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Thomas Aquinas

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Test inter-wiki link to Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologiae, Part I, Treatise on the Angels, Question 51:

Question 51

Gabriel's Gender Identity

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Gabriel can be interpreted as either male, female, or androgynous.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] Historical evidence supporting Gabriel's female or androgynous gender can be found in both art and literature.[4][8][9][10]





For example, James R. Lewis and Evelyn Dorothy Oliver, authors of Angels A to Z (2008):

Angels are perceived as either male or female by people who feel they have actually seen them or feel that they have a guardian angel. Theologians, on the other hand, have usually considered angels to be androgynous, or to be neither distinctly male nor female, but to combine maleness and femaleness in perfect wholeness. … Artists commonly portray angels without distinct sexuality, sometimes portraying them in a prepubescent human form. The only angel commonly thought to be of the female, however, is the archangel Gabriel, who is commonly depicted with decidedly feminine features.’'[4]

Eileen Elias Freeman, author of the 1994 book Touched By Angels'’ seems to agree, stating:

...angelic genders are so totally unlike the two we know on Earth that we just can't recognize the concept in angels. Some philosophers have even speculated that every angel is a specific gender, a different physical and spiritual orientation to life.’'[3]

On the other hand, one possible argument that exists against Gabriel’s equal capacity to be androgynous or female, can be found in biblical scripture. For example, Daniel 8:15 states:

When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it; and behold, standing before me was one who looked like a man.

(Daniel 8:15 NASB)

One possible response to this argument comes from the New American Bible Revised Edition’’, published by the Catholic Church in 2011, which, in reference to a similar verse in Genesis 2:5, explains that the word ‘’man’’, at least as it relates to Genesis 2:5, in-fact refers to a ‘’human being’’ or to ‘’man-kind’’ generally, rather than to a strictly male human being’’.

[11]

Arguably therefore, it is conceivably reasonable to believe that the usage in Daniel 8:15 may not have been intended to refer to a strictly male human being’’, but rather to an entity that may have more-or-less resembled a ‘’human being’’ or to ‘’man-kind’’ generally.[11]

That being said, the works of a well known Christian Theologian by the name of St. Thomas Aquinas might nevertheless be interpreted as contradicting both of the above-cited biblical texts, including most-specifically, Question 51: Angels and Bodies’’ part of his Treatise on the Angels’’.

[12]

[13]

[14]

Author Paul J. Glenn (A Tour of the Summa’’, 1978) in summarizing Summa Theologiae clarifies Aquinas’s conclusions to Question 51: Angels and Bodies’’ as follows:

  1. "Angels have no bodies. An intellectual nature (that is, a substantial essence equipped for understanding and willing) does not require a body. In man, because the body is substantially united with the spiritual soul, intellectual activities (understanding and willing) presuppose the body and its senses. But an intellect in itself, or as such, requires nothing bodily for its activity. The angels are pure spirits without a body, and their intellectual operations of understanding and willing depend in no way at all upon material substance."[12][13][14]

  2. "That the angels sometimes assume bodies is known from Holy Scripture. Angels appeared in bodily form to Abraham and his household; the angel Raphael came in the guise of a young man to be the companion of the younger Tobias."[12][13][14]

  3. "In bodies thus assumed, angels do not actually exercise the functions of true bodily life. When an angel in human form walks and talks, he exercises angelic power and uses the bodily organs as instruments. But he does not make the body live, or make it his own body."[12][13][14]


Therefore, evidence supporting the view of Gabriel as equally capable of being female or androgynous as male has existed at least in Christianity since around 1265–1274 A.D.—when Thomas Aquinas authored his Summa Theologica.[12][13]

Further evidence supporting Gabriel’s claim to an androgynous and/or female gender identity can also be found in various depictions of Gabriel in religious art.

[15]

[5]

For instance, scholar Pino Blasone, in his essay entitled Women and Angels: Female Annunciations’’, provides extensive information on the manner in which Gabriel’s depiction in religious art has evolved and differed over the past several centuries.[9]

