In the pandemic, the Rev. Kira Austin-Young and her husband Michael Schupbach chose to decorate the Christmas tree with a representation of the creatures as described in the Bible. The final image generated surprise and went viral.
When putting together the Christmas tree, everyone has their favorite decoration: lights, stars, colorful tassels, etc. During the pandemic, the reverend Kira Austin-Young and her husband Michael Schupbach, a puppet maker, went one step further and decided to create their own, to give it their own touch: instead of crowning the tree with a star or some angel with human shape, create another type of ornament, a biblically accurate angel.
The result was a pink, blue and gold feathered creature with six wings and dozens of eyes. The image went viral and generated surprise and astonishment. “I think, especially, in the times of the world we’re in, where things seem a little scary and strange, having a scary and strange angel somehow speaks to people”Austin-Young acknowledged.
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The reverend explained that different types of angels appear in the Bilbia. We don’t have many descriptions of most of them, but both the Apocalypse at the end of the Bible and some of the books of the prophets in the Old Testament describe strange creatures around the throne of God.
“Some of them have six wings with eyes covering the wings,” Austin-Young said.associate rector of St. Mary the Virgin Episcopal Church in San Francisco. Others have multiple animal heads. “I think one of the delightful things about the Bible and the Scriptures is just how bizarre it can be and how unusual it can be,” he added.
A poll last year by The Associated Press-NORC Public Affairs Research Center found that seven in 10 adults in USA believe in angels. However, there is no consensus regarding its appearance.
Traditional representations of angels in Western art reflect angels in a winged human facet, usually white and often blonde or very light-skinned. But there are also various interpretations of “biblically accurate angels” imagined not only in tree ornaments but also in drawings, tattoos, and even makeup tutorials.
Esther Hamori, professor of Hebrew Bible at Union Theological Seminary, distinguishes between angels and other “supernatural species” in the Bible such as seraphim and cherubim, but said she loves the trend of biblically accurate angels, even if they are confused.
“It shows that people are thinking about ways the Bible contains much stranger things than is often taught,” the author of “God’s Monsters: Vengeful Spirits,” wrote in an email to the Associated Press (AP). Deadly Angels, Hybrid Creatures, and Divine Hitmen of the Bible.”
One of Austin-Young’s favorite depictions of the Annunciation is by Henry Ossawa Tanner. conceive Gabriel like a lazy humanoid light beam. “It makes you rethink, what is it like to be approached by an angel?” he said, adding: “If it’s someone you don’t know, or if it’s a strange creature, or if it’s just this kind of manifestation of God’s message to you. .. It could be anything”.
Source: Ambito
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