"Guardian Angel" (Schutzengel) (1840), by Matthäus Kern.

A guardian angel is a spirit who protects and guides a particular person. The concept of tutelary angels and their hierarchy was extensively developed in Christianity in the 5th century by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite. The theology of angels, and tutelary spirits, has undergone many refinements since the 400's, and contemporary orthodox belief in both the eastern and western churches is that guardian angels protect the body and present prayers to God, protecting whichever person God assigns them to. The Roman Catholic Church calendar of saints includes a memorial for guardian angels on October 2. Image File history File links Matthäus_Kern_Schutzengel. ... Image File history File links Matthäus_Kern_Schutzengel. ... The English word spirit comes from the Latin spiritus (breath). // The English word spirit comes from the Latin spiritus, meaning breath (compare spiritus asper), but also soul, courage, vigor, ultimately from a PIE root *(s)peis- (to blow). In the Vulgate, the Latin word translates Greek (πνευμα), pneuma (Hebrew (רוח) ruah), as... A tutelary spirit is a god, usually a minor god, who serves as the guardian or watcher over a particular site, person, or nation. ... This article is about the supernatural being. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is... Europe in 450 The 5th century is the period from 401 to 500 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. ... Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, also known as pseudo-Denys, refers to the anonymous theologian and philosopher of the 5th century whose Corpus Areopagiticum was falsely ascribed to Dionysius the Areopagite of Acts 17:34. ... For other uses, see Prayer (disambiguation). ... Catholic Church redirects here. ... The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organising a liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more saints, and referring to the day as that saints day. ... is the 275th day of the year (276th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

History

The belief that God sends a spirit to watch every individual was common in Ancient Greek philosophy, and Plato alludes to it in Phaedo, 108. Similarly, the belief appears in the Old Testament, although it is not specifically articulated or delineated. The belief than angels can be guides and intercessors for men appears in Job 33:23-6 and in the Book of Daniel, specifically Daniel 10:13, angels seem to be assigned to certain countries. In this latter case the “prince of the Persian kingdom” was referring to one of the fallen angels also known to many as a demon. While, “Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me...” is one of the specific angels mentioned in the Bible whom God uses to help His people. Michael is actually an archangel. The Book of Enoch, part of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church's canon of scripture, says that God will "...set a guard of holy angels over all the righteous..." (1En100:5). In Acts 12:12-15 there is another allusion to the belief that a specific angel is assigned to protect us in that verse in the response of the people staying at the home of "Mary the mother of John, also called Mark...". After Peter had been escorted out of prison by an angel, he went to Mary's home and the servant girl, Rhoda, recognized his voice and so she ran back to tell the group that Peter was there. The group replied, "It must be his angel."(v.15). In Matthew 18:10, Jesus says that children are protected by guardian angels: This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... The term ancient Greece refers to the periods of Greek history in Classical Antiquity, lasting ca. ... Greek philosophy focused on the role of reason and inquiry. ... For other uses, see Plato (disambiguation). ... Platos Phaedo (IPA: , Greek: Φαίδων, Phaidon) is one of the great dialogues of his middle period, along with the Republic and the Symposium. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Note: Judaism... The Book of Job (איוב) is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible. ... For other uses, see Book of Daniel (disambiguation). ... “Fiend” redirects here. ... Archangels are superior or higher-ranking angels. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Ethiopian Church in jerusalem The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (in transliterated Amharic:Yäityopya ortodoks täwahedo bétäkrestyan) is an Oriental Orthodox church in Ethiopia that was part of the Coptic Orthodox Church until 1959, when it was granted its own Patriarch by Coptic Orthodox Pope of... For the literature genre, see Acts of the Apostles (genre). ... The Gospel of Matthew (literally, according to Matthew; Greek, Κατά Μαθθαίον or Κατά Ματθαίον, Kata Maththaion or Kata Matthaion) is a synoptic gospel in the New Testament, one of four canonical gospels. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ...

"See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven." (New International Version)

The New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Christian Bible which is the most popular of the modern translations of the Bible made in the twentieth century. ...

Interpretations

Whether guardian angels attend each and every person is not consistently believed or upheld in patristic Christian thought.^[1] Saint Ambrose, for example, believed that saints lose their guardian angels so that they might have a greater struggle and persevere. Saints Jerome and Basil of Caesarea argued that sin drove the angels away. For other uses, see Ambrose (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Jerome (disambiguation). ... Basil (ca. ... For other uses, see Sin (disambiguation). ...

