Acknowledgments ; Abbreviations ; Introduction ; 1. Late Ancient Theories of Angels: Evagrius of Pontus and Augustine of Hippo Compared ; 2. Locating Christ in Scripture: Angels in the Development of Theological Reading ; 3. Angels as Equipment for Living: The Companion Angel Tradition in Evagrian Christianity ; 4. Crossing Over: The Companion Angel Tradition in Exemplary Lives ; 5. Defining Others: Asceticism and the Discourse of the Angelic Life ; 6. Bringing Angels into the World: Training the Christian Imagination with Catechesis ; Conclusion: The Limits of Angelology ; Bibliography ; Index

"This is a valuable contribution to a generally neglected area of Christian study, particularly in its stress on the importance of taking historical context into consideration." --The Journal of Theological Studies "[This] book will be of use to those curious as to how Christians thought about angels, and the author's focus on Christian discourse will also make it useful to those interested in Christian rhetoric and self-representation following the Peace of the Church...The author's overall argument is clear and compelling...A well-written and original discussion of Christian writers' discourse on angels." --Bryn Mawr Classical Review "[Muehlberger's] methodologically astute work transcends the doctrinal approaches of previous monographs... and successfully integrates social history and historical theology... elegantly written." --CHOICE "An engaging study of how the discourse on angels both differentiated and linked diverse groups of Christians-desert ascetics and urban bishops-in late antiquity. Muehlberger argues persuasively for the importance of these discourses in the construction of late ancient Christianity and for the ways in which they differed from the angelologies of later eras."--Elizabeth A. Clark, John Carlisle Kilgo Professor of Religion, Duke University "Dionysius the pseudo-Areopagite, John Milton, and now Ellen Muehlberger have said, among them, most of what there is to be said about angels. Dionysius and Milton relied on scripture and imagination, but Muehlberger has the advantages of broad erudition, a keen intellect, and a habitual insistence on rooting what can be said about angels in history and fact. Her angels manage to be, if anything, more fascinating-and certainly more diverse-than those of the old orthodoxy. They are indebted to Ellen Muehlberger for rescuing the most exciting and exotic years of their history from historical oblivion. Her study shows how they became a fixed and surprisingly important part of the Christian imagination in the early centuries of Christianity's triumph."--James O'Donnell, author of Augustine: A New Biography "Ellen Muehlberger explores the role that thinking about angels played in the development of early Christian doctrine and practice. Muehlberger shows that Christian views about these beings changed in many ways in late antiquity. She uses the role that conceptualizing angels played in the early Christian communities as a lens through which to see how and why the theology of the church evolved as it did, how various institutions were justified, and how social roles were construed. In this way Muehlberger is able to offer a unique and important perspective on how the once-persecuted Christian community became an established presence in the late Roman world."--Elizabeth Digeser, Chair, Department of History and Professor of Roman History, University of California, Santa Barbara "As 'high' theology became increasingly focused and polemical, the wilder stretches of Christian thought and practice--such as the movements and character of angels--could still be freely imagined, apart from the uniformity requisite for other instances of Christian teaching and practice such as the celebration of Easter or the treatment of heretical books. Ellen Muehlberger has brought the angels back into view. And we, her readers, can be pleased that they have refused to fade away." --Marginalia "Muehlberger's book is a welcome and fascinating exploration of the Christian archive of thinking on the nature and function of angels between the third and sixth centuries... an incredibly helpful resource and now stands as the book to read on the role of angels in early Christianity."--Journal of Early Christian Studies