A.T. Robertson Commentary Luke 1:11

"And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of altar of incense." — Luke 1:11 (ASV)

Appeared (ωφθη). First aorist passive indicative. It is the form used by Paul of the resurrection appearances of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:5–8). There is no use in trying to explain away the reality of the angel. We must choose between admitting an objective appearance and a myth (Plummer).