#J stands for Jophiel

[chaoticgo]

This is the big chaptered fic I’ve been working on. It’s canon divergent in that Crowley had been Archangel Jophiel before The Fall. Explains why he got all the cool jobs-tempting Eve and Jesus, delivering the Antichrist and all that. Chapter one has been up for a bit. (Is this how one promotes their own fic on tumblr? I’m not quite sure.)

Finally posted chapter 2-which is all set before The Fall and I hope, quite a laugh. I don't know how to self promote, so here's a chunk out of chapter 2:

Jophiel left wrapped up in thought, and didn’t have any particular direction to go in, so when he heard the bombastic voice of his friend, Lucifer, he flew towards it. 

“So this leads me to wonder… Why haven’t we heard from her for so long? When is the last time you heard from God, Sherequiel?” Lucifer’s tone went from rousing to gentle and imploring.

Sherequiel, a scrivener of the 167th class, standing towards the back of the gathering, glanced all around her rapidly. She bit her lower lip and tears gathered in her eyes. Finally she decided upon her answer, “I’d rather not say.”

“’I’d rather not say.’ Well said, Sherequiel! Well. Said. Wouldn’t we all rather not admit just how long it has been since we have been in the presence of her Grace? Because it feels like it reflects poorly on us, like it’s something we’ve done wrong. So no one will admit the last time She interacted with them. But it isn’t about us. None of us have done anything wrong-”

Commotion in the crowd caused some of the audience to turn to the golden yellow haze that surrounded Jophiel as he joined them. And Lucifer fell silent, sullenly waiting. 

“Excuse me. Excuse me.” Jophiel called out warmly as he made his way through the crowd, waving a greeting at angels he knew. 

Eventually Jophiel stood directly in front of Lucifer, with magenta red hair and a giddy smile.

“Lucifer! So good to see you, mate! Sorry to interrupt, please keep going!”

“Yes, well, as I was saying, She has not spoken to any of us for far too long.”

“Didn’t I just see you with Her last week?” Jophiel’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Lucifer narrowed his eyes at Jophiel. 

“A word?” Lucifer whispered to Jophiel after he surveyed the now dwindling crowd and gave them a quick smile, “We’ll just be a moment.” He pulled Jophiel away from the other angels and enacted a sound barrier so the others couldn’t hear their conversation.

“Was I wrong? I’m sorry if I was, but you two weren’t but a hundred feet away from me.”

Lucifer cleared his throat, “Jophiel, I was trying to make a point. Just because you, or I, or the Metatron can talk with Her, doesn’t mean Sherequiel can. You have to think of Sherequiel, Jophiel!”

“I haven’t had any direct contact with Her since… Well, since we were assembled as archangels at our very beginning.” Jophiel’s brow furrowed in confusion, “And who is Sherequiel?”

“See! THIS is what I’m talking about. Sherequiel is being ignored. Sherequiel has just the same right as I do to go with God for long meandering strolls full of philosophical debates. And Sherequiel doesn’t even know it. She doesn’t even know that it’s possible! Sherequiel is bereft of God and she does not even know it.”

Jophiel stared at Lucifer for a long 15 seconds.

“Yes. Right. Well.” Jophiel cleared his throat, “I came to ask you a question. A lovely fellow,” Jophiel decided unlike with the Metatron, sharing Aziraphale’s name with Lucifer was not in anyone’s best interest, “told me today that God intends for all creation to stop in 6,000 years. And I was wondering if you knew anything about that.”

[doodlejoops]

Crowley is Jophiel...

LOOK I AM NEW TO GOOD OMENS META HERE OK. But, I've always fancied this idea that Crowley isn't Raphael but Jophiel ("what does the 'J' stand for?", "uhhhh, it's just a J, really") but after S2 I feel better about it. Imagine Crowley being the Archangel of Love and Beauty? The original owner of the Flaming Sword? The Sword that he asked Aziraphale about when they met at the Garden of Eden? Crowley as the Archangel empowered by love, with the highest levels of charm and charisma, who gives those around her feelings of calm and tranquillity. The last angel one might expect to fall, but also the one most likely to ask questions because of the love she felt for the beautiful things she had created. Crowley has so much love to give, he fancies himself beautiful things like plants and his Bentley (and Aziraphale). The cosmic levels of love he felt as an Archangel didn't go anywhere, it never lessened, and without a universe to create he focused it onto the humans and onto Aziraphale. Crowley is love. And seeing Crowley in S3 is going to be painful as anything.

