Review of The Great Angel by Margaret Barker,

1 In OT "son of God" referred to Angels, Kings & saints.

Sons of El Elyon, or El always referred to Angels,
Sons of Yahweh, Lord, or the Holy One always referred to humans.
Yahweh was one of the sons of El Elyon the Most High God.
In Luke 1:32, Mark 5:7 Jesus was called the Son of the Most High, El Elyon.
Lk 10:27, Deut 6:5, The command to love the Lord thy God, Yahweh, was to love Jesus.
For Yahweh is the most prominent the # 1 Son of El Elyon.
Job 1:6, There was a day when the sons of El Elyon set themselves against Yahweh and Satan came
also among them." Satan was Yahweh's brother and fellow god. In Job Yahweh is not the Highest
God, but One among many & is challenged to prove that Job is loyal to him.
Job 38:7: Yahweh asks Job, "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
When the Morning Stars sang together & All the Sons of El God shouted for joy?"
Jubilees 2:1,4 speaks of Yahweh’s creation of the other Angelic Sons of El.
On the 1st day he created the heavens & the earth, the waters & all the spirits which serve Him, &
the angels of the presence, Cherubim &
the angels of sanctification, Seraphim, Flaming fires &
the angels of the breathing spirits or blowing winds &
the angels of the spirits of the Clouds of darkness &
the angels of snow, & hail & frost &
the angels of the Voices & angels of thunder & angels of lightning &
the angels of the spirits of cold & of heat, & of winter & of spring & of autumn & of summer, &
All the spirits of Yahweh’s creatures which are in the heavens &
All the spirits on the earth, & in all the abysses & also the darkness of the deep, &
All the angels of light & dawn & morning & evening which He prepared in the knowledge from within
His heart, from the Wisdom of His loving Spirit.
Ezek 28:14 He was the Anointed Cherub that covered God’s throne with music, praise & worship.
Deut. 32:8-9, El Elyon divided the world into 70 different nations among His sons.
The Angel Yahweh received Israel, while the other Angelic Sons received other Gentile nations.
Deut. 32:43 & Heb.1:6 the Most High said, Let all the Angels worship Him, for they were spirit Kings
Archangels & flames of fires, Seraphim’s & Cherubims.
Isa 14:32, Messengers to the nations Angels, Watchers.
In Dan.10:13-14 the Prince of Persia fought against Michael & Gabriel Yahweh’s Chief Archangels.

In Ps.29:1, the Mighty angels are told to give to Yahweh glory & strength.
Ps. 89:6 asks who among the sons of the mighty is like Yahweh?
89:7 Yahweh is feared greatly in the council of the holy ones, the angels the gods.
Ps 82:6 speaks of El standing in the Assembly of the Mighty judging His Angelic Sons.
Ps.82:6 "You are Elohim, & all of you are sons of El Elyon the Most High,.."
Dan.3:25 One like a son of God appeared in fiery furnace.
2 Esdras 13:22-26, & 2 Esd 2:42:-48 presents one of the sons of Elyon as the deliverer of Israel.
Qumran 4Q Son of God: "He shall be hailed as the Son of El & they shall call him the Son of Elyon."
In Daniel & Rev. Apocalyptic books the sons of El are referred to as being like men.
Dan. 9:21 calls the angel Gabriel a man.
However humans are referred to as animals or beasts.
2. Ex. 6:2-3 I am Yahweh. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob as El Shaddai, but by my name
Yahweh I did not make myself known to them.
Isa.43:12-13, "You are my witness," says Yahweh, that "I am El, and henceforth, I am He."
Ps 18:13 Yahweh thundered in the heavens, & Elyon uttered his voice.
Jewish & Canaanite myths similar. Yahweh’s Appearances similar to the storm god Ba'al Haddu
Job 38:1, Ezek. 1:4, Isaiah 24:19-23, 34:8-10, 42:13-15, 59:16-19.
Even Yahweh's heaven resembles the Canaanite court of El.
The Son of Man vision in Daniel 7 is similar to Ba'al & El in the Ugaritic texts.
In Matt.25:31-46, sheep and goat nations.
Matt.25:31, the Son of Man in vs :34, is the King who acknowledged His Father as Superior.

3. Ps 89:6-7, Yahweh is the greatest of the Holy Ones in heaven.

Dan.4:13, A Watcher, a holy one brought Yahweh's decrees to earth.
Dan.8:13, Two Watcher Angels discuss the fate of Jerusalem
Dan.7,18,22,27, Promised seats of Rulership/power in the Kingdom of Elyon.

