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Angel(Greek αγγελος - messenger, messenger) - in the Abrahamic religions: a supernatural personal incorporeal being (spirit) made by God before the creation of the visible world.

Angels proclaim to people the will of God and fulfill his orders. God, as omniscient, does not need the mediation of angels.

It is believed that angels are more perfect than people, however, being created creatures, they are limited in their own abilities. Possessing free will, they can be tempted and not resist good. Certain angels, seduced by the devil, opposed God and became angels of darkness - demons, demons. Evil angels would willingly interfere in the affairs of people, if not for God's prohibition. Yet, by the permission of God, evil angels are capable of harming people. They "love" people like a hunter loves prey. There is a so-called demonic love (Genesis 6: 1-7). The angels who remained faithful to God received heavenly bliss from him. The ordinary reaction of a person to the angel of God, according to the Bible, is horror (Gen. 28:17; Tribunal. 6:22; Tribunal. 13:21, 21).

According to the Church Fathers, an angel can neither repent, nor sin, nor change his own status in the hierarchy, because the fall of the evil angels and the establishment of the angelic hierarchy went out and before time. The main occupation of good angels is to ceaselessly praise God, to Whom they strive with power. fiery love... Only by obeying the order God's angel breaks away from this bliss in order to act as a guardian angel or a punishing angel.

Hierarchy of angels in Orthodox tradition was developed in detail by pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (V-VI centuries) on the basis of biblical texts and legends in his work "On the Heavenly Hierarchy." According to this book, there is nine angel ranks united in three hierarchies.

The first- highest to Holy Trinity- the hierarchy is

Three subsequent ranks angelic hierarchy

And in the end last three ranks

But this classification is not fully supported by the Bible. Thus, the highest angels, and not one of the lowest ranks, are called archangels in the Bible. Tradition numbers seven (Tov. 12:15), occasionally eight, from time to time nine (in the absence of Jerimiel) archangels.

In total, 10 names of archangels are understandable, incl. from the canonical books of the Bible - Misha (Heb. “who is like God) (Jude 1: 9, Rev. 12: 7), Gabriel (the power of God) (Dan. 8:16).

From non-canonical books of the Bible: Raphael (help, healing of God) (Tov. 3:16), Uriel (fire, light of God) (3 Ezra 4: 1), Jerimiel (height of God) (3 Ezra 4:36); from the Prologue, November 8: Salafiel (prayer to God), Yehudiel (praise to God), Barachiel (God's blessing), Gephael (interpreted as a kindler of love for God), Takhiel (interpreted as an assistant and protector from troubles and misfortunes). Archangel Misha is also called the Archangel, as the leader of the heavenly army. The Bible also mentions other angels who are not included in the nine ranks, for example ofanim(wheels) and hiot(animals) (Ezek. 1:15). There are also evil angels (in Russia it is customary to say aggels), acting against people and God.

According to the beliefs of believers, to each person from birth to help him in good deeds God sets up a special guardian angel.

Iconography. In Orthodox icon painting, angels are depicted with the wings of birds. Demons are depicted with bat wings. In the iconography of the Byzantine ritual, Hayot and Ofanim are depicted on the icons of the Savior is capable. Images of wheels, dotted with eyes, are called thrones, which, therefore, includes the Ofanim in the Dionysian hierarchy. There are often ancient bandages on their heads - torques, rumors. According to Russian interpretations, angels receive orders from God through toroks. Cherubim and seraphim are depicted with six wings. The color of the seraph's wings is blue-green. Cherubim is red-orange.

2) In the New Testament, any messenger of God is also called an angel (Gal. 4:14).

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The basis for the creation of the church doctrine of angels is the book by Dionysius the Areopagite, written in the 5th century, “On the Heavenly Hierarchy” (Greek “”, Latin “de caelesti hierarchia”), better known in the edition of the 6th century. The nine angelic ranks are divided into three triads, each of which has its own peculiarity.
The first triad — seraphim, cherubim, and thrones — is characterized by close proximity to God;
The second triad - strength, domination and power - emphasizes the divine basis of the universe and world domination;
The third triad - the beginnings, the archangels and the angels themselves - is characterized by close proximity to humans.
Dionysius summed up what had been accumulated before him. Seraphim, cherubim, powers and angels are already mentioned in the Old Testament; in the New Testament, dominions, beginnings, thrones, authorities and archangels appear.