[asleepyy]

hello asleepyy!!! i've been thinking about this for a long while, but i really don't know if it would be a spoiler for future updates and you don't wanna talk about it yet, but. In almost all the updates, whenever azazel panics about the possibility of something bad happening to jophiel or just really panics in general, the image of fire is always very present, like here, for example:

and i wanted to ask, is fire something you believe every demon went through?? or (what i believe is most likely) did azazel, while trying to ask the metatron for help or answers to jophiel's questions, fall and burn in hellfire because of it??

Whatever the cause, i'm a bit sad imagining how the burning bookshop scene will translate in the oopsie!omens universe😭😭💔and also WHWHHWHWHWHWHWHJW YOUR ART IS, AS ALWAYS, REALLY LOVELY WBWBWBWHWJWHJWJWJJWH THE SILLIES MEETING AGAIN IN 1941 AND I M M E D I A T E L Y START TO ONLY PAY ATTENTION TO EACH OTHER, like oh, nevermind that there are guns pointed at us, i imagine that the j in your new name stands for jophiel, dear boy?? i really like your new name, by the way, AND SBBWBWBWBWBWNWNJWJ OMG JOPHIEL, HE REALLY WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR AZAZEL😭😭his poor ice cold feet, my god, AND THE FALLING SYMBOLISM THE FALLING SYMBOLISM IN THE LAST SLIDE, a fantastic "oh fuck" moment right there, he really thinks "oh no, i'm in love with him and he loves/cares about me, i fucked up Big Time" WVWBBWHWBWHWHWHWHBWHWHW

sorry for the long ask, i hope you have a nice day!!!💖💖

HELLOOOO! First of all, I'm glad you're enjoying oopsie!omens so far, and i'm really enjoying people pointing out the silly things they notice, like them only paying attention to eachother despite the literal guns in their faces.

Now as for the fire stuff! I'm not sure if every demon has gone through it or not, but I know that for oopsie!omens, it is an intrinsic part of Azazels fall; The burns on his hands are a soothing balm compared to the fire he felt on his wings.

[crikey01]

i know "it's just a J, really", but

Anthony Jophiel Crowley ??

jophiel is the archangel of creativity, beauty, art and love. and -

it ties aziraphale and crowley together as one...

crowley, the serpent of eden being the cause of adam and eve's eviction from paradise by tempting them to eat the apple; aziraphale, angel of the eastern gate, with the flaming sword.

in furfur's book, aziraphale is down as principality, so he's not jophiel himself. with them both standing together and watching adam and eve leave eden, it's like they are both jophiel, in the GO universe

not to mention jophiel protecting those who seek the truth - "all I ever did was ask questions".

ALSO remember when crowley said

"i never asked to be a demon. i was just minding my own business one day and then... oh, lookie here, it's lucifer and the guys"

ok rant over

daft little bonus : i just read on a silly website that the angel energy colour of jophiel is yellow haha because it's pretty

[rainy-matcha]

The Good Omens theory that I personally believe:

Crowley's angel name is Jophiel. That's what the J stands for in Anthony J Crowley. Jophiel is also the Archangel of joy, and look how joyful Crowley was while making stars. Just look.

Jophiel is also the angel of beauty and creativity, which really ties into him creating the stars.

"Look at you, you're gorgeous!"

It makes so much sense

Minor edit/add on: Crowley is also shown to be very creative in his demonic plans. The M25, shutting down all phone lines, etc. His demonic plans generate low levels of evil consistently, and usually are creatively set up.

