LES ANGES DES NATIONSDANS LE CHRISTIANISME DES PREMIERS SIÈCLES. CONTINUITÉ ET MÉTAMORPHOSES
THE ANGELS OF THE NATIONS IN THE FIRST CHRISTIAN CENTURIES. CONTINUITY AND METAMORPHOSIS

Summary/Abstract: The biblical and apocryphal fragments referring to the “angels of the nations” have been intensively discussed by scholars in the fields of biblical studies and history of religions, but also in patristics due to the stimulating works of E. Peterson and J. Daniélou. The aim of the article is to review the main occurrences of the “angels of the nations” in patristic literature between the 2rd and the 6th centuries in the light of recent research especially on Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Eusebius of Caesarea, Hilary of Poitiers, Basil of Caesarea, Evagrius Ponticus, Jerome, John Chrysostom, Cyril of Alexandria, Theodoret of Cyrus and Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite. In order to understand the place of this significant theme within the development of Christian thought, we focused on the patristic exegesis of Deuteronomy 32, 8 and Daniel 10, 13-20, studying its main elements and changes at the crossroads between angelology, theology of history, political thought and the definition of the Christian identity in relation to other religions. The second part the article will deal with exegesis of Jerome, Theodoret of Cyrus and Gregory the Great on Daniel as well as with the book IV of Against Julian of Cyril of Alexandria and the Corpus dionysiacum.

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