According to the classification of Gregory the Theologian (4th century), the angelic hierarchy consists of angels, archangels, thrones, dominions, principles, forces, radiance, ascents and understandings.
According to their position in the hierarchy, ranks are arranged as follows:

seraphim - first
cherubim - second
thrones - third
domination - fourth
strength - fifth
authorities - the sixth
beginning - seventh
archangels - eighth
angels - ninth.

Jewish hierarchical structures differ from Christian ones, since they appeal only to the first part of the Bible - the Old Testament (Tanahu). One source has ten ranks of angels, starting with the highest: 1) Hayot; 2) ofanim; 3) arelim; 4) hashmalim; 5) seraphim; 6) malakim, actually "angels"; 7) elohim; 8) ben Elohim ("sons of God"); 9) cherubim; 10) ishim.

In "maseket azilut" ten angelic orders are given in a different order: 1) seraphim headed by Shemuel or Yehoel; 2) Ofhanim, headed by Raphael and Ofhaniel; 3) cherubim, headed by Kerubiel; 4) shinanim, over which Tzedekiel and Gabriel are placed; 5) tarshishim, whose chiefs are Tarshish and Sabriel; 6) ishim with Cefaniel at the head; 7) Hashmalim, the leader of which is called Hashmal; 8) Malakim, headed by Uzziel; 9) ben Elohim led by Hofniel; 10) arelim, which are headed by Michael himself.

The names of the older angels (archangels) vary in different sources... Traditionally, the highest rank is attributed to Michael, Gabriel and Raphael - three angels named in the biblical books; the fourth is usually added to them Uriel, found in the non-canon 3 Book of Ezra. The idea is widespread that there are seven higher angels (associated with magical properties number 7), attempts to list them by name have been made since the time of 1 Book of Enoch, but there are too great discrepancies. We will restrict ourselves to listing the "magnificent seven" adopted in the Orthodox tradition: these are Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Salafiel, Jehudiel, Barahiel, Jeremiel, headed by the eighth - Michael.

The Jewish tradition also assigns an extremely high position to the archangel Metatron, who in earthly life was the patriarch Enoch, but in heaven he turned into an angel. He is the vizier of the heavenly court and almost a substitute for God Himself.

1. Seraphim

Seraphim are angels of love, light and fire. They occupy the highest position in the hierarchy of ranks and serve God, caring for his throne. Seraphim express their love for God by constantly singing psalms of praise.
In the Hebrew tradition, the endless chanting of the seraphim is known as "trisagion" - Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh ("Holy, Holy, Holy Lord of the Forces of Heaven, the whole earth is full of his radiance"), considered a song of creation and celebration. Being the closest creatures to God, seraphim are also considered "fiery" because they are engulfed in flames. eternal love.
According to medieval mystic Jan van Ruisbrock, the three orders of seraphim, cherubim and thrones never take part in human conflicts, but are with us when we peacefully contemplate God and experience constant love in our hearts. They give rise to in people divine love.
Saint John the Evangelist on the island of Patmos had a vision of angels: Gabriel, Metatron, Kemuil and Nathaniel among the seraphim.
Isaiah is the only prophet who mentions seraphim in the Hebrew Scripture (Old Testament) when he talks about his vision of fiery angels over the throne of God: "Each had six wings: two covered their face, two covered their legs, and two were used for flight."
Another mention of the seraphim can be considered the book of Numbers (21: 6), where a reference to " fire serpents". According to the" Second Book of Enoch "(apocryphal), the seraphim have six wings, four heads and faces.
Lucifer came out of the rank of seraphim. In fact, the Fallen Prince was considered an angel who overshadowed everyone else until he lost God's Grace.