He is also shown to care about beauty and aesthetics (pristine apartment, cares a lot about his outfit and wardrobe). And then obviously creating the stars. Sadly hasn't shown much joy since falling tho haha. :')

[sectumsempress1]

Good Omens Season 3: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Sectumsempress1, Hag

Or that one time I watched Good Omens, felt the claws of hyperfixation sink into my flesh for the first time in years, re-watched Good Omens more times than I care to admit and then drowned in a mind palace of analysis and delusion, resulting in this season 3 predictions bingo card coupled with unnecessarily long explanations for each square.

I'm gonna post these explanations one or two squares at a time, and honestly my first theory (probably not mine, I'm sure others have also come to this conclusion) deserves its own post because wowee I'm insane about this one.

Let's talk about why I think Crowley may have been Jophiel or Jeremiel before they fell.

I have seen endless theories about who Crowley could have been before The Fall; Lucifer, Barachiel, Raphael, Samael... and I see some evidence for all of these. However, I raise you;

Great question babygirl.

Okay me when I lie.

Yes, I took this throwaway line and went insane over it don't worry about it. Anyway. First J angel that I think could make sense is:

Jophiel "Beauty of God"

Jophiel is described in some texts as the guardian of wisdom and a teacher of languages to souls at the dawn of creation. She is also recognised as a teacher to Noah's children (specifically Shem) by C.E. Clement, Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa and Thomas Rudd.

And yes I am aware this is post-Fall Crowley and not the angel they were, but it's interesting that Shem was mentioned specifically regardless. Neil has wounded me so, I just feel that nothing is unintentional. Anyway, any iteration of Crowley as a teacher just feels right based on all we've seen of them.

(How he acts with Muriel, answering Jim's questions, showing Jesus the kingdoms of the world.)

Jophiel is also heavily associated with beauty and creativity.

Okay Mr. 'Pointedly Unusual Imagination.' Bit beautiful and creative of you.

Now here's where it gets buck wild. So Jophiel is not explicitly mentioned in the bible (in fact only Michael, Raphael and Gabriel are consistently mentioned) but scholars interpret Genesis 3:24 as referring to him.

"He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and aflaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life."

Yeah. It is widely agreed upon that Archangel Jophiel wielded the flaming sword and cast Adam and Eve out of Eden. Now, obviously, in Good Omens canon, Aziraphale did this. But... what if that wasn't the original plan? What if, after Jophiel and the others were cast out, the work rosters in Heaven had to be shuffled around a bit? And what if Aziraphale, having met this beautiful, curious starmaker so long ago took on their role himself?

What if Crowley and Aziraphale began the arrangement long before either of them had the words to understand what it was? All because the angel couldn't understand why he felt so drawn to the Fallen who couldn't remember.

(Edited because I've already come up with a new theory. I still stand by all of this and want it to be true so badly, but I think that Crowley does remember. I think Aziraphale is the one whose memory may have been tampered with. That doesn't change the core of the Jophiel theory, I just think that upon reflection, a personal relationship with Crowley is not what caused Aziraphale to take his old job.)

It also makes sense to then make Crowley the Serpent of Eden, if they had perhaps already planned to go to Eden anyway.

Jophiel is also widely known as Metatron's companion, which explains why he is so aggressive towards Crowley in a really cold, personal way. Yes, Metatron knows of everyone and everything so him knowing Crowley's story isn't odd in itself. But the glare...

To me, this reads as "I know you. I've known you. I know exactly what you're capable of and I will not take it. Not again. Behave." It's like a glare a parent would give their toddler for misbehaving in public. It feels pointedly personal. Almost as though they've worked together in the past in a way that ended badly for Metatron and he is on high alert to ensure it doesn't happen again.

Again here. Metatron doesn't speak about Crowley in a general 'all fallen angels suck' sense. It's personal. His choice of words, the tone, everything points to him having been personally wronged by the angel Crowley was.

Also just look at Jophiel's goddamn curly little red hair are you kidding me right now Neil Gaiman I am in your WALLS.

Also some more fun facts: Jophiel is shown as male and female presenting, leads people to a deeper understanding of the beauty of the universe, is regarded as an angel of wisdom, is known to protect those who seek truth, battles against forces of darkness and ignorance... and is strongly associated with the colour yellow.