Deut.33:2-3 The angels called Holy Ones are with Yahweh when He comes.
Jude 14 quotes 1 Enoch 1:2,9, that Jesus comes like Yahweh.
Mk1:24 the demons call Jesus the Holy One.
Zech 12:8, The house of David shall be like Elohim, for the Angel of Yahweh is their leader.

Some verses ‘god’ & ‘angel’ are interchangeable Ps.34:7; 35:5-6, 2Sam 24:16-17, 2 Kgs.1:3,
Ex.14:19,
Then in later writings a distinction was made between ‘angels’ & ‘gods.’
Many passages have ‘Yahweh’ & Angel of Yahweh interchangeably, Zech.3:1-7, Gen.16; 18; 22:12;
48:15-16, Judges 5:23; 6:11-16; 13:3,22; 2 Kgs.19:34-35, Isa.37:35-36.
Ex.3:2-7 Moses at the burning bush; Angel of Yahweh, Elohim, & Yahweh all speak; so synonyms.

Isa. 34:6 Yahweh had form of a man & carried a sword filled with blood. He protected Israel & fought
their enemies. He appointed their high priest & was their redeemer & judge.
Ezek.1:27-28 described Yahweh as the Man of Fire with a rainbow surrounding him.
Dan.10:5-6, described Yahweh as Man of fiery brass.
Dan. 7, He is a young warrior, the Son of Man, a god, approaching the Ancient of Days, El Elyon.
Succeeding the elderly El Elyon; coming after the elderly El Elyon in time.

Isa.9:6; Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, & Prince of Peace in the Septuagint
was called "The Angel of Great Council." This Angel was divided fourfold into 4 different angels…..
Michael - Who is Like God. Yahweh of Isa.40:18,25 Wonderful Counselor.
Gabriel - Strength of God. Yahweh the Mighty God as in Isa.10:21,
Raphael - Healing of God. Yahweh as healer as in Ex.15:26, Ps. 30:2, Everlasting Father.
Phanuel - Presence of God, later Uriel, Light of God in blessing of Num. 6:25. Prince of Peace.

Kings of Judah were sons of Yahweh & worshipped as if Yahweh, 1 Chron. 29:20,23; 28:6, Zeph. 1:5.
Kings of other nations were also called gods.
King of Babylon was called Day Star a son of El in the Ugaritic texts.
Isa.14:12 Lucifer also called Day Star bright like Venus.
However, when Yahweh, the sun arises, the other stars disappear.
Ezek.28:12-19 Yahweh vows to destroy the other god known to the King of Tyre.
In Philo's Life of Moses 1:155-158, & Exodus of Ezek. Moses called a King & a God.
4. According to Philo, the two cherubim of the Temple represent the God of Israel, yet He said one is
male & one is female. Together they worked in creation. The mother was called either Wisdom or
knowledge. According to Jewish tradition Yahweh was both male & female, a hermaphrodite &
created Adam as a hermaphrodite. However Philo did not think Adam was a hermaphrodite, but
believed Yahweh was male & female & so created Them after his image.

1 Kgs.7:36, Rabba bar Rab Shila's described the cherubim as like a man intertwined with his wife.
Ezek.41:18-19 says every cherub had two faces, one of a man & one of a lion, facing away from each
other. & Yahweh is sometimes described in feminine terms, such as giving birth to Israel in Deut.
32:11,18, Isa.42:14; 45:9-11; 49:14-15; 66:13.

While Digging Margaret found evidence of Yahweh's female consort Wisdom & believes this was
suppressed by the Deuteronomists. 1 Enoch 94:5, Deut.4:6, Baruch 3:12; 3:36-37, Pistis Sophia.

Kabbalistic writings speak of the female consort of Yahweh called Shekinah being exiled.
Jer.44:17-18, Jeremiah called her the Queen of Heaven.
Mic.5:3 & Isa.7:14, female deity
In Jewish writings, Asherah was Yahweh’s consort.
She was never linked with Baal in Cannanite texts.
The Deuteronomists connected Asherah with Baal to discredit both.
Asherah was originally Yahweh's consort not Baal's.

Isa.40:9, 61:1-4, a female herald brings news to Zion in Jeru. Isa.54:7 she later is identified with the
city. Isa.49:14, a city abandoned by her husband Isa.54:1 & deprived of her children.
Rev 21:9-14 So New Jeru. is seen married to the Lamb.
Isa.66:7, Rev.12:1-6 The woman in labor becomes the woman clothed with the sun.
2 Kings 23:6-7, 18:4, 21:7, 13:6, 23:6, 1 Kings 15:13, 18:19, 18:40, Asherah was worshiped in Israel
& so purged from the Temple. These purgings didn't work as she always came back. Described in
Ezekiel similar to Lady Atirat the consort of El & mother to 70 sons in Ugaritic texts.

