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THE HIERARCHY OF ANGELS

In the fourth and fifth centuries, we begin

to see an increasing interest in the role of
the angels among the Fathers of the
Church and other Christian writers. One of
these was an anonymous fifth-century
monk who wrote under the name of St.
Paul’s famous convert, Dionysius the
Areopagite. He is commonly known as
“Pseudo-Dionysius” and is the person to
whom we owe our common Christian
understanding of the relationship between
the ranks and choirs of the angels.

St. Thomas Aquinas made intelligence the

basis of the classification of the angels,
who are themselves purely intellectual
beings. The angels do not all have the
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same degree of likeness to the Lord,
however; some participate in or reflect the
divine perfections more than others.
Therefore, according to the Angelic Doctor,
 angels belong to different choirs
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according to their intelligence theirin
place in God’s plan.

OUTLINE OF THE ORDER OF ANGELS

TIER - 1 or THE FIRST TRIAD -

CONTEMPLATE & ADORE GOD DIRECTLY

The highest group of angels — the

seraphim, the cherubim, and the thrones
— not only contemplate God directly but
are totally concerned with Him. In Him,
they contemplate the source of all
creation, the ultimate ideas and causes
from which all creation flows. In other
words, they contemplate God in His
highest perfections.

The first three levels see and adore God

directly:

The seraphim, the highest choir,

comprehend God with maximum clarity,
and therefore their love flames the hottest.
(“Seraphim” means “the burning ones.”)
Lucifer (“Light-bearer”) was once one of
them. That’s why he’s still very powerful
and dangerous.

The cherubim contemplate God too, but

less in himself than in his
providence…(“Cherubim” means
“fullness of wisdom.”)

The Ophanim or Thrones contemplate

God’s power and judgments. (Thrones
symbolize judicial, juridical power.)

TIER - 2 Or THE SECOND TRIAD - FULFILL

GOD'S PLAN IN THE UNIVERSE

The second hierarchy receives knowledge

of divine secrets through the first three
choirs — knowledge that they could not
perceive by themselves. The ardor of the
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seraphim inflames their love; the wisdom
of the cherubim reveals the depth of the
mysteries; and the stability of the thrones
 draws them into constant adoration of
God’s majesty. In the Open
Summa appTheologiae,
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St. Thomas teaches that the names
“domination,” “power,” and “principality”
belong to government in different ways.
The place of a lord is to prescribe what is
to be done, and so some companies of
the angels, because others are subject to
obedience to them, are called
dominations.

The second level, or sphere, of the angels

— the dominations, the virtues, and the
powers — do not possess the same kind
of unified vision as the higher choirs.
They see reality divided into the
fundamental causes from which all things
stem.

These three choirs fulfill God’s

providential plans for the universe, like
middle management personnel:

The Dominations or “Dominions ”

(…”authority”), command the lesser
angels below them.

The Virtues receive their orders from the

dominations and “run” the universe, so to
speak, especially the heavenly bodies.
(“Virtue” used to mean power, might, or
energy.)

The Powers serve the virtues by fighting

against evil influences that oppose the
virtues’ providential plan.

TIER - 3 or THE THIRD TRIAD - INTERACT

AND SERVE HUMANITY CLOSELY

And then the third group — the

principalities, the archangels, and the
angels — have a further devolved
understanding of the truth of the universe,
from the large and basic causes of all
things into a multiplicity of particular
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causes.

The third sphere of angels is concerned

 with Almighty God’s plan of salvation for
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mankind. It receives from apphighest
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sphere its focus on the immutability of
God, which is manifested in creation by
the harmonious principles and intelligent
organization of the laws of nature, which
are upheld by the angels of the second
sphere. In turn, the angels of this third
sphere pour out their influence on those
who have the greatest interaction with us
in the ordinary course of things
established by God.

The last three choirs directly order human

affairs:

The Principalities care for earthly

principalities, that is, cities and nations
and kingdoms.

The Archangels (such as Gabriel) carry

God’s important messages to man.

Ordinary Angels are the “guardian angels,

” one for each individual.

