MDDM Chapter 45: Angels (p.451)

[Otto]

I do not feel hijacked at all, and a little bit of fun in these serious
matters is always good but I tend to agree to Robert that it is Wicks who is
indeed having a little fun at Nathe's expense by trivializing angels. So the
following goes for GR, but not necessarily for M&D:

"No one to my knowledge has ever tried to argue that Pynchon's angels derive
from pop-culture angels. Pynchon's are sublime and awe-inspiring angels
(...) not at all like (...) sentimental angels of Nativity scenes, let alone
the consumer icons of the 1990s." (PN 42-43, 306)

David:
*Sex?* (no marriage anyway):
Mat 22:30   For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in
marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.

Given Mathew 22:30 in my Lutheran translation Angels should not marry.
The used verb for *marry* is *freien*:

'frei·en 0V.t. u. V.i.; hat; veraltet
1 werben, heiraten wollen; er hat um sie gefreit; jung gefreit hat nie
gereut <Sprichw.> [<mnddt. vrien "zur Frau machen"; zu asächs. fri "Weib";
zu germ. *fri- "lieben, hegen"

"jung gefreit hat nie gereut" means early marriage is good, not early sex,
but in Dutch the verb "vrijen" means sex. "Heb je zin om te vrijen" is an
invitation (quite blunt) to dancing in the sheets, but not necessarily
asking for marriage.

So I wonder what the original Papyrii have said.

But anyway; in my imagination Christian Angels have no sex, proliferation is
an earthly necessity and pleasure (omne animal triste post coitum because it
reminds us that we are mortal), it makes no sense among the immortal
intermediates between God and man, but I still like the idea of Angels
blowing "entire cities off the map" (Terrance) with a fart. Thanks for the
pics, I haven't seen that Travolta-movie yet and the Michael really is both
beautiful and frightening in his armour. But I've seen "City of Angels", so
thanks to Dave and Terrance for pointing out to Brian McHale at PN 42-43
(303-316), especially the footnotes.

But what about Angels in an postmodern age when God, as we all know, is
dead. This leaves the Angels with an ontological problem, a problem of
identity:

"The death of God left the angels in a strange position. They were overtaken
suddenly by a fundamental question (...) what are angels?"
(Donald Barthelme, "On Angels", Sixty Stories, p.135)

Otto