Archeological evidence shows inscriptions mentioning "Yahweh & his Asherah" at Kuntillet 'Ajrud &
Khirbet-el-Qom. There is a cultic stand at Taanach which has two Asherah scenes & two Yahweh
scenes. Asherah is sometimes depicted as a tree (see Deut.16:21, 7:5, 12:3, 1 Kgs 14:23, 14:15,
16:33, 2 Kgs 17:10, 17:16, Prov.3:18, Sirach 24:13-22) while Yahweh was depicted as a sun horse.
Female figurines found at many Israelite sites & at the royal palace of Ramath Rachel.

Yahweh's female aspect was called the Spirit of God or Wisdom & early Christians considered the
Holy Spirit to be female. The Church in Byzantium named Hagia Sophia after Wisdom.
Matt.23:34 Lk.11:49 attributes to Jesus & wisdom.
1Cor.1:24 Paul later describes Jesus as the Wisdom of God.

5. The Prayer of Joseph quoted by Origen says that the archangel Israel was chief captain of the
heavenly armies before he came to earth as Jacob. According to gnostic text On the Origin of the
World, Jesus became the angel Israel; 'the man who sees God'.

The angel Jaoel, Joel, or Yahoel (whose name is a combination of Yahweh and El) is described in the
Apocalypse of Abraham as being robed in purple with a rainbow turban. He carries a golden scepter,
& has white hair & a body like sapphire. He lives in the seventh heaven. This angel also appears in
the Slavonic Life of Adam & Eve 31 & the Apocalypse of Moses 43:15. In 3 Enoch, this archangel
reveals that he is better known as Metatron, and he used to be the man known as Enoch; 3 Enoch
4:3. Metatron is also mentioned in b. Sanhedrin 38b.
In apocalyptic writings, humans are referred to as animals & angels are referred to as men. Thus,
when Noah is born a bull & becomes a man (1 Enoch 89:1) & Moses is a sheep who becomes a man
(1 Enoch 89:36), what's really being described is the process of them becoming angels.
Phil.2:9-11, describes Jesus going through a similar transformation.

Metatron is known as the Little Yahweh, which implies there were two Yahweh’s.
Many early Christian & gnostic texts refer to two different Lords or Yahwehs; Pistis Sophia, Book of
Jeu, Gannat Bussame, Sirach 51:10, Ascension of Isaiah 9:40, 10:7, Eusebius, 1 Cor.8:5-6.

Some refer to 4 archangels, while others refer to 7. Adding these together may explain why Yahweh
is said to have 11 names. 1 Enoch 20; names the 7 archangels as Uriel, Raphael, Raguel, Michael,
Saraqael, Gabriel & Remiel. Enoch gives each angel a different role that are interchangeable.

Ex.4:24, Yahweh sought to kill Moses, but Jubilees 48:1-3, said it was angel Mastema.
1 Enoch calls Azazel & Semjaza fallen angels.
Dead Sea Scrolls has Prince of Darkness as Satan or Melchiresa, while the Prince of Light was
Michael & Melchizedek.

Gen.14, Ps.110, Melchizedek was a priest of El Elyon (not Yahweh). The 11QMelch fragment says
Melchizedek was an angel. Ps.82:1, He is the judge in the council of gods & Isa.52:7; 61:1 the
Messenger. In Kabbalah, Yahweh is Adam, the primordial man.

6. The Name or the Logos, was an important concept to Philo.

In Exodus, the priests golden plate on their turban said "Holy to Yahweh."
Philo says the golden plate said YHWH, indicating that the priest was a stand in for Yahweh.

Originally Yahweh Himself sat upon the Throne in Solomon’s Temple. The Ds criticized this.
The Deuteronomists tell us Yahweh's Name dwells in the Temple, not Yahweh himself.
However the Gospel of Truth 38 & other gnostic texts say the Name is the Son of God.
There are Greek magical papyri which give the name of the god of the Jews as Jesus.
Jesus & Yahweh were one. "I conjure you by the God of the Hebrews, Jesus" or "Hail God of
Abraham; hail, God of Isaac, hail, God of Jacob, Jesus Chrestos, the Holy Spirit, the son of the
Father."

