Angel (Holy Trinity)

Concept

Several biblical passages describe a divine angel — the "Angel of the LORD" or "Angel of God" — who speaks and acts with full divine authority, accepting worship, and is identified with God himself rather than being merely a created messenger. This figure appears to Hagar (Gen. 16:7–13), to Abraham at Moriah (Gen. 22:11–18), to Moses in the burning bush (Ex. 3:2–6), and to Gideon (Judg. 6:11–24). In each case the angel and the LORD are used interchangeably within the same passage. Patristic interpreters commonly identified this Angel of the LORD as a pre-incarnate theophany of the Son of God, which they called a Christophany. This interpretation is supported by John 1:18 ("No one has seen God at any time; the only-begotten God... has made him known") and by the NT identification of the exodus cloud-pillar guide with Christ (1 Cor. 10:4). Whether one reads these appearances as Christophanies or as created angels speaking on behalf of God, the passages establish a category of divine self-disclosure through angelic mediation that points toward the fuller revelation of God in the incarnate Son.