Were visions of angels in Bible real?

No, visions of angels were not perceptions of anything real according to recent studies. They were the products of lucid dreams.

The UK paper the Daily Mail reports that, "Recorded Biblical angels and religious encounters may have just been lucid dreaming suggests a new sleep study that claims the historic stories were merely 'out of body experiences'"

The research center that conducted the study is not a recognized academic unit. Still the claims provoke much thought at a time of year when many people experience vivid types of dreams of their own.

That reminds us to think about the Talmudic materials in Bavli Berakhot on dreams and their meanings. We may even post the Talmud selection as a separate file, or a new short book. Hmm. A real idea or a lucid dream?

Here is the crux of the news report.

Visions of angels in Bible were 'lucid dreams' claims new sleep study after 15 studied 'see angels'
By Nina Golgowski

Recorded Biblical angels and religious encounters may have just been lucid dreaming suggests a new sleep study that specializes in 'out of body experiences.'

Asking 30 volunteers to try to re-create a scene out of the Bible where a prophet is aided by an angel during sleep, the researchers taken from the University of California Los Angeles say the majority reported similar encounters.

But in their successful scenarios, they say it was all merely a dream.

The Out-Of-Body Experience Research Center in Los Angeles, which teaches how to enter and control a 'phase' of one separating from their body, according to their website, says that over four weekends, 24 of their 30 volunteers claimed to have experienced at least one lucid or half-awake dream.

During those dreams, between November 11 and December 11, they were instructed to try to separate themselves and then while consciously outside their physical body, look for angels in their home.

'If a volunteer or practitioner was able to experience the sensation of separating from the body, they were to try to find an angel in their bedroom, and then eat something in order to exactly reproduce 1 Kings 19:4-6 in the Bible...' the study explained.

Study: The Out-Of-Body Experience Research Center teaches how to enter and control a 'phase' of one separating from their body, prompting the study of 30 volunteers over four weeks

The prophet and story of Elijah, who fell asleep under a tree after fleeing into the woods and prayed for death, was aided according to the Bible after an angel woke him to provide him with bread and water...more...