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Are there any religious texts predating Judaism that give record of angels?

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  • User
    Lv 7
    7 years ago

    Well..."angel" is (over-simply) the Latin translation of a Hebrew word that means "messenger", so any pre-Jewish writing that mentions "angels" would be, perhaps, ambiguous because any supernatural "messenger" in a foreign (non-Hebrew) language might be deemed an "angel", a "spirit", a "demon" or a "god" (or something else). We can say (from the strictest point of view) that the concept of "angels" first appeared in Judaism (or Yahwism).

    However, the word "cherubim" - a particular type of Biblical angel - is witnessed in pre-Jewish writings and art:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherub#Origins

    and the Biblical description to a great extent matches the Babylonian/Phoenician images.

  • Sparta
    Lv 5
    7 years ago

    In Zoroastrianism there were angelic beings called Ahuras.

  • Anonymous
    7 years ago

    The Enuma Elish, though the term "angels" is not used specifically. Any "beings that come from the heavens" should qualify though.

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