An angel is a spiritual being found in many religions around the world. They are often regarded as messengers of God. Others believe that angels act as both messenger and protector of humanity, against the unseen evils of the world. Hence, guardian angels. Angels are almost always considered an extension of a more supreme being. Angels have been an intricate part of human religion and spirituality for as long as history has been recorded. Just as with their counterparts, angels are considered by some as a spiritual force, while others believe that angels can take physical form.
Angelic hierarchy according to Christian theologians
First Sphere
Second Sphere
Third Sphere
Seraphim
The Seraphim mentioned in Isaiah 6:1-7, serve as the caretakers of God's throne and continuously sing his praises: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. All the earth is filled with His Glory." It is said that such a bright light emanates from them that nothing, not even other divine beings, can look upon them. It is also said that there are four of them surrounding God's throne, where they burn eternally from love and zeal for God. The name Seraphim means "the burning ones" or the "fiery serpents" because they emanate pure holiness of God.
The Seraphim have six wings; two covering their faces, two covering their feet, and two with which they fly. (See also Revelation 4:8.)
Cheribum
The Cherubim are beyond the throne of God. They are the guardians of light and of the stars. It is believed that, although they are removed from man's plane of reality, the divine light that they filter down from Heaven still touches the lives of living things.
They have four faces: one of a man, ox, lion, and eagle. The ox-face is considered the "true face", as later on in Ezekiel the ox's face is called a cherub's face. They have four conjoined wings covered with eyes, and they have ox's feet.
Cherubim are considered the elect beings for the purpose of protection. Cherubim guard the way to the tree of life in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:24) and the throne of God (Ezekiel 28:14-16).[citation needed]
Their rank among angels is uncertain but they are always categorized in the First Sphere. Some believe them to be an order or class of angels; others hold them to be a class of heavenly beings higher than angels. Cherubim are said to have perfect knowledge of God, surpassed only by the love of the Seraphim.
Thrones
The Thrones or Elders, also known as the Erelim, are a class of celestial beings mentioned by Paul of Tarsus in Colossians 1:16 (New Testament) and related to the throne of God the Father. They are living symbols of God's justice and authority. They come the closest of all Angels to spiritual perfection and emanate the light of God with mirror-like goodness. They, despite their greatness, are intensely humble, an attribute that allows them to dispense justice with perfect objectivity and without fear of pride or ambition. Because they are living symbols of God's justice and authority, they are called Thrones and have as one of their symbols the throne.
Dominions
The Dominions , also known as the Hashmallim, hold the task of regulating the duties of lower angels. It is only with extreme rarity that the angelic lords make themselves physically known to mortals. Instead, they quietly concern themselves with the details of existence. They are also the angels who preside over nations.
The Dominions are believed to look like divinely beautiful humans with a pair of feathered wings, much like the common representation of Angels, but they are physically characterized from other groups as wielding orbs of light fastened to the heads of their sceptres or on the pommel of their swords.
Virtues
The Virtues or Strongholds lie beyond the Ophanim (Thrones/Wheels). Their primary duty is to supervise the movements of the heavenly bodies in order to ensure that the cosmos remains in order.
The term appears to be linked to the attribute "Might", from the Greek root "dunamis" in Ephesians 1:21, which is also translated as "Virtue" (probably due to the powerful nature of these high celestial beings; see quotation below). They are presented as the celestial Choir "Virtues", in the Summa Theologica, and the theological conception of these highest beings appears to describe the same high Order, in touch with God the Father, called the Thrones.
Powers
The Powers are the bearers of conscience and the keepers of history. They are academically driven and are concerned with ideology, philosophy, theology, religion, and documents pertaining to those studies. Powers are the brain trusts: a group of experts who serve as advisers and policy planners. They are also the warrior angels created to be completely loyal to God.. Some believe that no Power has ever fallen from grace, but others believe not only have some of them fallen, the Devil was believed to have been the Chief of the Powers before he Fell (see also Ephesians 6:12). Their duty is to oversee the distribution of power among mankind, hence their name.
