Quiz of the Day
Be an Angel Day
Saturday, 22 August 2026
August 22 is Be an Angel Day — explore angels in religion, mythology, art, and the cultural history of heaven's winged messengers
1. The word 'angel' derives from the Greek word 'angelos,' which means what?
- Holy spirit
- Guardian
- Winged being
- Messenger
The Greek 'angelos' (ἄγγελος) simply means 'messenger.' The same word in Hebrew is 'mal'akh' — also meaning messenger. In all three Abrahamic religions, angels primarily serve as God's messengers and intermediaries. The idea that all angels have wings actually comes from artistic tradition, not scripture — many biblical angel encounters describe human-looking figures that startle witnesses.
2. In Christian theology, how many hierarchies (choirs) of angels are traditionally described?
- 12
- 9
- 7
- 3
The 9 choirs of angels (as systematized by the 5th-century theologian Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite and later by Thomas Aquinas) are divided into three spheres: Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones; Dominions, Virtues, and Powers; Principalities, Archangels, and Angels. This hierarchy was enormously influential in medieval Christian art and theology, shaping everything from Dante's Divine Comedy to Renaissance painting.
3. How many archangels are named in canonical Christian scripture?
- Two (Michael and Gabriel)
- Three (Michael, Gabriel, Raphael)
- Seven
- One (Michael)
Only Michael and Gabriel are named as archangels in canonical Christian scripture. Raphael appears in the deuterocanonical Book of Tobit (accepted by Catholics and Orthodox but not most Protestants). The idea of seven archangels comes from non-canonical texts like 1 Enoch. Islam also recognizes four major angels: Jibreel (Gabriel), Mikail (Michael), Azrael, and Israfil.
4. What do Seraphim look like according to the Book of Isaiah?
- Human figures with large white wings
- Six-winged beings that cover their faces and feet and fly with the middle pair
- Babies with wings (putti)
- Animals with human faces
Isaiah's vision describes Seraphim as six-winged beings: two wings to cover their faces (out of reverence before God), two to cover their feet (considered shameful to expose), and two for flying. They cry 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts' in the celestial court. The word 'seraph' in Hebrew means 'burning one' — suggesting they appear as fiery beings rather than gentle winged humans.
5. Which Renaissance artist is most famous for the 'Sistine Madonna' painting featuring two iconic, contemplative cherubs at the bottom?
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Michelangelo
- Botticelli
- Raphael
Raphael's 'Sistine Madonna' (c. 1512) is one of the most reproduced religious paintings in history. The two cherubs at the bottom — bored-looking babies leaning on a ledge — are now among the most recognizable images in Western art, appearing everywhere from posters to coffee mugs. These plump baby angels (putti) bear no resemblance to the terrifying Seraphim of scripture — they're an entirely artistic convention that emerged in the Renaissance.
6. In Islam, which angel is responsible for delivering divine revelation to the prophets?
- Mikail
- Israfil
- Azrael
- Jibreel (Gabriel)
Jibreel (Gabriel) delivered the revelations of the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad over approximately 23 years beginning in 610 CE. The Quran describes Jibreel as having 600 wings. In Islamic theology, angels are created from light (noor), are sinless, and have no free will — unlike humans and jinn who do. The Quran names only three angels: Jibreel, Mikail, and Israfil.
7. In the Book of Genesis, what is the name of the flaming sword-wielding angel placed at the Garden of Eden?
- Michael
- Uriel
- Azrael
- A Cherub (unnamed)
Genesis 3:24 describes 'Cherubim' (plural) with 'a flaming sword which turned every way' guarding the way to the Tree of Life after Adam and Eve's expulsion from Eden. The Cherubim here bear no resemblance to the chubby baby angels of Renaissance art — in Hebrew scripture they're fearsome, multi-faced guardian beings also associated with God's throne and the Ark of the Covenant.
8. What angel figures prominently in the Book of Revelation, often associated with the apocalypse?
- Uriel opening the seals
- Michael fighting the dragon
- Raphael guiding the chosen
- Gabriel sounding the trumpet
Revelation 12 describes Michael and his angels fighting a 'great dragon' (identified as Satan) in a heavenly war and casting him down to Earth. Michael is consistently portrayed as a warrior archangel and commander of heaven's armies across multiple traditions. He's the patron saint of soldiers, police, and paratroopers in Catholicism — and in Jewish tradition is considered Israel's guardian angel.