But Pseudo-Dionysius also believed, as

did St. Thomas, that the angels of the
higher choirs enlighten those of the lower
choirs, sharing their intelligence and
understanding with them so that there is,
in fact, true communication among the
angels. And the angels in this way can
cooperate with one another to fulfill the
mission that God gives them.

THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE ANGELS OF

GOD (according to Pseudo-Dionysius)

Based upon data from the Bible and the

theological traditions of his time,
Dionysius presented the possibility that
the Angelic Hierarchy is organized into
Nine Choirs. And these Nine Choirs are
divided into three Spheres/Triads, each
consisting of three Choirs.
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Let’s turn to the individual choirs so that

we can examine the powers each have,
 and how they relate with one another.
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SERAPHIM

Isaiah 6:2, 6:6; Ezekiel 1:13

The seraphim are the angels closest to

God. As such, they reflect most
immediately the highest attribute of God
manifest in creation: His love. They are on
fire with the love of God; the very name
means “incandescent ones” or “burning
ones.” Classical sacred art portrays them
as entirely red and ablaze. Each of the
seraphim is described as having six
wings: two wings used to cover their face,
two wings used to cover their feet, and the
remaining two used to fly — simply a
sea or ring of flame around the Holy
Trinity. Because of this burning love, more
than any other angel they have the most
perfect knowledge of God, which makes
them the most perfect adorers. St. Jerome
notes that they not only burn by
themselves, but they also inflame others
with the love of God.

Out of all of the angels, the Seraphim

have the most intimate knowledge of God
and they meditate upon His Person,
meaning they contemplate on the great
mystery about who and what God is,
including the Trinity. Because they
comprehend God with greater clarity than
any other of God’s creations, they are so
passionately in love with Him due to so
much that has been revealed to them and
they are characterized by fire, which is
thus why they are often referred to as the
burning ones.

According to the prophet Isaiah, the

seraphim are the angels whom he hears
crying out “Holy, holy, holy,” as one of
them purifies Isaiah’s mouth with a coal
from the altar so that he might serve as
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the Lord’s messenger (Isa. 6:3–8). In the
Extraordinary Form of the Roman Mass,
the priest evokes this moment as he prays
 for worthiness in proclaiming the Gospel.
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It was a seraph who appeared to St.
Francis of Assisi when he received the
stigmata. Later mystics, too, will speak of
the seraphim as the Lord’s messengers
and intermediaries when they had
extraordinary experiences of loving and
transforming divine union.

CHERUBIM

Genesis 3:24, Psalm 80:1, 99:1; Isaiah

37:16, Ezekiel 10, Daniel 3:55, Revelation
4:6-8 (in relation to the imagery of Ezekiel
10:12–14), and numerous other places.

Also Ezekiel 28:14-16 (in accordance to

Lucifer) and in Exodus 25:17-22, 1 Kings
6:23–28, 2 Chronicles 3:7-14, and Hebrews
9:5 (for the use of their images in the Ark
of the Covenant and in the Holy of Hollies
of the first Jewish Temple)

They are described as having four faces -

ox, lion, man, and eagle, although Ezekiel
replaces the ox for the face of a cherub.
They move quickly, using a wheel within a
wheel, and have four wings. Two cover
their body and the other two for flying.
They are covered with eyes all over.

The cherubim have a deep intellectual

knowledge of divine secrets and of the
ultimate causes of things; their name
means “all-knowing one.” As such, they
constantly contemplate the wisdom and
the love of God in His relationship with
mankind. They reflect His omniscience.

Second to the Seraphim . While the

Seraphim contemplate on God as a
Person, the Cherubim meditate upon His
Divine Plan for all of Creation. Because of
their knowledge and understanding of the
Divine Plan, the Cherubim are often
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translated to mean “fullness of wisdom”.
In accordance with their contemplation
about the Divine Plan, the Seraphim teach
 the Cherubim about the Divine Person
Open understand
which helps the Cherubim app Log the
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Divine Plan all the more.

