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The Chosen is a drama series that shows Jesus through the eyes of those who met him. Watch seasons 1–3 for free on the Angel app, a platform that supports positive and uplifting content.
- 26
- September 20, 2017
- 3
- 55 min
- Where can I watch The Chosen?You can watch every episode of The Chosen on Angel Studios for free.
- How can I watch The Chosen?Download the Angel Studios app and start streaming full episodes of The Chosen for free.
- How many seasons of The Chosen are there?Angel Studios currently has 3 seasons of The Chosen available for streaming.
- What is The Chosen Season 4 release date?Season 4 of The Chosen is coming in 2024. Stay up to date on the exact release date when The Chosen Season 4 is coming out on our blog at angel.com...
- How can I support The Chosen?You can support a show by paying it forward or purchasing merchandise from gifts.angel.com.
- How can I purchase The Chosen merchandise?Proudly support the show by shopping for merch at gifts.angel.com.
- What devices does Angel Studios support?You can enjoy Angel Studios on a variety of devices. TV Roku, Android TV, Google TV, Apple TV, Fire TV Computer Chrome OS, macOS, Windows PC Mobile...
Jacob Wrestling with the Angel, by Gustave Doré in 1855. In Abrahamic religious traditions (such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) and some sects of other belief-systems like Hinduism and Buddhism, an angel is a heavenly supernatural or spiritual being.
Learn the origin, usage, and synonyms of the word angel, a spiritual being serving as a divine messenger and intermediary in religion. See examples of angel in a sentence and related phrases. Explore the etymology and history of angel from Greek and Latin roots.
- Overview
- Angels
- Demons
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angel and demon, respectively, any benevolent or malevolent spiritual being that mediates between the transcendent and temporal realms.
Throughout the history of religions, varying kinds and degrees of beliefs have existed in various spiritual beings, powers, and principles that mediate between the realm of the sacred or holy—i.e., the transcendent realm—and the profane realm of time, space, and cause and effect. Such spiritual beings, when regarded as benevolent, are usually called angels in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and those viewed as malevolent are termed demons. In other traditions, such intermediate beings are less categorical, for they may be benevolent in some circumstances and malevolent in others.
The term angel, which is derived from the Greek word angelos, is the equivalent of the Hebrew word mal’akh, meaning “messenger.” The literal meaning of the word angel thus points more toward the function or status of such beings in a cosmic hierarchy rather than toward connotations of essence or nature, which have been prominent in popular piety, especially in Western religions. Thus, angels have their significance primarily in what they do rather than in what they are. Whatever essence or inherent nature they possess is in terms of their relationship to their source (God, or the ultimate being). Because of the Western iconography (the system of image symbols) of angels, however, they have been granted essential identities that often surpass their functional relationships to the sacred or holy and their performative relationships to the profane world. In other words, popular piety, feeding on graphic and symbolic representations of angels, has to some extent posited semidivine or even divine status to angelic figures. Though such occurrences are not usually sanctioned doctrinally or theologically, some angelic figures, such as Mithra (a Persian god who in Zoroastrianism became an angelic mediator between heaven and earth and judge and preserver of the created world), have achieved semidivine or divine status with their own cults.
In Zoroastrianism there was a belief in the amesha spentas, the holy or bounteous immortals, who were functional aspects or entities of Ahura Mazdā, the Wise Lord. One of the amesha spentas, Vohu Manah (Good Mind), revealed to the Iranian prophet Zarathustra (Zoroaster; died c. 551 bce) the true God, his nature, and a kind of ethical covenant, which humans may accept and obey or reject and disobey. In a similar manner, about 1,200 years later, the archangel Gabriel revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (5th–6th century ce) the Qurʾān (the holy book of Islam) and the true God (Allah), his oneness, and the ethical and cultic requirements of Islam. The epithets used to describe Gabriel, the messenger of God—“the spirit of holiness” and “the faithful spirit”—are similar to those applied to the amesha spentas of Zoroastrianism and to the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), in Christianity. In these monotheistic religions (though Zoroastrianism later became dualistic) as also in Judaism, the functional characteristics of angels are more clearly enunciated than their ontological (or nature of being) characteristics—except in the many instances in which popular piety and legend have glossed over the functional aspects.
The term demon is derived from the Greek word daimōn, which means a “supernatural being” or “spirit.” Though it has commonly been associated with an evil or malevolent spirit, the term originally meant a spiritual being that influenced a person’s character. An agathos daimōn (“good spirit”), for example, was benevolent in its relationship to humans. The Greek philosopher Socrates, for example, spoke of his daimōn as a spirit that inspired him to seek and speak the truth. The term gradually was applied to the lesser spirits of the supernatural realm who exerted pressures on humans to perform actions that were not conducive to their well-being. The dominant interpretation has been weighted in favour of malevolence and that which forbodes evil, misfortune, and mischief.
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In religions of nonliterate peoples, spiritual beings may be viewed as either malevolent or benevolent according to the circumstances facing the individual or community. Thus, the usual classification that places demons among malevolent beings is not totally applicable in reference to these religions.
Learn about the definition, nature, types, and facts of angels and demons in various religions and traditions. Explore how they mediate between the transcendent and temporal realms, and how their roles and identities have changed over time.
In the angelology of different religions, a hierarchy of angels is a ranking system of angels. The higher ranking angels have greater power and authority than lower ones, and different ranks have differences in appearance, such as varying numbers of wings or faces.
Dec 13, 2017 · Learn about the biblical facts of angels, such as their creation, types, hierarchy, names, and more. Find out how to interpret the Bible's descriptions of angels and their role in God's plan and purposes.
Three angels, in a picture made in about 1420 by the Russian, Andrej Rublev. In many mythologies and religions, an angel is a good spirit. The word angel comes from the Greek word angelos which means "messenger". Angels appear frequently in the Old Testament, the New Testament, Qur'an and Aqdas .
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