Seraphim - In Judaistic and Christian mythology, angels are especially close to God. The Prophet Isaiah describes them as follows: “In the year of the death of King Uzziah, I saw the Lord sitting on a high throne, and the edges of His robe filled the entire temple. Seraphim stood around Him; each of them had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his legs, and with two he flew. And they cried out to one another and said: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts! The whole earth is full of His glory / "(Isa. 6. 1-3). According to the classification of Pseudo-Dionysius, together with cherubs and thrones, seraphim belong to the first triad: "... Holy Thrones, the many-eyed and multi-winged Ranks, called in the language of the Jews Cherubim and Seraphim, according to the explanation of the Holy Scriptures are in the greater and most direct before others
closeness to God ... as for the name of the Seraphim, it clearly shows their incessant and everlasting striving for the Divine, their ardor and swiftness, their ardent, constant, unremitting and unremitting impetuosity, as well as their ability to really elevate the lower ones into the heights, excite and inflame them to a similar heat: it also signifies the ability, scorching and burning. thereby purifying them - always open. their inextinguishable, constantly identical, light-reflecting and enlightening power. chasing away and exterminating all defilement.

2. Cherubim

The word "cherub" means "fullness of knowledge" or "outpouring of wisdom." This choir has the power to know and contemplate God and the ability to understand and impart divine knowledge to others.

3. Thrones

The term "thrones" or "many-eyed" indicates their proximity to the throne of God. This is the closest order to God: they receive both their divine perfection and consciousness directly from Him.

Pseudo-Dionysius reports:
“So, justly, higher beings are consecrated into the first of the heavenly Hierarchies, since it has a higher order, especially because the first Epiphany and consecration are originally related to it, as to the closest to God, and the burning Thrones and the outpouring of wisdom are called
heavenly Minds because these names express their God-like properties ... The name of the highest Thrones means that they
completely free from any earthly attachment and, constantly rising above the valley, strive prematurely towards the higher, with all their might
motionless and firmly attached to the truly Highest being,
accepting His Divine suggestion in complete dispassion and insubstantiality; also signifies that they bear God and subserviently fulfill the Divine to His commands.

4. Dominance

Dominion saints are empowered enough to rise above and free from earthly desires and aspirations. It is their responsibility to distribute the responsibilities of the angels.

According to Pseudo-Dionysius, “the significant name of the holy Dominions ... means a certain irresistible and free from any low attachment to the earthly elevation to the higher, not a single violent attraction to something dissimilar to them, in no case shaken, but constant dominion in its freedom, standing above all humiliating slavery, alien to all humiliation, taken out of all inequality to oneself, constantly striving for true Domination and, as much as possible, sacredly transforming into a perfect likeness of both itself and everything subordinate to it, not clinging to anything accidentally existing , but always wholly turning to the true being and incessantly participating in the sovereign God-likeness "

5. Forces

The forces known as "glittering or shining" are angels of miracles, help, blessings that appear during battles in the name of faith. It is believed that David received the support of the Forces to fight Goliath.
The powers are also the angels from whom Abraham received his power when God told him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. The main responsibilities of these angels are to perform miracles on Earth.
They are allowed to interfere with everything about physical laws on earth, but they are also responsible for enforcing those laws. By this rank, the fifth in the Hierarchy of Angels, valor is given to humanity as well as mercy.

Pseudo-Dionysius says: “The name of the holy Powers means a certain powerful and invincible courage, as far as possible, imparted to them, reflected in all their God-like actions in order to remove from themselves everything that could diminish and weaken the Divine illumination given to them, strongly striving for imitation of God, not remaining idle from laziness, but unswervingly looking at the highest and all-strengthening Power and, as far as possible, in its own strength making Her image, completely turned to Her as a source of Forces and God-like descending to the lower powers to impart power to them. "

6. Authorities

Authority is on the same level as dominion and power, and is endowed with authority and intelligence second only to God. They provide the balance of the universe.