The first Christian theologian to outline a specific scheme for guardian angels was Honorius of Autun. He said that every soul was assigned a guardian angel the moment it was put into a body, although such a thought requires the pre-existence of the soul/essence. Scholastic theologians augmented and ordered the taxonomy of angelic guardians. Thomas Aquinas agreed with Honorius and specified that it was the lowest order of angels who served as guardians, and his view was most successful in popular thought, but Duns Scotus said that any angel might accept the mission. Honorius of Autun (died c. ... Scholasticism comes from the Latin word scholasticus, which means that [which] belongs to the school, and is the school of philosophy taught by the academics (or schoolmen) of medieval universities circa 1100–1500. ... Saint Thomas Aquinas, O.P.(also Thomas of Aquin, or Aquino; c. ... According to medieval Christian theologians, the Angels are organized into several orders, or Angelic Choirs. ... Blessed John Duns Scotus (c. ...

Guardian angels appear in literary works throughout the medieval and Renaissance periods. Also later, the Anglican English physician and philosopher Sir Thomas Browne (1605-82), stated his belief in Religio Medici (part 1, paragraph 33): Medieval literature is a broad subject, encompassing essentially all written works available in Europe and beyond during the Middle Ages (encompassing the one thousand years from the fall of the Western Roman Empire ca. ... Renaissance literature refers to European literature that began in Italy and spread throughout Europe during the seventeenth century. ... The Church of England logo since 1998 The Church of England is the officially established Christian church[1] in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ... For other uses, see Doctor. ... A philosopher is a person who thinks deeply regarding people, society, the world, and/or the universe. ... Sir Thomas Browne (October 19, 1605 – October 19, 1682) was an English author of varied works that disclose his wide learning in diverse fields including medicine, religion, science and the esoteric. ... 1605 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1682 (MDCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... Religio Medici (The Religion of a Doctor) is a book by Sir Thomas Browne, which sets out his spiritual testament and a psychological self-portrait. ...

Therefore for Spirits I am so farre from denying their existence, that I could easily believe, that not only whole Countries, but particular persons have their Tutelary, and Guardian Angels: It is not a new opinion of the Church of Rome, but an old one of Pythagoras and Plato; there is no heresay in it, and if not manifestly defined in Scripiture, yet is it an opinion of a good and wholesome use in the course and actions of a man's life, and would serve as an Hypothesis to salve many doubts, whereof common philosophy affordeth no solution.

Guardian Angel prayer

This is the traditional Catholic prayer to one's guardian angel.^[2]

Angel of God, my guardian dear

to whom God's love commits me here.

Ever this day/night be at my side

to light and guard, to rule and guide.

Amen.

In Popular Culture

• In the 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life (directed by Frank Capra) features the character Clarence (portrayed by Henry Travers) as a guardian angel.
• Wim Wenders's Wings of Desire and Faraway, So Close! deal with an elaborate scheme of recording angels.
• The syndicated comic strip Rose Is Rose, written by Pat Brady, regularly features a guardian angel, who watches over (and resembles) the character Pasquale.
• The American drama television series Touched by an Angel (1994-2003) features several characters as guardian angels.
• The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus sings a song called Your Guardian Angel on their full-length debut, Don't You Fake It.
• In the Anime Angel Tales it features 12 Guardian Angels where Goro Mutsumi's pets Transmigrated into his Guardian Angels.

For other uses, see Its a Wonderful Life (disambiguation). ... This article is about the film director. ... Henry Travers (March 5, 1874 – October 18, 1965), born Travers Heagerty, was a British-born actor. ... Ernst Wilhelm (Wim) Wenders (born August 14, 1945) is a German film director, playwright, photographer, and producer. ... Wings of Desire is the English title of Der Himmel über Berlin, a 1987 film by the German-born director Wim Wenders. ... Faraway, So Close! is the English title of In weiter Ferne, so nah!, a 1993 film by German director Wim Wenders, written by him, Richard Reitinger and Ulrich Zieger. ... In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, the Recording angel is the messenger of God who records the events, actions, and/or prayers of each individual human. ... Rose Is Rose is a syndicated comic strip portraying a suburban family in which the husband and wife are deeply in love with each other and dotingly fond of their son. ... Pat Brady (born October 12, 1947) is an American cartoonist and creator of the comic strip Rose Is Rose, syndicated by United Feature Syndicate since 1983. ... For other uses, see Drama (disambiguation). ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... This section contains a list of trivia items. ... The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus is a band that formed in 2003 in Jacksonville, Florida. ... Your Guardian Angel is a song recorded by post-hardcore band The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. ... Alternate Cover Deluxe Edition cover Dont You Fake It is the debut album by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, released on July 18, 2006 and re-released on March 20, 2007. ...

Notes

1. ^ Guardian Angel - Catholic Encyclopedia article
2. ^ Beliefnet Christian Children's Prayers 07-20-2006

This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

See also

• Patron saint