GoKawiilThe Assumption of the Virgin by Francesco Botticini (1475/6) depicting an angelic hierarchy in three spheres and nine orders, following the description by Pseudo-Dionysus the Areopagite. The National Gallery, London. [Source]
For this year’s first blog post, we start a new series looking at angels in Coptic Magic. As an introduction, this first post provides a brief discussion of the concept of angels and their importance in various ritual and literary traditions, as well as an overview of the main groups of angels found in Coptic magical texts. The following posts in this series will focus on specific groups of angels and individual angels, discussing their roles, names, and descriptions.
In the world of Late Antique and early Medieval Egypt, which was predominantly Christian from the fourth to the ninth centuries, angels can be defined as incorporeal beings made of fire and spirit, who served as God’s agents and messengers (Psalm 104:4). In the imaginary of Christian Egypt, the actions of angels were believed to have actual effects on the material world, enacting God’s will. Accordingly, angels could also act on behalf of humankind. Their assistance could be secured in several ways, for example, through prayers, incantations, and other rituals, which is why they appear prominently in Coptic magic.
While Coptic magical texts are witnesses to some new and original traditions about angels, they also drew upon, and evolved together with, older and contemporary traditions, including the Greco-Egyptian magical papyri, Jewish private ritual, orthodox Christian liturgical practice, and Christian literature. It is therefore important to mention these briefly before moving on to the Coptic magical material.
Berlin P. 21165 (3rd–4th centuries; KYP M827) – Amulet against fever with a list of five angels. Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung, Berlin. [Source]
First, the Greek term angelos had the basic meaning of “messenger” and had no original Christian connotation. It was used already in Greek texts, for instance, to refer to gods such as Hermes who served as a messenger for Zeus. In the Greek magical papyri, beings characterized as “angels” appear as intermediate beings serving as agents of higher powers. Several Greek magical texts also include lists of angels and archangels known from Judeo-Christian traditions. For example, the papyrus amulet Berlin P. 21165, dated to the third or fourth century, contains a list of angels (Ouriel, Michael, Gabriel, Souriel, and Raphael) and calls upon “Eloai, angel Adōnias, Adōnaei” to protect Touthous, son of Sara, from shivering and fever.
While this inclusion of originally Jewish elements in non-Jewish texts sometimes makes it difficult to identify Jewish magic among Egypt’s surviving papyrological corpora, one notable example is a work known as the Book of Secrets (Sefer ha-Razim). The earliest surviving copies of this work are attested in later Hebrew and Judeo-Arabic manuscripts from the Cairo Genizah, from the late tenth century onwards, but some scholars date the work itself as early as the fourth century. This book contains a detailed description of the seven heavens, with their inner structures. For each heaven, we get lists of angels found in each sub-section, with their main features and tasks, as well as a wide range of rituals used to make these angels fulfill one’s needs.
Cambridge T-S K1.98 – Fragment of a Hebrew manuscript of the Sefer ha-Razim from the Cairo Geniza (late tenth century CE), with dots above some angelic names. Cambridge University Library. [Source]
The organization of angels in groups and classes, which have distinct characteristics and are found in specific heavenly locations, is also a common trope of Christian ritual practices and literature. Egyptian liturgical texts of Late Antique origin, especially anaphoras, the central prayers of the Eucharist service, include lists of angelic classes (for example, thrones, dominions, and powers), often with a particular focus on the cherubim and the seraphim, all assembled as an angelic choir glorifying God. Angelic hierarchies also appear in early Christian works, notably in Pseudo-Dionysus the Areopagite’s On the Celestial Hierarchy (ca. fifth century CE), where the author describes nine angelic orders grouped in three triads, with the first, higher triad consisting of the seraphim, cherubim, and thrones, the second comprising the dominions, virtues, and powers, and the third the principalities, archangels, and angels.
Finally, several Christian apocryphal works, of which many are attested in Coptic, are dedicated to individual angels, or groups, such as the archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, or the Twenty-Four Presbyters. These works often emphasize the protective power ascribed to the angels’ names, which is generally important in magical practices as well. For example, in Pseudo-Timothy of Alexandria’s On the Feast of the Archangel Michael, we are instructed to write the name of Michael on the walls of our houses, the edge of our garments, our tables, plates, and cups, so that it may serve as protection against evil.
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