Angels as Warriors in Late Second Temple Jewish Literature

In this study, Aleksander Michalak focuses mainly on the association of angelic beings with warfare in the Jewish literary sources. The author has examined the various depictions of the warrior angels in the literature of the Second Temple period with reference to the roots of such representations, their popularity, and various theological implications. He focuses specifically on Michael, Gabriel, and the numerous anonymous belligerent angelic figures that appear in the biblical and apocryphal texts. Imagery of angelic military activity has been researched within the context of the individual primary sources but taking into account the broader "angelological” background. The literary concepts explored by the author include expectations of angelic participation in an eschatological war along with their role in this conflict, associations of angelic warriors with certain Jewish heroes, angelic protection of the walls of Jerusalem, and angelic military power both as defenders and destroyers.