According to the Gospels, authorities can be both good forces and minions of evil. Among the nine angelic ranks, the authorities close the second triad, which, in addition to them, also includes dominions and powers. As Pseudo-Dionysius says, “the name of the holy Powers signifies an equal to the Divine Lordships and Powers, an orderly and capable of receiving Divine insights, and the device of premium spiritual dominion, which does not use autocratic powers for evil given sovereign powers, but freely and respectfully to the Divine as itself ascending and others sacred to Him leading and, as much as possible, likening to the Source and Giver of all power and depicting Him ... in a completely true use of his sovereign power. "

7. Beginnings

The beginnings are legions of angels defending religion. They constitute the seventh choir in the hierarchy of Dionysius, next immediately before the archangels. The beginnings give strength to the peoples of the Earth to find and survive their destiny.
They are also believed to be the guardians of the peoples of the world. The choice of this term, as well as the term "power", to designate the ranks of the angels of God is somewhat doubtful, since c. The Epistles to the Ephesians are called “the spirits of wickedness in heaven”, against whom Christians must fight (Ephesians 6:12), are called “principalities and authorities”.
Among those who are considered "main" in this order are Nisrok, the Assyrian deity, who is considered by occult writings to be the main prince - the demon of hell, and Anail is one of the seven angels of creation.

The Bible says: “For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
Beginnings, neither Forces, nor the present, nor the future ... can separate us
from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom. 8.38). By
classification of Pseudo-Dionysius. beginnings are part of the third triad
along with the archangels and the angels proper. Pseudo-Dionysius says:
"The name of the heavenly Principalities means the God-like ability to command and govern in accordance with the sacred order, befitting the commanding Powers, both completely referring to the Beginning without a beginning, as well as others, as is characteristic of the Board, to guide Him, to mark in oneself, as far as possible, the image of an imprecise Beginning, etc. finally, the ability to express His premium leadership in the well-being of the commanding Powers ... all Hierarchies, begins through communication and pours out in the most sacred harmonious order. "

8. Archangels

Archangels - This Word Greek origin and is translated as "angelic leaders", "senior angels". The term "Archangels" appears for the first time in the Greek-speaking Jewish literature of the pre-Christian time (Greek version of the "Book of Enoch" 20, 7) as a transfer of expressions like ("Grand Duke") in the attachment to Michael of the Old Testament texts (Dan. 12, 1); then this term is perceived by New Testament authors (Jude 9; 1 Thess. 4:16) and later Christian literature. According to the Christian heavenly hierarchy, they sit directly above the angels. Religious tradition has seven archangels. The main one here is Michael the Archangel (Greek "supreme military leader") - the leader of the armies of angels and people in their universal battle with Satan. Michael's weapon is a fiery sword.
Archangel Gabriel is best known for his participation in the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary about the birth of Jesus Christ. As a messenger of the innermost secrets of the world, he is depicted with a flowering branch, with a mirror (reflection is also a way of knowing), and sometimes with a candle inside the lamp - the same symbol of the hidden mystery.
Archangel Raphael is known as a heavenly healer and comforter of the afflicted.
Less commonly, four other archangels are mentioned.
Uriel is a heavenly fire, the patron saint of those who have devoted themselves to the sciences and arts.
Salafiel is the name of the supreme minister with whom prayer inspiration is associated. On icons he is painted in a prayer pose, with his hands folded crosswise on his chest.
Archangel Yehudiel blesses the ascetics, protects them from the forces of evil. V right hand he has a golden crown as a symbol of blessing, in the left - a scourge that drives away enemies.
Barachiel is assigned the role of distributor of the highest blessings to ordinary workers, first of all to farmers. He is portrayed with pink flowers.
About seven heavenly archangels the Old Testament tradition also speaks. Their ancient Iranian parallel - the seven good spirits of Amesha Spenta ("immortal saints") finds a correspondence with the mythology of the Vedas. This point to the Indo-European origins of the doctrine of the seven archangels, which in turn correlates the earliest notions people about the septenary structures of being, both divine and earthly.

