Fall of angels
The text is long. In short, the text boils down to the fact that when the Bible (Genesis ch. 6) says that the sons of God had children from the wives of men, it is clear that it says about the fallen angels who followed Lucifer. They descended to earth, passed themselves off as gods, had children from women. And they gave birth to them (the Bible says: "strong, glorious people from ancient times") Nephilim (such a word was used in Hebrew, and it means: unusual, different from others). They were angel-human hybrids. Many people deny this, so a lot of the evidence is placed here.
The original state of angels
God created all angels sinless. We know this through a combination of two concepts. First, as noted earlier, the angels were created during the six days of creation, as described in Genesis chapter 1. Secondly, at the end of these six days, God appreciated everything created and "God saw everything that He created, and behold, it is very good" (Gen. 1:31). This assessment suggests that prior to that time, sin did not exist in any part of His creation, including the angels.
It should be noted, however, that the angels were not anchored or imprisoned in this sinless original state. We saw that God created angels as individuals with intelligence, emotion, and will. They could make decisions of their own accord. However, only by making a decision of their own free will to remain faithful to God, they could consolidate themselves in sinlessness.
If they chose to rebel against God, they would thereby lose their sinlessness and would be entrenched or imprisoned in sin.
The original state of an exalted angel
Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 speak of the proud rulers of ancient Babylon and Tire.
However, some of the pieces of pictorial vocabulary that are used in these places may not apply to people. Let's explore examples of this vocabulary. Ezek. 28 in the middle of this chapter, which speaks of the proud ruler of ancient Tire, in v. 12 states: "... you are the seal of perfection, the fullness of wisdom and the crown of beauty."
The Hebrew word for "seal of perfection" carries the meaning of "perfect pattern."
This verse describes a person who was a perfect example or model of creation, filled with wisdom and beauty. In other words, he was the most magnificent creation of God. Since mortal people are lower in personality gradation than angels, then, as noted in the previous chapter, none of the sinful and mortal people, including the rulers of ancient Tire, can be the most magnificent creation of God. Verse 13 reads, "... you were in Eden, the garden of God."
Since the Garden of Eden was sealed long before the founding of Tire, no human ruler of this state could ever be in Eden.
Verse 13 mentions the "day" on which this creature was created.
The human rulers of Tyrus were born through human parents, not created. Only two people were created - Adam and Eve. Verse 14 says that he "was the anointed cherub to overshadow." In the previous sections we have seen that cherubim are angels, possibly of the highest order, fulfilling the function of touching the unique presence of God, as demonstrated by the ark of the covenant.
The name "anointed cherub" seems to indicate that this creature was the most exalted of the highest order of angels. Since mortal people are lower in personality gradation than angels, then (as noted in the previous section) how can this name refer to the human ruler of ancient Tire?
In v. 15, the following statement is made regarding this being: "You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, until iniquity was found in you."
The word translated "perfect" means "righteous." The word "lawlessness" means "conduct contrary to God's disposition." In light of these meanings, v. 15 states that there was a period of time after the creation of this creature when he was not guilty of the opposite of God's character. In other words, at the beginning of its existence this creature was sinless, but later, for some reason, defiled itself with behavior contrary to God's character.
Since all descendants of Adam are conceived and born naturally, they are in a sinful state from the time of their conception (Psalm 50: 7).
Therefore, in their mortal existence on earth, there is no such period when they are sinless. Thus, v. 15 cannot speak of the pagan rulers of Tire. Verse 14 indicates that when this creature was sinless, he "was on the holy mountain of God" and "walked among the stones of fire."
Some Old Testament scholars argue that in this particular place in the Gospel, the expression "the holy mountain of God" means the place where God is in heaven.
Thus, when this creature was sinless, it lived with God in heaven. This explanation is confirmed by the following phrase - "walked among the stones of fire." In Bible times, God used fire to reveal His presence to people. Fire was associated with His presence in heaven. Daniel was given a vision of God sitting on His throne in heaven (Dan. 7: 9-10). This chariot throne and its wheels had a fiery appearance. The stream of fire also flowed in the midst of the great multitude of angels standing in front of him. Obviously, the angels stood on a stream of fire in the presence of God. It should be noted that cherubim, like the presence of God, are closely associated with fire.
In the vision of His glorious presence that God gave to Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1), the prophet saw four animals (identified as cherubim in Ezekiel 10) emerging from the fire (vv. 1: 4-5). These cherubim looked like burning coals; fire went among them (v. 13), and embers were directly under them (10: 2, 6-7). Four cherubim made up a fast-moving chariot for God and His throne (1: 15-28). God had the visible image of a man with a flaming appearance and surrounded by fire (vv. 26-27).
We saw that fire was associated with God's presence in heaven, and that cherubim, as well as the presence of God, were associated with fire. The being referred to in Ezek. 28:41, in its original sinless state, walked among the stones of fire like a cherub. This seems to indicate that at the very beginning of his existence he lived in the presence of God in heaven. None of the human rulers of ancient Tire lived in the presence of God in heaven.
Isaiah 14:12, located in the middle of this chapter, which speaks of the proud human ruler of ancient Babylon, declares: "... how you fell from heaven."
The vocabulary of this statement implies that the object of this verse originally lived in heaven but then fell from there.
None of the human rulers of ancient Babylon originally lived in heaven. Verse 12 speaks of this creature like this: "... dear, son of the dawn!" The name "stallion" does not appear in the Hebrew text. This is the Latin translation of the Latin word "helou" found in the text. This Hebrew word means "luminous." The root of this word "represents the emission of light from stellar bodies." The name "son of the dawn" is the Hebrew way of calling this creature "morning star". The word that translates to "morning" means "dawn" and refers to "the beginning of the day, the time before the sun rises."
The morning star is so brighter than all the others that when dawn makes all the other stars disappear from the sky, the morning star can still be seen. The meaning of this name is that the subject of v. 12 is a luminous being of light.
Just as the morning star is brighter than all other stars, so this creature is the brightest of all the luminous beings of light created by God. The importance of this is confirmed by several facts. As noted earlier, God called the angels "stars" (Job 38:27). The Bible depicts angels, not mortal beings, as bright, luminous beings (Mat.28: 2, 3; Rev. 10: 1).
The Apostle Paul called Satan as having "the form of an angel of light" (2 Cor. 11:14).
In the light of all that has been considered, we can conclude that Isa. 14:12 does not speak of the human ruler of ancient Babylon. On the contrary, the object of this place is the brightest or greatest of all angels, whose house was originally in heaven.
Conclusion
Much of the content of Ezek. 28 and Isa. 14 refers to the proud human rulers of ancient Tire and Babylon, but we have studied some fragments of the pictorial vocabulary of both passages that cannot be applied to human beings. These passages speak of the brightest, most magnificent creature created by God. God created him as the brightest of the angelic order of cherubim, sinless in nature and a perfect example of creation, full of wisdom and beauty.
He had the privilege of touching God's presence in heaven.
This was the original state of this exalted angel. Unfortunately, he did not keep himself in this state.
Fall of the Exalted Angel
As noted earlier, according to Ezekiel 28:15, this exalted angel was sinless in his early days, but later defiled himself with behavior contrary to God's disposition.
Two Bible passages shed light on the reason for this fundamental change.
Ezek.28: 17 - "thy heart was lifted up because of thy beauty."
In Scripture, the word "heart" usually means the inner center of control of the personality. It is a repository of feelings (1 Sam. 2: 1), mind (Prov. 23: 7) and will (Dan. 1: 8). Thus, all decisions are made in the heart. When the Bible speaks of a puffed up heart in the evil sense of the word, as, for example, in Ezek. 28, it means filling the inner center of control with a predisposition to pride (2 Chronicles 26:16; 32: 25-26). As God's most magnificent creation, this exalted angel deliberately allowed pride to fill his heart. Through this, sin began to grow in him, and this angel passed from a sinless state to a state of sin. Thus, pride was the cause of a radical change in this exalted angel.
In the second place of Holy Scripture, parallel to Ezek. 28:17, Ap. Paul, speaking of Satan, points out: 1 Tim. 3: 6 - "so that he may not become proud."
This exalted angel, by allowing pride to fill his inner center of control, corrupted his wisdom (Ezek. 28:17). In the Bible, wisdom in the ultimate sense is the same as ultimate reality.
The ultimate reality consists of the following truths: there is only one God. He is the personal Creator and the only Sovereign of the universe and all that is in it. At the time of creation, He established the unchanging order of the laws of nature and moral laws, and also subordinated the whole universe to this order (Proverbs 1: 9). Truly wise people bring themselves into harmony with ultimate reality by studying these truths, actually accepting them as valid and allowing them to define their philosophy, values and ways of doing things.
In his original sinless state, this exalted angel was the perfect example of creation, full of wisdom. He was truly wise, as he knew the true ultimate reality, accepted it as a force and allowed it to define his philosophy of life, values and scope. He was thus in perfect harmony with ultimate reality. But when the angel allowed pride to fill his heart, he ceased to be truly wise, and his attitude to the ultimate reality changed radically.
Paul's statement that Satan was “puffed up” helps us identify this change (1 Timothy 3: 6). The root of the word translated as "pride" means "smoke". Just as smoke blocks people from everything around them, so pride makes them blind to the vision of reality. Pride makes people believe that they are more important than they really are. When this exalted angel became proud of his splendor, his pride blocked the ultimate reality from him.
Because of pride, the angel began to believe that he could be like God, which is confirmed by his statement: "I will be like the Most High." (Is.14: 14).
Pride has hidden from him the reality that there is only one God, and that He is the only Sovereign of the universe and everything in it. No creature can become like God. As a result of this radical change, God threw the exalted angel from His heaven (Isa. 14:13; Ezek. 28:16) [the third heaven is mentioned by Paul in 2 Corinthians 12: 2-4] to the first heaven, above the earth, where he acts and now in the role of "the prince of dominion in the air" (Eph. 2: 2). Apparently Jesus had this event in mind when he said: "I saw Satan falling from heaven like lightning" (Luke 10:18).
Henry Olford stated that Jesus spoke of "the original fall of Satan, when he lost his place as an angel of light, not retaining his original position."
The apostle Paul also spoke about the fact that the devil fell under condemnation because of pride (1 Tim. 3: 6).
Another consequence of this radical change is that God renamed the exalted angel and gave him the name Satan, which means adversary. This was a very fitting name change, since from that moment on, the angel became ultimately the enemy of God.
The time of Satan's fall
When did Satan fall away from God? We noted earlier that after six days or the last day of creation, sin did not exist in any part of God's creation, including the angels (Gen. 1:31). Thus, the fall of Satan took place sometime after creation.
However, Satan was already filled with evil when he descended to earth to tempt man to fall away from God (Genesis 3). This prompts us to conclude that the fall of Satan took place in the interval between the end of creation and the fall of man.
How long was this interval? It must have been short enough, because when God created man and woman, He commanded them to be fruitful and multiply through the production of offspring (Gen. 1: 27-28), but before the fall of man (Gen. 4: 1).
Explanation
We noted earlier that much of the content of Ezek. 28 and Isa. 14 refers to the proud rulers of Tire and Babylon, but some portions of both passages describe an exalted angel. Why do these passages of Scripture contain a mixed description of proud human rulers with a description of the once exalted, but now evil proud angel? Scripture does this because Satan has an important relationship with certain major human rulers throughout history.
In the previous section, we saw that Ephesians 6:12 speaks of a special class of evil angels as "the rulers of the darkness of this age." The original word means "ruler of the world." It means a being "who desires world control." They are identified with "invisible spiritual rulers who use human despots and false philosophies as instruments of power." This word refers to the invisible powerful, evil angels who influence and control powerful human rulers and the movements of evil on earth.
Satan is the main evil ruler of the world. In fact, he is the head of all the evil angelic rulers.
In order to understand the significance of this, we must consider several important events that took place at the beginning of the history of the world. When God created man, He gave all the earth and everything on it to his power (Gen. 1:26).
Through this act, God established theocracy as the original form of government for planet earth. The term "theocracy" literally means "government of God" and refers to a form of government in which God's government is exercised by His representative. God appointed the first man, Adam, as His representative, exercising the government of God in His name over the earthly province of God's universal kingdom.
Thus, God ruled the entire earth through one person. We noticed earlier that because of his pride, Satan began to believe that he could be like God and began to assert: "... I will be like the Most High" (Isa. 14:14). Since God ruled the earth through one person, Satan also had to rule the earth through one person. This became and continued to be one of Satan's primary goals throughout most of the history of planet earth. Satan knew that in order to achieve this goal, he needed to somehow steal from God the power over the world system (Genesis 3: 1; Rev. 20: 2).
Satan told the first people that if they rejected God and His rules, they would become like God (Genesis 3: 5). This thought is equal to the one he accepted when he first sinned against God. And through this he succeeded in persuading Adam to fall away from God. Because of the fall of Adam, God lost His representative through whom He ruled the earth. As a result, theocracy was lost and Satan usurped power over the world system.
Several facts point to this fundamental change.
Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the earth and had the power to give rule over this system to any of the people at will, and also declared that the power over the world system belongs to him (Luke 4: 5-6). The word which translates as "she is devoted to me" is in perfect tense. This is important because it means that power over the world system was given to Satan in the past (Adam), and that he and his forces continue to rule the world system throughout history. Therefore, Jesus called Satan "the prince of this world"; literal translation - "ruler of this world" (John 14:30); Paul called him "the god of this world" (2 Cor. 4: 4); James warned that whoever is a friend of the existing world system is "an enemy of God" (James 4: 4).
Ap. John argued that "the whole world lies in evil" (this can also be translated as "in evil" - 1 John 5:19). The abduction from God of power over the world system through the fall of man was the first step towards the fulfillment of Satan's goal - the rulership of the whole earth through one man.
Throughout history, since the fall of man, Satan has actively tried to bring the world closer to world rulership through one man. Through the use of supernatural influence, doing it on his own (Isaiah 14, Ezek. 28) or through his evil angels-rulers of the world (Dan. 10: 13-20), the devil encourages human rulers, such as the rulers of Tire and Babylon, to try to build an expanding kingdom or empire and thus gradually more and more territory of the world to subordinate the power of one person.
The last and greatest work of Satan in this direction will be done in the future with the Antichrist (2 Thess. 2: 3-10; Rev. 13: 1-8). Based on Isaiah 14 and Ezek. 28, 2 Thess. 2 and Rev. 13, Satan seems to be motivating these rulers to pursue world rule by filling their hearts with pride to the point that they begin to believe they are like God. Since God originally rules the whole world through one person, they also try to extend their power to the whole earth.
Thus, because Satan prompts these rulers to fill with the same pride and conviction that he once filled when he fell away from God, Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 provide a mixed description of the proud human rulers of ancient Babylon and Tire. with descriptions of a once exalted, now angry, proud angel.
Parallel to this, Jeffrey W. Grogan wrote the following regarding the mixing of descriptions of the rulers of Babylon with the descriptions of Satan in Isa. 14: “Nothing could be more adequate since the pride of the king of Babylon was truly satanic. When Satan exercises his evil will through the rulers of this world, he reproduces his own bad qualities in them, and they essentially become the image of what he is ... All rulers of international importance, whose arrogant pride and arrogance contribute to their destruction at the hand of God, are examples of fulfilling both satanic principles and and the principles of antichrist, since these principles are really one. "
The fall of the rest of the angels
In the infinitely distant past, God decided to establish a kingdom that He could rule as King and Sovereign. This kingdom was to be known as the Kingdom of God. In order to have the Kingdom, God needed personal subordinates to serve Him. God decided to create two kinds of subordinates: angels, so that they would serve Him directly in the heavenly part of His universal Kingdom; and people who would serve Him in the earthly part of His Kingdom.
