Chapter 45: Angels

[Dave Monroe]

Hoping plate tectonics will drive this back to the
surface at home.  A nifty little overview of the
subject ...

Knapp, Gottfried.  Angels, Archangels, and All the
   Company of Heaven.  New York: Prestel, 1999.

"Angels have long been used by artists to imbue their
work with a sense of the divine. In the Middle Ages
they were predominantly represented as men. By the
time of the Renaissance, theologians had agreed upon a
hierarchy for the company of heaven in which cherubim
and seraphim held the highest rank. Then, in
descending order, were: thrones, dominations, virtues,
powers, principalities, archangels, and angels. The
angels were frequently depicted as women and children,
and their number appeared to reflect the artist’s view
of the spiritual importance of the subject,
particularly in manuscript and book illumination.
However, the most popular have always been the Baroque
representations of small, fat cherubim—winged
putti—high-spirited and roguish. In our century, Marc
Chagall’s colorful, glowing angels have given
expression to human love and divine grace. 
The word 'angel' comes from the Greek word angelos,
meaning 'messenger,' and save for their depiction in
art, angels were considered to be bodiless minds or
spirits. Angels are not restricted to Christianity;
they also appear in Judaism and Islam—and always as
intermediaries between God and humankind."

http://www.prestel.com/prestel/PrestelServ.PrestelCOM?X=WELCOME

(You'll have to use the search function to find the
listing here, then go to "Further Details," the URL
for the frame doesn't seem to work on its own ...)

Hm ...

Main Entry: an·gel 
Pronunciation: 'An-j&l
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English engel &
Old French angele; both from Late Latin angelus, from
Greek angelos, literally, messenger
Date: before 12th century
1 a : a spiritual being superior to man in power and
intelligence; especially : one in the lowest rank in
the celestial hierarchy b plural : an order of angels
-- see CELESTIAL HIERARCHY
2 : an attendant spirit or guardian
3 : a white-robed winged figure of human form in fine
art
4 : MESSENGER, HARBINGER <angel of death> ...

http://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary

The Duck = angel = Slothrop = Hermes/Mercury (=
trickster)?  Both/and ... and ...

http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0202&msg=65205&sort=date

Anyone familiar with ...

Brown, Norman O.  Hermes the Thief:
   The Evolution of a Myth.  Herndon, VA:
   Anthroposophic Press, 1990 [1947].

http://www.lindisfarne.org/lhtml/index1.htm

Read it recently, thinking it might have some
resonances with The Duck.  Let me know ...

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