How do they know their creed about archangel?

How do they know their creed about archangel?

Archangel, an angel, or heavenly being, of higher rank than angels. In Jewish and Christian literature, the four best known are Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel. In Islam, it is believed that four archangels guard the throne of Allah. According to Christian tradition, archangels belong to the eighth of nine choirs of angels. Arranged according to their importance, in descending order, these choirs are seraphim, cherubim, thrones, dominations, virtues, powers, principalities, archangels, and angels.

GABRIEL

Gabriel, angel of high eminence in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim tradition. He is one of the four most often noted archangels in Judaism and Christianity, the others being Michael, Raphael, and Uriel. Gabriel is the heavenly messenger who appears in order to reveal God's will. In the Old Testament, Gabriel interprets the prophet's vision of the ram and the he-goat (see Daniel 8:15-26) and explains the prediction of the 70 weeks of years (or 490 years) for the duration of the exile from Jerusalem (see Daniel 9:21-27). In the New Testament, he announces to Zacharias the birth of Zacharias's son (see Luke 1:11-20), who is destined to become known as John the Baptist, and to Mary that she is to be the mother of Jesus Christ (see Luke 1:26-31). Among Muslims, Gabriel is believed to be the spirit who revealed the sacred writings to the Prophet Muhammad.

Gabriel is the prince of fire and the spirit who presides over thunder and the ripening of fruits. He is an accomplished linguist, having taught Joseph the 70 languages spoken at Babel. In art he is generally represented carrying either a lily, Mary's flower, at the annunciation, or the trumpet he will blow to announce the second coming.

MICHAEL

Michael (archangel), one of the seven archangels in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, presumed to be leader of the angels (see Daniel 10:13, 21; 12:1) and guardian angel of Israel. His name derives from Hebrew words meaning “who is like God.” In Christian churches he is known as Saint Michael. According to a collection of apocalyptic writings known as the Book of Enoch, Michael and his command of faithful troops defeated the rebellious archangel Lucifer and his followers, casting them into Hell. In the Talmud, Michael’s relationship to the other angels is compared with that on Earth of the high priest to Israel; thus, he is considered the immediate lawgiver to the prophet Moses on Sinai (see Acts 7:38).

Michael has been known as the patron of the sick and of grocers, sailors, and soldiers; he is also the patron saint of Germany. In art he appears holding scales or a banner and flourishing a sword against a dragon. Beginning in 1970 Michael's feast day was combined with that of the archangels Gabriel and Raphael on September 29. See Michaelmas

Raphael (archangel) (Hebrew, “God hath healed”) one of the seven holy archangels. Raphael presides over the spirits of men in the afterlife (see Enoch 20:3). In the Book of Tobit in the Old Testament apocrypha, Raphael is described as the one who stands in the presence of God and presents the prayers of the saints before Him (see Tobit 12:15). In rabbinical literature he is the angel of healing.

RAPHAEL

Raphael (archangel) (Hebrew, “God hath healed”) one of the seven holy archangels. Raphael presides over the spirits of men in the afterlife (see Enoch 20:3). In the Book of Tobit in the Old Testament apocrypha, Raphael is described as the one who stands in the presence of God and presents the prayers of the saints before Him (see Tobit 12:15). In rabbinical literature he is the angel of healing.

URIEL

Uriel, one of the seven holy angels or archangels according to Jewish and Christian tradition. Translated from the Hebrew, Uriel means “God is my light.” In the Book of Enoch (chapter 20, verse 2), Uriel “is over the world and over Tartarus (the lowest region of the underworld).' In the same book it is said that God set Uriel over all the luminaries of the heaven (chapter 75, verse 3). In this capacity he served as guide for Enoch in his imaginary journeys through heaven and the underworld. Likewise, in 2 Esdras, Uriel instructs Esdras in the secrets of the universe.

What do you know about Islamic Theology?

What do you know about islam theology?

For centuries Muslim theologians have debated the subjects of justice and mercy as well as God’s other attributes. Initially, Islamic theology developed in the context of controversial debates with Christians and Jews. As their articulations of the basic doctrines of Islam became more complex, Muslim theologians soon turned to debating different interpretations of the Qur’an among themselves, developing the foundations of Islamic theology.

Recurring debates among Islamic scholars over the nature of God have continued to refine the Islamic concepts of God’s otherness and Islamic monotheism. For example, some theologians interpreted Qur’anic attributions of traits such as hearing and seeing to God metaphorically to avoid comparing God to created beings. Another controversial theological debate focused on the question of free will and predestination. One group of Muslim theologians maintained that because God is just, he creates only good, and therefore only humans can create evil. Otherwise, this group argued, God’s punishment of humans would be unjust because he himself created their evil deeds. This particular view was rejected by other Muslim theologians on the grounds that it limits the scope of God's creation, when the Qur’an clearly states that God is the sole creator of everything that exists in the world.

Another controversial issue was the question of whether the Qur’an was eternal or created in time. Theologians who were devoted to the concept of God's oneness maintained that the Qur’an must have been created in time, or else there would be something as eternal as God. This view was rejected by others because the Qur’an, the ultimate authority in Islam, states in many places and in unambiguous terms that it is the eternal word of God.

Many other theological controversies occupied Muslim thinkers for the first few centuries of Islam, but by the 10th century the views of Islamic theologian al-Ashari and his followers, known as Asharites, prevailed and were adopted by most Muslims. The way this school resolved the question of free will was to argue that no human act could occur if God does not will it, and that God's knowledge encompasses all that was, is, or will be. This view also maintains that it is God's will to create the power in humans to make free choices. God is therefore just to hold humans accountable for their actions. The views of al-Ashari and his school gradually became dominant in Sunni, or orthodox, Islam, and they still prevail among most Muslims. The tendency of the Sunnis, however, has been to tolerate and accommodate minor differences of opinion and to emphasize the consensus of the community in matters of doctrine.

As is the case with any religious group, ordinary Muslims have not always been concerned with detailed theological controversies. For ordinary Muslims the central belief of Islam is in the oneness of God and in his prophets and messengers, culminating in Muhammad. Thus Muslims believe in the scriptures that God sent through these messengers, particularly the truth and content of the Qur’an. Whatever their specific religious practices, most Muslims believe in angels, the Day of Judgment, heaven, paradise, and hell.