As noted in the previous section, God created a huge host of saints or sinless angels. Since Satan wanted to be like God, and since God had a universal kingdom that he ruled as King and Lord, Satan decided that he should also have a universal kingdom that he could rule as a sovereign and king.
Since God had angels serving Him in His Kingdom, Satan decided that he should also have angels serving him. However, he faced a problem. Since he was only a creature, not a creator, he did not have the ability to create angels. The most he could count on was to convince God's angels to join him in rebelling against God.
Satan succeeded in this, convincing a significant number of angels to join him. We know this, since the Holy Scripture speaks of Satan - "and his angels" (Mat.25: 41; Rev.12: 7-9) and indicates that he is a ruler over evil angels (Mat.12: 24-26). The Bible does not give us the exact number of angels who departed from God, but it seems that Rev. 12: 4 names the proportion of those who followed Satan. This place claims that he took "from the sky a third of the stars and threw them to earth." Earlier we noticed that in Job. 38: 7 God called the angels "stars."
Robert L. Thomas wrote the following about Rev. 12: 4 - "His tail carried away a third of the stars from heaven and threw them to the ground." The word "stars" should refer to the angels who in the past departed with Satan from God.
This is confirmed by the similarity of this verse to Daniel 8:10, where the words "the host of heaven" are a clear reference to the angels. Earlier in the book of Revelation, the star already symbolized an angel (9: 1). This fact, together with the reference to the angels of Satan in 12: 8-9, lends the secret explanation more credibility. Satan and his angels were thrown to earth as a result of the war in heaven ... the exiled star-angels, under his leadership, were thrown into battle, in which they became even worse, while he himself was thrown down from the heavenly abode to earth.
Therefore, we can conclude that one third of the angels followed Satan and departed from God. Due to the fact that they themselves chose to rebel against God, they thereby lost their sinless state and became forever anchored in a fallen evil state.
The meaning of Rev. 12: 4, as noted, together with the meaning of Gen. 1:31 discussed earlier, suggest that this fall of the angels took place between the end of the six days of creation and the fall of man. Satan became the ruler of this host of fallen angels.
Just as God had angelic beings in subjection in the Kingdom, so Satan now had angelic beings in subjection in his empire.
At the same time, it is interesting to note that when Satan rebelled against God and suggested: "I will be like the Most High" (Is.14: 14), he also boasted: "I will ascend to heaven above the stars of God" (Is.14: 13) ...
The two main types of angels
Obviously, when Satan tried to convince all of God's angels to join his rebellion, two-thirds of them chose to remain faithful to God. The Bible calls them saints (Dan.4: 10) or the elect (Dan.4: 10-14; Mark 8:38; 1 Tim.5: 21). Because of their personal choice to remain faithful to God, these angels were anchored or permanently imprisoned in their sinless state. The fall of one third of the angels caused the division of the great army of angels created by God into two main types: the holy angels in God's Kingdom and the fallen evil angels in the empire of Satan.
Two divisions of fallen evil angels
Over time, two divisions emerged in the main form of the fallen evil angels.
Fallen free angels
Fallen free angels are with Satan in the first heaven above the earth and are subordinate to him (Eph. 2: 2; 6:12; Rev. 12: 7-9). They can move freely even on earth to do Satan's wicked work. The Bible calls them "demons" (Mat.12: 22-26).
Fallen prisoners angels
The second division is made up of evil angels, who were fallen free angels who obeyed the power of Satan for a period of time after the fall. However, a little later, the fallen angels committed another sin, so grave that God took away their freedom and deprived Satan of power over them, imprisoning these angels in a terrible prison.
Two places in the New Testament specifically refer to this group of angels: 2 Peter 2: 4 and Jude 6-7. 2Pet.2: 4 - "For if God did not spare the angels who had sinned, but, having bound them with the bonds of hellish darkness, gave them over to be watched for judgment."
The following should be noted in relation to this place:
First, Peter is talking about a special group of angels that God had in the past already imprisoned and tied in a place of terrible darkness before Peter wrote his letter.
Secondly, Peter named the place of detention. Our translation calls it a place of "darkness of hell." But we must note that Peter did not use the New Testament word for hell (the word "hades").
Instead, he used the word "tartarus". The ancient world understood the words "hades" and "tartarus" as different. Both Greek and Jewish writers who wrote about the end of the world speak of "tartarus" as "an underground place lower than the hades, intended for the execution of God's punishment." In the Hebrew text of the Book of Enoch (xx. 2), Tartarus is called the place of punishment for the fallen angels. Peter pointed out that these evil spirits are trapped in the deepest abyss of damnation.
2Pet.2: 4 is the only text in the New Testament where the place of punishment is called the appropriate name "tartarus". However, several other places speak of it using a descriptive term: "bottomless abyss" (literally "abyss"). The word "deep" contains the concept of immeasurable depth, and the Jewish writers who wrote about the end of the world referred to it as "the place where the wandering spirits are trapped" (Jubilees 5: 6; Enoch 10: 4, 11, 18 : 11; Jude 6; 2 Pet. 2: 4).
When Jesus met a demoniac in the land of Gadarene, the demons asked Him not to drive them out into the abyss (Luke 10:31). The fact that these demons made such a petition indicates that the fallen free angels knew that the abyss existed, that God had already placed some of them there as punishment, and that this terrible place was destined to drive out evil angels.
The demons who possessed this man were horrified at the prospect that Christ could imprison them in the abyss.
Thirdly, tartarus is only a temporary place of punishment for the evil angels imprisoned there. Peter indicated that they were kept there only until the time of their final punishment. At the end of earthly history, they, together with Satan and all the fallen angels, will be placed in another place of punishment - in the eternal fire (Mat.25: 41; Rev.20: 10).
Fourth, Peter made it clear that these angels were already trapped in the tartarus because of some sin they committed before he wrote his letter. We are forced to conclude that this sin was not the sin of the original rebellion of the angels against God. If this were the case, then all the fallen angels, including Satan, would be imprisoned in the place of judgment. It must be the sin of only this particular group of fallen angels, which they committed after the rebellion of all the other fallen angels against God. Moreover, it must have been much more terrible than the sin of the original rebellion of the angels against God, as it caused a more severe punishment.
In this regard, Merrill F. Unger writes: “The fallen angels, tied by the bond of which Peter and Judas speak, are clearly guilty of such a great sin that they were no longer allowed to wander through the heavens with their leader and the rest of the evil angels, but they were thrown into the most severe and terrible confinement in the tartarus. "
What is the nature of this sin?
The second passage in the New Testament, referring to this group of imprisoned angels, sheds more light on this question.
Jude 6-7 - "... and the angels, who did not retain their dignity, but left their dwelling place, keeps them in eternal bonds, under darkness, at the judgment of the great day. As Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, like them who committed fornication and went after by another flesh, having undergone the execution of eternal fire, they are set as an example. "
In these verses, Ap. Jude points out that the sin of this group of imprisoned angels consisted of four acts.
First, they are "angels who have not retained their dignity" - v. 6. The word translated as "dignity" means "possession, sphere of influence." These angels did not remain in the dominion or sphere of influence that God intended for the angels, but left it and became part of a dominion or sphere of influence that God did not intend for the angels.
Secondly, these are the angels who "left their dwelling place" - verse 6. The word translated "dwelling" means "dwelling place" or "dwelling place" and refers especially to the dwelling place of angels in heaven.
These angels left their places of residence in the first heaven and settled in another place.
Third, they are “the fornication” (v. 7). At the beginning of the 7th verse it says: "Like Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, who committed the fornication like them and walked after other flesh ...". Some commentators have argued that v. 7 does not apply to the angels mentioned in verse 6. They insist that the word "im" (in the Greek text) in v. 7 refers to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and not to the angels of verse 6, and that therefore Ap. Judah says that the cities around Sodom and Gomorrah filled themselves with fornication like Sodom and Gomorrah.
But, however, you need to pay attention to the fact that the Greek word for cities is feminine. In contrast, the Greek word translated in v. 7 as "them," and the word for the angels in v. 6, are masculine. This means that the word "them" in v. 7 refers to the angels referred to in v. 6 and not to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Thus, Ap. Jude in v. 7 says that Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them sinned in the same way as the angels mentioned in verse 6. One of the sins they committed was fornication. This does not mean that the angels had homosexual relationships with each other, like the men of Sodom, Gomorrah and nearby cities.
The term "fornication" sometimes refers to any kind of sexual intercourse prohibited by God (Eph. 5: 3; Col. 3: 5). The thought that Ap wanted to convey to us. Jude, is that the men of Sodom and Gomorrah and nearby cities had sex that was forbidden by God (men with men) just like the angels mentioned in verse 6 and who had sex that was forbidden by God (angels with earthly women).
Fourth, they "walked after other flesh" (v. 7). They walked for flesh that God intended to be alien to them. To "walk after another flesh" signifies indulging in unnatural lust. The men of Sodom and Gomorrah, as well as nearby cities, walked for other flesh, destined to be alien to them. Their homosexual relationship was unnatural.
God created male people in order for them to have sex with female people (Gen. 2:18, 21-24; Mat.19: 4-6). By this, He indicated the destiny of masculine people to be sexually alien to each other (Lev. 18:22; 20:13; Deut. 23:17). But the angels mentioned in v. 6 followed other flesh, which God intended to be alien to them.
As noted in the previous chapter, God created angels as spirits without a physical body of flesh and bone. As a result, sexual intercourse with physical flesh is contrary to the nature of angels. This indicates that God intended physical flesh to be sexually alien to angels. The angels mentioned in v. 6, contrary to their nature and the purpose of God, had sex with physical flesh.
At the end of the 6th verse of Ap. Jude speaks of the consequences of this fourfold sin committed by these angels. God tied them in bonds in a dark place of darkness, where he will hold them until the final punishment at the end of earthly history.
Conclusion
A comparison of 2 Peter 2: 4 and Jude 6-7 suggests that both of these passages speak of the same group of angels and their sin. Most Bible students agree with this conclusion.
We have previously given the reason why it was concluded that the sin and imprisonment of this group of angels occurred at some point after the initial rebellion of the angels against God. The fact that Peter and Jude point to sin and confinement in the past tense suggests that this happened before their letters were written. The time interval between the initial rebellion of the angels and the writing of these New Testament letters is long.
Is it possible to more specifically define the timing and other factors related to the given sin of the angels and their imprisonment? In order to find the answer to this question, we must study the following topic.
Genesis chapter 6 theme
In Genesis 6: 1–2,4 Moses wrote: “When people began to multiply on earth and daughters were born to them, then the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were beautiful, and took them as a wife, whatever one chose ... At that time there were giants on earth, especially from the time when the sons of God began to enter the daughters of men, and they began to give birth to them: these are strong, glorious people from ancient times. "
At this point, Moses speaks of events that took place on earth before the flood. Bible Students disagreed on the interpretation of this passage. The main questions concern the meaning of the names "sons of God" and "daughters of men". Three main views are offered.
1. "High-born and low-born"
This is a very old point of view, which says that the "sons of God" were the human sons of aristocrats in power (kings, feudal lords, nobles), and the "daughters of men" were the human daughters of commoners, people of the lower classes. According to this explanation, Genesis 6: 2 speaks of marriages, which took place before the Flood, between different classes of people: aristocrats and commoners. The two arguments put forward by proponents of this view are as follows:
First, the ancient Aramaic "targums" (translations of the Hebrew Old Testament into Aramaic) translate the phrase "sons of God" as "sons of the noble", while the Greek translation of "Simachus" reads "sons of kings or princes."
Secondly, the Hebrew texts from time to time call the ruling judges "gods" (elohim) [Ex. 21: 6], therefore the sons of these judges can be called "sons of the gods".
There are reasons to reject this point of view.
1. This view implies a distinction regarding the terms "daughters of men" in verses 1 and 2. The word "human" in v. 1 is a generic term. It applies to all men in general, so the "daughters of men" in v. 1 are the daughters of all people in general. In contrast, according to the noble-lowborn idea, the "daughters of men" referred to in v. 2 were not daughters of people in general. Instead, they were the daughters of people from the lower simple classes, not the upper aristocratic classes. The style of Article 1-2 does not allow for such a distinction.
2. Genesis 6: 1-13 speaks of the corruption of the people of the world before the flood and thus explains why the flood was needed. The fact that marriages between the sons of God and the daughters of men are mentioned at the beginning of this passage clearly indicates that such marriages were largely related to the depravity of the human race, as a result of which a terrible flood was necessary. Why should marriages between the sons of aristocrats and the daughters of commoners be so conducive to the corruption of the human race? What is perverse inherent in marriages between people of different classes? The noble-lowborn idea seems to indicate that such marriages are more vicious than those between aristocrats and commoners.
3. The biblical text says that corruption was the result of the sons of God marrying the daughters of men. The text speaks exclusively of one type of marriage. In line with this, the noble-low-born idea indicates that the corruption resulted from the sons of aristocrats marrying commoners.
Does this mean that marriages between the daughters of aristocrats and the sons of commoners are also vicious? If marriages between these different classes of people have contributed so significantly to corruption, then why do not both types of marriages between these classes have the same perverse influence?
2. The idea of the line of Seth and the line of Cain
The second proposed view is that the "sons of God" of Genesis 6 were the descendants of Seth, and the "daughters of men" were the feminine descendants of Cain. In line with this view, Genesis 6: 2 speaks of pre-flood marriages between two different lineages of human descendants: the righteous descendants of Seth, referred to in Genesis 4: 25-5: 32, and the unrighteous descendants of Cain, referred to in Genesis 4: 1-24.
Most of the arguments put forward by proponents of this point of view do not appear to be positive arguments in favor of their idea. Instead, they support a third point of view, which we will consider later.
The most important positive argument put forward by some proponents is that since the descendants of Seth and Cain were written immediately before Genesis 6, which speaks of marriages between the sons of God and the daughters of men, it seems clear that as the line of Seth's descendants and Cain are directly related to the marriages mentioned in Genesis 6.
The second argument suggested is the fact that certain passages in the Old Testament sometimes apply the name "sons of God" to godly people.
KF Keil and Franz Delitch wrote: "This term does not only refer to angels. The" sons of Elohim "or" the sons of Elym "in Psalm 72:15 - in relation to Elohim, godly people are called" the race of Thy sons ", then are the sons of Elohim. In Deut.32: 5 the Israelites are called His (God's) children, and in Hos. 1:10 - "you are the sons of the Living God." In Psalm 79:18 Israel is spoken of as the son of man, whom "Elohim strengthened in himself."
There are reasons to reject this point of view.
First, the word "human" used in Genesis 6: 1-2 is a generic term. Evidence of this can be found in the fact that the Hebrew adjective "human", which is used in these verses, has singular(literal translation "human"), and the pronoun "them", which is used at the end of v. 1 and refers to this adjective, stands in plural... This indicates that in these verses the adjectives "human" refer to all of humanity in general. Thus, the "daughters of men" referred to in these verses were the feminine descendants of all mankind, and not of any separate lineage that differs from the rest of mankind.
This means that the "daughters of men" whom the "sons of God" married (vv. 2 and 4) were the feminine descendants of all mankind, and not exclusively of the Cain line. In contrast, the idea of "the line of Seth and the line of Cain" defines them as the feminine descendants of only the Cain line.
Second, as noted in relation to the first point of view, the Bible text of the 6th chapter of Genesis implies that corruption was due to marriages between the sons of God and the daughters of men. It speaks exclusively of one type of marriage. Accordingly, the idea of "the line of Seth and the line of Cain" indicates that the corruption was due to the fact that the male descendants of Seth married daughters of the Cain line. Does this mean that marriages between daughters of the line of Seth and sons of the line of Cain would have the same perverse consequences? If marriages between the two lines were the cause of the corruption, why don't both types of marriages between the two lines have the same perverse effect? It is unlikely that there were only marriages between Seth men and Cain women, but not between Seth women and Cain men.