Nice eyes babe.

Anyway, I am so delulu about this specific theory because if it is true it would show Aziraphale and Crowley's grand cosmic connection in a way that is honestly just ineffable.

But however much I long for Jophiel to be it... there is also some evidence for it being:

Jeramheel/Jeremiel "God shall have mercy"

In religious texts, Jeremiel is known as the angel who presides over true visions, often appearing in dreams and visions to bring truth. He appears to decipher Baruch's visions and give him a tour of heaven in the book '2 Baruch', and God sends him to answer the prophet Ezra's questions regarding the apocalypse in the book '2 Esdras'.

He also served as an angel of death, watching over and guiding souls to heaven and helping them learn from their earthly experiences.

This again goes back to Crowley's belief that everyone has the right to answers and being a good teacher because of that. It would make sense for them to have had this role in their angelic days as well, despite it eventually coming back to bite them.

Jeremiel is often depicted with a book or a scroll, symbolising the importance of knowledge.

Also, while Zadkiel is known as the angel of forgiveness and mercy, many people also consider Jeremiel (god shall have mercy) in this role... which would make Aziraphale's constant attempts to forgive him and his insistence that he is unforgivable even more devastating, and why I have ongoing theories about a role reversal occurring when it comes to this theme of forgiveness (more on this later).

Right. So I am obviously clutching at my delusion of it being Jophiel, but Jeremiel is a wider known angel with more canonical basis for actually being an archangel, which is why he also makes a lot of sense to me.

Thank you for joining me in this downward spiral into insanity. Look forward to part two!

[weakinthekneez]

hc that the J in Anthony J. Crowley stands for Jophiel (as in the archangel). Jophiel has a flaming sword, which would explain why Crowley paid it so much attention when Aziraphale had it and also why he didn't elaborate on the J when Aziraphale asked

[bellsandhazard]

Crowley is Lucifer??

So I've heard a little something something about this theory and in the Biblical sense Lucifer = Satan.

It's been knew. Satan or the devil are nicknames for Luci. The devil was in season one of GO. The whole plot revolved around Lucifer. And Crowley is the one who delivers the antichrist. I don't remember him making the antichrist. Sooo how does that work? They literally see Satan himself errupt from the ground.

It sound cool as fuck and it would be awesome if that were true, but to me it doesn't make much sense

We know Crowley was a big deal before falling and we still got the Raphael theory buuuut what does the J. in Crowley full chosen name stand for?

Possible candidates:

Jophiel means the ‘Beauty of God’ (sometimes called Iofiel, Zophiel, Jofiel) and is particularly helpful to those of us in the creative pursuits of teaching and writing of the arts.

Jophiel, we are told, is one of the original Archangels of creation. It is his job to transmit the ‘thought’ of God into the minds of man and woman. Through Divine inspiration of ‘God-ideas’ we co-create the beauty and art form in the world and some of us with much practice will reach a state of mastery, or enlightenment, where a point of complete understanding of how everything in the universe works, is finally reached.

This one could fit. With Crowley beauty and him seeing beauty wherever he looks (Aziraphale in particular) Buuuuut

Jerahmeel

Believed to be one of the Seraph he is said to have been the angel that drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden. He is the ruler of the planet Saturn and cited as the intelligence of planet Jupiter.

The Hebrew name Jerahmeel, which appears several times in the Tanakh (see the article Jerahmeel), also appears in various forms as the name of an archangel in books of the intertestamental and early Christian periods.

Saint Jegudiel the Archangel also Jhudiel or Jehudiel (Hebrew: יהודיאל‎‎ Yehudiel "laudation of God" or "God of the Jews") is one of the Seven Archangels in Eastern Orthodox tradition and in the eastern rites of the Catholic Church.

[justacynicalromantic]

So I was thinking what Crowley's angelic name could have been, based on the fact that he names himself Anthony J. Crowley - and when Aziraphale *specifically* asks him what J stands for, Crowley evades the answer, saying "nothing", but the way it is presented very clearly hints that it actually does mean something.

