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#gabriel #jesus #sufi #androgynous #angel #archangel #beauty #birth #christmas #god #happy #jesuschrist #light #love #spiritual #wings
Published: 2017-12-28 15:43:55 +0000 UTC; Views: 52368; Favourites: 474; Downloads: 106
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Archangel Gabriel and the angels greeting the birth of Jesus Christ.Gabriel is one of my favorite angels ^^
His beauty and perfection are one of the important themes in religious art. He is revered in Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Yezidism.
Archangel Gabriel is the most beautiful being which was created by God, some think that he is female, but HE is always described as a man in sacred texts (in esotericism he is a feminine man who symbolizes the feminine principle). In Orthodox tradition he has a honorary title of Archistrategos (commander-in-chief). Along with St. Michael he is the commander of the heavenly angelic forces.
Persian Muslim (Sufi) philosopher Suhrawardi writes about the Archangel Gabriel:
"As for mankind itself, its angel is Gabriel. Humanity is an image of this archangel who is the mediator between man and the angelic world and the focus in which the lights of the Orient are concentrated. It is also the instrument of all knowledge inasmuch as it is the means by which man's soul is illuminated.
This archangel as the Holy Spirit is also the first and supreme intelligence and the first as well as the last prophet... the archetype of man (rabb al-nau' al-insan) and the supreme revealer of divine knowledge.
Suhrawardi describes Gabriel as one of the supreme archangels who is the archetype of the “rational species” (nau` natiq), the giver of life, knowledge, and virtue. He is also called the giver of the spirit (rawan bakhsh) and the Holy Spirit (ruh al-qudus). Suhrawardi, Opera, Vol. II, p. 201.
He (man), like other creatures of this world, is a chant of the wing of Gabriel which spreads from the world of light to that of darkness. This world is a shadow of his left wing as the world of light is a reflection of his right wing. It is by the Word, by the sound of the wing of Gabriel, that man has come into existence, and it is by the Word that he can return to the principial state, the divine origin, from which he issued forth." -- A HISTORY OF MUSLIM PHILOSOPHY VOLUME 1, BOOK 3
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Comments: 41
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Well, yes, this World has to be created by someone, it couldn't appear without any reason : )
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In more orthodox Abrahamic metaphysics, (as opposed to, say, LDS) Angels are objectively asexual creatures. What need have they for Gender? Although if circumstances require, I’m sure they can SEEM more masculine or feminine to any given individual mortal. Given Israel’s Patriarchal culture, seeming more “manly”, particularly when embodying God’s wrath, would have made more sense. At other times like this, a more motherly or even child-like appearance was sensible.
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This is so beautiful and very well-detailed! The angels look very beautiful and baby Jesus is very sweet and adorable. This artwork is so gorgeous and vibrant, so professional. This is perhaps one of my favourites. ^_^
Just wondering, what culture inspired the robes and their intricate designs of the background angels? And will there be a close-up perhaps of the background angels? I love them so much. They're very pretty.
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Thank you so much for your kind words, I'm pleased! I was inspired by Middle Eastern clothing and jewelry, also Persian and Byzantine fashion. I was also inspired by the written descriptions (Byzantine) about the appearance of angels. If you're interested, here is an excerpt:
The tenth-century Life of St. Basil the Younger. Here again the image of the angels is formed on the basis of current perception of the court eunuch. In her entry into Paradise, the soul of Theodora, the servant of St. Basil the Younger, encounters the Lord seated on a throne and surrounded by angels:
"And as we proceeded further a little, where, behold, we saw a shining white throne, casting rays all around, and sending off in myriad of ways joys and pleasures to all standing there. For around the throne youths were present. [They were) most beautiful, with good height, like cypresses with lofty foliage, dressed in resplendent and awesome purple silk and linen, which cannot be expressed with human words."
The angels' appearance, stature, gait, and role in the celestial palace mirror the functions of eunuchs in the terrestrial court. As in the celestial court, access to the emperor passes through the rings of eunuchs surrounding his throne. This angelic guard is characterized with long and slender bodies, snowy white skin, and radiant garments of purple and gold. The image of these angels reveals the Byzantine perception of the ideal court eunuch: young, possessing extraordinary beauty, with radiant skin and hair, dressed in purple-golden silks and linens:
"We encountered in the awesome and intangible air floating over us a gold-embroidered skin spread like an unfolded scroll. In this skin were some beautiful youths, extraordinary in nature; they were beyond count, dressed in tongues of fire, and their hair was like lightning, their feet were like milk, and their faces like snow, or rather to say, shining more powerfully than light."