The cherubim were the mighty adorers of

the first covenant in its wisdom; images
of the cherubim were the only images of
beings that were permitted in the ancient
Temple of Jerusalem. Their carved figures
adorned the lid of the Ark of the Covenant,
which prefigured both the Virgin Mary
“tabernacling” the unborn Christ and the
Eucharistic tabernacles of our churches,
containing the new manna of Christ’s
sacramental Body and Blood.
Embroideries of the cherubim also
covered the beautiful drapery that
separated the Holy of Holies from the
outer court of the Temple. It was that veil
that was ripped from top to bottom when
Our Lord died on the Cross as the sign
that He had passed into the Eternal
Sanctuary and that the Temple of
Jerusalem had fulfilled its purpose (Matt.
27:51). The cherubim are still considered
protectors of the New Covenant and so
are often depicted on tabernacles and
Eucharistic vessels.

OPHANIM OR THRONES

Ezk 10:17 , Col 1:16 , Dan 7:9

They have the appearance and structure

of wheels: They sparkle like topaz, and all
four looked alike. Each appeared to be
made like a wheel intersecting a wheel. As
they moved, they would go in any one of
the four directions the creatures faced; the
wheels did not change direction as the
creatures went. Their rims were high and
awesome, and all four rims were full of
eyes all around.

Third in rank within this First Sphere are

the Thrones and they represent the
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judicial power of God. From the Cherubim,
they learn about the Divine Person of God
and His Divine Plan, which in turn allows
 them to mediate upon the power of God
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and His judgments, such man’s Log in
banishment from Eden, the Flood of Noah,
etc. The Thrones are responsible for
passing on their divine knowledge down
to the Second Sphere of the Hierarchy.

The thrones, as their name suggests, can

be thought of as beings raised up to form
the seat of God’s authority and mercy. A
throne manifests the glory and authority
of a king; it expresses stability and power.
And since a throne is also a judgment
seat, these angels are especially
concerned with divine judgments and
ordinances.

In the early Church, a common

representation of God’s glory in Heaven
was a mosaic behind the altar and above
the seat of the bishop that represented an
empty throne with a radiant cross
mounted above it. This image represented
Christ the King, Lord of all and Judge of
the living and the dead. But His judgment
seat was also a throne of mercy, for Christ
has redeemed the world by His Cross. His
love has brought us to salvation. The
thrones are never seen or experienced as
“flying” but as “rolling” across the
heavens, in keeping with their manifesting
the Lord’s stability. They are also known
as the whirling wheels.

DOMINIONS

(Also called Dominations) - Ephesians

1:21, Colossians 1:16

The word Dominions have root in the

Latin word dominus, which means
“master” or “lord”. Thus the Dominions
are the angels of authority and they are
believed to be the leaders of the Second
Sphere of the Angelic Hierarchy and they
pass on the orders of knowledge of God
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that they received from the Thrones down
to those under their charge. In essence,
they are similar to the Archangels in the
 Third Sphere in terms of duty, but they
oversee the affairs ofOpen app theLog in
guarding
Universe and protecting it from harm.

These Divine Beings are believed to look

like divinely beautiful humans with a pair
of feathered wings, much like the
common representation of Angels,
wearing long albs, or gowns reaching to
their feet, hitched with a golden belt.

They are physically characterized from

other groups as wielding orbs of light
fastened to the heads of their scepters or
on the pommel of their swords.

Dominions are:

1 - The Angels of leadership over all

created matter and they receive their
assignments, which is the universe in
which we dwell, as well as their power
from the Thrones
2 - Noted for its vast power
3 - Representitives of order and discipline
4 - Known as the "Spirits of Wisdom"
5 - The communicaters of the Holy Spirit
of Love to us
6 - Filled with zeal for the splendor and
order of creation
7 - The bearers of Divine Wisdom and the
gifts of the Holy Spirit
8 - Their duties are both regulated to the
realm of Justice as well as Mercy and
they have been tasked with the duty of
seeing to the physical and spiritual worlds

The Dominions are concerned with the

government of the universe. They are the
first of the three choirs in the second ring,
which is the ring of the cosmos — the
angels who are charged with great and
universal stewardships. The dominations
in particular are involved in the workings
of divine power. They coordinate the
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ministries of all the angels who deal with
creation. We see in the angelic world that
the Church’s teaching that God works
 through secondary causes is beautifully
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demonstrated. The angels app Log in
God’s
power just as the saints intercede for us
with Him.