Third, it is interesting to note that the idea of the "line of Seth and the line of Cain" did not begin until the 4th century AD. Thus, she is the youngest of the three main ideas. The New Catholic Encyclopedia states that the idea "which sees in these sons of God the descendants of Seth, and in the daughters of the human descendants of Cain, dates back to the fourth century and arose from the influence of theologians in support of the doctrine of angels as spirits" ["Sons of God," "New Catholic Encyclopedia". Vol. XIII, p. 435]. This seems to indicate that the main reason for this idea was not the interpretation of Scripture, but the opposition of ideas about the angels, which we will consider next.
3. The idea of fallen angels and earthly women
A third proposed view is that the "sons of God" referred to in Genesis 6 were fallen angels, and the "daughters of men" were human women in general. In accordance with this view, Genesis 6: 1-2, 4 reflects the following situation: A group of fallen angels left the limits of their dwelling in the first heaven, leaving their homes to become part of humanity and make the earth their home. Then they married human women, having sex with them, and thus conceived children who were strong, from ancient times glorious people of the antediluvian world. The Hebrew word for these children (v. 4) means that they were "heroes or champions," successful warriors known for their "strength and vitality."
Problems and Answers
Opponents of this view point to its shortcomings.
First of all, as we considered in the previous section, due to the fact that angels are spirits and by their nature do not have physical bodies of flesh and bones, as well as gender. How could they have sex with earthly women and conceive children? Perhaps this flaw is the greatest flaw in the idea of angels.
However, in the same previous section, we also saw that although angels do not actually have physical bodies and sex by nature, there have been cases where some of them temporarily acquired physical bodies that could be seen and touched. We saw a similar example in Genesis 18-19. The two angels who appeared in the guise of men had physical bodies. They could eat food; they had physical legs that could be washed; and physical hands that could be touched. The men of Sodom and Gomorrah recognized them as men. In light of this Biblical incident and the fact that the Bible does not say how or where these angels got their bodies from, we must beware of the immediate conclusion that if angels by their nature do not have physical bodies and sex, then the idea of angels suggests that something unreal. In this regard, Merrill F. Unger wrote: "To reject such an opportunity ... means to declare a level of knowledge about the nature of fallen angels that man does not possess."
The second flaw in the idea of angels, pointed out by opponents, is Jesus' teaching that angels do not marry (Mark 12:25). In contrast, the idea of angels claims that fallen angels married earthly women. Does this not contradict the clear teaching of Jesus? Regarding this shortcoming, note that Jesus said that angels “in heaven” (literally “in heaven”) do not marry. In contrast, the idea of angels does not claim that the angels in heaven are married. On the contrary, she says that the angels who left heaven and came down to earth got married.
The third problem is that the creatures mentioned in Jude 7 committed fornication, and the sons of God mentioned in Genesis 6 got married. Opponents of the angelic idea argue that fornication and marriage are not the same thing. Thus, the sons of God referred to in Genesis 6 cannot be the beings referred to in Jude 7.
There are three answers to this argument. First, as noted earlier, the term "fornication" sometimes refers to any kind of sexual intercourse that is forbidden by God. Since angels are by nature sexless, it is clear that God never intended sex for angels. Therefore, any sexual relations of angels with human women would be forbidden by God and can be called fornication. Second, although marriages between angels and human women could have been recognized as legitimate by the ancient world, this was not yet a guarantee of God's approval.
Since God was against sexual relations between angels and earthly women, He certainly viewed these marriages as illegal or forbidden. In other words, regarding God's values, these angels and earthly women were not truly married. On the contrary, they lived together in fornication. A third argument, cited by critics, is that the idea of "fallen angels - human women" is based on pagan mythology and not on Biblical revelation. According to Babylonian and Greek mythology, in ancient times, the gods descended to earth in the guise of men, had sexual relations with earthly women and thus conceived children who were half divine, half human and became heroes due to their supernatural exploits. Critics argue that the idea of "fallen angels and earthly women" arose as a result of its proponents letting pagan mythology determine their interpretation of Genesis 6.
The answer to this argument that the idea of "fallen angels and earthly women" is a distorted interpretation of the 6th chapter of Genesis, based on pagan mythology, is that most likely pagan mythology is a distortion of the actual events described in 6- oh chapter of the book of Genesis. The Babylonian account of Helgamesh and the rest of the pagan stories of the great flood that destroyed the ancient world are examples of distorted reports of the actual flood described in Genesis 6-8.
Reasons for taking
There are good reasons for accepting the idea of "fallen angels and earthly women" as the correct perspective.
First, passages in the New Testament, such as 2 Peter 2: 4 and Jude 6-7, which we discussed earlier, provide just such an understanding of the 6th chapter of Genesis.
If the "sons of God" who married the "daughters of men" were not fallen angels, then when the angels mentioned in 2 Peter 2: 4 and Jude 6-7 left the boundaries of the dwelling of angels and became part of another realm, did not intended by God for the angels? When did they leave their homes in the first heaven to settle elsewhere? When did these angels betray themselves to forbidden sex? When did they follow the flesh that God intended to be foreign to them? When did these angels commit a sin that was so serious that God imprisoned them in tartarus, tying them in chains until the last punishment at the end of the world's history?
Proponents of other versions of the interpretation of the 6th chapter of Genesis argue that 2 Peter 2: 4 and Jude 6 speak of the original sin in the camp of the angels. However, as noted earlier, if this were true, then all the fallen angels, including Satan, would have been enclosed in tartarus even in ancient times. Instead, Scripture clearly indicates that Satan and his demonic host are still free and can operate in the universe.
Second, as noted earlier, the word "human" in Genesis 6: 1-2,4 is a general term that refers to all of humanity in general, and not to a particular class or lineage of people. Thus, the "daughters of men" were the feminine descendants of all mankind in general, and not of a particular class or family line of people. The idea of "fallen angels - earthly women" is the only view that agrees with this.
Other points of view argue that the "daughters of men" are the feminine descendants of one particular class or lineage of humans.
Third, the historical understanding of the Jews, going back at least the 2nd century BC, and possibly earlier, was that the "sons of God" in Genesis 6 were angels who came from heaven to earth, who married women and conceived unusual children who corrupted the world so much that in order to destroy the corruption of mankind, God was forced to cause a flood. God tied the bonds of these angels in the depths of the earth, separating them from the rest of the living creatures. They will be held there until their last punishment at the end of the world's history. Several works of ancient Hebrew literature express this understanding.
The dating of these writings reveals the fact that the idea of "fallen angels and earthly women" was the oldest understanding of the 6th chapter of Genesis.
The Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, compiled by Jewish scholars from the 3rd or 2nd century BC, says that the "sons of God" referred to in Genesis 6 were angels ["Sons of God", "New Catholic Encyclopedia". Vol. XIII, p. 435].
The Book of Enoch and the Book of Jubilees (Hebrew literary works written in the 3rd or 2nd century BC) give the same point of view. The Book of Enoch states: “... and the angels, the children of heaven, seeing them, burned with lust and said to each other:“ Come, let us choose wives for ourselves from among the children of men and conceive children. ”And they went down to the daughters of men on earth and slept with women, and defiled them, and revealed all kinds of sins to them. And the women gave birth to giants, and thus the whole earth was filled with blood and wickedness. " The Book of Jubilees says about these angels: "And after that they were bound by bonds in the depths of the earth forever, until the great day of damnation, when the punishment will be fulfilled for all who corrupted their ways and deeds before the Lord. For these three things a flood came to earth, and namely, for committing fornication, in which the awake, contrary to the law of the commandment, followed the daughters of men in corruption and took for themselves the wives they chose, and gave rise to uncleanness. They conceived the sons of Nafedim, they were completely different and devoured one another. "
Josephus Flavius, a renowned Jewish historian of the 1st century A.D., wrote:
"For many angels of God came together with women and conceived sons who support injustice and despise all good in the name of confidence in their own strengths; for there is a tradition that the deeds of these people resemble the actions of those whom the Greeks called titans."
It is interesting to note that Ap. Jude, who in verses 6-7 wrote about angels having sex with human women, further quoted the book of Enoch in his letter (Jude 14-15).
Fourth, the historical opinion of the early Christian Church, which existed before the 4th century AD, was that the "sons of God" referred to in Genesis 6 were fallen angels who married human women and through them conceived special children.
Several statements made by ministers of the early Christian Church speak of this.
Justin Martyr (114-165 AD) - a significant apologist of the early Christian Church who advocated Christianity against paganism and Judaism - wrote: "But the angels overstepped this appointment and were carried away by the love of women and conceived children." He argued that ancient poets and mythologists mistakenly attributed this act of angels to the gods.
Irenaeus (120-202 AD) - Bishop of Lyons and disciple of Polycarp, taught by the Apostle John, said: the fruit of God, for the sinning angels mingled with them. "
Tertullian (145-220 AD) - a minister and apologist of the Latin Church - spoke about those angels, namely those who rushed from heaven to the "daughters of men", about "women who had angels (as husbands)" and about the angels who denied heaven and entered into carnal marriage. "
Lactantius (240-320 A.D.) - a Christian apologist and a very erudite teacher of the son of the emperor Constantine - said that angels from heaven had sex with women on earth and conceived children who had a mixed angelic and human nature ...
Fifth, according to Babylonian, Greek and other mythologies, in ancient times the gods descended from heaven in the form of male people, married earthly women and conceived supermen who became glorious. We do not, of course, base theology on pagan mythology, but we must wonder what caused such a concept to emerge. Of course, marriages between ordinary men and women born on earth would not be the reason for the idea of supernatural beings who came from heaven in the guise of males, married earthly women and conceived superhuman children.
Combination of content 2Pet. and Jude 6-7, the common term "human" in Genesis 6: 1-2,4 and a firm understanding of Judaism as well as the early Christian Church suggest that the idea of "fallen angels and earthly women" in Genesis .6 provides an explanation of the actual events that took place before the flood. Over time, the pagans perverted the accuracy of what had happened. For example, they interpreted angels as gods. This pagan mythological concept is a distorted reflection of what really happened, and thus constitutes an indication in favor of explaining Genesis 6 in terms of the idea of "fallen angels - earthly women."
Sixth, Genesis 6: 9-10 states: "This is the life of Noah: Noah was a righteous and blameless man in his kind; Noah walked with God. Noah bore three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth." The word that is given "in its kind" essentially means posterity. It comes from a term that "in its narrowest sense describes the act of giving birth to a child by a woman, but is sometimes used to refer to the paternal part of the process of becoming a parent."
The meaning of this word, as well as the statement in v. 10 that Noah bore three sons, indicates that this passage speaks of the physical descendants of Noah.
Verse 9 states that Noah was "blameless" in his descendants. This cannot mean that his physical descendants were sinlessly perfect, since no person born naturally since the Fall can be completely sinless. The word translated "blameless" means "uncorrupted, healthy, unaffected." It is sometimes used to describe animals without flaw.
Thus, this passage speaks to the fact that the physical descendants of Noah were unspoiled, healthy, or flawless. The descendants of the "sons of God" (Genesis 6), on the other hand, were tainted by the inherited properties of the fallen angels. Noah's descendants were not corrupted by this flaw. They were completely human, as God intended.
Seventh, the record in Genesis 6 means that marriages between the sons of God and the daughters of men greatly contributed to the corruption of the human race, necessitating a radical, universal flood punishment.
If these marriages were between two different classes or lines of people, then why did God send universal punishment thousands of years before the last universal punishment at the end of earth's history? Since the very time of the flood punishment, there have been marriages between different classes and lines of people, but God withholds another universal punishment for the end of the world. This discrepancy clearly indicates that the marriages between the sons of God and the daughters of men, as mentioned in Genesis 6, were not concluded between two different classes or kinds of people. These marriages were supposed to be marriages between people and beings of a different order, mixed marriages of two completely different natures and, thus, cause complete corruption of what God created. So punishment on a global scale became necessary in order to prevent the spread of this corruption to all of humanity.
According to this conclusion, Merrill F. Unger wrote about marriages mentioned in Genesis 6: “The events recorded in the Old Testament and the inspired commentaries in the New Testament unanimously represent a whole episode as a unique and amazing anomaly of violation of all God's appointed laws, both physical and and the spiritual world, and caused great indignation in both, so that complete imprisonment in the most distant depths of tartarus is a punishment for the violating angels, on the one hand, and on the other hand, the flood that flooded the whole world is a punishment for human recklessness. "
The time and radical nature of the Flood confirms the validity of the idea of fallen angels and earthly women.
Satan's Possible Strategy
Immediately after the fall of man, God told Satan that the woman's seed would strike him (Gen. 3:15). Through further revelations, God revealed what He meant by these words. Throughout the history of the world, the birth, through a woman, of the Child, the Redeemer, was expected. During His sojourn in the world, the Redeemer was to perform the work of deliverance through which Satan was defeated. Thus, the Redeemer was to be the key to God's victory over satan before the world comes to an end.
Since the Redeemer was to be the key to God's victory over Satan, Satan made the following conclusion: if he can prevent the Redeemer from being born into the world, then God will never defeat him. As a result of this conclusion, the purpose of sat
Introduction
Angelic ranks
Archangels
1 Archangel Michael
2 Archangel Gabriel
3 Archangel Raphael
2.4 Archangel Uriel
2.5 Archangel Selafiel
6 Archangel Yehudiel
7 Archangel Varchiel
8 Archangel Jeremiel
3. Prayers to the Archangels for every day
Conclusion
List of sources
Introduction
According to Christian teaching, all angels are service spirits. They were created by God before the creation of the material world, over which they have significant power. There are significantly more of them than all people. The purpose of the angels is to glorify God, the embodiment of His glory, to direct and embody grace for the glory of God (therefore they are a great help to those who are being saved), their lot is the glorification of God and the fulfillment of His commissions and will. Angels, just like people, have a mind and their mind is much more perfect than a human one. Angels are eternal. Most often, angels are depicted in the form of beardless youths, in light deacons (a symbol of service) vestments (surplice, orarion, instructors), with wings behind their backs (a symbol of speed) and with a halo over their heads. However, in visions, angels appeared to people as six-winged (when the Angels are not similar to humans in outward appearance, then their wings are like flowing streams of grace) and in the form of wheels studded with eyes, and in the form of creatures with four faces on their heads, and like fiery swords rotating, or even in the form of bizarre animals (sphinxes, chimeras, centaurs, pegasi, griffins, unicorns, etc.).
1. Angelic ranks
In the angelic world, a strict hierarchy of 9 angelic ranks was established by God: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominance, Strength, Power, Beginnings, Archangels, Angels. Who led the entire angelic army, Dennitsa - the most powerful, talented, beautiful and close to God, was so proud of his highest position among other angels that he refused to recognize man as a being equal in abilities to God (meaning the ability of man to create and see the essence of things), that is, higher than him, he himself wanted to become higher than God, and because of which he was overthrown. Moreover, he managed to seduce many angels from different ranks. And at this moment, the Archangel Michael called on those who hesitated to remain faithful to God, led the army of bright angels and struck Dennitsa (who began to be called the devil, Satan, the evil one, etc., and other fallen angels - demons, demons, devils, etc.). And there was a war in Heaven, as a result of which the evil spirits fell into the "underworld of the earth," that is, into hell, where they organized themselves into the kingdom of Beelzebub, with the same angelic hierarchy. Fallen spirits are not completely deprived of their former power and, by the permission of God, they can inspire people with sinful thoughts and desires, guide them and hurt them. But people are also helped by good angels, of whom there are more than demons (the Apocalypse says that the serpent (Lucifer) carried away a third of the stars (angels)).
However, the name of the spirit is not the same as the name of a person. God is a Spirit, and as a Spirit, He calls the being not according to the transitory, but according to the Glory. The name of the Angel is the name of his glory. The names of some (in Orthodox tradition- seven) Angels (Archangels) are open to people: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Jehudiel, Selafiel, Barachiel. Moreover, the first four Angels are considered "biblical", that is, their names are directly named in Scripture, and the last three are known from Tradition.