Principalities
The Principalities are shown wearing a crown and carrying a sceptre. Their duty also is said to be to carry out the orders given to them by the Dominions and bequeath blessings to the material world. Their task is to oversee groups of people. As beings related to the world of the germinal ideas, they are said to inspire living things to many things such as art or science.
Archangels
The word archangel comes from the Greek αρχάγγελος (archangělǒs), meaning chief angel.[7] It derives from the Greek archō, meaning to be first in political rank or power; and aggělǒs which means messenger. This suggests that they are the highest ranking angels. The word is only used twice in the New Testament: 1 Thessalonians 4:16 and Jude 1:9. Only Michael and Gabriel are mentioned by name in the New Testament.
Michael is the only angel the Bible names expressly as "the" archangel. In Daniel he is referred to as "one of the chief princes". The word "prince" here is the ancient Hebrew word sar, which means: "a head person (of any rank or class), a chief, a general etc."
In most Christian traditions Gabriel is also considered an archangel, but there is no direct literal support for this assumption.
The name of the archangel Raphael appears only in the Deuterocanonical Book of Tobit (Tobias). Tobit is considered canonical by Roman Catholics (Both Eastern, and Western Rites), Eastern Orthodox and some (but few) Protestants. [8] Raphael said to Tobias that he was "one of the seven who stand before the Lord", and it is generally believed that Michael and Gabriel are two of the other seven.
A fourth Archangel is Uriel whose name literally means "The Light of God." Uriel's name, along with Raphael doesn't appear in the Protestant Bible, nor the Apocrypha, but rather the Book of Enoch, which is considered canonical only by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
Another possible interpretation of the seven archangels, is that the seven are the seven spirits of God that stand before the throne described in the Book of Enoch, and in the Book of Revelation.
They (The Seven Archangels) are said to be the guardian angels of nations and countries, and are concerned with the issues and events surrounding these, including politics, military matters, commerce and trade: e.g. Archangel Michael is traditionally seen as the protector of Israel and of the Ecclesia (Gr. root ekklesia from the New Testament
Angels
The Angels, also known as the Malakh wat watim (messengers or angels), are the lowest order of the angels, and the most familiar to men. They are the ones most concerned with the affairs of living things. Within the category of angels, there are many different kinds, with different functions. The angels are sent as messengers to men
Angelic hierarchy according to Christian theologians
First Sphere
- Seraphim
- Cherubim
- Thrones
Second Sphere
- Dominions
- Virtues
- Powers
Third Sphere
- Principalities
- Archangels
- Angels
Seraphim
The Seraphim mentioned in Isaiah 6:1-7, serve as the caretakers of God's throne and continuously sing his praises: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. All the earth is filled with His Glory." It is said that such a bright light emanates from them that nothing, not even other divine beings, can look upon them. It is also said that there are four of them surrounding God's throne, where they burn eternally from love and zeal for God. The name Seraphim means "the burning ones" or the "fiery serpents" because they emanate pure holiness of God.
The Seraphim have six wings; two covering their faces, two covering their feet, and two with which they fly. (See also Revelation 4:8.)
Cheribum
The Cherubim are beyond the throne of God. They are the guardians of light and of the stars. It is believed that, although they are removed from man's plane of reality, the divine light that they filter down from Heaven still touches the lives of living things.
They have four faces: one of a man, ox, lion, and eagle. The ox-face is considered the "true face", as later on in Ezekiel the ox's face is called a cherub's face. They have four conjoined wings covered with eyes, and they have ox's feet.
Cherubim are considered the elect beings for the purpose of protection. Cherubim guard the way to the tree of life in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:24) and the throne of God (Ezekiel 28:14-16).[citation needed]
Their rank among angels is uncertain but they are always categorized in the First Sphere. Some believe them to be an order or class of angels; others hold them to be a class of heavenly beings higher than angels. Cherubim are said to have perfect knowledge of God, surpassed only by the love of the Seraphim.
Thrones
The Thrones or Elders, also known as the Erelim, are a class of celestial beings mentioned by Paul of Tarsus in Colossians 1:16 (New Testament) and related to the throne of God the Father. They are living symbols of God's justice and authority. They come the closest of all Angels to spiritual perfection and emanate the light of God with mirror-like goodness. They, despite their greatness, are intensely humble, an attribute that allows them to dispense justice with perfect objectivity and without fear of pride or ambition. Because they are living symbols of God's justice and authority, they are called Thrones and have as one of their symbols the throne.
