According to St. Augustine,"Angels are spirits, but it is not because they are spirits that they are angels. They become angels when they are sent. For the name 'angel' refers to their office, not their nature...". The term angel comes from the Greek word angelos , which meant messenger. The exact number of angels out there really isn't known although it has been the subject of many theological discussions over the ages.

Many people believe in angels, not just Christians. One of the first references to angels was in the Bible, Gen.3:22-24 , when Adam and Eve were sent from the garden of eden. There are approximately 375 mentions of angels in the Bible , as well as, references in The Book of Mormon, The Kabbalah, The Koran, and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Islamic Sufies are mystics who claim angels are a reflection of God's love and our hearts companion. Ancient cultures, like Roman and Greek, often believed in "winged" divine beings that would assist humankind. In Native American society, the Raven and the Eagle are considered "winged messengers from God". The Zoroastrians, an ancient religion of Babylonians, spoke of how Ahura Mazda, their God, was in a constant battle with evil and was assisted by seven archangels. The Buddhists art depicts "tennin" a form of angelic being seen in painted robes to indicate flight instead of wings.

Most scholars agree that all angels have names, some with ancient names denoting rank and some that describe what the do like "Angel of the Sun". Many of the names come from ancient societies like Babylonians and Persians. Many have names that end in "el" or irion" which means "of God".

Angels are ranked in one of three groups. The first is the Seraphims (the highest rank, angels of love and light and fire. They have four faces and six wings.), Cherubims (according to Muslim tradition they were formed from the tears Michael shed for the sins of the faithful. They were the guards at the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve were expelled.) and Thrones (virtue and steadfastness, the bringers of justice).

The next rank is that of dominions (who regulate angel's duties), the virtues (who work miracles here on Earth), and the powers (who keep heavenly order). The last category is that of the principalities (who watch over not only religion but the world's rulers so that they will rule wisely and justly), the archangels (God's special messengers who bring His word to humankind) and the angels (who watch over all living things).

There are angels associated with the days of the week and angels associated with the signs of the zodiac. The following is a list from "The Book of Angels" by Carolyn Trickey-Bapty

DAY ARCHANGEL ANGEL

Monday..........Gabriel..............Gabriel

Tuesday..........Chimyl..............Zamiel

Wednesday.....Michael.............Raphael

Thursday........Tzaphiel.............Sachiel

Friday.............Haniel...............Anael

Saturday.........Tzaphiel............Cassiel

Sunday...........Raphael.............Michael

(obviously some are doing double duty)

ZODIAC SIGN ANGEL

Aries............................Malahidael

Taurus..........................Asmodel

Gemini.........................Ambriel

Cancer.........................Muriel

Leo..............................Verchiel

Virgo............................Hamaliel

Libra............................Uriel or Zuriel

Scorpio.........................Barbiel

Sagittarius....................Advachiel

Capricorn......................Haniel

Aquarius.......................Gabriel

Pisces............................Barchiel