In Orthodoxy, there is an idea of guardian angels sent by God to each person immediately after his baptism: "See, do not despise any of these little ones; for I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in Heaven" (Matthew 18, 10). Every person is also hunted by demons who want to destroy his soul with the help of instilled fears, temptations and temptations. In the heart of every person, an "invisible war" is waged between God and the devil. But almost always God does not Himself personally appear to people, but trusts His angels (or holy people) to convey His will. Such an order was established by God so that a greater number of persons would be involved (and thereby sanctified) in the providence of God, and so as not to violate the freedom of people who are unable to withstand the personal manifestation of God in all His glory. Therefore, the Old Testament prophets, John the Baptist, many saints and monks, are called angels in the Church.
In addition, for every Christian, the earthly Church with heavenly patrons offers special prayers, and God has special care for him.
Each Angel (and the demon) has different abilities: Some "specialize" in the virtue of non-possession, others strengthen faith in people, and still others help in something else. Likewise, demons - some catch up with lustful passions, others - anger, others - vanity, etc. In addition to personal Guardian Angels (assigned to each person) there are Angels - patrons of cities and entire states. But they never enmity, even if these states are at war with each other, but pray to God for the enlightenment of people and the granting of peace on earth.
In the three Epistles of St. Paul (between 48 and 58) are named in addition to the angels: thrones, dominions, beginnings, authorities and powers.
In his commentary "The Canon of the Holy Apostles" St. Gregory of Nyssa (d. C. 394) writes that there are nine angelic ranks: angels, archangels, thrones, dominions, beginnings, strength, radiance, ascent and clever powers (understanding).
St. Cyril of Jerusalem also singles out nine ranks, although in this order: "... Therefore, we remember ... all creation ... invisible, Angels, Archangels, Power, Dominance, Beginning, Power, Thrones, many Cherubims (Ezek. 10.21 and 1.6 ), as if speaking to David: magnify the Lord with me (Ps. 33: 4). We also remember the Seraphim, whom Isaiah saw by the Holy Spirit, standing around the Throne of God, and with two wings covering their face, two legs, and two flying, and exclaiming: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts (Isa. 6: 2-3). And for this we repeat this Theology, which was given to us from the Seraphim, so that we become partakers of the chant together with the premier armies. "
St. Athanasius the Great (d. 373) singled out "... heavenly lights, thrones, dominions, there is heaven, cherubim and seraphim and many angels."
In one of his sermons, St. Amphilochius of Iconium (d. 394) lists: Cherubim, Seraphim, Archangels, Dominions, Strengths and Authorities.
The basis for the creation of the church doctrine of angels is a book written in the 5th century, attributed to Dionysius the Areopagite, "On the Heavenly Hierarchy" (Greek. " Περί της ουρανίας ", lat." De caelesti hierarchia "), better known in the 6th century edition. According to this book, the angels are arranged in the following order: First face · Seraphim (Heb. ùÒøôéíý - burning, flaming, fiery, ancient Greek. σεραφίμ (Is 6: 2-3)) - six-winged angels. "Flaming", "Fiery". They are aflame with love for God and encourage many to love it. · Cherubim (ancient Greek. χερουβίμ from Hebrew ëøåáéíý, kerubim - intercessors, minds, disseminators of knowledge, outpouring of wisdom (Gen. 3:24; Eze 10; Ps 17:11)) - four-winged and four-faced angels. Their name means: outpouring of wisdom, enlightenment. · Thrones (ancient Greek. θρόνοι), according to Dionysius: "God-bearing" (Eze 1: 15-21; 10: 1-17) - the Lord sits on them as on a throne and pronounces His Judgment. Second face · Dominance, ancient Greek. κυριότητες, lat. dominationes (Col. 1:16) - instruct the earthly rulers set by God to wise management, teach to control the senses, tame sinful desires. · Forces, ancient Greek. δυνάμεις, lat. potestates (Rom. 8:38; Eph. 1:21) - work miracles and send down the grace of miracles and clairvoyance to the saints of God. · Authorities, ancient Greek. ἐ ξουσίες, lat. virtutes (Col. 1:16) - have the power to tame the power of the devil. The third face · Authorities (Beginnings) (archons), ancient Greek. ἀ ρχαί, lat. principates (Rom. 8:38; Eph. 1.21; Col. 1:16) - they are entrusted with managing the universe and the elements of nature. · Archangels (chiefs of angels), ancient Greek. ἀ ρχάγγελοι - Michael (Rev 12: 7) - heavenly teachers, teach people how to act in life. · Angels, ancient Greek. ἀ γγελοι - closest to people. They proclaim the intentions of God, instruct people to a virtuous and holy life. Gabriel (Luke 1:26) Raphael (Tov 5: 4); (For Pseudo-Dionysius, the archangel Michael is an "angel"); Seven Angels with golden bowls filled with the wrath of God (Rev 15: 1); Angel of the Abyss Abaddon with a chain and a key to the abyss (Rev 9: 1, 11; 20: 1); Seven Angels with trumpets (Rev 8: 6). The first hierarchy surrounds God in eternal worship (the tables support him); the second rules the stars and the elements; the third - Principalities - protects the earthly kingdoms, Angels and Archangels are divine messengers. Seraphim belonging to the first hierarchy are absorbed in eternal love for the Lord and reverence for Him. They directly surround His throne. Seraphim, as representatives of Divine Love, most often have red wings and sometimes hold lighted candles in their hands. Cherubim know God and worship Him. They, as representatives of Divine Wisdom, are portrayed in golden yellow and blue tones. Sometimes they have books in their hands. Thrones uphold the throne of the Lord and express Divine Justice. Often they are depicted in the robes of judges with a rod of power in their hands. They are believed to receive glory directly from God and bestow it on the second hierarchy. The second hierarchy consists of dominions, forces and powers, which are the rulers of the heavenly bodies and elements. They, in turn, shed the light of glory they received on the third hierarchy. Dominions are worn by crowns, sceptres, and sometimes orbs as symbols of power. They symbolize the authority of the Lord. The forces are holding in their hands white lilies or sometimes red roses, which are symbols of the Passion of the Lord. The authorities are often dressed in the armor of warriors - the victors of evil forces. Through the third hierarchy, contact is made with the created world and with man, for its representatives are the executors of the will of God. In relation to man, the beginnings rule the destinies of nations, archangels are heavenly warriors, and angels are God's messengers to man. In addition to these functions, the host of angels serves as a heavenly choir. Seraphim and Cherubim are depicted as only heads with one, two or three pairs of wings. The seraphim, by tradition, is red and can hold a candle; Cherub - blue or sometimes golden yellow, sometimes with a book. These two ranks are often depicted by those around God the Father in heaven. The angels of the next seven ranks are far from always clearly distinguishable. They usually have human bodies; Thrones can hold thrones, Dominions can be crowned, have powers and scepters; for Sil - lilies or red roses; Authorities and sometimes other lower ranks can be depicted in military armor. 2. Archangels Arkha ́ ngel (Greek. αρχι- - "chief, senior" and άγγελος - "messenger, messenger") - in Christian ideas, the senior angel. In the system of the angelic hierarchy of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, this is the eighth of the nine ranks of the angels. In the canonical books of the Bible, only Michael is directly called the archangel, but according to the traditions of the church, there are several archangels. According to the classification of angels, set out in the work of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (5th - early 6th centuries) "On the Heavenly Hierarchy", the Archangel is the name of the second rank in the third, lower face of the angelic hierarchy (1st rank - angels, 2nd - archangels, 3rd - beginning). According to another, more ancient classification - in the Jewish Apocrypha "Book of Enoch" (II century BC) - there are seven Archangels. 1.Uriel, reigning over the heavenly bodies; 2.Raphael, the ruler of man's thought and his healer; 3.Raguel, punishing the world of the luminaries; 4.Michael, Chief Archangel; 5.Sariel, the ruler of the spirits that seduce and lead people into sin; 6.Gabriel, the guardian of paradise and the ruler of the spirits that help people; 7.Jeremiel watching the resurrection of the dead. Apparently, the seven Archangels of the "Book of Enoch" correspond to the seven Amesha Spenta of the Zoroastrian pantheon and the seven planetary spirits of the Babylonians. According to the mystical legends of Judaism, each archangel is connected to one of the planets. The seven Archangels as leaders over the myriads of angels (heavenly hosts) are also called archangels in the Christian tradition. We know from the Holy Scriptures that there are seven Archangels, that is, the senior Angels who rule over everyone else. In the book of Tobit, we read: "I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels" (Comrade 12.15). And in the Revelation of John the Theologian it is said about seven spirits, who are like before the throne of God (Rev. 1: 4). The Holy Church refers to them: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Selaphiel, Yehudiel and Barachiel. Tradition also combs Jeremiel with them. Currently in Orthodox Church eight Archangels are revered: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Selafiel, Jehudiel, Barahil and Jeremiel. Sikhail, Zadkiel, Samuel, Jophiel and many others are also known. The celebration of the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael and other disembodied Heavenly powers takes place in the Orthodox Church on November 8 (21). Its establishment is associated with the decision of the Laodicean Council (c. 343), which took place several years before the First Ecumenical Council, and condemned as heretical worship of angels as creators and rulers of the world. angel archangel prayer christian 2.1 Archangel Michael Archangel Michael (Heb. îéëàìý, Mihae ́ l - "Who is like God"; Greek Αρχάγγελος Μιχαήλ) - the main archangel, who is one of the most revered biblical characters. Michael's name is mentioned several times at the end of the Book of Daniel: "But the prince of the kingdom of Persia stood against me for twenty-one days; but behold, Michael, one of the first princes, came to help me, and I remained there with the kings of Persia" (Dan 10:13). "However, I will declare to you what is written in the true scripture; and there is no one who would support me in that, except Michael, your prince" (Dan 10:21). And also in the prophecy about the Last Judgment and the role of the Archangel Michael in it. Christian tradition also identifies the following references to unnamed angels with the actions of the Archangel Michael: · the appearance to Balaam: "and the Angel of the Lord stood on the way to hinder him" (Num.22: 22); · the appearance to Joshua: "and behold, a man stands before him, with a drawn sword in his hand" and further on he is called the Leader of the Lord's army (Josh. 5: 13-15); · salvation of three youths in a cave of fire: "Blessed be the God of Sedrakh, Misach and Abdenago, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants" (Dan.3: 95). The book "A Guide to Writing Icons of Saints" says that the holy Archangel Michael "is depicted trampling (trampling) Lucifer and, as a winner, holding a green date branch in his left hand on his chest, and a spear in his right hand, on top of which a white banner depicting a red cross to commemorate the victory of the Cross over the devil. " "He was the first to rebel against Lucifer (Satan), when this one rebelled against the Almighty. It is known how this war ended with the overthrow of the box (Satan) from heaven. Since then, Archangel Michael has not ceased to fight for the glory of the Creator and Lord of all, for the cause of the salvation of the family. human, for the church and her children. Therefore, for those who are adorned with the name of the first of the Archangels, it is most appropriate to be distinguished by zeal for the glory of God, loyalty to the Heavenly King and the kings of the earth, constant war against vice and wickedness, constant humility and self-sacrifice "- Innocent, Archbishop Kherson. Celebration in the Orthodox Church on November 21 (November 8, old style) and September 19 (September 6, old style) in remembrance of the miracle of the Archangel Michael in Khoneh (Colossi). Prayer: "Holy Archangel Michael, help me defeat enemies, visible and invisible, and adversaries fighting against my soul and body. And pray to God for me, a sinner. Amen." 2 Archangel Gabriel Archangel Gabriel (Heb. âáøéàì - the man of God). Mentioned in the following Bible books: Dan 8:16, 9:21 and Luke 1:19, 1:26. In the Bible he is called an angel, but in the tradition of the Christian church he appears as an archangel - one of the highest angels. In the Old and New Testaments he appears as a bearer of joyful evangelism. He announces to the priest Zechariah in the temple, during the ascension of incense, about the birth of John the Baptist, the Virgin Mary in Nazareth - about the birth of Jesus Christ. It is considered the guardian angel of the chosen people. On the icons, he is depicted with a candle and a mirror made of jasper, as a sign that the ways of God are not clear before time, but are comprehended through time by studying the word of God and obeying the voice of conscience. The Archangel Gabriel, as explained in the "Guide to the Writing of Icons", "is depicted holding a lantern in his right hand with a candle lit inside, and in his left a stone mirror." This mirror made of green jasper (jasper) with black and white spots on it, illuminated by the light of truth, reflects the good and bad deeds of peoples, proclaims to people the secrets of God's economy, the salvation of mankind. The Archangel Gabriel is commemorated in the Orthodox Church on March 26 and July 13 (according to the Julian calendar). Prayer: "Holy Archangel Gabriel, bring me joy and the salvation of my soul. And pray to God for me, a sinner. Amen." 3 Archangel Raphael Archangel Raphael (Heb. øôàìý, Rafa ́ el - "the Lord healed"). Mentioned only in the non-canon book of Tobit (3:16; 12: 12-15). Raphael in Aramaic means "Healing of God" or "Healing of God". According to the Jewish midrash, Raphael healed the pain that Abraham suffered after he was circumcised. In the "Guide to the writing of icons" it is reported that: "Archangel Raphael, doctor of human ailments: he is depicted holding a vessel (alavastr) with medicinal means (medicine) in his left hand, and in his right hand is a string, that is, a cut feather for anointing wounds." Prayer: "Holy Archangel Raphael, heal my ailments, both mental and physical passions. And pray to God for me, a sinner. Amen." 4 Archangel Uriel Archangel Uriel (Heb. àåÌøÄéàÅìý - "the light of God, or God is the light"). Mentioned in the non-canonical book of Ezra (3 Ezra 4: 1; 5:20). According to the tradition of the Orthodox Church, the holy Archangel Uriel was appointed by God to guard Paradise after the fall and expulsion of Adam. According to Orthodox theologians, Uriel, being the radiance of the divine fire, is the enlightener of the dark, unbelievers and ignorant, and the very name of the archangel, corresponding to his special ministry, means "Fire of God" or "Light of God". According to the iconographic canon, Uriel "is depicted holding a naked sword in his right hand against his chest, and a fiery flame in his left." Innocent of Kherson, in his work about the archangels, writes about Uriel the following: "As an Angel of light, he enlightens the minds of people with the revelation of truths useful to them; as an Angel of Divine fire, he ignites hearts with love for God and destroys in them the impure earthly attachments." Prayer: "Holy Archangel Uriel, enlighten my darkened mind and defiled by my passions. And pray to God for me, a sinner." 