The volume Ancient Angels - conceptualizing Angeloi in the Roman Empire (BRILL, 2011, 181.p.) by Rangar Cline is probably the first monograph in this topic using a large amount of literary sources. This topic - angels in the Roman "Paganism" - was first researched by Franz Cumont in 1915 ,(“Les Anges du Paganisme,” Révue de l’histoire des religions 12:159–82.). This work analyzing the concept and various apparition of some minor or secondary deities, named after the II.century B.C. as "angeloi" or "angelus", word used also by ancient auctors (such as Homer) simply as "messeger". Using especially but not only literary sources (one of the most interesting archaeological sources used in this book are the Fountain of the Lamps at Corinth) Cline proved in his book, that angels - messengers or avatars of Gods, deities or symbols of the soul- are omnipresent in the Roman Empire and not only in the Jewish or Christian contexts.
About the book: "Although angels are typically associated with Judaism, Christianity and Islam, Ancient Angels demonstrates that angels (angeloi) were also a prominent feature of non-Abrahamic religions in the Roman era. Following an interdisciplinary approach, the study uses literary, inscriptional, and archaeological evidence to examine Roman conceptions of angels, how residents of the empire venerated angels, and how Christian authorities responded to this potentially heterodox aspect of Roman religion. The book brings together the evidence for popular beliefs about angels in Roman Religion, demonstrating the widespread nature of speculation about, and veneration of, angels in the Roman Empire"(loc. cit.)
Content of the book:List of Illustrations .................................................................. vii
Acknowledgements ................................................................... ix
List of Abbreviations ................................................................ xi
List of Epigraphic Sigla ........................................................... xiii
Preface ..................................................................................... xv
Chapter One Introduction: The Words of Angels ...................... 1
Chapter Two Angels of the Aether ........................................... 19
Chapter Three Angels of a Pagan God .................................... 47
Chapter Four Angels of the Grave .......................................... 77
Chapter Five Angels of the Spring: Variations on Local
Angelos Veneration and Christian Reaction .......................... 105
Chapter Six Angels of a Christian God: Christian Angelos
Veneration in Late Roman Anatolia ...................................... 137
Conclusion ............................................................................ 167
Bibliography ...........................................................................169
Index ..................................................................................... 179
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