VIRTUES

Ephesians 1:21, 1 Peter 3:22

The Virtues (Strongholds), also called

Malakhim or Tarshishim. They are
described as brilliant and illuminated.
The Virtues mean “might” and “energy”.
It is believed that they oversee the
movements of planets, stars, and the
forces of nature. Thus, they make sure
that the Universe operates according to
God’s Design.

They specifically preside over the

elements of the world and the process of
celestial life.

Their primary duty is to supervise the

movements of the heavenly bodies in
order to ensure that the cosmos remains
in order.

Thus all heavenly bodies-from the stars

and planets to the galaxies themselves-
are kept in their divinely appointed routes
and progress.

On earth they govern and watch over

nature, marking and guiding every facet of
natural life, they have control over the
seasons, the stars, the moon and even the
sun is subject to their command.

This order of Angels are also called the

Angels of miracles, encouragement, and
blessings and are said to be the chief
bestowers of grace and valor.

They are particularly involved with people

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struggling with their faith and encourage
humans to turn always to the good and
help enhance the person's will to endure
hardship and suffering and to have the
 personal strength to turn ever toward God.
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As the angels in charge of miracles, they
receive their orders from the powers, but
they are also closely interlaced with the
saints.

The two Angels at the Ascension of Jesus

were traditionally believed to be from this
Order who were usually represented in a
group. The term "Virtue" appears to be
linked to the attribute "Might", from the
Greek root "dunamis" in Ephesians 1:21,
which is also translated as "Virtue" (see
below).

From Dionysius the Areopagite:

"The name of the holy Virtues signifies a
certain powerful and unshakable virility
welling forth into all their Godlike energies;
not being weak and feeble for any
reception of the divine Illuminations
granted to it; mounting upwards in
fullness of power to an assimilation with
God; never falling away from the Divine
Life through its own weakness, but
ascending unwaveringly to the super
essential Virtue which is the Source of
virtue: fashioning itself, as far as it may,
in virtue; perfectly turned towards the
Source of virtue, and flowing forth
providentially to those below it,
abundantly filling them with virtue."

St. Peter mentions the virtues in his first

epistle (3:22), as does St. Paul in his Letter
to the Colossians (1:16). The name is in
some way a mistranslation or at least a
“false cognate,” since this choir of angels
does not deal with acquired habits
(virtues), but rather exercises innate, raw
power over the physical universe.
According to Pseudo-Dionysius, their
name refers to “a certain powerful and
unshakable virility welling forth into all
their Godlike energies, . . . mounting
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upwards in fullness of power to an
assimilation with God; never falling away
from the divine life through its own
 weakness, but ascending unwaveringly to
Openwhich
the super-essential Virtue app isLog
the in
Source of virtue.”1 They are the lords of
causality and the principles of cosmic
order in the material realm. They ensure
the well-being of the world.

POWERS

(Also called Authorities) - Ephesians 1:21,

1 Peter 3:22

Usually, Powers or Authorities are drawn

or painted as actual soldiers, in uniforms
and with weapons to fight evil.

It is believed that the Powers fight the

forces of evil that desire to destroy the
Creation. It is thus possible to speculate
that if Satan and his demons were to
make an effort to destroy the Earth by
means manipulating the forces of the
Universe, such as through a great asteroid
or a solar flare, the Powers would prevent
the Enemy from succeeding.

The powers (dunameis) form the third and

last choir of the second angelic hierarchy,
according to Pseudo-Dionysius, while
other scholars and spiritual writers
consider them to be the fifth choir. This
choir is mentioned occasionally in the Old
Testament, such as in the book of Daniel
where we read, “Bless the Lord, all powers,
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for
ever” (Dan. 3:39). Some scholars maintain
that the name “powers” is also used to
indicate angels in general, since it is the
Septuagint’s translation of the Hebrew
sabaoth. In the New Testament St. Paul
writes that there are powers who have
remained faithful to God and powers who
have fallen away and become part of the
empire of Satan (Eph. 6:12). The choir of
powers is thought to introduce man to the
higher mysteries while repressing the
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attacks of the “hostile powers” of Hell
against the deepest laws of physical
creation.
 PRINCIPALITIES Open app Log in

Romans 8:38; Ephesians 3:10, 6:12;

Colossians 1:16, 2:15

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 upper sphere angels
and bequeath blessings to the material
world. Their task is to oversee groups of
people. They are the educators and
guardians of the realm of earth.

