Ithuriel is an angel mentioned in

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...

's epic poem ''

Paradise Lost ''Paradise Lost'' is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The first version, published in 1667, consists of ten books with over ten thousand lines of verse (poetry), verse. A second edition fo ...

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''Paradise Lost''

In ''Paradise Lost'', Ithuriel is one of two angels (the other being Zephon) charged by the archangel Gabriel to go in search of

Satan Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as Devil in Christianity, the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an non-physical entity, entity in the Abrahamic religions ...

, who is loose in the

Garden of Eden In Abrahamic religions, the Garden of Eden ( he, גַּן־עֵדֶן, ) or Garden of God (, and גַן־אֱלֹהִים ''gan-Elohim''), also called the Terrestrial Paradise, is the Bible, biblical paradise described in Book of Genesis, Genes ...

. They find him lurking, in the shape of a toad, close to the ear of the sleeping Eve, attempting to corrupt her thoughts. Ithuriel touches Satan with his spear, causing him to instantly resume his true form: The angels then compel Satan to return with them to Gabriel. Ithuriel also appears in ''

The State of Innocence ''The State of Innocence'' is a dramatic work by John Dryden, originally intended as the libretto to an opera. It was written around 1673–4, and first published in 1677. The work is a rhymed adaption of John Milton's epic poem ''Paradise Lost'', ...

'', John Dryden's stage adaption of Milton's poem.

Earlier usage

Although the names of the angels in ''Paradise Lost'' are, in most cases, taken from the Bible, Ithuriel is one of the exceptions. In 1950, Robert H. West affirmed that the origins of this name had not been discovered, and that Milton may have coined it himself. However, others have claimed that the name can be found in earlier Hebrew sources, such as "the 16th-century tracts of Isaac ha-Cohen of Soria", and the Kabbalistic text '' Pardes Rimonim''. In an 1888 edition of '' The Key of Solomon'', translated into English by S. L. MacGregor Mathers, one of the angel names written inside the first pentacle of Mars is claimed in a footnote to be a Hebrew form of Ithuriel.

Cultural influence

The image of the spear of Ithuriel transforming falsehood into truth has been adopted by many authors as a poetic metaphor. John Adams, for instance, describes political philosophy as an Ithuriel's spear, which causes "prejudice, superstition, and servility" to "start up in their true shapes". U.S. Representative

Justin S. Morrill Justin Smith Morrill (April 14, 1810December 28, 1898) was an American politician and entrepreneur who represented Vermont in the United States House of Representatives (1855–1867) and United States Senate (1867–1898). He is most widely remem ...

, in a 1858 speech regarding the importance of agricultural colleges, made use of the metaphor, stating: "Spurious dogmas will be touched lightly with the spear of Ithuriel, and no longer squat around the ears of weary ploughmen." References to Ithuriel can also be found in the works of poets such as Rudyard Kipling, Théophile Gautier, and

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

."''Oh! les charmants oiseaux joyeux''""''Psyché''"
(in French). Poésie française.fr. Retrieved 22 August 2021. Ithuriel also features as a character in some modern screen productions, such as the 2007 Australian movie '' Gabriel'', and the American TV series '' Shadowhunters''. "Ithuriel's spear" is the common name of a native wildflower in California, ''

Triteleia laxa ''Triteleia laxa'' (previously ''Brodiaea laxa'') is a triplet lily known by several common names, including Ithuriel's spear, common triteleia and grassnut. It is native to California where it is a common wildflower, and it is occasionally fou ...

''.

References

Individual angels