So I was going through a list of angel names starting with J and found this.

And while it raises more questions than answers, the whole amount of coincidences in this is mindblowing🤯

So.

Jophiel

A female angel in the Catholic church, while a male angel in the Orthodox church (hmmm).

Associated with beauty and art.

Has a flaming sword *cough*

The real kicker - he/she/they are said to be the angel who was tasked with casting Adam and Eve out of Eden😀

Want more? Jophiel is said to be a companion to the angel Metatron

Idk what to think of it, so maybe you can tell me?😅

[ritz-writes]

A, E, F, J, N, S for the fic asks :)

OOO so many!! lets get right into it 😊

A: Of the fanfic you’ve written, which is your favorite and why? Ooooh that's a toughie... honestly, even though it's a darker theme, Hope has always been a fav. I'm really proud of the poetic way I wrote it. try try again is another fav though.

E: What character do you identify with most?  Is there a certain fic of yours that captures these qualities particularly well? Aziraphale. Immediately Aziraphale. I kin him in ways that I honestly don't want to lol. idk if any of my fics fit it very well, but I suppose try try again is a good enough one? I made a similar mistake as Aziraphale in the final fifteen (which is why it hit me so hard), so that fic is pretty much what I wish would have happened, for both me and Aziraphale.

F: Is there a song or a playlist to associate with [insert fic]? Well, since there isn't a fic listed, I'll just choose one. It's a bit of a cheat answer since the fic title is the name of the song, but You Will Be Okay was named as such because of this song! (I tried looking through my fics for a different answer, but nothing really came to mind rip)

J:  What’s your favorite fanfic trope?  Have you written it? PROTECTIVE CHARACTER!! Ohhh my god I love when someone protects another. Specifically when they stand in front of someone with their arm out. I will squeal over it every time. I know I've done it with Wukong and MK, and I have a few fic ideas with Crowley and Aziraphale.

N: Any fic ideas brewing that you’d care to share? Hehehe, on the note of protection, I have an idea for an Oospie!Omen's fic that's been rotating in my mind. @asleepyy how do you feel about Jophiel whump and BAMF Azazel? >:3

S: How do you feel about fan art inspired by your writing? I will literally cry /pos if anyone draws me anything. It's the absolute BEST feeling in the world to see fanart of my fics. Even if it's just a small sketch. If printer ink wasn't so expensive, I would print out the few that I've gotten already and frame them.

[rillils]

its just me and the never-ending, all-consuming rabbit hole that is deciding which angel i headcanon crowley to be before she fell

right now im loving the idea of some angels not existing at all and most of their traits are tansfered to one angel instead so i see crowley as raphael, seraphiel, and jophiel

AND

AND AND AND AND AND

JOPHIEL WAS HIS ANGEL NAME.

ANTHONY J CROWLEY

AND HE SAYS THAT THE J DOESNT STAND FOR ANYTHING BC IT HURTS HIM TOO MUCH TO HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT

BECAUSE IT HURTS HIM TOO MUCH TO HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT

not you breaking my heart again on this fine November day 😭😭😭

Okay but like, all those possibilities! It's so difficult to stick to just one, right?? I've seen so many angel!Crowley headcanons over the last few years, some super detailed too, some really really really convincing - and the truth is, I just can't make up my mind xD

I'm pretty sure Neil will never ever confirm any of those headcanons, either - unless, of course, he plans to reveal Crowley's former angel name in a possible season 3? Like, it doesn't seem very likely but it could happen, right??

Personally, I like the Jophiel headcanon just as much as the next person 💖 The fact that it would fit the infamous "J" is really enticing, I must admit :P After watching s2 though, I'm mostly wondering if Aziraphale ever knew Crowley's angel name in the first place tbh. We see Aziraphale introduce himself when they first meet, but Crowley/Star-maker doesn't reciprocate (too busy being awestruck by his beloved stars 💖), and we don't really know how long it was before he went and Asked his Questions and was cast out as a result, nor if he ever got to interact with Aziraphale again before that happened. fjsgdjskssk I don't know, there are so many blank spaces here, and so many things could have happened in between!!!

