Wikipedia's first sentence called it “archangel found primarily in judeo-christian mysticism and apocrypha”. Today it says “angel found primarily in judaism and christianity”.
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Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
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The opening as it read in 2010
Ariel Ariel ( ) is an archangel found primarily in Judeo-Christian mysticism and Apocrypha.1Generally presented as an authority over the Earth and its elements, Ariel has also been called an angel of healing, wrath & creation. The Hebrew name "Ariel" means literally "Altar" or "Lion of God", and occurs in the OT, e.g. Is 29,1-7, where it is used as a label for Jerusalem . "Ariel" has been called an ancient name for the leontomorphic Gnostic Demiurge (Creator God). Historically, the entity Ariel was often pictured in mysticism as a lion-headed deity or demon with power over the Earth, giving a strong foundation for Ariel's association with the Demiurge. It is possible that the name itself was even adopted from the Demiurge's Zoroastrian counterpart Ahriman (who is likely the predecessor of the Mithraic " Arimanius "). According to the German occultist Cornelius Agrippa : "Ariel is the name of an angel, sometimes also of a demon, and of a city, whence called Ariopolis, where the idol is worshipped." Ariel is often associated with the better known Judeo-Christian Archangel Uriel. The name "Auriel" is commonly used to denote the combined, However, Elizabethan court astrologer John Dee called "Ariel" a "conglomerate of Anael and Uriel ."2
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 362196300.
The opening as it stood in 2015 8 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Henry Singleton , Ariel on a Bat 's Back Ariel ( ) is an archangel found primarily in Jewish and Christian mysticism and Apocrypha.The name Ariel, "Lion of God" or "Hearth of God," occurs in the Hebrew Bible but as the name of an angel the earliest source is unclear.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 664999586.
The opening as it stood in 2020 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Ariel , painting from the Sopo Archangels collection.Ariel ( ) is an angel found primarily in Jewish and Christian mysticism and Apocrypha.The literal meaning is "lion of God." The word Ariel occurs in the Hebrew Bible at Isaiah 29:1, 29:2, and 29:7, where it refers to Jerusalem.The word appears at II Samuel 23:20 and I Chronicle 11:22 as referring to "men of valor" of Moab.It appears at Ezekiel 43:16 as referring to an "altar hearth," and it appears at Ezra 8:16 as the name of a Jewish man.It's also said that Ariel is not a rebel Angel.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 965497900.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 4 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Angel in Jewish and Christian mysticism For other uses, see Ariel . Ariel , painting from the Sopo Archangels collection. Ariel ( ; ) is an angel found primarily in Jewish and Christian mysticism and apocrypha.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1152399393.
The opening as it stood in 2025
Angel in Jewish and Christian mysticism For other uses, see Ariel . Ariel , painting from the Sopo Archangels collection. Ariel ( Hebrew : אֲרִיאֵל , romanized : ʾÁrīʾēl ; Ancient Greek : Ἀριήλ , romanized : Ariel ) is an angel found primarily in Judaism and Christianity.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1293137402. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “archangel found primarily in judeo-christian mysticism and apocrypha”. Today it says “angel found primarily in judaism and christianity”. Read the current article and compare.
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
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What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2010, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
archangel found primarily in judeo-christian mysticism and apocrypha
Now
angel found primarily in judaism and christianity
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.