Hur beskrivs skyddande änglar i Bibeln? En analys av 'malach' i Daniel 6:22 och 'angelos' i Apostlagärningarna 12:7-11

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate how the authors of Daniel 6 and Acts of the Apostles 12 describe the ‘guardian angels’ in the stories. All though ‘guardian angel’ is not a term that is used by the authors and editors of the Bible, the Bible contains many stories where angels seem to intervene and rescue people. With the help of grammatical criticism the concepts 'malach' and 'angelos', how they are translated and understood, is investigated. Through historical and literary criticism and from a narratology perspective the background of the stories, their structure and narratology are investigated. Daniel 6 and the Acts of the Apostles 12 are, after that, compared with each other. There are differences in how the authors describe the angels in the stories. While the author of Daniel 6 barely describes the angel at all, the author of the Acts of the Apostles describes the actions of the angel in quite some detail. In both stories, however, there are similarities. The two main characters, Daniel and Peter, are arrested and the kings’ intentions are to execute them. But the kings’ attitudes towards the main characters, and towards their God, differ. The consequences for the two kings are also different. One survives and the other one dies. In both stories an angel appears and completely transforms the situation for the two main characters. Both Daniel and Peter survive. If the angels had not appeared the outcome of the stories might have been totally different. The angels are determinant of how the stories end.