I seem to be thinking a lot about angels at the moment

Since two people on my flist have posted poetry about angels lately, and I've long been fascinated by them myself (while running very quickly away from the more sentimental iterations of popular culture: angels are not cute; they are pure intelligence, and not in the least like us), I thought I'd link to this article on angels I found in the Economist this lunchtime. It's not bad, though it's a pity they've not read the Book of Tobit - this would not only prevent them asserting, incorrectly, that the archangel Raphel was too lofty a personage to associate with fallen humans, but would give them what must be the oldest example of the 'ordinary looking stranger offers help, then vanishes inexplicably, because they were an angel in disguise all along' trope.

The end of the article, unfortunately, misses the point entirely, albeit in a revealing way: Among the imaginings is that ultimate and common dream, that humans may become angels themselves. Christian and Muslim mystics both believe it, as the natural progression of the spirit to a purer and higher state. But ordinary, not very religious people find themselves hoping for it too.

Now, I don't know about Muslim mystics, but while it's certainly a popular element of folk piety, it ain't Christian, and it wouldn't get you closer to God. Gnosticism is a remarkably persistent thing, it seems.

I must admit, anyway, it's the otherness of angels that I find interesting, probably, ultimately, for the same reason I like SF..

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I hate our cooker. There is a separate button - distinct from the dial, and labelled with a non-intuitive pictogram - which you have to push to turn the oven on. So all this time I thought the oven was heating up (it being the first time I've used it since I got back), it wasn't. And I am very hungry.

I hate electric cookers. You're never in any doubt as to whether gas is on or not. And, of course, if it were an AGA....

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Well, I finished listening to the 1970s "Man Born to be King", a somewhat abridged version of Dorothy L Sayers play on the life of Christ. On the whole, it is very good, both in terms of the plays themselves and the production, though I had a few minor niggles with the latter aspect. The great strength of the plays is the vivid characterisation; they all feel like real people. ( More under the cut, including an excerpt from the plays )

Twitter-witter!

( Beware the ramblings! )