-
Seasonal Offer:
This title is part of our Seasonal Offers promotion.
Angels: A Very Short Introduction
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| |||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £0.25
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in Angels: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Special Offers and Product Promotions
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
What are angels? Where were they first encountered? Can we distinguish angels from gods, fairies, ghosts, and aliens? And why do they remain so popular? This Very Short Introduction outlines some of the more prominent stories and speculations about angels in Judaism, Islam, Christianity and post-Christian spiritualities. It reflects on the way that angels have been portrayed in art, whether as young men in the Hebrew Scriptures, androgynous winged creatures of the pre-Raphaelites or the masculine statue of the Angel of the North. It will also consider angels in films such as Wim Wenders' Wings of Desire, and Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life, as well as angels in literature. From the idea of the angel as a messenger, through to the image of angels sent to protect and help those in need, this is an examination of the implications of angels. It will ask why people find the idea of angels attractive, helpful or consoling, and why they remain so powerful in modern culture. It advances the view that reflecting on angels can teach us something about human existence and whether or not we believe that they exist in their own right, the angels can still illuminate our thoughts.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
There are no customer reviews yet on Amazon.co.uk.
5 star
4 star
3 star
2 star
1 star
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
2 reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Divine Messangers
1 Jan 2012
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The belief in Angels is one of the shared beliefs amongst the three "Abrahamic" religions (Christianity, Judaism and Islam), and has also made inroads into other religions and worldviews. In fact, in the US today and many other Western countries belief in angels transcends the bounds of religion, and one in five adults who don't express any religious affiliation still believe in angels. This is a startling contrast to the way that the so-called "enlightened" intellectuals, many of whom still profess some religious belief, have treated angels. Even though being religious and believing in God may be acceptable even in the secular circles, the belief in angels is oftentimes considered too credulous and a sign of the lack of education. Nonetheless, angles have always been an integral part of the religions that trace their origin to Abraham, and his own encounter with angels.
This very short introduction aims to provide modern readers with an accessible, informative, and very positive overview of the history and variety of the beliefs that are associated with angels. It explores how these beliefs have evolved over the years, both in the sacred literature as well as in the popular and folk traditions. David Albert Jones approaches this subject with a lot of grace and intrinsic appreciation. However, he is not trying to assert whether the angels actually exist or not. The discussion is primarily concerned with the understanding of angels in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions, but the more recent "new age" beliefs are also explored. The result is a well-balanced little book that can serve as a very informative introduction to this subject. Even those of us who are believers can learn a lot of new things about angels from reading this account.
Overall, this is a very well-written and accessible introduction to the subject of angels.
This very short introduction aims to provide modern readers with an accessible, informative, and very positive overview of the history and variety of the beliefs that are associated with angels. It explores how these beliefs have evolved over the years, both in the sacred literature as well as in the popular and folk traditions. David Albert Jones approaches this subject with a lot of grace and intrinsic appreciation. However, he is not trying to assert whether the angels actually exist or not. The discussion is primarily concerned with the understanding of angels in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions, but the more recent "new age" beliefs are also explored. The result is a well-balanced little book that can serve as a very informative introduction to this subject. Even those of us who are believers can learn a lot of new things about angels from reading this account.
Overall, this is a very well-written and accessible introduction to the subject of angels.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
I Learned a lot From This Book
28 Nov 2011
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I've studied a bit of theology but I never felt like I understood Angels very well. After reading this Short Introduction I have a much better sense of what Angels are and a much better appreciation for what they are as well.
The book has more erudite information than one would expect from a book of its size (123 pages of text) and it's also an especially well grounded book. David Albert Jones continues to hark back to our fundamental conception of what Angels are as he covers all sorts of aspects of Angels such as their pictorial history and their role as divine messengers.
"Angels" has an extremely attractive cover which is a very fine thing for those of us who like to have some style to go along with substance.
The book has more erudite information than one would expect from a book of its size (123 pages of text) and it's also an especially well grounded book. David Albert Jones continues to hark back to our fundamental conception of what Angels are as he covers all sorts of aspects of Angels such as their pictorial history and their role as divine messengers.
"Angels" has an extremely attractive cover which is a very fine thing for those of us who like to have some style to go along with substance.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > History > Cultural History
- Books > History > Religious History > Buddhism
- Books > History > Religious History > Christianity
- Books > History > Religious History > Islam
- Books > History > Religious History > Judaism
- Books > Mind, Body & Spirit
- Books > Religion & Spirituality > Buddhism > Philosophy
- Books > Religion & Spirituality > Judaism > Theology
- Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Comparative Religion
- Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > History
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