9. Angels

Both Greek and Hebrew words for angel mean messenger. Angels have often played this role in the texts of the Bible, but its authors often give this term a different meaning. Angels are the disembodied helpers of God. They appear as people with wings and a halo of light around their heads. Usually they are mentioned in Jewish, Christian and Muslim religious texts. Angels have the appearance of a man, "only with wings and are dressed in white clothes: God created them from stone"; angels and seraphim - women, cherubim - men or children)<Иваницкий, 1890>.
Good and evil angels, messengers of God or the devil, converge in a decisive battle described in the book of Revelation. Angels can be ordinary people, prophets who inspire good deeds by supernatural bearers of all kinds of messages or guides and even impersonal forces like winds, pillars of cloud or fire that led the Israelites during their exodus from Egypt. Plague and pestilence are called evil angels. St. Paul calls his illness "Satan's messenger." Many other phenomena, like inspiration, sudden impulses, providences, are also attributed to angels.
Invisible and immortal. According to the teachings of the church, angels are sexless invisible spirits, immortal from the day of their creation. There are many angels, which follows from the Old Testament description of God - "Lord of the host." They form a hierarchy of angels and archangels of the entire host of heaven. The early church clearly divided nine types, or "ranks," of angels.
Angels served as intermediaries between God and his people. V Old Testament it is said that no one could see God and remain alive, therefore direct communication between the Almighty and man is often depicted as communication with an angel. It was the angel who prevented Abraham from sacrificing Isaac. Moses saw an angel in a burning bush, although he heard the voice of God. An angel led the Israelites during their exodus from Egypt. From time to time, the biblical angels look just like mortals until their true nature is revealed, like the angels who came to Lot before the horrific destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Unnamed perfume. Other angels are also mentioned in Scripture, such as a spirit with a fiery sword that blocked Adam's path back to Eden; cherub and seraph depicted as thunderclouds and lightning, which reminds of the belief of the ancient Jews in the god of thunder; the messenger of God who miraculously rescued Peter from prison, in addition, the angels who appeared to Isaiah in his vision of the heavenly judgment: “I saw the Lord sitting on a throne high and exalted, and the edges of His robe filled the entire temple. Seraphim stood around Him; each of them has six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his legs, and with two he flew. "
Hosts of angels appear several times in the pages of the Bible. Thus, a choir of angels announced the birth of Christ. Archangel Michael commanded numerous heavenly hosts in the battle against the forces of evil. The only angels in the Old and New Testaments that have their own names are Michael and Gabriel, who brought Mary the news of the birth of Jesus. Most of the angels refused to name themselves, this reflected the prevailing belief that the disclosure of the name of the spirit reduces its power.

Thrones, Seraphim and Cherubim are the main angelic ranks. Their representatives occupy the leading places in the heavenly hierarchy. Find out what they are responsible for and what functions they perform.

The angelic hierarchy is known to theologians from various sources... These are the Old and New Testaments, Holy Scripture, as well as the revelations of monks and priests who lived at different times. Thrones, Seraphim and Cherubim are also mentioned in “ Divine Comedy»Dante Alighieri. Interestingly, in the immortal work of Dante, the angelic hierarchy is described in the same way as in modern theological publications.

Dormition of the Virgin, Francesco Botticini

Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones occupy the first place in the Christian hierarchy of angelic entities. These are the names of ranks, the first order is the Seraphim, the second is the Cherubim, the third is the Thrones. All three ranks belong to the first sphere of the heavenly hierarchy, of which there are three. Each sphere contains three orders of angels.

Angels of the highest rank are rarely depicted as humanoid creatures. Their iconographic images are quite capable of seriously surprising the majority of believers. A clear hierarchy of angels exists only in the Christian tradition. The Qur'an practically does not touch upon this topic, therefore, in Islam, not much attention is paid to the types of Allah's helpers. In Judaism and Kabbalah, there are several versions of the hierarchy of divine essences, and all of them are seriously different from each other.

Dionysius the Areopagite wrote that a person cannot know for sure about what the hierarchy is heavenly forces... In his opinion, only what God wished to reveal is known. Perhaps only a part of the structure of the heavenly divine power and the apparatus of governing our world is available to us.

Supreme Angel Metatron - place in the hierarchy

Metatron and the aura

According to legend, the angel Metatron occupies the main position among all other celestial entities. He judges other angels, and also sits on the same throne that God has. However, according to the legends, the throne became the cause of the quarrel between God and Metatron and the subsequent punishment of the angel.

