Robert Langdon is called upon to identify a mysterious symbol seared onto a dead man's chest. It belongs to the Illuminati, a secret brotherhood with a vendetta against the Catholic Church.

This sumptuously illustrated volume analyzes artists' representations of angels and demons and heaven and hell from the Judeo-Christian tradition and describes how these artistic portrayals evolved over time. As with other books in the Guide to Imagery series, the goal of this volume is to help contemporary art enthusiasts decode the symbolic meanings in the great masterworks of Western Art. The first chapter traces the development of images of the Creation and the Afterworld from descriptions of them in the Scriptures through their evolution in later literary and philosophical works. The following two chapters examine artists' depictions of the two paths that humans may take, the path of evil or the path of salvation, and the punishments or rewards found on each. A chapter on the Judgment Day and the end of the world explores portrayals of the mysterious worlds between life and death and in the afterlife. Finally, the author looks at images of angelic and demonic beings themselves and how they came to be portrayed with the physical attributes--wings, halos, horns, and cloven hooves--with which we are now so familiar. Thoroughly researched by and expert in the field of iconography, Angels and Demons in Art will delight readers with an interest in art or religious symbolism.

Set against the backdrop of beautiful Baroque Rome, Inside Angels & Demons: The Unauthorized Guide to the International Bestseller takes you inside the Vatican to see how the process of conclave and papal selection really works. Readers explore the world of Bernini, master artist of the Baroque era, and the secret meanings behind his symbolism...what really happened in the trial of Galileo...the impact of the Illuminati, the Freemasons, and other secret societies on European and American history...the real state of the art anti-matter technology...the centuries-old debate between science and religion. Millions of readers want to separate fact from fiction. This book teases apart the real and the imagined within the historical labyrinth of conspiracies, cover-ups, messages encoded in famous artworks, secrets societies, and mystical knowledge. Inside Angels & Demons: The Unauthorized Guide to the International Bestseller is must reading for anyone fascinated with Dan Brown’s historical mysteries.

Angels occupy a significant space in contemporary popular spirituality. Yet, today more than ever, the belief in the existence of intermediary spirits between the human and divine realms needs to be evangelized and Christianized. Angels and Demons offers a detailed synthesis of the givens of the Christian tradition concerning the angels and demons, as systematized in its essential principles by St. Thomas Aquinas. Certainly, the doctrine of angels and demons is not at the heart of Christian faith, but its place is far from negligible. On the one hand, as part of faith seeking understanding, angelology has been and can continue to be a source of enrichment for philosophy. Thus, reflection on the ontological constitution of the angel, on the modes of angelic knowledge, and on the nature of the sin of Satan can engage and shed light on the most fundamental areas of metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. On the other hand, angelology, insofar as it is inseparable from the ensemble of the Christian mystery (from the doctrine of creation to the Christian understanding of the spiritual life), can be envisioned from an original and fruitful perspective.

The supernatural world is prominent in many of today's movies, television shows, novels, and the popular imagination. But some of what is presented as grounded in a Christian worldview is in fact far from that. In Angels and Demons, Michael Patella, OSB, offers an accessible and fascinating look at supernatural realities as they really are presented in the Bible and Christian tradition. Among the topics Patella explores with a valuable combination of pastoral wisdom and academic rigor are: the role of angels in the ministry of Jesus the apocalyptic battle in Revelation the occult, possession, and the work of Satan what angels are and what they're not the Last Judgment: how? when? Readers will appreciate Patella's level-headed appraisal of the views of the supernatural world in the various sections of the Bible. They will be engaged by his lucid account of "Who's Who in Hell." They will be both comforted and inspired by his foundational conviction that Christ has claimed creation for the forces of good, evil is on the run, and there is no chance of the tide ever turning the other way, evil actions and human suffering notwithstanding.

According to Scripture, our struggle is not against "flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places", Ephesians 6:12. In this ground-breaking book, you will come face to face with the two most opposing spiritual forces operating in our world: angels and demons. These are not figments of our imagination, but are alive and real at this very moment. Discover seven specific facts we need to know about spiritual beings. Fight with the assurance that the war was wont at Calvary and ultimate victory is on the way!

A new explanation of the beginnings of Jewish angelology and demonology, drawing on non-canonical writings and Aramaic Dead Sea Scrolls.