7. Philo of Alexandria lived during the time Christianity began, yet his writings don't match our
preconceived notions of what Jewish thought was at that time. He was a spokesman for Judaism &
his writings were popular enough to have survived, Therefore any study of Christian origins has to
take Philo's writings into account.
Philo was not a monotheist, but rather believed in a second god called the Logos or the Word.
This means many Jews believed in a second god as well. Not surprising as Jews of Alexandria had
the Wisdom of Solomon which said, “Thy all powerful Word leaped from heaven, from the royal
throne, into the midst of the land that was doomed, a stern warrior carrying a sharp sword of thy
authentic command, & stood & filled all things with death, & touched heaven while standing on earth.
Ex.12:12,29, The destroyer here was originally Yahweh. Philo describes Logos as Yahweh, meaning
his Alexandrian community called Yahweh the Word. Clement of Alexandria & Theodotus also
equated Jesus with Logos. Philo also refers to the Logos as King, Shepherd, High Priest, & Firstborn
Son among other titles. The Logos was the son of the Most High (Elyon). Philo also equates Logos
with Wisdom, even though Logos was male & Wisdom female. This presents no difficulty for Wisdom
seems to be the female aspect of Logos just as she is the female aspect of Yahweh in O.T.

Philo & the Jewish apocalyptic point to Judaism that was polytheistic. Just because Deuteronomists
monotheism came later to Jewish thought doesn't mean it always was.
8. In the Targums (Jewish trans of O.T. commentary in Aramaic) the word Memra refers to the Word
of God. This Word is same as Philo's Logos; John 1, 1Jn.1:1-2, Rev.19:11-16, Heb.4:12, 2 Pet 3:5-7.

9. Yahweh created sea monsters in Gen.1:21, & some scriptures point to an earlier myth in which he
battled them (Letter of Manasseh 3, see also Isaiah 51:9 in which Yahweh kills the sea dragon
Rahab). Yahweh created the stars in Genesis 1:16 simply as sources of light, yet they sing in
Job 38:7 along with the other sons of god. Although they are centuries later, gnostic writings
appear to preserve the earlier form of Judaism including talk of sea monsters and angels.

Margaret finds that gnosticism had more in common with pre-Deuteronomic Judaism.
Gnosticism is expected if Jews rejected the monotheistic reform & held to earlier beliefs.
They viewed Judaism as the enemy & the Jewish god as evil, though they still believed in a good
god. In The Apocryphon of John, the Great Archon seduced Eve who gave birth to two sons, the
good Yave & the evil Eloim. Basilides taught that Christ came to destroy the God of the Jews.

Gnostic’s believed the god which created the world was not the only god. There was another more
powerful god, much like El Elyon & Yahweh. One gnostic text says Yahweh admits he isn't the only
god when he says that he is a jealous god. If there was no other god, why would he be jealous?
Apocryphon of John II:1:11-13.

Gnostics also speak of a female aspect of god called Sophia who is similar to Wisdom. She is the
tree of knowledge in the garden of Eden, Apocryphon of John II:1:22, Hypostatis of the Archons
II:4:94, 1 Enoch 32:3-6, Proverbs 3:18.

10. Early Christians identified El Elyon as the Father & Yahweh as the Son, or Jesus.
The pseudo-Clementine writings contain a debate between Simon Magus & Simon Peter in which
Simon Magus claims the God of the Jews was not the Most High God. Simon Peter says that while
each of the 72 nations has a god ruling over them, they are really angels mistaken for gods.

Paul, refers to the God of the Jews, Yahweh, as the Son of God & called him Jesus. The Father was
El Elyon. In Dialogue with Trypho Justin says the OT supported 2 gods.

The distinction between the Father and Son blurred by the time of Irenaeus & Clement of Alexandria.
Hippolytus of Rome believed the Ancient of Days in Daniel was the Most High God, while the Son of
Man was Jesus. Novatian same.

Eusebius read Ps.91:9 correctly: "You, O Yahweh, are my refuge, you have made Elyon your
dwelling place." Proof IX:7. Ps.45:7 indicated the Anointed One is the second god, not a priest: "Thou
hast, O God, loved justice and hated impiety: therefore in return, O God, the highest and greater God,
Who is also thy God hath anointed thee." Proof IV:15

Rev.1:7, The Angel in Rev was Yahweh. The first & the last. 2:7, permitted people to eat from the tree
of life. 2:12, had the sharp sword of judgment. 2:18, was the Son of God. 3:1 had the 7 spirits of God.
3:5, was the Scribe of the Book of Life. 3:14 The Amen, the faithful & true witness, the beginning of
God's creation.