9. The concept of guardian angels — each person having a personal angel — became prominent in which religious tradition?
- Christianity, particularly from the medieval period
- Zoroastrianism
- Ancient Egyptian religion
- Ancient Greek religion
While the concept of protective spiritual beings appears in many traditions (the Greek 'daimon,' the Roman 'genius'), the Christian concept of individual guardian angels was systematized in the medieval period. Thomas Aquinas devoted an entire section of his Summa Theologica to arguing that every person has a guardian angel from birth. The Catholic Church established the Feast of the Guardian Angels on October 2, still observed today.
10. In Zoroastrianism, one of the world's oldest religions, what are 'Amesha Spentas'?
- The souls of righteous humans elevated to serve God
- Evil demons equivalent to fallen angels
- Holy immortal beings similar to archangels who personify divine attributes
- Sacred animals that serve as divine messengers
The Amesha Spentas ('Holy Immortals') in Zoroastrianism are seven divine beings who serve Ahura Mazda (the supreme god) and personify abstract qualities like Truth, Good Mind, and Wholeness. Many scholars believe Zoroastrian angelology, developed in Persia from around 1500 BCE, directly influenced Jewish, Christian, and Islamic angelic traditions during the Babylonian exile and Persian period.
11. What famous painting by William-Adolphe Bouguereau depicts an angel with a child?
- Song of the Angels
- The Song of the Seraphim
- The Birth of Venus
- Guardian Angel
Bouguereau's 'Song of the Angels' (1881) shows two angels singing over the Christ child. Bouguereau was the most commercially successful French academic painter of the 19th century, known for technically perfect, idealized religious and mythological scenes. Though dismissed by avant-garde artists of his era (Impressionists called his style 'Bouguereauted'), his angelic subjects remain enormously popular in reproductions today.
12. The 'City of Angels' is a famous nickname for which US city?
- San Francisco
- New Orleans
- Los Angeles
- Las Vegas
Los Angeles gets its 'City of Angels' nickname from its Spanish name 'El Pueblo de la Reina de los Ángeles' — 'Town of the Queen of the Angels' — given when a small settlement was established in 1781. The 'Queen of the Angels' was the Virgin Mary. Los Angeles has grown from a pueblo of 44 settlers to a metropolitan area of over 13 million people — making it the second-largest in the United States.
13. In Dante's 'Divine Comedy,' what are the nine circles of Heaven called, which are governed by the nine choirs of angels?
- The Celestial Planets
- All of the above (the planets, sphere model)
- The Crystalline Spheres
- The Paradiso
Dante's Paradiso maps medieval cosmology onto theology — heaven consists of nine celestial spheres (moon, Mercury, Venus, sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, fixed stars, and Primum Mobile) beyond which lies the Empyrean where God and the blessed dwell. Each sphere is governed by an order of angels. Dante's model synthesized Aristotle's cosmology, Christian theology, and Islamic angelology into the most comprehensive literary vision of heaven ever written.
14. What is the theological doctrine of 'fallen angels' and which famous one leads them in Christian tradition?
- Azazel, leader of the Watchers who married human women
- Lucifer/Satan, who rebelled against God and was cast from Heaven
- Both — different traditions name different leaders
- Samael, the angel of death who turned evil
Lucifer — Latin for 'light-bearer' — appears in Isaiah 14 as a metaphor for the King of Babylon but was interpreted as referring to Satan's fall from heaven. 'Paradise Lost' by John Milton (1667) turned this into the most elaborate literary treatment of Satan as a fallen archangel — a 'magnificent villain' whose rebellion and fall Milton makes the most dramatically compelling part of the Christian cosmic narrative.
15. In New Age spirituality, how have concepts of angels evolved from traditional religious teachings?
- New Age movements reject angelic concepts entirely
- Angels in New Age thought are considered aliens
- They've remained identical to Christian doctrine
- Angels have become non-denominational spiritual guides accessible to everyone through meditation
The 1980s–90s New Age movement transformed angels from specifically religious figures into broadly spiritual personal guides. Books on communicating with personal angels became bestsellers, and 'angel readings' became a category in alternative spirituality. A 2011 Pew Research survey found that 68% of Americans believe in angels — far higher than regular church attendance rates — suggesting angels have a cultural resonance that transcends traditional religious practice.