Dominions
The Dominions , also known as the Hashmallim, hold the task of regulating the duties of lower angels. It is only with extreme rarity that the angelic lords make themselves physically known to mortals. Instead, they quietly concern themselves with the details of existence. They are also the angels who preside over nations.
The Dominions are believed to look like divinely beautiful humans with a pair of feathered wings, much like the common representation of Angels, but they are physically characterized from other groups as wielding orbs of light fastened to the heads of their sceptres or on the pommel of their swords.
Virtues
The Virtues or Strongholds lie beyond the Ophanim (Thrones/Wheels). Their primary duty is to supervise the movements of the heavenly bodies in order to ensure that the cosmos remains in order.
The term appears to be linked to the attribute "Might", from the Greek root "dunamis" in Ephesians 1:21, which is also translated as "Virtue" (probably due to the powerful nature of these high celestial beings; see quotation below). They are presented as the celestial Choir "Virtues", in the Summa Theologica, and the theological conception of these highest beings appears to describe the same high Order, in touch with God the Father, called the Thrones.
Powers
The Powers are the bearers of conscience and the keepers of history. They are academically driven and are concerned with ideology, philosophy, theology, religion, and documents pertaining to those studies. Powers are the brain trusts: a group of experts who serve as advisers and policy planners. They are also the warrior angels created to be completely loyal to God.. Some believe that no Power has ever fallen from grace, but others believe not only have some of them fallen, the Devil was believed to have been the Chief of the Powers before he Fell (see also Ephesians 6:12). Their duty is to oversee the distribution of power among mankind, hence their name.
Principalities
The Principalities are shown wearing a crown and carrying a sceptre. Their duty also is said to be to carry out the orders given to them by the Dominions and bequeath blessings to the material world. Their task is to oversee groups of people. As beings related to the world of the germinal ideas, they are said to inspire living things to many things such as art or science.
Archangels
The word archangel comes from the Greek αρχάγγελος (archangělǒs), meaning chief angel.[7] It derives from the Greek archō, meaning to be first in political rank or power; and aggělǒs which means messenger. This suggests that they are the highest ranking angels. The word is only used twice in the New Testament: 1 Thessalonians 4:16 and Jude 1:9. Only Michael and Gabriel are mentioned by name in the New Testament.
Michael is the only angel the Bible names expressly as "the" archangel. In Daniel he is referred to as "one of the chief princes". The word "prince" here is the ancient Hebrew word sar, which means: "a head person (of any rank or class), a chief, a general etc."
In most Christian traditions Gabriel is also considered an archangel, but there is no direct literal support for this assumption.
The name of the archangel Raphael appears only in the Deuterocanonical Book of Tobit (Tobias). Tobit is considered canonical by Roman Catholics (Both Eastern, and Western Rites), Eastern Orthodox and some (but few) Protestants. [8] Raphael said to Tobias that he was "one of the seven who stand before the Lord", and it is generally believed that Michael and Gabriel are two of the other seven.
A fourth Archangel is Uriel whose name literally means "The Light of God." Uriel's name, along with Raphael doesn't appear in the Protestant Bible, nor the Apocrypha, but rather the Book of Enoch, which is considered canonical only by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
Another possible interpretation of the seven archangels, is that the seven are the seven spirits of God that stand before the throne described in the Book of Enoch, and in the Book of Revelation.
They (The Seven Archangels) are said to be the guardian angels of nations and countries, and are concerned with the issues and events surrounding these, including politics, military matters, commerce and trade: e.g. Archangel Michael is traditionally seen as the protector of Israel and of the Ecclesia (Gr. root ekklesia from the New Testament
Angels
The Angels, also known as the Malakh wat watim (messengers or angels), are the lowest order of the angels, and the most familiar to men. They are the ones most concerned with the affairs of living things. Within the category of angels, there are many different kinds, with different functions. The angels are sent as messengers to men
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