5 Archangel Selafiel Archangel Selafiel (Salafiel; Heb. ùàìúéàìý - "prayer to God"). Mentioned only in the non-canonical book of Ezra (5:16). "And now the Lord has given us the whole face of prayer angels, with their leader Salafiel, so that with the pure breath of their lips they warm our cold hearts to prayer, that they instruct us when and how to pray, so that our very offerings may be lifted up to the throne of grace. When you will see, brethren, on the icon of the Archangel, standing in a prayer position, with eyes downcast, with hands attached with reverence to the Persians (to the chest), then know that this is Salafiel. " The "Guide to the Writing of Icons" says about him: "The Holy Archangel Salafiel, a prayer book, always praying to God for people and arousing people to prayer. He is depicted with his face and eyes bowed (lowered) down, and hands pressed (folded) with a cross on the chest, like a tenderly praying " Prayer: "Holy Archangel Salafiel, stir me up in days and nights, to the Divine praise. And pray to God for me, a sinner. Amen." 6 Archangel Yehudiel Archangel Jehudiel (praise of God). This name is known only from legends; his name is not mentioned in the canonical texts. The name of the archangel Yehudiel, translated into Russian, means "the Glorifier of God" or "Praise of God". Guided by these translations, icon painters placed similar epithets on his images. So, the inscription on the fresco of the Cathedral of the Annunciation says: "to have the service of affirming the people who work in good or, for the glory of God, to seek reward for them." As explained in the "Guide to the Writing of Icons," Yehudiel "is depicted holding a golden crown in his right hand as a reward from God for useful and pious labors to holy people, and in his left hand a scourge of three black ropes with three ends, as a punishment for sinners for laziness to godly labors. " Innocent of Kherson writes about him: "Each of us, young and old, is obliged to live and work for the glory of God. The greater the deed, the higher and brighter the reward. In the right hand of the Archangel is not just a crown: it is a reward for every Christian working for glory. Of God ". Prayer: "Holy Archangel Yehudiel, confirm me for every work and work. And pray to God for me a sinner. Amen." 7 Archangel Barachiel Archangel Barahiel (God's blessing) - not mentioned in the Bible, known only from legend. In the book "Guide to the Writing of Icons" it is reported about him: "The Holy Archangel Barachiel, the dispenser of God's blessings and an intercessor who asks us for God's blessing: he is depicted carrying white roses on his clothes on his clothes, as if rewarding by the command of God for prayers, labors and moral behavior of people and foreshadowing bliss and endless peace in the Kingdom of Heaven. " White roses are a symbol of God's blessing. "Since the blessings of God are different, then the ministry of this Angel is diverse: through him the blessing of God is sent for every deed, for every good everyday occupation "- Saint Innocent of Kherson Prayer: "Holy Archangel Barachiel, seek mercy from the Lord. And pray to God for me, a sinner. Amen." 2.8 Archangel Jeremiel Archangel Jeremiel (the height of God). Mentioned only in the non-canonical book of Ezra (3 Ezra 4:36.). In the 3rd book of Ezra (4:36), the Archangel Jeremiel (the height of God) is also mentioned. He was present at the first conversation of the Archangel Uriel with the priest Ezra and answered the latter when asked about the signs preceding the end of the sinful world and about the beginning of the eternal kingdom of the righteous. Based on the meaning of the name (Jeremiel - "The height of God"), theologians believe that he is sent from God to man in order to facilitate the exaltation and return of man to God. He is depicted holding a balance in his right hand. 3. Prayers to the Archangels for every day On Monday Holy Archangel of God Michael, drive away from me with your lightning sword the evil spirit that tempts me. Oh, the great Archangel of God Michael - the conqueror of demons! Conquer and crush all my enemies, visible and invisible, and pray to the Lord Almighty, may the Lord save and preserve me from sorrows and from all illness, from deadly ulcers and vain death, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen. Oh, holy six-winged Seraphim, lift up your blessed prayer to the Lord, may the Lord soften our hardened sinful hearts, let us learn to entrust to Him, our God, all: both evil and good, teach us to forgive our offenders, so that the Lord will forgive us. On Tuesday Holy Archangel Gabriel, who brought inexpressible joy from Heaven to the Most Pure Virgin, fill my heart with joy and joy, which is bitter with pride. Oh, great Archangel of God Gabriel, you proclaimed to the Most Pure Virgin Mary the conception of the Son of God. To erect also to me, a sinner, the day of the terrible death of the Lord God for my sinful soul, may the Lord forgive my sins. O great Archangel Gabriel! Save me from all troubles and from a serious illness, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen. O many-read Cherubim, look at my madness, correct my mind, renew the meaning of my soul, let the wisdom of heaven descend on me, unworthy, so that I do not sin with a word, in order to bridle my tongue, so that every deed is directed to the glory of Heavenly Father. Oh, the great Archangel of God Raphael, who received the gift from God to heal ailments, heal the incurable ulcers of my heart and many diseases of my body. Oh, the great Archangel of God Raphael, you are a guide, doctor and healer, guide me to salvation and heal all my diseases, mental and physical, and lead me to the Throne of God, and pray His blessing for my sinful soul, may the Lord forgive me and He will keep from all my enemies and from wicked people, both now and forever. Amen. Oh, holy God-bearing Thrones, teach us the meekness and humility of Christ, our Master, grant us the true knowledge of your weakness, your insignificance, grant us victory in the struggle against pride and vanity. Grant us simplicity, an eye of pure and humble consciousness. On Thursday Holy Archangel of God Uriel, illuminated by the Divine Light and abundantly filled with the fire of fiery ardent love, throw a spark of this fiery fire into my cold heart, and illuminate my dark soul with your light. Oh, great Archangel of God Uriel, you are the radiance of the Divine fire and the enlightener of those darkened by sins, enlighten my mind, my heart, my will with the power of the Holy Spirit, and guide me on the path of repentance, and pray the Lord God, may the Lord deliver me from the hell of hell and from all enemies, visible and invisible, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen. Oh, holy Dominions, always abiding before the Heavenly Father, pray Jesus Christ, our Savior, may he seal his royal power in weakness and grant us grace, may we be cleansed by this grace, may we grow by this grace, may we be filled with faith, hope and love. On Friday Holy Archangel of God Selafiel, give a prayer to the one who is praying, teach me to pray a prayer that is humble, contrite, concentrated and tender. Oh, great Archangel of God Selafiel, you pray to God for the people of faith, pray to His Grace for me, a sinner, may the Lord deliver me from all troubles and sorrows, and diseases, and from vain death, and from eternal torment, and the Lord of the Kingdom will grant me Heavenly with all the Saints forever. Amen. Oh, holy Heavenly Forces, pray to our Lord let him bring down into our souls the consciousness of weakness, weakness and limitation, may there always be a place in us for Divine action, at the hour of death give us grace from God, may we gain mercy from the Lord of Forces, to Him praise and worship befitting. On Saturday Holy Archangel of God Yehudiel, inherent in the haste of all ascetics on the path of Christ, excite me from grievous laziness and strengthen me with a good deed. Oh, the great Archangel of God Yehudiel, you are a zealous defender of the glory of God, you excite me to glorify the Holy Trinity, awaken me too, the lazy one, to glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and pray to the Lord Almighty to build a pure heart in me and renew the right spirit in my womb , and by the Lord's Spirit he will establish me in truth both to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen. Oh, holy Heavenly Authorities, pray for us to the Heavenly Father, grant wisdom and discernment in order to discern, so that with the Jesus prayer we can crush all devilish thoughts by your intercession, so we acquire a pure, clear, prayerful mind, a benevolent heart, will turned to the Lord. On Sunday Holy Archangel Barachiel, who brings us blessing from the Lord, bless me to put a good beginning, to correct my negligent life, may I please the Lord my Savior in everything forever and ever. Amen. Oh, holy Heavenly Beginnings, pray our Lord Jesus Christ to enable us to start a good beginning! Conclusion The rank of the holy Archangels, as the middle one in the last Hierarchy, unites the extreme ranks by its communion with them. The Archangels communicate with the Most Holy Principles and through them turn to the premium Principle, conform to Him as much as possible; keep unity between the Angels in accordance with their slender, skillful, invisible leadership. The rank of the Archangels is communicated with the Angels as an order determined for teaching. Archangels receive Divine insights through the first Forces by the nature of the hierarchy, transmit them with love to the Angels, who are closest to people, and in special cases directly to worthy people who are close in spirit to the holy Angels. What is the structure of the life of angels, what degrees are among them - the Apostle Paul told about all this to his disciple, whom he converted from pagans to Christ when he was in Athens. The name of this student of Pavlov is Dionysius the Areopagite (he was a member of the Areopagus, the supreme court of Athens). Dionysius, everything he heard from Paul, wrote down and compiled a book: "On the Heavenly Hierarchy." Although the number of Angels is immeasurable - there is great darkness, so - but there are only seven Archangels. I am one of the seven holy Angels, - so the Archangel Raphael said to the righteous Tobit, - they bring the prayers of the saints and enter the glory of the Holy One. (Comrade 12, 15). Similar to the seven lamps before the throne of the Most High, there are seven Archangels: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Selafiel, Jehudiel and Barachiel. List of sources 1. Wikipedia (Angelic Ranks) URL: # "justify">. Wikipedia (Angel) URL: # "justify">. Wikipedia (Archangels) URL: # "justify">. Prayers to help those in need URL: # "justify"> 5. Icons of Archangels, Angels and other Ethereal Heavenly Forces URL: http://pravicon.com/a
Priest Oleg Davydenkov
Spiritual or angelic world
From the book "Dogmatic Theology"
3.1. Spiritual or angelic world
Each orthodox christian must have a dogmatically correct teaching about angels, because this is the area of religious knowledge where there are many false opinions that have nothing to do with church teaching. Interest in the angelic world is currently quite large, in various countries there are special societies for the study of angels, literature is published, magazines are regularly published in which details from the life of angels are printed. At the same time, the patristic texts are mixed with the "revelations" of the mystics and theosophists of the past and present.
The dogmatic teaching about angels in Orthodoxy is mostly negative. We know very little for certain about angels, and the study of the topic "Angels" in a Dogmatic Theology course aims not so much to communicate positive knowledge about angels as to dispel misconceptions about the subject.
3.1.1. Angels in Sacred The scriptures
The very word "angel" (angelos) in translation from Greek literally means "messenger" and does not point to nature as such, but to the service performed. In the Holy. In the Scriptures, the word "angel" refers to prophets, such as the prophet Moses (Num. 20, 16). Prophet Malachi, prophesying about the Lord Jesus Christ, calls him the Angel of the Covenant (Mal. 3: 1).
In the Holy. In the Scriptures incorporeal spirits are called angels in the proper sense: in Gen. 3 speaks of a Cherubim with a fiery sword, placed at the gates of paradise, in Gen. 28 - about the vision of the stairs by the patriarch Jacob and others. The Prophet Isaiah had a vision of the Seraphim in the temple (Isaiah 6), the psalms repeatedly speak of angels, for example: “For he will command his angels about you” (Ps. 90, 11).
In the New Testament, the existence of these creatures is also undoubted: the Angel Gabriel announced the good news to the Virgin Mary, during the temptations in the wilderness, the Lord was with the angels, the Resurrection, Ascension and other events in the life of the Savior are marked by the presence of angelic forces. In the history of the early Church, we also see the actions of angels. Thus, an angel led the Apostle Peter out of prison. Angels, as executors of the will of God, are repeatedly spoken of in the book of Revelation.
3.1.2. Objections to being angels
In the Christian world, the existence of angels is denied only by extreme Protestants, other Christian confessions recognize the existence of angels. To deny what is said about the angels in the Holy. Scripture is impossible, so opponents of faith in angels have to interpret biblical texts. There are three main arguments against belief in angels:
It is sometimes argued that angels are the personification of the elements of nature. At a certain, rather low level of religious consciousness, belief in angels and their veneration arises. However, it is difficult to believe in this, since in the Holy. In the Scriptures, angels have pronounced personal characteristics, and it is impossible to seriously assert that the ancient Jews understood angels as the personification of natural elements.
The second objection boils down to the fact that the Bible found expression for popular beliefs according to which the spiritual world is modeled on the court of an eastern monarch. It is also difficult to agree with this, because if these were folk ideas, then they would undoubtedly abound in various implausible, fantastic details, as is the case in the mythology of various peoples.
In the Holy. The Scriptures speak of angels very carefully and, in fact, we know about angels only insofar as their activity is manifested in relation to man. Nowhere in the Sacred. Scripture does not speak of the angelic world in itself, we do not know about any details from the life of angels that are not related to man. Such caution in the approach to the depiction of the angelic world does not give any reason to believe that any folk performances that have always been distinguished by exuberant imagination have found a place here.
The third objection is that the belief in angels was borrowed by the Jews from the Persian religion of Zoroastrianism during the Babylonian captivity. In reality, this is not so, because the captivity took place in the 6th century, and the Pentateuch of Moses and most of the books of prophecy, as is indisputably proven by modern science, were written before the Babylonian captivity, and faith in angels is undoubtedly present there. It is simply not serious to argue that all the texts that speak of angels are later interpolations.
In addition, there are others significant differences between the teaching about angels in the Holy. Scriptures and teachings about angels in Zoroastrianism. First, dualism is characteristic of Zoroastrianism in the doctrine of angels: good angels were created by the good god Ormuzd, evil angels come from the evil god Ahriman. According to the teachings of the Holy. The Scriptures all angels are by nature good, they are all created by one good God, the presence of evil angels among them is due to the fall of the latter. Secondly, in Zoroastrianism, angels are bisexual creatures who even enter into a marriage relationship. In the Holy. In the scriptures, angels appear as sexless. Finally, the Jews did not have the cult of angels, there was no practice of worshiping angels, which was the case in Zoroastrianism. For Christians, the main reason for confidence in the real existence of angels is that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself spoke about the existence of angels.
3.1.3. Creation of Angels by God
In the Holy. Scripture only once directly speaks of the creation of angels: “You, Lord, are one; You created the heavens, the heavens of heaven and all their host” (Neh. 9, 6). The army here should be understood as angels. This is indirectly stated in Col. 1, 16: "By him was created everything that is in heaven and that on earth, visible and invisible: whether thrones, dominions, rulers, or powers - everything was created by Him and for Him." Thrones, dominions, principals and powers are the names of angelic ranks.
3.1.4. The time of the creation of the angels
Exact indications regarding the time of the creation of the angels of the Holy. Scripture doesn't give. In the patristic texts, we find at least three opinions regarding the origin of angels.
According to the first, angels were created before the material world. This opinion is the most widespread and was included in the Catechisms. It was shared by the martyrs. Irenaeus of Lyons, Eusebius of Caesarea, St. Athanasius the Great, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, Epiphanius of Cyprus. St. John of Damascene says ("Exact exposition ...", Book 2, Ch. III): "It was necessary to create first of all an intelligent entity, then a sensual one, and after that from one and the other essence - a man."
Other fathers, such as Theodorite of Cyrus and Gennady Massalsky, believed that angels were created simultaneously with the creation of the visible world. His position blzh. Theodorite argues as follows: “Angels have a limited essence and therefore they need a place, therefore one Deity, as unlimited, is not contained in a place. But if angels are limited by place, how can they exist before heaven and earth? For as long as there is no containing, can there be content? "
Angels, as created entities, need a place for their existence, and place presupposes the presence of space as a form of existence of created being. Therefore, before the world with space and time was created, angels could not have appeared. Some fathers, in particular, blzh. Augustine believed that angels were created on the first day along with the light, and that is why angels are called second lights.
There is an opinion based on progressive ideas: since the world develops in an evolutionary way, from simple to complex, and the angel is more perfect than man, therefore, angels should have appeared after man. This is not true because Job. 38: 4-7 says that God founded the earth with the general rejoicing of heaven, when all the sons of God shouted for joy. The Sons of God in this case are angels, and the foundation of the earth refers to the fourth day of creation. This means that angels already existed by this time.
The question of the time of the creation of angels belongs to the field of theological opinion. It can be unambiguously asserted only that the angels were created no later than the 4th day, and therefore, could not be created together with man or later.
3.1.5. The nature of angels
In the Holy. In the scriptures, angels are presented as intelligently free beings. St. John Damascene ("Exact exposition ..." Book 2, Ch. 3) gives the following definition of an angel: "An angel is a rational nature, endowed with intelligence and free will."
The nature of the angelic world is incomprehensible to us. St. John of Damascus says: "The Creator alone knows the form and definition of the angelic essence."
We do not even know: are the angels consubstantial with each other or not? There are different opinions on this issue. For example, V. N. Lossky ("Dogmatic Theology") writes that each angel is a separate nature, a separate intelligible world. However, you can ask the question: "How does he know this?" Scripture does not say about this either a single word... Therefore, we do not know whether all angels are consubstantial to each other, as people; or angels constitute several different genera and within the genus they are consubstantial, but not between genera; or does each angel have a special essence?
