangel Raphael who accompanies Tobias on his journey.

Christianity

The devotion to the Guardian Angels in the liturgy of the Catholic Church has spread mainly in the 15th and 16th centuries. This was first done in conjunction with the feast of the Archangel Michael on September 29; he is regarded in Judaism with Gabriel as intercessors and guardian angel of Israel. 1670, Pope Clement X, the guardian angel hard for the Catholic Church firmly on the 2nd October.

In the Catholic Catechism for Adults says to the Guardian Angels:

" The angels are created in Christ and to Christ. [ ... ] Finally, the angels are personal forms of protection and care of God for believers. In the well-known Psalm ( and hymn ), who dwells in the shelter of the Most High ' trust and confidence in God will thus justified: For he orders his angels to guard you in all your ways. ' So are the angels, serving spirits sent to help those who will inherit salvation. " Starting from such statements of belief has emerged in piety history of the Church that God has for every believer, yes every person added to a special guardian angel. This belief comes today, especially in the trivializing the form of a false childhood faith, skepticism. She has, however - properly understood - an indication in the statement of Jesus about the children: their angels in heaven always see my heavenly Father's face ' will bring you again to express that the visible world has an invisible dimension of depth, and that every single person. , even and especially the little child of God has an infinite value. The angels are our helpers and guarantors ensure that our hope and longing not go unheard, that we open to the sky. "

In the performing arts the guardian angel motif had taken its origin with the Nazarenes and was later in the religious Salon painting. In contrast to the medieval type of image the religious character of the images came increasingly into the background and became increasingly popular as an artistic motif in the popular wall decoration from the late 19th century by the so-called guardian angel images in both denominations.

Guardian angel faith in Germany

A survey conducted by the polling institute Forsa on behalf of the magazine GEO in 2005 showed that approximately two thirds of all Germans believe in guardian angels. The religion psychologist Sebastian Murken sees this as a " proof of the desire for personal care ." The fact that more people believe in guardian angels than in one God, the theologian Christa A. Thiel sees due to the fact that angels are " tangible than God " were.

In the sine - study of the Catholics in Germany was a stronger guardian angel faith and interest in esotericism and spiritualism in the group of otherwise rather unchurched "consumption - materialists " and " hedonists " found.