Cassiel

Illustration of Cassiel from The Magus by Francis Barrett (1801)

Cassiel (Hebrew קפציאל Qafsiel Kaziel) meaning "Speed of God" is the Latin name of an archangel in post-biblical Judeo-Christian religion, particularly that of the Kabbalah. Unlike many other angels, Cassiel is known for simply watching the events of the cosmos unfold with little interference. He is the angel of solitude and tears, and is said to preside over the deaths of kings.[1]

He is often included in lists as being one of the seven archangels and often associated with the Seventh Heaven.

Qafsiel amulet from the 15th century

In the Jewish Kabbalah

In rabbinic literature, the Kabbalah is the only text to relate the identity of angels with souls. Tradition differs as to how many classes of angels exist although all relate the number of angel classes to the heavens in a one-to-one ratio. One of the older and most common views, divides angels into seven classes. Another tradition states that there are only three true archangels and only three heavens. And then there is a third tradition, combining the two aforementioned for a total of ten classes of angels. Yet another theory relates the names of the archangels to the planets.[2] Archangels are also referred to as the "chief angels" and called the "angels of the presence."[3]

Archangels are connected to a level of sephiroth; the Kabbalah contains 10 levels of sephiroth each holding different meanings and responsibilities. Each sephirah is assigned a name and number and becomes associated with an archangel, a name of God, an angelic order, and a planetary force. These levels are sometimes referred to as Vessels of Light because they are representative of the progression of the realms in which they are connected. The sephiroth are God's means of interacting with the physical world.[4]

In popular culture

References

  1. ↑ Briggs, Constance Victoria (1997). The Encyclopedia of Angels: An A-to-Z Guide with Nearly 4,000 Entries. Plume. ISBN 0-452-27921-6.
  2. ↑ Ginzberg, Louis (1968). The Legends of the Jews. The Jewish Publication Society of America. p. 23.
  3. ↑ "archangel, in religion." The Columbia Encyclopedia. New York: Columbia University Press, 2008. Credo Reference. Web. 26 September 2012.
  4. ↑ "sephiroth." Chambers Dictionary of the Unexplained. London: Chambers Harrap, 2007. Credo Reference. Web. 30 September 2012.
  5. ↑ Caine, Rachel. "The Outcast Season Series". The Outcast Season Series. ROC. Archived from the original on December 23, 2010. Retrieved October 3, 2015.

Further reading

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