3.1.6. Properties of angelic nature
3.1.6.1. Spirituality and disembodiment
In Heb. 1, 6-7, angels are directly called "spirits." In the Holy. The scriptures portray angels as beings of a spiritual nature. In Col. 1, 16 angels are called invisible, since they are not characterized by gross corporeality. The Lord after the Resurrection says: “The Spirit has no flesh and bones” (Luke 24, 39). However, despite the fact that we call the angels spiritual and incorporeal, in the Holy. In the Scriptures, they always appear in some kind of sensual images, most often in human images. According to the interpretation of the holy fathers, the sensory images in which the angels appear are their temporary state, and not an expression of their being. Blzh. Theodorite explains: “We know that the nature of angels is incorporeal, but they take an image in favor of those who see”. St. John of Damascus says the same (Exact exposition ..., book 2, ch. III): “Angels, appearing by the will of God to worthy people, are not what they themselves are, but are transformed in accordance with how the beholders can see them. "
Speaking about the incorporeality of angels, one must bear in mind that according to the teachings of Sts. fathers incorporeality is relative. Tertullian, St. Basil the Great and many other Sts. the fathers believed that all created things have a certain materiality. St. John Damascene explains: “An angel is called incorporeal and immaterial in comparison with us, for everything, in comparison with the One God, incomparable, turns out to be gross and material. The Divine alone is entirely immaterial and incorporeal. Therefore, angels also have the form and limitation inherent in their nature. One Divine Being is indescribable, completely formless, non-figurative and unlimited. "
In the middle of the last century, in the Russian Church, a theological dispute took place between the two now glorified saints Ignatius (Brianchaninov) and Theophan the Recluse about the corporeality of angelic nature. St. Theophan defended the point of view of the complete incorporeality of angels. St. Ignatius defended the view of the relative corporeality of angels. This issue in Orthodoxy is not dogmatized, and no one is prohibited from holding any of these opinions. However, in the decrees of the VII Ecumenical Council on church art, it is noted that angels do possess some corporeality: "As for the rational forces, they are not completely removed from corporeality, and are not unconditionally invisible, being endowed with thin, airy or fiery bodies." In doing so, the Council Fathers referred to Heb. 1, 7: "You create flaming fire with your Angels and your servants." The question was raised about the possibility of depicting angels on icons. On the other hand, to recognize the angels as completely incorporeal means to abandon attempts to portray them. To substantiate the possibility of their depiction, the Fathers of the Council point to the subtle fiery, airy or ethereal corporeality of angels.
3.1.6.2. The relationship of angels to space and time
It is possible to affirm being outside of time and space only in relation to God. As for the angels, they, as creatures and, therefore, limited, to a certain extent depend on these categories of created being. On the one hand, from the Holy. Scripture shows that in relation to the properties of space and time, angels have incomparably greater freedom than people. In particular, they can move with great speed, while they are not held, as St. John Damascene, "neither walls, nor doors, nor laws, nor seals, and abide in places comprehended only by the mind" (Book 2, Ch. 3). The place of residence of the angels in the Sacred. Scripture is called differently, for example, "heaven of heaven" (1 Kings 8:27), or "third heaven" (2 Cor. 12, 2). What is it, Sacred Scripture does not elaborate.
By nature, angels do not have appearance, like bodies, and therefore do not have a threefold dimension. On the other hand, they are not omnipresent, spiritually present where they are told, they cannot simultaneously act here and there. When they are in heaven, they are not on earth, when they are sent to earth by God, they do not remain in heaven, that is, to a certain extent they are still limited in space, since they do not have the property of omnipresence.
The eternity of the angelic world is not identical with the divine eternity, since the angelic world undoubtedly has a beginning. In addition, the angelic world is subject to change to one degree or another, so we know that some of the angels have fallen. St. Fathers, there are sayings that angels are able to continuously grow in the acquisition of eternal blessings, which also implies some correlation with time.
3.1.6.3. Immortality
The property of angelic nature is immortality (Luke 20, 36). But how are angels immortal: by nature or by grace? There are two patristic opinions on this issue. The first is expressed by St. John Damascene. He believes that angels are immortal not by nature, but by grace, for everything that has a beginning has an end, and angels, being created, must sooner or later cease to exist, and it does not end only by the grace of God.
St. Gregory Palamas, on the contrary, believed that angels are immortal by nature, for if you deny the immortality of angels by nature, then it is impossible to explain eternal torment. In a state of complete rejection, the fallen angels will no longer partake of Divine grace, but, nevertheless, they will not cease to exist. Therefore, they are immortal not by grace, but by their own nature. Neither opinion has the character of a dogma.
3.1.7. Perfection of angelic nature
Angels are creatures endowed with reason, free will and feelings, for example, they rejoice over a repentant sinner (Luke 15, 10). But angels have no external sense organs. St. John Damascene ("Exact exposition ...", Book 2, Ch. III) says: "They have knowledge of the senses, but they do not perceive it by sensual and natural power, but they know it by godlike power, that is, by grace." In other words, angels have the ability to directly cognize things, without the mediation of external senses.
The perfection of angelic nature is expressed in the special closeness of angels to God. They are characterized by the highest knowledge. The Lord says: "Their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven" (Luke 18:10). In 2 Pet. 2, 11 speaks about the power of angels, who surpass people in strength and strength. The perfection of the angelic nature is also expressed in holiness, the Lord directly calls the angels saints (Matt. 25, 31). But at the same time, the perfection of the angelic nature is limited. So in Job. 4, 18 says that God "also discerns shortcomings in His angels." The minds of angels are also limited, they do not know the essence of God, because only God Himself knows His essence (1 Cor. 2:11).
They do not know the future if God Himself does not reveal this to them, for example, they do not know the day and hour of the Second Coming (Mark 13, 32). Angels do not fully comprehend the secrets of the Atonement, wanting only to grasp this mystery (1 Pet. 1:12).
According to the teachings of Sts. fathers, the power of angels is limited by nature. Although in the Holy. The Scriptures do not say this, there is a common patristic opinion that angels cannot perform miracles by their own power. They work miracles only by the grace they have from God.
The question of the comparative perfection of angels and man is not uninteresting. There is a widespread belief that angels, unlike humans, are not created in the image and likeness of God, which is not in the Holy. Scripture, nor Sts. Fathers do not say that angels are created in the image and likeness. In fact, Sts. Fathers speak about this, for example, in St. John of Damascus (2 books, 2 chap.): "The Creator of angels, who brought them from non-existent into existence, created them in His own image."
How does the perfection of angels compare with human perfection? According to the traditional opinion, which was included in the Catechisms and textbooks on dogma (see, for example, "Dogmatic Theology" by Archpriest M. Pomazansky), angels are more perfect beings than humans. In this case, they usually refer to Heb. 2, 7: "Thou didst not much humiliate him before the Angels." At the same time, Sts. Fathers, you can find many statements of the opposite nature. For example, St. Macarius of Egypt ("Spiritual Conversations") says: "Man is more precious than all creatures, I dare say, not only visible, but invisible."
A similar opinion can be found among many of the holy fathers. In the person of its best representatives, the human race is superior to the angels. Undoubtedly, the Lord Jesus Christ, as a true Man, in His humanity is higher than the angels. The Mother of God is revered by the Church as "the most honest Cherubim and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim", that is, incomparably higher than all angelic ranks.
Some of the Sts. Fathers justified the superiority of man over the angels by the fact of the Incarnation. As a result of the Incarnation, through the sacrament of the Eucharist, a person can enter into a closer union with God than angels. St. Ephraim of Syria: "God made you higher than the angels, when He came to earth in His person to be your Intercessor and your Redeemer." Indeed, in Heb. 2, 16 says: "He will not receive angels, but the seed of Abraham will receive." Some of the Sts. Fathers saw the advantage of man over angels in the fact that, unlike angels, creatures by nature simple, man has a complex nature. It combines in itself two worlds: the sensible and the supersensible, therefore the final destinies of the world depend on the person, on his free will. It is physicality that determines the creative abilities of a person. St. Gregory Palamas writes: “Because the spirit united with the body possesses life-giving power, with which it animates and controls its body. This is the ability that angels, disembodied spirits do not have. " In other words, the angel, as a pure spirit, does not have creative power, since it is not united with the material body. " In Heb. 1, 14 says that angels are in a certain subordinate position in relation to people: "Are they not all serving spirits sent to the ministry for those who have inherited salvation?" That is, the purpose of angels is to serve man. These words of ap. Paul can be interpreted in the sense that the angel is not an independent subject of action, but a service tool in relation to man. In reality, we do not know whether the angel is only the executor of the Divine will, or whether he himself can set goals for himself, formulate tasks and act to achieve them. As for the verse “You did not humiliate him much before the Angels” (Heb. 2: 7), then its meaning, according to arch. Cassian (Bezobrazov), is not quite correctly conveyed in the synodal translation. It would be more correct to translate "not much" as "for a little ..." In other words, a person is more perfect than angels, but for a while he is diminished.
Svt. Tried to synthesize these two opinions. Gregory Palamas. From his point of view, in the likeness, that is, actual, in the state in which a person is now, he is significantly lower than the angels. But at the same time, according to St. Gregory, in the image of a man more than angels, he can achieve greater perfection. At the same time, St. Gregory believed that creatures with various degrees of godlikeness could exist, and man was created in the image of God, and the angel was created in the image of God, but the degree of godlikeness in man is greater than that of angels.
Summing up the above, we can say that the question of the comparative perfection of angels and humans cannot have an exact dogmatic solution for reasons of the following nature. First, Sacred. Scripture does not give an unambiguous answer to this question, and, secondly, we know too little about angelic nature, therefore this question belongs to the field of theological opinions.
3.1.8. Number of angels
The question of the number of angels splits into two sub-questions: is the number of angels finite or infinite? and is it permanent or is it changing in some way?
In the Holy. The Scriptures give the numbers by which the angels are numbered. So, the prophet Daniel (Dan. 7, 10) speaks about thousands of thousands, that is, about millions, and about the darkness of those, that is, billions of angels. The Lord Jesus Christ spoke of twelve legions of angels. Some of the Sts. fathers, in particular St. Cyril of Jerusalem ("Announcement Conversations"): "This number is great, but it is still small, because there are even more angels, and they are ninety-nine sheep, and mankind is one hundredth, a sheep."
Commenting on the numbers given by the prophet Daniel, St. Cyril says that this does not mean that this is exactly the number of angels, but because the prophet could not utter a larger number. It is widely believed that the number of angels is infinite, although in the Holy. Scripture does not state anywhere that the number of angels is unlimited. In the Holy. Scriptures are called large, but still finite numbers. Therefore, it is unambiguous to assert; that the number of angels is infinite is impossible.
Is this number constant or not? It can be argued that the number of angels is not decreasing. Since angels are immortal, their number cannot diminish. But can it increase? There are different opinions on this matter. Blzh. Theodorite believed that the number of angels could not increase and argued this as follows: "Nature not subject to decay does not require reproduction." St. John Damascene: "they have no need for marriage, because they are not mortal." However, this argumentation is not very convincing, because Adam and Eve before the Fall were also incorruptible and immortal, however, they were commanded to be fruitful and multiply. Some of the Sts. fathers, in particular, St. Gregory of Nyssa talked about some mysterious reproduction of angels and believed that the number of angels was increasing. In reality, we do not know whether the number of angels is constant or is it increasing? The only thing we can say is that it is not decreasing.
3.1.9. Heavenly hierarchy
The word “hierarchy” (ierarchia) in modern language is not used in its proper sense. Any subordination is called a hierarchy, for example, state structure can be called a hierarchy. In the immediate sense, the Greek word “hierarchy” means “hierarchy”, and it can be used when speaking of the church hierarchy, the heavenly hierarchy, but not in relation to secular organizations.
From the Holy. Scripture implies that the angelic world has a certain hierarchical structure, that there are various orders of angels. Thus, we know that some angels are simply called angels, while others are called senior angels, "archangels." Already from this one can see a certain hierarchical principle of the structure of the angelic world. The vision of the angelic ladder by the patriarch Jacob is also interpreted to mean that the angelic world has a hierarchical structure.
In Syavsch. Scripture mentions nine angelic orders, which were already known in the ancient Church. The nine angelic ranks are spoken of by St. Cyril of Jerusalem ("Announcement Conversations"), St. John Chrysostom ("Conversations on Genesis"), all angelic orders are listed in the VIIIth book of the "Apostolic decrees". That classification of angelic forces, which is traditional, is first encountered at the turn of the 5th-6th centuries in the works of an unknown author, whose works have come down to us under the name of Dionysius the Areopagite. Prot. John Meyendorff writes: "Undoubtedly, there was some tendency towards the classification of angels, but Dionysius gave it a systematic form and metaphysical justification." Pseudo-Dionysius, being a Platonist by philosophical views, successfully applied the philosophical principles of Neoplatonism in Christian theology, especially in the doctrine of the Holy Trinity and in the doctrine of the knowledge of God. However, he was unduly carried away by the neo-Platonist ideas of cosmic intermediaries and, by analogy with them, "built" the Christian heavenly hierarchy. According to Dionysius, the nine angelic orders are divided into three triads. The highest hierarchy is the "diocese", the angelic ranks included in it are seraphim ("flaming"), cherubim ("chariots") and thrones. The middle hierarchy is the metarchy, which includes dominance, power, and authority. And the lower hierarchy, which does not have a special name, includes beginnings, archangels and angels.
Diocese: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones
Metarchy: Dominions, Powers, Authorities
Beginnings, Archangels, Angels.
Note where the various angelic orders are spoken of in Holy. Scripture: seraphim (Is. 6, 2), cherubim are mentioned in Gen. 3, 24, Ex. 25, 18-22, cherubim are repeatedly mentioned in the psalms (Ps. 47, 79, 98), as well as in Is. 36, 16, Ezek. 1, 10, Rev. 4, 6-8, etc. Forces are mentioned in Eph. 1, 22, Rom. 8, 38. Thrones, beginnings, dominions and powers are mentioned three times by the Apostle. Paul (Col. 1:16; Eph. 1, 21 & 3, 10). Archangels are also mentioned in 1 Thess. 4:16 and Jude. 9. It's just about the angels in Rom. 8:38, 1 Pet. 3, 22. It is not known whether all the angelic ranks are exhausted by those nine ranks that are mentioned in the Holy. Scripture, or there are other angelic faces that will be revealed in the next century. Dionysius himself did not pretend to encompass all existing angelic faces with his system. He wrote: “How many ranks of unknown beings, what they are and how the secret of the hierarchy is accomplished with them, God alone knows exactly, the culprit of their hierarchy, they themselves know, and we can only tell how much God has revealed to us through themselves, who know myself". St. John Chrysostom expressed confidence that the nine angelic ranks, about which the Holy One speaks. Scripture does not exhaust all the ranks of the angelic world. Nevertheless, the scheme of Dionysius was adopted by the Tradition of the Church, but the teaching of Dionysius about the angelic hierarchy was always accepted with certain reservations, this teaching is strongly influenced by the neo-Platonist philosophy, which is characterized by a strictly hierarchical view of the world, and therefore it is not able to satisfactorily explain some facts Revelations. Prot. John Meyendorff notes: "Old Testament angelology is complex and does not fit into the hierarchy of Dionysius." From the point of view of Dionysius, all three hierarchies are in strict subordination, and the angels lower in the hierarchy can communicate with God, receive enlightenment from him only through the higher ones. Accordingly, a person can communicate directly only with the lower angels, and with the higher angels through the lower ones. Some facts of the Holy. The Scriptures contradict this, in particular, the book of the prophet Isaiah, 6 ch. Seraphim was sent directly to the prophet, who announced to him the will of God. In theory, the Seraphim, sent to the prophet Isaiah, should have acted according to a certain authority: to convey the command to the Cherubim, he to the Throne, etc., until it came down to a simple angel. Dionysius, trying to get out of this difficulty, explains that in reality there was a Seraphim, but Isaiah only seemed that Seraphim communicated directly with him, but in fact it was someone from the representatives of the lower hierarchy through whom Seraphim acted.
