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Angels

A History
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( 35 ratings, 9 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Angels by Peter Stanford investigates the enduring fascination and complex roles of angels throughout history and across religions. The book examines why belief in angels persists in the modern secular world and explores their significance in faith, art, and culture. From ancient Jewish texts to contemporary experiences, Stanford offers a thoughtful study of angels as divine messengers, cultural symbols, and sources of comfort, questioning their reality and their place in human spirituality.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Suitable for readers interested in religion, spirituality, theology, art history, and cultural studies. Ideal for those curious about the role of angels in faith and society, as well as general readers seeking a serious yet accessible exploration of spiritual ideas in a modern context.

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A thought-provoking and entertaining twenty-first century look at what was once referred to as 'angelology', which searches out the origins of angels in religious thought, history, psychology and wider culture, and asks why, in an age of disbelief, they remain more compelling and comforting for many than God.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description
'An intriguing exploration of the many roles that angels have played in spiritual life.' - The Sunday Times: Nick Rennison

In a 2016 poll, one in 10 Britons claimed to have experienced the presence of an angel, while one in three remain convinced that they have a guardian angel. These are huge numbers and mean that, on some counts, angels are doing better than God.

In the secular, sceptical, post-Christian world of the West, continuing faith in angels is both anomaly and comfort. But what exactly are angels, and why have so many in different times and contexts around the globe believed in them? What is their history and role in the great faiths and beyond their walls? Are angels something real, a manifestation of divine concern? Or part of the poetry of religion? And can they continue to illuminate a deeper truth about human existence and the cosmos?

These are not new questions. They have been asked over millennia, right up to the present day, as writer, journalist and broadcaster Peter Stanford explores in Angels, his latest investigation into the history, theology and cultural significance of religious ideas.

'There is no better navigator through the space in which art, culture and spirituality meet than Peter Stanford' - Cole Moreton, Independent on Sunday

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The book offers a thrilling journey through theological and art historical perspectives on angels, praised for rescuing the topic from occult stereotypes and making it accessible and rewarding. Reviewers describe it as thought-provoking, wise, and richly detailed, blending art, history, and spirituality, with potential to inspire even sceptics. Described by The Sunday Times as an intriguing exploration and lauded by The Observer and The Spectator for its engaging and impressive approach.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781473622098

Publisher: John Murray Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 03 December 2020

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Hodder Faith

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 24.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 240g

Pages: 352

About the Author

Peter Stanford's previous investigations into the history, theology, enduring appeal and cultural significance of religious ideas include: What we Talk about when we Talk about Faith; Martin Luther: Catholic Dissident; Judas: The Troubling History of the Renegade Apostle; The Devil - A Biography; Heaven - A Traveller's Guide to the Undiscovered Country; and The She-Pope, an investigation of the Pope Joan legend. His other books include biographies of Bronwen Astor, Lord Longford and the Poet Laureate, C Day-Lewis, plus the polemical Catholics and Sex that became an award-winning Channel 4 series in 1992. He is a senior features writer at the Daily and Sunday Telegraph titles, and contributes to the Independent, the Observer, the Daily Mail and the Catholic weekly, the Tablet, where he is a columnist. He has presented programmes on BBC 1, Channel 4 and Channel 5, as well as BBC Radios 2 and 4 and the BBC World Service.

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