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What does this quote mean????

What does this quote mean?? "The room was silent with the fury of avenging angels sharpening Their radiance before they strike. The priests had decided they could not wait forever for the pope and the archbishop to come around. The time was now, for the Lord had said, I come with the sword as well as the plow to set at liberty them that are bruised."

This quote is from in the time of butterflies chapter 8

Answers
An avenging angel is an angel that means to do harms to humans. So, the characters are waiting for something bad to happen I suppose.  The angels are using their radiance and goodness to strike. They are also tired of waiting for the others to arrive so the character is exclaiming that she/he will now take action on their own. They will help whoever is "bruised" without the pope and archbishop. 
mathnerd
02 September 2017
I think what's very important in the whole of this quote is the religious imagery. The use of the phase "avenging angels", the mention of "priests", "pope", and "archbishop", and the use of the very Biblical phrase "for the Lord had said" all combine to make a very religious setting. It is almost 
catherine18
05 September 2017
I think what's very important in the whole of this quote is the religious imagery. The use of the phase "avenging angels", the mention of "priests", "pope", and "archbishop", and the use of the very Biblical phrase "for the Lord had said" all combine to make a very religious setting. The use of the quote "I come with the sword as well as the plow" doesn't seem to be directly from the Bible, but it does have a lot in common with something Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew: "I came not to bring peace but a sword". By using a very similar idea, the author is making a comparison between the priests and Jesus Christ himself. This is similar to how the author calls the priests "avenging angels" at the beginning of the quote. These two allusions make the reader sympathise with the priests, because it gives justice to their cause. Angels and Jesus both fight for what is right- just think how different the passage would be if the author had called them "avenging devils"! 
catherine18
05 September 2017
This is comparing in an abstract way the angel's radiance to the sharpness of a sword.  The sword of their radiance could bring to light and bring healing to those who are "bruised" or feeling deep pain inside.  The time was very important to bring the healing of the angels instead of waiting forever for the pope and archbishop to help ease the suffering of the people.
willowgreen4
07 September 2017
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