The Shepherd of Hermas described the Son of God having three angels on his left and three on his
right (Hermas Sim. ix:12:8) The psuedo-Cyprianic text The Threefold Fruit of the Christian Life tells us
the Son of God was one of the seven angels (216-219). An engraved amythyst discovered bearing
the names of 7 archangels: Raphael, Renel, Uriel, Ichtys, Michael, Gabriel, & Azael. Ichtys was an
acronym for Jesus Christ Son of God.
The Ascension of Isaiah has the second Lord (Jesus) sitting on the right side of the throne of the first
Lord (Elyon) with the angel of the Holy Spirit sitting on the left (Ascension of Isaiah 11:32-33).
In 2 Enoch 24:1, this Holy Spirit is the angel Gabriel.
Jewish tradition (Genesis Rabbah 78:1) held the other angels were insignificant but Michael & Gabriel
did not change. Even an early version of the Trinity was composed of Christos, Michael & Gabriel
recognized in epitaphs, amulets, amphorae, & a seal stones dating back to the 4th century.

Origen speaks of a Jewish tradition in which God has a masculine aspect called the Word and a
feminine aspect called the Spirit.
Gospels don't tell who declared Jesus the beloved son at His baptism, we assume it was the Father.
However, the Gospel of the Hebrews now lost, but quoted by Origen & Jerome state that the Holy
Spirit is the Mother of Jesus & it was she who declared Jesus was her son during the baptism.

Jesus is identified with Gabriel (Epistle of the Apostles, the Sibylline oracles) & sometimes identified
with Michael (Shepherd of Hermas, Revelation 12:7, 11:16).
Jesus was known as the Angel of Great Council to the early Christians LXX Isaiah 9:6, Novatian,
Theodotus, Origen, Eusebius.
Methodius called Him chief among the archangels. Melito & Justin also called Jesus an Angel .

Rev.14:1, the saved have the name of god on their foreheads. Ezek.9:4, this mark was a tau, which
looks like X in the old Hebrew and Samaritan scripts. Mentioned in Talmud (Horayoth 12a) as the
shape of a Greek chi. Early Christians marked their foreheads, showing Yahweh was Christ.

11. 1 Cor.16:22. Early Christians prayed to Jesus as if He were Yahweh, Didache 10:6.
Jn.1:18 "the only begotten GOD who is in the bosom of the Father" instead of "only begotten Son"
Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Vaticanus, parts of Irenaeus & Origen.

2 Cor. & Hebrews imply Jesus was present at the Exodus. Jude 5 in Codex Vaticanus & Codex
Alexandrinus actually read, "Jesus saved a people from the land of Egypt."

Temple worship directed to Elyon & to his son Yahweh, who had several names & was understood by
some to have both male & female aspects, so Ashera / Wisdom.

Barker claims (& provides evidence) that while monotheism was the dominant belief of the OT Texts
the 'common people' continued to worship the 2 Gods. Philo was writing 500 years shows plurality of
Gods in his pre-Christian writings. He uses the word 'Logos' to refer to the second God, something
John uses for Jesus 50 years later.

So when Jesus came claiming to be the 'Son of God', the common people understood who He was
claiming to be. However the priests & rulers, who were monotheistic & rejected Jesus.

The last 2 chapters addressing the writings of the early Christians and the books of the New
Testament are probably the best. They saw Jesus as being Yahweh.

Barker argues “the 1st Temple roots of Christianity” explain the acceptance of Jesus as the Son of
God. Earlier Jewish religion had known at least three gods: Elyon, Yahweh, & El Shaddai who was
the divine Mother & wisdom of God. The Ancient Israel Trinity of Father, Son, & Mother.
Jews expected the appearance of a Son of God in the order of Melchizedek, a high priest who could
“carry away the sin & uncleanness of the people.” Those Jews reviled Herod’s temple & so no
accident that Jesus predicted its destruction.
Some Jews anticipated the messiah as “an anointed High Priest who would proclaim the kingdom &
make the great atonement.”
When Constantine constructed the churches on Calvary and at Jesus’ tomb, the relics treasured by
Christian pilgrims were connected to the 1st temple: Christians referred to the cave as the H of H.
She notes the significance of the Hagia Sophia, the Constantinople church dedicated to the Holy
Wisdom, a sign of Christian attachment to the first temple.

Both loved roaring around in clouds & making thunderous noises & terrorizing mortals with their
flashes of lightning. And if both were sons of El one can understand one must displace the other.
Yahweh also takes on El’s role as King presiding over a heavenly court.
So Dan. 7:13-14, speaks of Son of Man “coming in clouds” and “like” or “in appearance as” a son of
man. Same as Yahweh in Ezekiel 1:27. Yahweh appears & travels in clouds.
As the Son of Man is Yahweh, then the Ancient of Days is Father.