From the point of view of Christian teaching, if it is still possible to admit some cosmic hierarchies as intermediaries between God and man before the Incarnation, then after the Incarnation, the union of man with God occurs directly in Christ, bypassing all intermediary instances.
3.1.10. Archangels
The name "archangels" is used in the Tradition of the Church in two ways. On the one hand, one of the faces of the lower hierarchy is called archangels, and on the other hand, special, higher angels are called archangels, who do not belong to the Dionysian hierarchy at all. These are special spirits, the closest to God, who are called the Archangels of the heavenly armies. According to Tradition, there are eight such archangels. In the canonical books of Sacred. The scriptures only mention two archangels. Archangel Michael (Heb. "Who is like God") is mentioned in Dan. 10, 13, and Jude. 9. In Church Tradition, the Archangel Michael is called the Archangel of the heavenly armies in the proper sense of the word. Archangel Gabriel (Hebrew "man of God" or "power of God"), is mentioned in Dan. 8, 16 and Luke. 1, 19. In Church Tradition, the Archangel Gabriel is revered as a messenger of Divine secrets. Four archangels are mentioned in non-canonical books. Archangel Raphael (Hebrew "God's help" or "God's healing") is mentioned in Tov. 3:16 and is revered as a healer of ailments. Archangel Uriel (Hebrew "fire, or the light of God") is mentioned in 3 Ezra. 4, 1, is revered as a conductor of Divine love, as awakening in people a reciprocal love for God and enlightening with the light of God-knowing. Archangel Selafiel (Hebrew "prayer to God") is mentioned in 3 Ezra. 4, 1; 5, 20, revered as teaching prayer. Archangel Jeremiel (Heb. "The height of God") is mentioned in 3 Ezra. 4, 36.
There are two more archangels who are not mentioned in the Holy. Scriptures, but are revered on a par with the above archangels. Archangel Yehudiel (Hebrew "praise of God" or "glorifying God") is honored as an assistant in labors, especially in prayer, and in ascetic deeds. Archangel Barachiel (Hebrew "blessing of God") is revered as a minister of divine blessing.
The question of the prayerful veneration of angels is essential. In almost all Protestant denominations, there is no prayerful veneration for angels. The prohibition is based on the words of the ap. Paul: "Let no one deceive you with his willful humility and the ministry of angels" (Col. 2:18). This prohibition is connected with the non-distinction by Protestantism of two essential concepts: "service" and "reverence". In the Greek and Latin languages, there are special terms: some denote an entire service that befits God alone, others - service worship, a reward of honor, which can be given to everything that is worthy of respect and veneration. V Greek the word latreia denotes a complete service to God, and proskynesis is the worship that is given, for example, to saints, icons, respected people. The corresponding terms are also in Latin - adoratio and veneratio. In Col. 2, 18 ap. Paul uses the word "threskeia", which in modern Greek means "religion" in the broadest sense of the word, which is closer in meaning to an all-inclusive service, appropriate only to God. When we talk about the veneration of angels, we do not mean serving the angels as God, but the veneration of angels in the same sense in which we talk about the veneration of saints, icons and sacred objects. The Laodicean Council (IV century) with its 35th canon condemned as heresy the worship of angels as creators and rulers of the world, but approved the veneration of angels as servants of the Holy Trinity, that is, close to God and beneficent for us. If we consider the continuation of the thought of the apostle, we will see that in Col. 2, 19 condemned those who are carried away by serving the angels "not holding on to the head," from which the whole body is built, that is, Jesus Christ Himself. It is obvious that ap. Paul in this case does not condemn the veneration of angels in general, but a veneration of them that destroys the direct connection of believers with Christ. Most likely, this refers to the various Gnostic teachings that penetrated into Christianity, in which the cosmic hierarchies of angels were viewed as intermediaries between God and man, without whose help it is impossible to enter into communion with God. The main idea of the Epistle to the Colossians is to affirm the truth that man is united with God directly in Christ, and he does not need any intermediaries, including angels, for this.
3.1.11. Providence of God for the Spiritual Peace
The providence of God for the spiritual world has a twofold character. This is due to the fact that the spiritual world is heterogeneous in its moral characteristics, along with good angels, there are also fallen angels, demons or demons. And God's providence for the two categories of disembodied spirits, naturally, is different.
3.1.11.1. God's providence for good angels
The providence of God for the good angels is expressed in the preservation of their existence and in the direction and assistance in the achievement of the goals of their existence, that is, the achievement of perfection and bliss. The angels achieve this goal in two ways. A distinction is made between the direct path, the path of direct service to God, and the indirect path, that is, through serving people and the world as instruments of God's providence for the universe and for the human race.
a) The direct path of serving angels to God
Examples of direct service of angels to God from the Holy. Scriptures: the vision of the prophet Isaiah of the seraphim, incessantly singing a song to God: "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts" (Is. 6, 2-3), we find similar images in the book of Revelation (chapters 4 and 7), where it is said about animals, having six wings and full eyes, which serve before the throne of God. "Angels contemplate God and this serves them as food," says St. John Damascene (2 kn., 3 chap. "Exact exposition"). Through this contemplation, they “draw, to the best of their ability, the light necessary for their illumination and the grace necessary for strengthening in goodness. And in this way they grow in the knowledge of the truth, are established in goodness and reach their destination. "
b) The indirect way of serving God by angels
Examples of the ministry of angels to God as instruments of Providence: the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19, 1-13), John. 5, 4 - An angel who went to the pool of Bethesda and disturbed the water. Angels fulfill the will of the Almighty about the elements of the world, this is most clearly seen from Rev. 7, 2; 14, 18; 16, 5. Angels are especially helpful in the work of our salvation. The law at Sinai was given to Moses by the ministry of angels (Deut. 33, 2; Acts 7, 53). Angels have participated in the work of our Atonement and in the work of preserving and spreading the Church on earth. All of the major events of our Atonement were performed with the participation of angels. The Annunciation, Christmas, the flight to Egypt and the return from Egypt, the prayer of the Savior for the cup, the Resurrection of Christ, His Ascension - all these events were accompanied by the appearance of angels. Angels also participated in the life of the early Church. So, the angel brought the ap. Petra from the dungeon.
c) Guardian angels of peoples and societies and guardian angels of individuals
On the guardian angels of peoples and societies in the Holy. Scripture says very little. All dogmatic teaching about the guardian angels of peoples and societies is based on the 10th chapter of the book of the prophet Daniel. It speaks of the angels - the princes of the Jewish, Hellenic and Persian peoples. Guardian angels of peoples and societies appear before God and by means unknown to us direct these peoples or societies to the goal set by Providence. They are especially concerned about enlightenment with the light of true knowledge of God and about piety. In addition to the 10th chapter. the book of Daniel can be referred to 1 ch. Revelation, which speaks of the angels of the churches, but this is the place of Sacred. Scripture does not have an unambiguous interpretation in Orthodox Tradition, therefore it is impossible to unequivocally state who is meant by the angels of the churches. It is logical to assume that since peoples and societies have their own guardian angels, then churches should also have their guardian angels. But, perhaps, the angels here mean the primates of the churches, who could also be called angels.
In the Holy. Scriptures about guardian angels of individuals are mentioned in Matt. 18, 10. The Lord, speaking of the danger of seducing one of these little ones, further adds that "their angels always see the face of my Father in heaven." After ap. Peter was miraculously freed from prison, he came to the house of John Mark, where there was a meeting of the Jerusalem community, and knocked on the door. The maid came out and, hearing Peter's voice, without opening the door, reported to the audience that Peter was standing at the door. They did not believe her and said that it was his Angel (D
Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev)
From the book "The Sacrament of Faith. An Introduction to Orthodox Dogmatic Theology"
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1: 1). These first lines of the Bible indicate the creation by God of the invisible, spiritual, intelligible world and the visible, material world. As we said, there are no abstract concepts in the biblical language, and spiritual reality is often expressed by the word "heaven". Christ speaks of the Kingdom of Heaven, and in the prayer that He gave, we read: "Our Father, Who art in heaven ... Thy will be done as in heaven and on earth" (Matt. 6: 9-10). We are not talking about the visible material sky. The Kingdom of God is a spiritual, not a material Kingdom in which God lives, being by nature Spirit. And when it says "made heaven" it comes about the spiritual world with all the creatures inhabiting it, that is, the angels.
God created the angelic world before the visible universe. Angels are service spirits, ethereal, possessing intelligence and free will. The Monk John Damascene speaks of lightness, fieryness, ardor, very great discernment and impetuosity with which angels desire God and serve Him, about their mobility, constant striving upward and freedom from all materiality. He also calls the angels "the second lights, having light from the first beginningless Light." Being in close proximity to God, they feed on His light and transmit it to us.
Angels are mentioned many times in the Bible, but they are absent detailed descriptions angelic world, there is no story about its creation (except for the mention of "heaven"). By the time the visible world was created, the angels already existed: "When the stars were created, all My angels praised Me with a loud voice" (Job 38: 7, translation LXX). The angels themselves were created, as the Monk Isaac the Syrian points out, "in silence," because the first word of God - "let there be light" refers to the visible world. In silence - that is, in secret, before words and before time.
The main business of angels is to constantly praise God. The prophet Isaiah describes a vision of the Lord, around whom the seraphim stood and exclaimed: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts! The whole earth is full of His glory!" (Isa. 6: 1-3). But angels are also messengers sent from God to people (Greek aggelos means "messenger"): they take a lively and active part in human life. For example, the archangel announced to Mary about the birth of Jesus from Her (Luke 1: 26-38), the angel announced to the shepherds about the birth of the Messiah (Luke 2: 8-20), the angels served Jesus in the wilderness (Matt. 4:11) , the angel strengthened Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:43), the angel announced to the myrrh-bearing women about the resurrection of Jesus (Matt. 28: 2-7). Each person has his own guardian angel, who is his companion, helper and patron (see Matthew 18:10).
Not all angels are equal in their dignity and in their proximity to God: between them there are various hierarchies that are in mutual subordination. In the treatise "On the Heavenly Hierarchy" attributed to Dionysius the Areopagite, its author counts three angelic hierarchies, each of which is divided into three orders. The first and highest hierarchy includes the seraphim, cherubim and thrones, the second - dominions, strength and power, and the third - the beginnings, archangels and angels. All the names of the nine angelic ranks are borrowed from Holy Scripture and have, according to Saint Isaac the Syrian, the following meanings: "Seraphim - warming and burning (literally" fiery "), cherubim - abundant in knowledge and wisdom, thrones - God's support and God's rest .. . domination is also referred to as having power over every kingdom, beginnings - as organizing ether (air), powers - as those who rule over nations and over every person, powers - as strong in power and terrible by their vision ... archangels - as vigorous guards, angels - as sent ". In addition, it is said about cherubim that they have many eyes, and about seraphim - that they have six wings (remember Pushkin: "and a six-winged seraphim appeared to me at the crossroads"). Wings and eyes, however, must be understood in a spiritual sense (as well as "eyes", "face", "hands" with God), since angels do not have material flesh.
In the heavenly hierarchy, the higher ranks receive illumination with the Divine light and communion with the mysteries of the Divine directly from the Creator Himself, and the lower ones through the higher ones: "Each rank receives (a secret) from another rank, observing a strict order and distinction in communication from the first rank to the second, until the mystery passes in this way to all ranks. But many of the mysteries stop at the first rank and do not extend to other ranks, because, apart from this first rank, all others cannot contain the greatness of the mystery. rank, are revealed only to the second rank, which keeps them in silence ... and some secrets reach the third and fourth rank "(Isaac the Sirin).
The angelic hierarchy, according to Dionysius, passes into the earthly ecclesiastical hierarchy (bishops, priests, deacons), which participates in the Divine mystery through the means of the heavenly hierarchy. The number of angels is spoken of in general terms - there are "thousands of thousands" and "myriads of myriads" (Dan. 7:10). In any case, there are more of them than people: St. Gregory of Nyssa sees the whole of humanity in the guise of a lost sheep, and by ninety-nine not lost (cf. Matthew 18:12) he understands the angelic world.
Notes:
Rev. John Damascene. An accurate exposition of the Orthodox faith 2, 3.
Louth. Denys the Areopagite. Wilton, CT (USA), 1989. P. 35-37.
Step 67
A. Pushkin. Complete works in 6 volumes. M.-L., 1936.T. 1.S. 464.
Step 84
See V. Lossky. Essay on the mystical theology of the Eastern Church; Dogmatic theology. P. 234.
Hieromonk Seraphim (Rose)
From the book "Soul After Death"
We know from the words of Christ Himself that at the moment of death the soul is met by Angels: The beggar died and was carried by the Angels into the bosom of Abraham (Luke 16:22).
Also from the Gospel we know in what form the Angels appear: the Angel of the Lord ... his appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white like snow (Matt. 28, 2-3); a young man clothed in a white robe (Mark 16, 5); two men in shining garments (Luke 24: 4); two angels in a white robe (John 20, 12). Throughout Christian history, the apparitions of Angels have always had the appearance of shining youths, clothed in white. The iconographic tradition of the appearance of Angels has always been consistent with this over the centuries: only such brilliant young men were depicted (often with two wings, which, of course, are symbolic and are usually not visible during the appearance of Angels). The Seventh Ecumenical Council in 787 decreed that Angels should always be depicted in only one form, like men. Western Cupids of the Renaissance and subsequent periods are inspired by paganism and have nothing to do with real Angels.
And in fact, the modern Roman Catholic (and Protestant) West has departed far from the teachings of Holy Scripture and early Christian tradition, not only in the artistic depiction of Angels, but also in the very doctrine of spiritual beings. Understanding this mistake is essential for us if we want to really understand the true Christian teaching about the posthumous fate of the soul.
One of the great Fathers of the recent past, Bishop Ignatius (Brianchaninov, † 1867), saw this mistake and devoted an entire volume of collected works to its identification and presentation of the true Orthodox teaching on this issue (vol. 3. Publishing house of Tuzova, St. Petersburg, 1886). Criticizing the views of exemplary Roman Catholic theological work of the 19th century (Abbot Bergier "Theological Dictionary"), Bishop Ignatius devotes a significant part of the volume (pp. 185-302) to the struggle with modern thought, based on the philosophy of Descartes (17th century), that everything is outside the realm of matter simply belongs to the realm of pure spirit. Such a thought, in essence, places the infinite God on the level of various finite spirits (Angels, demons, souls of the dead). This idea has become especially widespread in our time (although those who adhere to it do not see all its consequences), and in many ways explains the misconceptions modern world in relation to "spiritual" things: big interest manifests itself to everything outside the material world, and at the same time, almost no distinction is made between the Divine, the angelic, the demonic, and simply the results of unusual human capabilities or imagination.
Abbot Bergier taught that Angels, demons and the souls of the dead are purely spiritual beings; therefore, they are not subject to the laws of time and space. We can speak of their form or movement only metaphorically, and "they have the need to clothe themselves in a subtle body when God allows them to act on bodies" (Bishop Ignatius, vol. 3, pp. 193-195). Even one well-informed in all other respects Roman Catholic work of the 20th century on modern spiritualism repeats this teaching, stating, for example, that Angels and demons "can borrow the material required (to become visible to people) from a lower nature, whether it is animate or inanimate. "(Blackmore, Spiritism: Facts and Frauds, p. 522). Spiritualists and occultists themselves have taken up these ideas of modern philosophy. One such apologist for supernatural Christianity, K.S. Lewis (Englishman) duly criticizes the modern "view of the sky as just a state of mind"; but still he appears to be partially susceptible to modern opinion that "the body, its location and movement, as well as the time for the higher spheres of spiritual life seem insignificant" (CS Lewis. Miracles. The Macmillan Company, New York, 1967, pp. 164-165). Such views are the result of an oversimplification of spiritual reality under the influence of modern materialism; there was a loss of contact with genuine Christian teaching and spiritual experience.
