CREATION OF ANGELS (5)
The Holy Scriptures do not mention exactly when the angels were created, but the Church in its holy tradition, through the writings of its holy fathers, chiefly St. John of Damascus, St. John Cassian, St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian, St. Ambrose of Milan, St. Dimitri Rostov, St. Dionysios the Areopagite – all of them believe that they were created from “nothing” prior to the sensible material world and prior to humans. The angels were created by God to glorify Him and contemplate Him, “when the stars were created, all my angels were glorifying me and praising me” (Job 38:7). It is the Logos of God, Who created them because, “for by Him were all things created, that are in heavens, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities or powers, all things were created by Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:16).
DIVISION OF ANGELS
According to St. Dionysios the Areopagite, the angels are divided into three ranks; each rank is also divided into three groups. The first rank is made up of the Seraphim, the Cherubim and Thrones. The second rank is made up of Dominions, Hosts and Powers. Finally, the third rank is made up of Principalities, Archangels and Angels. According to St. John of Damascus, each group (and rank) differs from the others in hierarchy and splendour, depending on their closeness to God.(6)
The Seraphim are the highest rank, the closest to God. Seraphim is a Hebrew word meaning “fire,” and it symbolizes the heat of their love of God. The Seraphim have six wings: “I saw the Lord sitting on a throne high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple, above it stood the seraphim: each one had six wings; with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he did fly, and one cried unto another, and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory'” (Isaiah 6:1-3).
Below the Seraphim directly there are the wise Cherubim, who are the “many-eyes” due to their unceasing contemplation (theoria) of God. The word Cherubim is Hebrew and means “abundance of wisdom;” it symbolizes perfection in knowledge of God. St. John of Damascus says that the food of angels is the contemplation of God. (7)
Directly behind the Cherubim comes the Thrones, and they are the angels on whom God rests, as their name indicates.
All these angels stand around God’s throne in fear and great respect of His glory; they contemplate God and know His “energy” and not his “essence” (ousia), since they are creatures. They are in a continuous attraction (eros) and “ecstasy” to God, to the extent that they forget themselves. Every rank (and group) of angels, according to its closeness to God, partakes of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of wisdom and discernment, the Spirit of power and fear of God. Furthermore, their communion with the Holy Spirit is continuous. The angels do not have the feeling of jealousy and competition between them; they all have one will, which is to serve God; the angels of the lower ranks obey in love the angels of the higher ranks as if in obedience to God.
ARCHANGELS
The angels are also a “heavenly army.” Their leader and head is Archangel Michael, who is one of the seven spirits in front of God’s throne. “O Holy Archangel Michael glorified, God has placed you head of their Hosts, Powers, Angels and Archangels, Dominions, and Principalities” (Exapostolarion of the feast).
The archangels, or commanders of all the angels, are seven in number. According to St. Dimitri Rostov, they are Seraphim, the closest to God. They are: Michael (Missa-iil in Hebrew), which means “Who is like God”; Gabriel (Jibra-iil in Hebrew), which means “God’s power”; Raphael (Roupha-iil in Hebrew), which means “God’s mercy”; Selaphiel (Salaata-iil in Hebrew), which means “prayer to God”; Uriel (Oura-iil in Hebrew), which means “God’s light”; Jegudiel (Yagoud-iil in Hebrew), which means “God’s glory,” and Barachiel (Baraki-iil), which means “God’s blessing.”(8)
NATURE OF ANGELS
According to St. Dionysios the Areopagite, the angels were created as humans in the “image and likeness” of God. According to the “image” because they have an intellect (mind) that generates thoughts (ideas), and to the “likeness” because the angels are directed and attracted toward God.(9) St. John of Damascus says they are creatures limited in space and time; they have their own specific external appearance. Compared to humans, they are bodiless due to the human’s “heavy body,” but compared to God they have a body. “We speak about the angels as bodiless and immaterial compared to us, but in fact everything is heavy and material compared to God, to Whom nobody can be compared, because only the Divine is non-material and bodiless.”(10) He continues to say that, “God created the angels according to His own image and He created them weightless and with heat” in order to be attracted to Him and to serve Him. He adds: “The angel is always in motion, he has free will, gifted with an immortal nature. This nature is intellectual, thus he has a free changing will.”(11) The angels do not need a tongue or ears to communicate; they interchange thoughts, and their food is theoria.
It is also important to note that St. John of Damascus emphasizes that, “The angels are not subject to repentance because they do not have a heavy body, while humans can repent because they have a body, though it is weak.” And he continues to say, “The angels are higher than humans because they are bodiless and free from the passions of the body, but they are not free from other passions because only God has absolute impassibility.”(12)
St. Macarius the Great says that, “The angels have a light body and an external appearance of humans,”(13) and St. John of Damascus confirms this in saying that, “Angels take different forms when they appear to humans to convey to them the divine mysteries … if it is God’s will to an angel to appear to one of the saints, the appearance he takes differs and depends on the capacity of the person to see.”(14) St. Ignatius Brianchaninov confirms that “our incapability to see angels is due to our fallen human nature. Adam and Eve before the fall were participating with the angels in giving glory to God, and they were living with them … That is why the saints look forward to ‘be like angels of God in the heavens’ (Matthew 22:30), and the monastic rank is called an equal to the angelic rank.”(15)
Finally, the place or “home” of angels is heaven, “in the third heaven where the archangels stand before the throne of God, surrounded by a countless heavenly army” (Isaiah 6; Revelation 4:5).
By Nabil Semaan, taken from Mystagogy: The Weblog of John Sanidopoulos, (http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2009/11/angels-according-to-orthodox-tradition.html).
5. St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, “Homily on Angels,” Periodical No. 14, Archangel Michael Monastery, Lebanon. All quotations of the Holy Fathers from St. Ignatius are without references.
6. St. John of Damascus, “Homily on angels and demons,” Periodical No. 2, Archangel Michael Monastery, Lebanon.
7. Ibid.
8. St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, “Homily on Angels,” Periodical No. 14, Archangel Michael Monastery, Lebanon.
9. Ibid.
10. St. John of Damascus, “Homily on angels and demons,” Periodical No. 2, Archangel Michael Monastery, Lebanon.
11. Ibid.
12. Ibid.
13. St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, “Homily on Angels,” Periodical No. 14, Archangel Michael Monastery, Lebanon.
14. St. John of Damascus, “Homily on angels and demons,” Periodical No. 2, Archangel Michael Monastery, Lebanon.
15. St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, “Homily on Angels,” Periodical No. 14, Archangel Michael Monastery, Lebanon.