All I can say is, out of all the headcanons out there, like the ones that posit Crowley as former Raphael, or just him as a very powerful archangel in general, etc, I tend to prefer the ones where he was just. Just an angel, you know? Not particularly renowned, not amongst the "big names", you know, God's "favourites" like Gabriel or Michael or Lucifer or whatever, just… just your average angel, who happened to be curious, and creative, and caring, and sweet, and wanted to watch his stars and nebulas grow and develop into their full potential 💖

If I'm being really, really, really super honest though, I keep thinking that… this might be the one mystery I wouldn't mind leaving alone. I'm only speaking for myself, of course, I can't stress that enough! But… does it- I mean, does it really matter who Crowley used to be? It doesn't change who he is now, nor how much he is loved - loved for who he is, a tender-hearted demon, or I guess a "former" demon, since Hell's pretty much disowned him at this point.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, it doesn't make any difference to me whether or not his former name (would it be appropriate to call it a deadname?) is ever revealed. He's Crowley, a demon who only goes along with Hell as far as he can, who cares so much and loves so deeply, and that means everything to me already 💕💕💕

[ripoffyourhalo]

What if angel Crowley's name starts with "J" since we still don't really know what A. J. Crowley stands for and he signs the doc in s1ep1 with something that looks like a "J"... Janette. Janthony. Jim. James. Jolene. Jegudiel. Jahoel. Jequn. Jerahmeel. Jophiel. 

Jahoel would make SO much sense because some sources claim it's the chief angel of the Seraphim?? The highest rank in Christian angelology?? Higher than Thrones or Dominions...

[ao3feed-ineffablehusbandz]

What Does The 'J' Stand For?

What Does The 'J' Stand For?

by wilywitchwahoo

The meaning behind the 'J' in Crowley's name.

Words: 853, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 4 of The Healer and The Starmaker AU

Fandoms: Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett, Good Omens (TV)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: M/M

Characters: Aziraphale (Good Omens), Crowley (Good Omens), Astrophel (Good Omens), Jophiel (Good Omens), Raphael (Good Omens) - mentioned

Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)

Additional Tags: Fluff and Angst, But mostly fluff, Aziraphale Loves Crowley (Good Omens), Crowley Loves Aziraphale (Good Omens), Soft Crowley (Good Omens), Flashbacks, Emotional Hurt, Minor Character Death, Aziraphale and Crowley Like Holding Hands (Good Omens)

From https://ift.tt/Qb2LKRi https://archiveofourown.org/works/45271054

[asleepyy]

Asleep..... u had no right to make us cry like that THIS LAST CHAPTER WAS INSANE 😭 just kidding it was beautiful... beautifully painfull...

BUT HEY I REMEMBERED SOMETHING... following the order of the flashbacks...the next chapter is gonna be... THE 1941 FLASHBACK THE VERY BEST MOST ROMANTIC MOST CUTESY FLASHBACK OF ALL TIME!!?!?!!!!!!?!??! AAAAA I CANT WAIT IM JUMPING ON THE WALLS!!!!!! AAAAHHRRGH IS GONNA BE SO CUTE!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I have so many questions!!! How's gonna be??? Will they really be in a church or somewhere else???? (since i dont think Azazel would arrange a meeting in a place he can't barely step in without burning his feet...) What will be Jophiel's full name?????

BTW i just realized something, someone else surely must have already pointed that out but, did you choose Jophiel as Crowley's Angel name bcuz of Crowley's full name? (Anthony J Crowley) like if the J stands for Jophiel? Cuz if that's the case that's SO COOL AND SMART OF YOU^^^^^

Anyways thats it stay well don't need to overwork yourself we will be patient ^^

ILY FLIP!!! Yes indeed the next update will be the iconic 40s scene.. a lot of pressure to make it good!!

I’m excited to show you guys though ::D

Also yes! The J in Anthony J. Crowley stands for Jophiel, but there are other reasons for the name Jophiel!

