Terror, androgyny and benevolence: a brief history of angels in Christianity

Terror, androgyny and benevolence: a brief history of angels in Christianity

Leonardo da Vinci, Annunciation, circa 1472 Wikimedia CommonsChristianity began with the appearance of an angel. In the gospel of Luke, Mary is told by the angel Gabriel she will conceive and bear a son and call him Jesus. Angelic messengers such as Gabriel bookmarked Jesus’s life. After his baptism by John the Baptist, Jesus was taken by the Spirit into the wilderness for 40 days (according to the gospel of Matthew) where he was tempted by the …