In this passage, the emphasis is on the whiteness and luster of the skin. Three types of covers are compared: the unfolded parchment, the silk, and the angelic skin, all three compete in their luster and shine. The same motif is picked up and elaborated in the description of the angels in the court of St. Basil the Younger in paradise:
"And this throne Ion which St. Basil the Younger sat] was green with a variety of shades, sending off rays of radiance through the palace, [the throne was] chiseled from the hand of the Creator and architect of everything. The saint ISt. Basil the Younger) dwells there among all these unutterable, unseen, inexpressible blessings and unspeakable gladness. Many youths, uncountable in number were rejoicing together with him, and feasting together with him, feeding on this miraculous and divine pleasure ... their faces were like rays of sun sending off radiance, filled with inexplicable sweetness and gladness, all of them laughing and conversing with one another with voices flowing in honey ....They were served by quite attractive youths, beautiful in face, white like snow, with hands and fingers, if one seeing them could say, as if made by frothing milk. They were dressed in red tunics, ineffably dyed, and filled with all possible beauty. As for their feet, they were white like snow. They were girdled with belts like loroi [a sash decorated with gems and pearls worn on specific festive occasions by the Byzantine emperor], having received the colors of the celestial rainbow and filled with radiance, and around their heads, they carried golden diadems most dignified and divergent in precious gems and pearls like rays of lightning."
Res: Anthropology and Aesthetics, 51: Spring 2007 by Francesco Pellizzi
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This looks gorgeous, very polished and meticulous. I particularly love the slightly eastern vibe it has.
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Thank you! Because angels are creatures from eastern religions ^^
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Really? I didn't know that. I thought they were a jewish invention.
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Angels are not just a Jewish invention.
If you are interested, then this is what is known about angels.
Initially, angels as pure and winged spirits in religion arose in Mesopotamia, before Judaism.
Angels were in the Assyrian, Persian, Syrian mythology and religion. In many ways Judaism absorbed the culture of local beliefs.
For example, the Christian/Judaistic archangel Michael was originally the Persian deity Beshter (and the Zoroastrian angel Mihr), and the archangel Gabriel was the Zoroastrian angel Soroush (Modern Persian form of Avestan Sraosha meaning "obedience". In Zoroastrianism this was the name of a Yazata (or angel), later equated with the angel Gabriel).
Zoroastrianism is one of the world's oldest monotheistic religions. It was founded by the Prophet Zoroaster in ancient Iran approximately 3500 years ago.
Mithraism, which greatly influenced Christianity, was even a more ancient religion than Zoroastrianism. Mithraism is an Indo-Iranian cult, whose roots go back to antiquity. At first Mithra was the god of sun, friendship and light, but with the advent of Zoroastrianism, the god Mitra became an archangel (he engaged the powers of darkness, Ahriman and his host, in a bitter struggle), his role affected the formation of the image of the angel Michael.
Sraosha, in Zoroastrianism, divine being who is the messenger of Ahura Mazdā and the embodiment of the divine word. His name, related to the Avestan word for “hearing,” signifies man’s obedient hearkening to Ahura Mazdā’s word and also signifies Ahura Mazdā’s omnipresent listening. Sraosha is the medium between man and God. Zoroastrians believe that no ritual is valid without his presence, and he is very prominent in Zoroastrian liturgy. Depicted as a strong and holy youth whose heavenly abode is a thousand-pillared house, he has, in addition, a protective role. It is Sraosha that Ahura Mazdā sends to chastise the demons that harass men. Thrice nightly he descends to earth to combat them, crushing their skulls. His strongest weapon is prayer. In the end of time, he will be the agent of the final extermination of evil. Sraosha also leads the righteous soul through the ordeal of judgment three days after its body’s death.-- Encyclopædia Britannica
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Wow, that's a lot of info. I was familiar with some of it but had no idea it was such a complex thing. Thank you so much for explaining it, it's fascinating for me. How did you get interested in mythology and culture?
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I have always been interested in angels, gods and mythology, since childhood as I had books about Greek gods and tales of the peoples of the world. But I began to study them actively for a 2-3 of years, and so far I do not consider myself a specialist in angels, there are so many subtleties that I do not yet know
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I wish people could see this and have their hearts lifted because of the beauty of this piece
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That's so sweet, you really poured your heart into this.
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