In text, Jophiel is the one who wields the flaming sword, and in oopsie!omens, the original holder of the sword was *supposed* to be Aziraphale (as hinted in chapter 1 and 5) but. Something happened. So now it’s Jophiels!

They’re also the archangel of arts, creativity and beauty. Here’s a stain glass mural of them! (They look familiar, no?)

[coffee-stained-brain]

Ugh I’m having one of those frustrating moments where I can’t get the ideas in my head and the words on the page to match up, so I’m just going to throw my thoughts out here so I can move on with my life.

So this started out as a list of my favorite possibilities for what the J in Anthony J Crowley “really” stands for, but along the way it turned into something else entirely.

As I was listing the names that I personally think fit Crowley, and the reasons why they make sense to me, I started to notice some common threads.

The names:

Jezebel: The thing that has always fascinated me about Jezebel is that she is presented as doing all of the right things, but for the wrong side. And because she was on the wrong side, she has been painted as a horrible person. And don’t get me wrong, she wasn’t the pinnacle of virtue (Case in point, she framed a man and had him executed because her husband decided he wanted his vineyard —which, I might add, is also peak Crowley behavior), but the thing is...neither were a lot of Biblical heroes. But they are praised for their acts because they are on the right side, and Jezebel is hated for hers, because she is on the wrong side.

Jonah: A man who so fully believes in God’s power that he tries to run away because he doesn’t want God to forgive his enemies. He then does what God tells him to anyways, and gets so angry that he repeatedly tells God he wishes he was dead. This is another story with a clear “us” and “them”, except here the divide it totally human, and God is seen as so much bigger than any artificial divide. God is not part of the “us” or the “them”: God is above them both.

Judah: the brother who suggests they sell Joseph into slavery rather than kill him. I’d definitely consider selling your brother into slavery squarely on the side of evil, but this is technically an act of mercy since he is convincing them not to kill him. To me, this matches Crowley’s style— chaos with an undercurrent of compassion and mercy.

Judas: Betrays Jesus. Depending on who you ask, Judas was either possessed by the devil, carrying out God’s command, or just plain shallow and petty. So he betrays Jesus, which causes Jesus’s death and resurrection. Again, good and evil, right and wrong are so closely intertwined here that people have been arguing over which is which pretty much ever since.

Job: Honestly I think the most effective explanation of the similarities here is just a passage (Job 7:17-21, specifically) “What is mankind that you make so much of them, that you give them so much attention, that you examine them every morning and test them every moment? Will you never look away from me, or let me alone even for an instant? If I have sinned, what have I done to you, you who see everything we do? Why have you made me your target? Have I become a burden to you?”

Jophiel: this one is really more about the contrasts than the similarities. The idea of the angel of wisdom and beauty stuttering and jumping around and tripping over words is such a hilarious contrast to me.

And all of these stories layer themselves on top of Crowley’s character, and they give his story more depth and texture.

And while I find that biblical J names have a lot of meaning for me, I know that so many other people have found meaning in entirely other sets of names and symbols, and any one of them could be right, or maybe it stands for something silly nobody would ever in a million years guess. Or maybe it is a little bit of all of that. Or maybe it really is just a J, and it really doesn’t have anything at all behind it.

But by deliberately calling attention to that detail and then refusing to satisfy it, the creators have left the work of figuring it out to us.

Of course, if they were worried that people might come up with the wrong names, the more efficient thing would have been to tell us outright. We’d have an answer and we’d maybe have another layer to dig into, but that’s it. We would not have the experience of making meaning ourselves, and isn’t that what the whole thing is about anyways? Maybe it is part of the plan, maybe it wasn’t. We don’t know, because it’s just the creators moving in mysterious ways and not talking to anyone.

[stumblingoverchaos]

From my Good Omens art journal. Guardian of Eden. Collage, sticker.

What if the "J" stands for Jophiel, named as bearing the flaming sword in some versions of the Bible? And it's one Anthony J Crowley's homage to a sweet Cherubim whose memories were wiped after he gave away his flaming sword?