I know Biblically accurate angels are all the rage these days, maybe even played out? Shoot. To be fair, I did first post this comic back in 2021, so I think that scientifically proves that I’m funny. I know I don’t usually repeat comics on the Substack, but I’ve been on vacation (in January!! the best time to vacate!) so I thought I’d revisit this old favorite with some added context and images.
Also, there’s been some debate (among nerds) as to whether Biblically accurate angels are actually Biblically accurate. Here’s my take:
While it seems pretty clear that these depictions are all considered “angels,” there are different ranks of angel, each with a different physical form and sub-species. So yes, some are technically Seraphim, but Seraphim are under the classification of angel. All Seraphim are angels, but not all angels are Seraphim, got it?
We have a 5th-century theologian named Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite to thank for this system of ranks and titles within the angelic realm. Using the writings of Isaiah, he came up with a whole Celestial Hierarchy complete with nine different orders of angelic beings. At the top were the Seraphim, Cherubim, and Ophanim, who were the least human-looking of the bunch. These were your winged eyeball beasts, your floating heads, your celestial winged hula hoops, etc. The rest of the angelic ranks look more like people with wings, even back in the earliest depictions. Here they are, in all their terror and glory, in an 18th-century illustration:
There were earlier depictions that showed seraphim, cherubim, and ophanim in their non-human forms, like this ceiling built in 1059-1128 Italy:
Or this painting by Botticini in 1475 of the assumption of the Virgin Mary:
See? All those weird little winged heads at the top? And all the very average-looking angels at the bottom? Biblically accurate.
And here are some of my other favorite Biblical angels, for good measure:
and a facial closeup:
doesn’t that make you feel safe? How about this guy:
He’s got a lil grampa popping out of his belly! Fear not!!
I feel so comforted.
So yes, Biblically accurate angels can be people too. Or horrifying winged heads ridden with eyeballs—take your celestial pick.
Either way, they want you to fear not. It’s pretty OK out there sometimes, so gird up your loins and all that. There are angels in the outfield. 👁️👀👁️👀👁️
All my celestial love,
👁️Becca Lee, Haunted Librarian👁️
It was not until I was in my 30s that I really learned about these angels. I always assumed all those fancy words (cherubim, seraphim) were just nicknames for angels or something? Or baby angels somehow? I didn't think about it much bc it's not part of Mormon theology. But marrying an ex-Catholic sure opened my eyes, and that might be one area where Mormonism loses on the weirdness front.