The Principalities are the Guardian Angels

of nations and cities. There are also evil
Principalities who had joined Satan in his
rebellion against God and thus there are
also Principalities appointed by Satan to
influence nations and cities for evil, which
is evident by the fact that in Daniel 10:13
the Prophet Daniel is told by an angel that
there was a spiritual power referred to as
the prince of Persia who that angel was in
conflict with until the Archangel Michael
came to his aid.
They are often seen as being the
guardians of nations or people's.

Also known as Princes. The princes are

also described as having members who
have fallen away and others who have
remained faithful. Principalities are the
leading choir of the last hierarchy of
angels. Their activities are described by
Pseudo-Dionysius in this way, “The name
of the Celestial Principalities signifies
their Godlike princeliness and
authoritativeness in an Order which is
holy and most fitting to the princely
Powers.” It seems fitting that this first
choir in the “ring of salvation” should
also look after the spiritual structure of
the supernatural life of the Church.
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ARCHANGELS

1 Thessalonians 4:16, Jude 9

 Open appAngels
The Archangels are Guardian Log in
appointed to guard special individuals,
such as the Church, the Pope, possibly the
Virgin Mary while one Earth, etc. What
makes it extremely strange is that even
though the Angelic Host as a whole
consists of an innumerable amount of
angels, Sacred Scripture and Sacred
Tradition indicates that there are only
seven angels who have this rank (Tobit
12:15; Revelation 1:4,20; 3:1; 8:2,6; and
Isaiah 63:9).

This choir is the most known and loved in

popular devotion. Among the archangels
we find St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St.
Raphael. It is traditionally believed, due to
the statements of Raphael in the book of
Tobit, that there are only seven
archangels.

Three of their names occur in Scripture,

and so the Church uses these names in
our worship — St. Michael, the prince of
the heavenly host and the only one called
“archangel” in the Scriptures; St. Gabriel,
the messenger of the Incarnation; and St.
Raphael, the angel of healing and of
medicine.

The names of the other four are not used

in our Liturgy, though there are certain
churches that preserve these names and
make use of them in private devotion,
including some Eastern Catholic
Churches. Roman Catholics often refer to
them as the seven archangels or the
seven assisting spirits around the throne
of God.

The seven archangels have been regarded

from the very beginning as having a
special place in God’s plan; their number
is often associated with the seven days of
the week and the seven sacraments. It is
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thought that the archangels were
outstanding in their fidelity to God, and so
in the writings of the saints they are often
called archangel princes, an appellation
Openand
that connotes leadership appauthority
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in
the heavenly realm. Many spiritual
authors and mystics speak of their special
assistance and often attribute other
“groups of seven” to their protection or
patronage — virtues, gifts of the Holy
Spirit, and so on. The archangels are also
associated with the protection of nations,
dioceses, religious communities, and the
mission of the Church.

ANGELS

Luke 22:43 , Mat 18:10 , Heb 13:2

These are the angels who directly look

after the affairs of mankind and deliver
God’s Divine Revelation to us. The
Guardian Angels are part of this choir.

The ninth and final choir of angels is

composed of those who are most
involved with the doings of mankind.
These angels are those who are sent out
on missions from God and from whom
the guardian angels are chosen. The
angels who fill up this choir may be the
lowest, but they are beloved because the
Lord places them at our sides to watch
over us and to care for us. They are the
ministers of Christ’s love and our
protectors. They defend us against harm
and temptation. They warn us of
impending evil and inspire us to remain
faithful to God in prayer.

The Nine Choir Tradition is thus not

doctrine, but is instead a theological
theory developed to understand our
doctrines about the Angels.

From online sources

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