Yes, the original Christian faith quite clearly argued that Jesus was the embodiment of מַלְאַךְ יַהְוֶה (= ἄγγελος Κυρίου) from the Torah. Angels are called “sons of God” throughout the Bible, and they are certainly divine beings – replacing in Judaism the entire pantheon of gods that existed in other ANE religions. The “saints” in Catholicism replaced these minor deities. Jesus was thought to be the head of the angels, the first created being through whom God created all the rest of the universe.
This thinking predates Christianity and comes from 1 Enoch. Whether one considers Enoch as "inspired canon" or not really does not matter and is not the point in what follows. The point is that Enoch reveals what some of the ancients must have thought concerning the usage of Elohim, and perhaps more especially ha-Elohim, in the Torah:
Genesis 6:1-2
1 And it comes to pass that the adam begin to multiply upon the face of the adamah and daughters are produced unto them:
2 And bney ha-Elohim see the daughters of the adam, that they are fair, and they take nashiym unto themselves of all which they choose.
Enoch 7:1-2
1 It happened after the sons of men had multiplied in those days, that daughters were born to them, elegant and beautiful.
2 And when the Watchers, the sons of heaven, beheld them, they became enamoured of them, saying to each other, Come, let us select for ourselves wives from the progeny of men, and let us beget children.
The Genesis 6:1-2 quote from Enoch 7:1-2 is no less perfect than the many places where the New Testament quotes from the Old Testament. The context, meaning, and intent of both passages above are the same. A literal rendering of Genesis 6:4 reveals that the intent may be, in fact, stating that the Nphilim fallen ones, (the same which were fallen Watchers of Enoch), were the "ones named" which fell from `owlam, (olam past).
Genesis 6:4 Transliterated from the Hebrew
4. Ha-Npiliym hayuw ba'arets bayamiym hahem wgam'achrey- ken 'sher yabo'uw bney ha-'Elohiym 'el- bnowtha'adam wyalduw lahem hemah hagiboriym 'sher me`owlam'anshey hashem.
4. The Nphilim-Fallen are in the erets in those days, and again after that, when sons of the Elohiym ("the Angels"?) come in unto the daughters of the adam, and they produce offspring unto them: the same are the Gibborim, (Septuagint Gigantes-Giants) which are of olam, anshey-men, named, ("the named"? as in named in Enoch?).
And look what happens with the passage following on from the above:
Genesis 6:11-16
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, [ha-Elohim] and the earth was filled with violence.
12 And God [Elohim] looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God [Elohim] said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
16 A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.
Here the earth had become corrupt before "ha-Elohim", (the seven eyes of YHWH as written in Zechariah? The seven eyes or fountains are the seven Messengers of the Father and are said to be His eyes which are always upon His Land), and then Elohim, (without the article as written throughout Genesis 1), comes to warn Noah what to do and how to deliver himself and his family. However, in the Enoch account, this same Elohim is not the Father but one named Arsayalalyur, which is a compound name:
Enoch 10:1-21
1 Then the Most High, the Great and Holy One spake, And sent Arsayalalyur to the son of Lamech, saying, 'Say to him in my name, "Conceal thyself."
2 Then explain to him the consummation which is about to take place; for all the earth shall perish; the waters of a deluge shall come over the whole earth, and all things which are in it shall be destroyed. And now instruct him that he may escape and his seed may be preserved for all the generations of the world.'
As already said, it matters not whether one considers Enoch to be inspired or canonical, but rather, the whole point in this case is that this is how the author of Enoch understands the usage of Elohim found within the companion context of Genesis 6:12-16 from the Hebrew text. Thus it is clear that in
some cases the ancients did in fact see Elohim as meaning Angels or Messengers.
Possible etymology of Arsayalalur:
Enoch 9:1 - Miykael, Gabriyel, Suryan, (Surjan) Uryan, (Urjan)
Enoch 10:2 Greek Manuscript (P) - Istrael
P = Codex Panopolitanus - Greek MS containing 1-Enoch I-XXXII discovered in 1886 in a grave at Akhmim, the Panopolis of Strabo, (this is the same MS which includes the Gospel of Peter fragment).
I MS : Asarialjor : Asaryalyor
1) Asaryal : Asaryel : Asariel : Asriel : Suryel : Suriel : Sariel
2) Yor : Owr : Ur : Uryel : Uriel
3) Asaryal-Yor = Suriel-Uriel
II MS : Arsjalaljur : Arsyalalyur
1) Arsjal : Arsyal : Rasyal : Rasyel : Razyel : Raziel
2) Aljur : Alyur : Uryel : Uriel
3) Arsyal-Alyur = Raziel-Uriel
4) Raziel is "the Revelator" in the Book of Raziel
5) Raziel : Asruilu : Asrului : Asruliel : Asriel : Asaryel : Suriel
6) Raziel Sefer Neah: Raphael is "the Revelator" sent to Noach
7) Rabbinic passages identify Sariel-Istrael with Raphael
GR MS Enoch 10:1-2 : Istrael : Asaryel : Asryel : Asriel : Asrael : Yisrael
Book of Jubilees 31:15 : Istrael : Yisrael : Israel
Yisrael ~ "He shall rule, (Sariy), as God", (Sariy'El) ~ Genesis 32:28
"Yisrael is My firstborn son!" (LXX prototokos)
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