An extraordinary gathering of angels

An Extraordinary Gathering of Angels is an exquisite visual and scholarly study of the complex and fascinating world of angels in the Judaic-Christian world.

Using over two hundred and fifty artworks, leading Biblical scholar and practicing theologian, Margaret Barker takes the reader on an extraordinary journey amongst the realm of angels.

She explores angels as the beings of the invisible creation, their part in Christian worship, as a link between real time and eternity and as they are perceived by all the human senses.

She reveals the cosmology of angels in all their guises - as the glory in God's creation, as the holy of holies in the Church temple, as ministers of the natural forces, as high priest, as the Holy Wisdom, as stars showing the heavenly pattern, as artistic muses and guardians.Margaret draws on an exciting and far ranging body of visual material with examples taken from Coptic, Renaissance and Medieval manuscripts, church mosaics from around the world, paintings from both the ecclesiastical and secular world, relief and free-standing sculpture from Gothic churches, domestic artefacts and contemporary cinema clips that explore the significance of the angel.

Margaret makes this wonderful world accessible to all readers - mini essays make sense of the complex angel cosmology and detailed picture captions explain the meaning and significance of each angel type.

Margaret has also included interviews she has taken with key theologians, artists and writers who have particular and sometimes differing viewpoints on the significance of angels.

Margaret Barker has created for the general public a beautiful and intricately woven tapestry filled with visual detail and tantalising fact to reveal the complex dimensions of Angels.