ANGELS IN THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN

Angelology in John's Gospel is not a well-developed theme, or so it seems. However, the picture changes if one considers the way in which the devil and his influence are described. In the case of positive angels, the role of angels is toned down in favour of Jesus, while in the case of the negative spiritual powers a more or less traditional picture is maintained where the spiritual beings take possession of people, influence their deeds and even the leader of evil is described. However, this group who oppose God finds themselves powerless in the presence of Jesus. Thus, the phenomenon of the influence of angels and heavenly beings is both toned down and maintained, depending on the situation. Apart from this there are also many allusions that have close links to angelology, like hypostases, angelic language applied to Jesus, and a reference to people as gods. These allusions are referred to but not discussed.