[Buddha-l] angels

[Erik Hoogcarspel]

Stephen Hodge schreef:

> Michel Clasquin wrote:
>
>> Is the depiction of angels as winged humanoids not a more recent 
>> European
>> invention?
>
> I vaguely  remember reading somewhere that the "wings" are not actually
> wings but a misunderstanding or misrepresentation of a mandorla or 
> aura of
> shimmering light with which they are supposed to be enveloped.
>
AFAIK the aura is a Greek invention, the first one to have one was 
Apollo, being a sungod and having a sun behind his head. This went into 
christendom as a sign of God's blessing. The Indians where so thrilled 
by this icon, but found something missing for the rest of the body, so 
they made another big one and I guess they invented a kind of 
radiationtheory to make it stick.

erik