Angels here are often, probably even usually, portrayed as female, but in the Judeo-Christian tradition, they are given male names and, in English, usually described as masculine. I don't recall if there is specific doctrine to make them sexless or gendered, but I've always been intrigued by this.
I guess that wasn't really a question, now, was it? But that was.
Angels were never supposed to be cute and fluffy. They were supposed to be awful (in the medieval rather than the modern sense of the word), "fair as the moon, clear as the sun, terrible as an army with banners."
They started losing some of their majesty in the late Renaissance/early Rococo period. I blame Rubens.
We can also blame Rubens for millions of adolescent boys snickering in the part of history class where they talk about art and show some of the paintings of the Old Masters.
Kind of a theological/aesthetic question....
ReplyDeleteAngels here are often, probably even usually, portrayed as female, but in the Judeo-Christian tradition, they are given male names and, in English, usually described as masculine. I don't recall if there is specific doctrine to make them sexless or gendered, but I've always been intrigued by this.
I guess that wasn't really a question, now, was it? But that was.
Angels were never supposed to be cute and fluffy. They were supposed to be awful (in the medieval rather than the modern sense of the word), "fair as the moon, clear as the sun, terrible as an army with banners."
ReplyDeleteThey started losing some of their majesty in the late Renaissance/early Rococo period. I blame Rubens.
We can also blame Rubens for millions of adolescent boys snickering in the part of history class where they talk about art and show some of the paintings of the Old Masters.
ReplyDelete