To understand Orthodox teaching about Angels and other spirits, one must first forget the oversimplified modern dichotomy "matter-spirit"; the truth is more complex and at the same time so simple that those who are still capable of believing in it will perhaps be widely regarded as naive literalists. Bishop Ignatius writes (italics ours): "When God opens (spiritual) eyes to man, he becomes able to see spirits in their own form" (p. 216); "Angels, appearing to men, have always appeared in the form of men" (p. 227). Likewise, from "... Scripture makes it clear that the soul of a person has the form of a person in his body and is similar to other created spirits" (p. 233). He cites numerous patristic sources to prove this. Let us now take a look at the patristic teaching for ourselves.
Saint Basil the Great in the book about the Holy Spirit states that in " heavenly Forces ah their essence is air, if I may say so, spirit or insubstantial fire ... why are they limited by a place and are invisible, being holy in the image of their own bodies. ”He further writes:“ We believe that each (of the heavenly Powers) is in a certain place. For the Angel who appeared to Cornelius was not at the same time with Philip (Acts 8, 26; 10, 3), and the Angel who talked with Zechariah at the altar of the censer (Luke 1: 11) did not occupy at the same time his characteristic place in heaven "(" The Creations of St. Basil the Great ", ed. Soikin, St. Petersburg, 1911, ch. 16, 23: v. 1, pp. 608, 622).
In a similar way, St. Gregory the Theologian teaches: "The lights secondary after the Trinity, having royal glory, are bright invisible Angels. They freely revolve around the Throne, because they are fast-moving minds, fire and divine spirits that move rapidly in the air" (Conversation 6 "On intelligent entities "in:" The Creations of St. Gregory the Theologian ", ed. Soikin, St. Petersburg, vol. 2, p. 29.).
Thus, being spirits and flaming fire (Ps. 103: 4; Heb. 1: 7), the Angels dwell in that world where the earthly laws of time and space do not operate in such material (if I may say so) ways. Therefore, some of the Fathers do not hesitate to speak of the "air bodies" of the Angels. Rev. John Damascene, summarizing in the 8th century the teachings of the Fathers that preceded him, says:
"An angel is an entity endowed with the mind, always moving, possessing a free will, incorporeal, serving God, having by grace received immortality for its nature, which essence is known only to the Creator. us, for everything comparable to God, Who alone is incomparable [with anything], turns out to be both gross and material, because only the Divine in truth is immaterial and incorporeal. " And further he says: "They are described; for when they are in heaven, they are not on earth; and those sent by God to earth, they do not remain in heaven; but they are not limited to walls and doors, and door locks, and seals, for they are unlimited. I call them unlimited because they are worthy people to whom God will wish them to be, not what they are, but in a modified form, depending on how the beholders can see "(" The exact exposition of the Orthodox Faith ", book 2, ch. 3, pp. 45-47).
Saying that the Angels are "not what they are", St. John Damascene, of course, does not contradict Saint Basil, who teaches that Angels appear "in the form of their own bodies." Both of these statements are correct, as can be seen from the numerous descriptions of the apparitions of Angels in the Old Testament. So, the Archangel Raphael was a companion of Tobias for several weeks and no one ever suspected that this was not a man. However, when the Archangel finally revealed himself, he said: All the days I have been seen by you; but I did not eat or drink - only your eyes presented this (Tov. 12, 19). The three Angels who appeared to Abraham also seemed to be eating, and they were thought to be people (Genesis 18 and 19). In a similar way, Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, in his "Catechetical Words" teaches us about the Angel who appeared to Daniel, that "Daniel shuddered at the sight of Gabriel and fell on his face and, although he was a prophet, he did not dare to answer him until the Angel turned into likeness of a son of man "(" Catechetical Words ", XI, 1). However, in the book of Daniel (10, 6) we read that even at his first dazzling appearance, the Angel had human form, but only so bright (his face is like the appearance of lightning; his eyes are like burning lamps, his hands and feet look like shiny brass) that he was unbearable for human eyes. Consequently, the appearance of an Angel is the same as that of a person, but since the angelic body is immaterial and the very sight of its fiery, shining manifestation can stun any person still in the flesh, the manifestations of Angels must necessarily be adapted to people looking at them, introducing themselves less radiant and awe-inspiring than it really is. "
As for the human soul, Blessed Augustine teaches that when the soul is separated from the body, the person himself, with whom all this happens, although only in the spirit and not in the body, sees himself still as similar to his own body, that he cannot see any difference at all "(" On the City of God ", book XXI, 10). This truth has now been repeatedly confirmed personal experience thousands of people brought back to life in our time.
But if we are talking about the bodies of Angels and other spirits, we must be careful not to ascribe any gross material characteristics to them. Ultimately, as St. John Damascene, only the Creator knows the form and definition of this "essence" (Exact exposition of the Orthodox Faith, book 2, ch. 3, p. 45). In the West, Blessed Augustine wrote that there is no difference when we prefer to speak of "air bodies" of demons and other spirits or call them "incorporeal" ("On the City of God", XXI, 10).
Bishop Ignatius himself was perhaps somewhat overly interested in explaining angelic bodies in terms of 19th century scientific knowledge about gases. For this reason, a certain dispute arose between him and Bishop Theophan the Recluse, who considered it necessary to emphasize the simple nature of spirits (which, of course, do not consist of elementary molecules, like all gases). But on the main issue - about the "thin shell" that all spirits have, he agreed with Bishop Ignatius (see: Archpriest George Florovsky. Paths of Russian Theology. Paris, 1937, pp. 394-395). It seems that some similar misunderstanding on an unimportant issue or because of terminology led in the 5th century in the West to a controversy with the teaching of the Latin Father, St.
If the exact definition of angelic nature is known to God alone, understanding of the activities of Angels (at least in this world) is available to everyone, for there is a mass of evidence about this both in Scripture and patristic literature, and in the lives of the saints. To fully understand the phenomena that are dying, we, in particular, need to know how the fallen angels (demons) appear. Real Angels always appear in their own form (only less dazzling than they really are) and act only to fulfill the will and commands of God. The fallen angels, although sometimes they appear in their own form (St. Seraphim of Sarov describes him from his own experience as "vile"), they usually take on different forms and perform many "miracles" by the power that they receive in submission to the prince who reigns in air (Eph. 2, 2). Their permanent place of residence is the air, and their main business is to seduce or intimidate people and thus drag them along to destruction. It is against them that the Christian's struggle is going on: our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against the spirits of evil in heaven (Eph. 6, 12).
Blessed Augustine, in his little-known treatise "The Definition of Demons", written in response to a request to explain some of the many demonic phenomena in the ancient pagan world, gives a good general idea about the works of demons:
"The nature of demons is such that through the sensory perception characteristic of the air body, they greatly surpass the perception that earthly bodies have, and also in speed, due to the better mobility of the air body, they incomparably surpass not only the movement of people and animals, but even the flight of birds. Endowed with these two abilities insofar as they are properties of an air body, namely, sharpness of perception and speed of movement, they predict and report many things that they learned much earlier. Demons, moreover, during their long life have accumulated much more experience in various events than people get in a short period of their lives.Due to these properties, which are inherent in the nature of the air body, demons not only predict many events, but also perform many miraculous deeds "(ch. 3).
Many "miracles" and demonic spectacles are described in the lengthy discourse of St. Anthony the Great, included by St. Athanasius in his life, where the "light bodies of demons" are also mentioned (Ch. 11). The life of Saint Cyprian, a former sorcerer, also contains numerous descriptions of demonic transformations and miracles reported by their actual participant (See: "The Orthodox Word", 1976, no. 5).
The classic description of demonic activity is contained in the seventh and eighth "Conversations" of St. John Cassian, the great Gallic father of the 5th century, who was the first to convey to the West the full teaching of Eastern monasticism. Saint Cassian writes: “And so many evil spirits fill this air, which spreads between heaven and earth and in which they fly in anxiety and not idle; so that the Providence of God hid them for good and removed them from the eyes of men; otherwise, from the fear of their attack , or the bogeymen of faces, into which they, of their own free will, when they want, are transformed or transformed, people would be amazed with unbearable horror to the point of exhaustion ...
And that unclean spirits are ruled by more evil powers and are subject to them, this, except for those testimonies of Holy Scripture, which we read in the Gospel, in describing the Lord's response to the Pharisees who slandered Him: if I [by the power] of Beelzebub, the prince of demons, cast out demons ... ( Matthew 12:27), - clear visions and many experiences of the saints will also teach us. "When one of our brothers was traveling in this desert, at the onset of the evening he found a certain cave, stopped there and wanted to make evening prayer... While he was chanting the psalms as was his custom, the time had passed after midnight. At the end prayer rule wishing to calm his tired body a little, he lay down and suddenly began to see countless crowds from everywhere gathering demons, who passed in an endless line and a very long line, some preceded their boss, others followed him. Finally, the prince came, who was taller than everyone in size and more terrible in appearance; and upon the establishment of the throne, when he sat on an elevated tribunal (judicial seat), then with zealous research began to analyze the actions of each, and those who said that they could not yet seduce their rivals, ordered them to be expelled from their face with remarks and abuse as inactive and the negligent, with a furious growl reproaching that they have wasted so much time and labor. And those who announced that they had deceived those appointed to them, he released with great praise, with the delight and approval of all, as the bravest warriors in the model for all glorified. From among them, one evil spirit, approaching, with malicious joy reported as of the most famous victory, that he was a well-known monk whom he named, after thirteen years, during which he constantly tempted, finally overcame - on that very night he was drawn into fornication. At this report there was an extraordinary joy among everyone, and he, the prince of darkness, exalted with high praises and crowned with great glory, left. At dawn ... all this multitude of demons disappeared from their eyes. "Later, a brother who witnessed this spectacle, learned that the message about the fallen monk is indeed true" ("Conversations", VIII, 12, 16, Russian, trans. . Peter. Moscow, 1892, p. 313, 315).
This has happened to many Orthodox Christians up to this century. These, quite obviously, are not dreams or visions, but meetings in a waking state with demons as they are - but only, of course, after a person opens his spiritual eyes in order to see these creatures, which are usually invisible to the human eye. ... Until recently, perhaps only a handful of "old-fashioned" or "simple-minded" Orthodox Christians could still believe in the literal truth of such stories; even now, some Orthodox Christians find it difficult to believe them, so convincing was the modern belief that Angels and demons are "pure spirits" and do not act in such "material" ways. Only because of the large increase in demonic activity in last years these stories are beginning to seem at least plausible again. The now widespread reports of "posthumous" experiences have also opened the area of non-material reality to many ordinary people who have no contact with the occult. A clear and truthful explanation of this kingdom and its beings has become one of the needs of our time. Such an explanation can only be provided by Orthodoxy, which has preserved the true Christian teaching even to this day ...
The concept of angels. Testimonies of angels in the Holy Scriptures.
Every Orthodox Christian should have a dogmatically correct teaching about angels, because this is the area of religious knowledge where there are many false opinions that have nothing to do with church teaching. Interest in the angelic world is currently quite large, in various countries there are special societies for the study of angels, literature is published, magazines are regularly published in which details from the life of angels are printed. At the same time, the patristic texts are mixed with the "revelations" of the mystics and theosophists of the past and present.
The dogmatic teaching about angels in Orthodoxy is mostly negative. We know very little for certain about angels, and the study of the topic "Angels" in a Dogmatic Theology course aims not so much to communicate positive knowledge about angels as to dispel misconceptions about the subject.
The very word "angel" (Âggelo ~) in translation from Greek literally means "messenger, messenger, messenger" (from the verb # gg1llw - to announce, to communicate) and indicates not nature as such, but the service performed. In the Holy Scriptures, the word "angel" refers to prophets, for example, the prophet Moses (Num. 20, 16). Prophet Malachi, prophesying about the Lord Jesus Christ, calls him the Angel of the Covenant (Mal. 3: 1). The Second Person of the Holy Trinity in the Old Testament in a number of places is called the Angel of God (Angel of Yahweh).
In Holy Scripture, incorporeal spirits are called angels in the proper sense: in Gen. 30 speaks of the Cherubim standing at the gates of paradise with a fiery sword; in Gen. 28 - about the vision of the ladder by the patriarch Jacob. The prophet Isaiah had a vision of seraphim in the temple (Isa. 6), the psalms repeatedly speak of angels, for example: For he will command his angels about you(Psalm 90: 11).
In the New Testament, the existence of these creatures is also undoubted: the Archangel Gabriel announced the good news to the Virgin Mary, during the temptations in the wilderness, the Lord was with the angels, the Resurrection, Ascension and other events in the life of the Savior are marked by the presence of angelic forces. In the history of the early Church, you can also see the actions of angels. Thus, an angel led the Apostle Peter out of prison. Angels, as executors of the will of God, are repeatedly spoken of in the book of Revelation.
False teachings about angels.
The first misconception about angels is the denial of their existence. In the Christian world, the existence of angels is denied only by extreme Protestants, the rest of the Christian confessions recognize their existence. It is impossible to deny what is said about angels in the Holy Scriptures, therefore opponents of faith in angels have to interpret the biblical texts. There are three main arguments against belief in the existence of angels.
It is sometimes argued that angels are the personification of the elements of nature. At a certain, rather low level of religious consciousness, belief in angels and their veneration arises. However, it is difficult to believe in this, since in the Holy Scripture angels have pronounced personal characteristics, and it is impossible to seriously argue that the ancient Jews understood angels as the personification of natural elements.
The second objection boils down to the fact that the Bible found expression for popular beliefs according to which the spiritual world is modeled on the court of an eastern monarch. It is also difficult to agree with this, because if these were folk ideas, then they would undoubtedly abound in various implausible, fantastic details, as is the case in the mythology of various peoples.
On the contrary, in the Holy Scriptures they speak of angels very carefully and, in fact, we know about them only insofar as their activity manifests itself in relation to man. Nowhere in the Holy Scripture is it said about the angelic world in itself, we do not know about any details from the life of angels that are not related to man. Such caution in the approach to the depiction of the angelic world does not give any reason to believe that some folk performances, which have always been distinguished by violent imagination, have found a place here.
The third objection is that the belief in angels was borrowed by the Jews from the Persian religion of Zoroastrianism during the Babylonian captivity. In fact, this is not so, because the captivity took place in the 6th century, and the Pentateuch of Moses and most of the books of prophecy, as is indisputably proven by modern science, were written before the Babylonian captivity, and faith in angels is undoubtedly present there. It is simply not serious to argue that all the texts that speak of angels are later interpolations.
In addition, there are other significant differences between the teaching about angels in the Holy Scriptures and the teaching about angels in Zoroastrianism. First, dualism is characteristic of Zoroastrianism in the doctrine of angels: good angels were created by the good god Ormuzd, evil angels come from the evil god Ahriman. According to the teachings of Holy Scripture, all angels are good by nature, they are all created by one good God, the presence of evil angels among them is due to the fall of the latter.
Secondly, in Zoroastrianism, angels are bisexual creatures who even enter into a marriage relationship. In Holy Scripture, angels appear as sexless. Finally, the Jews did not have the cult of angels, there was no practice of worshiping angels, which was the case in Zoroastrianism. For Christians, the main reason for confidence in the real existence of angels is that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself spoke about the existence of angels.
Other false opinions about angels, which we will refute below, concern, for example, their origin - not created by God, but emanated from His being; it is believed that fallen spirits are evil by nature; there is an opinion, borrowed from Islam, about the presence, in addition to good and evil spirits, of neutral ones (jinn in Islam).