Notes

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  1. ^ Ahlquist, Diane (2007-07-03). The Complete Idiot's Guide to Life After Death (1st ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Alpha Books. ISBN 978-1-592576-51-7. OCLC 145175815. Retrieved 2013-10-09.
  2. ^ Virtue, Doreen (2012-01-15). The Angel Therapy Handbook. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House. ISBN 978-1-401918-36-1. OCLC 503042509. Retrieved 2013-10-09.
  3. ^ a b Freeman, Eileen Elias (1994-09-01). Touched By Angels (1st ed.). New York, NY: Warner Books. ISBN 978-0-446670-33-3. OCLC 45624192. ...angelic genders are so totally unlike the two we know on Earth that we just can't recognize the concept in angels. Some philosophers have even speculated that every angel is a specific gender, a different physical and spiritual orientation to life.
  4. ^ a b c Lewis, James R.; Oliver, Evelyn Dorothy (2008-05-01). Angels A to Z (2nd ed.). Detroit, MI: Visible Ink Press. pp. 156–157. ISBN 978-1-578592-12-8. OCLC 434213392. Retrieved 2013-10-09. Angels are perceived as either male or female by people who feel they have actually seen them or feel that they have a guardian angel. Theologians, on the other hand, have usually considered angels to be androgynous, or to be neither distinctly male nor female, but to combine maleness and femaleness in perfect wholeness. … Artists commonly portray angels without distinct sexuality, sometimes portraying them in a prepubescent human form. The only angel commonly thought to be of the female, however, is the archangel Gabriel, who is commonly depicted with decidedly feminine features.
  5. ^ a b Giovetti, Paola (1993). Angels: The Role of Celestial Guardians and Beings of Light. Translated by Toby McCormick. York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser. ISBN 978-0877287797. OCLC 27173025. Retrieved 2013-10-09.
  6. ^ "Archangel Gabriel: Representation of a Female or Androgynous Gabriel". AngelGabriel.blogspot.com. 2007-09-19. Retrieved 2010-08-16.
  7. ^ Hopler, Whitney. "Are Angels Male or Female? (What Are Angel Genders?)". About.com. Retrieved 2013-10-09.
  8. ^ a b Godwin, Malcolm (1990). Angels An Endangered Species. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster. p. 43. ISBN 0671706500. OCLC 21227232. Retrieved 2013-11-13. "The Sumerian root of the word Gabri is GBR, gubernator, or governor. Some argue that it means Gibor, power or hero. Gabri-el is the Governor of Eden and the ruler of the Cherubim. But Gabri-el is unique amongst an otherwise male or androgynous host, for it is almost certain that this great Archangel is the only female in the higher echelons."
  9. ^ a b Blasone, Pino (2008-07-04). "Women and Angels: Female Annunciations" (Internet). Pino Blasone via Scribd.com. Retrieved 2013-10-26.
  10. ^ Young, Rev. Annette (2003). "Archangels: Gabriel". Belvidere, IL: Angel Focus Interfaith Ministry. Retrieved 2013-11-15. The only Archangel depicted as female in art and literature, Gabriel is known as the "messenger" Angel and is one of the four Archangels named in Hebrew tradition and is considered one of the two highest-ranking Angels in Judeo-Christian and Islamic religious lore. Apart from Michael, she is the only Angel mentioned by name in the Old Testament. She is a powerful and strong Archangel, and those who call upon her will find themselves pushed into action that leads to beneficial results.
  11. ^ a b <Catholic Church; United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Administrative Committee; Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Board of Trustees (2011-03-09). "Genesis 2:5". New American Bible: Translated From the Original Languages With Critical Use of All the Ancient Sources (Revised ed.). Charlotte, NC: Saint Benedict Press. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-935302-58-2. OCLC 707237138. Retrieved 2013-10-09. "* [2:5] Man: the Hebrew word 'adam is a generic term meaning "human being." In chaps. 2–3, however, the archetypal human being is understood to be male (Adam), so the word 'adam is translated "man" here."
  12. ^ a b c d e Aquinas, Thomas (c. 1265-1274). "Question 51. Angels and Bodies." . Summa Theologiae, Treatise on the Angels (Internet). Translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province. Wikimedia Foundation Inc. – via Wikisource. {{citation}}: Check date values in: |year= (help); External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ a b c d e Catholic Spiritual Direction. "Angels: From the Teachings of Saint Thomas Aquinas" (Internet). Catholic Spiritual Direction. Retrieved 2013-10-26.
  14. ^ a b c d Glenn, Paul J. (June 1978). A Tour of the Summa (2nd ed.). Rockford, IL: TAN Books and Publishers. pp. 45–46. ISBN 978-0895550811. OCLC 155030750.
  15. ^ Edward, Paul (1967). The Encyclopedia of Philosophy (1st ed.). New York, NY: Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-028949-60-4. OCLC 369093.

References

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  • Freeman, Eileen Elias (1994-09-01). Touched By Angels (1st ed.). New York, NY: Warner Books. ISBN 978-0-446670-33-3. OCLC 45624192. ...angelic genders are so totally unlike the two we know on Earth that we just can't recognize the concept in angels. Some philosophers have even speculated that every angel is a specific gender, a different physical and spiritual orientation to life.
  • Lewis, James R.; Oliver, Evelyn Dorothy (2008-05-01). Angels A to Z (2nd ed.). Detroit, MI: Visible Ink Press. pp. 156–157. ISBN 978-1-578592-12-8. OCLC 434213392. Retrieved 2013-10-09. Angels are perceived as either male or female by people who feel they have actually seen them or feel that they have a guardian angel. Theologians, on the other hand, have usually considered angels to be androgynous, or to be neither distinctly male nor female, but to combine maleness and femaleness in perfect wholeness. … Artists commonly portray angels without distinct sexuality, sometimes portraying them in a prepubescent human form. The only angel commonly thought to be of the female, however, is the archangel Gabriel, who is commonly depicted with decidedly feminine features.
  • Godwin, Malcolm (1990). Angels An Endangered Species. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster. p. 43. ISBN 0671706500. OCLC 21227232. Retrieved 2013-11-13. "The Sumerian root of the word Gabri is GBR, gubernator, or governor. Some argue that it means Gibor, power or hero. Gabri-el is the Governor of Eden and the ruler of the Cherubim. But Gabri-el is unique amongst an otherwise male or androgynous host, for it is almost certain that this great Archangel is the only female in the higher echelons."
  • Aquinas, Thomas (c. 1265-1274). "Question 51. Angels and Bodies." . Summa Theologiae, Treatise on the Angels (Internet). Translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province. Wikimedia Foundation Inc. – via Wikisource. {{citation}}: Check date values in: |year= (help); External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)
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