Gender of angels

Most theologies agree that angels are technically genderless in the normal human sense, however: Angels are given tasks such as warrior, herald, guard (at the gates of Eden), wrestler (of Jacob), mover of large stones (at the tomb of Christ), which in traditional societies would all have been tasks typically performed by men.

The few canonical names of angels (e.g., Michael, Gabriel and Lucifer) are recognized in most cultures as masculine names. In languages with gender markings for nouns, the word “angel” is uniformly a masculine noun, including in the original Hebrew, Greek and Latin texts referred to above.

Sistine Madonna Angels by Raphael

The word “angel” in English, French, German, Spanish, and many other European languages is derived from the Latin angelus, a masculine noun. In European medieval and Renaissance paintings of the Annunciation the archangel is usually depicted as noticeably more attractive than Mary – she could not be painted in a way that might inspire lustful thoughts, whilst no such problem arose with a genderless angel.

In modern Western culture, many angels are depicted as having female figures, facial features and names, and many New Age practitioners speak of masculine and feminine angels.