Metatron does not belong to the ranks of the first sphere - Seraphim, Cherubim, or Thrones. According to legend, he was once an ordinary righteous man. God lifted him to heaven alive and turned him into a perfect being - the archangel Metatron. Archangels are ranked eighth out of nine among the angelic ranks. However, despite this, he is closer to God than the higher ranks.

However, according to some legends, God expelled Metatron. Other angels did not want to recognize the main an ordinary person... In addition, the situation with two thrones, which gave rise to rumors of dual power in heaven, became the reason for the expulsion of Metatron. However, not all legends describe his exile. According to some of them, he forever remained an archangel close to God, despite the punishment incurred. Accordingly, the angel of the highest rank is Metatron, one of a kind.

The highest angelic rank - Seraphim

Seraphim are the highest angelic order. These are the angels who are closest to the rest, apart from Metatron, are to God. According to the book of the prophet Isaiah, they appeared before people in the guise of six-winged creatures. With the first pair of wings, they covered their faces, and with the second, their body. They need the last two wings in order to fly.

According to Enoch, one of the Seraphim calls himself Seraphiel. He has the head of an eagle. Such a bright light emanates from this divine being that even other angels are unable to see its appearance. Perhaps the rest of the Seraphim covered their faces and bodies only in order not to blind people with their holiness.

The icons depict representatives of the highest angelic order with open faces. Their two wings are raised up, two support the Seraphim in the air, and with two they hide their bodies from the eyes of people. According to the canon, these are angels who stand around God or support his throne. The predominant color on their icons is fiery, fiery, red.

Dionysius the Areopagite claims that the nature of the Seraphim is similar to fire, a fiery love of purity and holiness. They are in constant motion around the divine. Their vocation is to illuminate with their light and scorch with their heat, to raise and assimilate lower beings.

Representatives of the highest order in the angelic hierarchy praised God and told people about his holiness and the need for faith and observance of Christian commandments. They worship God and serve human needs. But the main function of the Seraphim is the fulfillment of God's purposes on earth. They contribute to their embodiment, giving orders to the lower ranks of angels, as well as influencing people directly.

Read the article seraphim - only God is stronger.

Cherubim - the second highest angelic order

Cherubim are second in the angelic hierarchy, after the Seraphim. According to the Book of Genesis, one of them guards the entrance to Eden with a fiery sword. He was appointed to the post of guardian after the expulsion of Adam and Eve. King David of Israel describes the cherubim as God's vehicle. It is not known whether they were harnessed to his chariot or carried God in some other way, since the preserved saying of David does not reveal this secret:

... sat on the cherubim and flew.

In the Old Testament, the epithet “seated on cherubim” is also often found describing God. According to legend, when the Pharaoh was persecuting the Jews, God took the Cherubim from one of the wheels of his throne and flew on it to save the chosen people. In addition, there is another function of these representatives of one of the highest angelic ranks. Near the throne of God and in the world of people, they sing, glorifying him. According to the apocrypha, they are busy chanting along with the phoenixes and seraphim.

As one of the highest angels, Cherubim are carriers of divine wisdom. They spread knowledge about God among people, direct them on the right path and help develop the qualities necessary for a God-fearing person. Cherubim are also involved in raising the education of other divine beings when needed.

According to Jewish beliefs, Cherubim were created on the third day of Creation. However, according to Jewish legends, they became the first living creatures to inhabit a deserted world. According to the Talmud, the first creatures were man, bull, eagle and lion. They stayed for some time near the throne of God. Later, Ezekiel advised him to replace the bull with a cherub, so that the bull would not be a living reminder of the times when the Jews worshiped the Golden Calf.

Read the article who are now called cherubim.

Detailed text description appearance cherubim do not exist. However, they have been repeatedly depicted in icons and in sculpture. Only their faces and wings are visible to the eyes of people. Unlike the Seraphim, the Cherubim never hide their faces. According to the prophecies of Ezekiel, they do not have the same face. Moreover, one of them is human, and the second is lion. Earlier texts describe Cherubim as four-faced creatures, and sometimes even appear in the form of winged bulls. The structure of their faces is also different from the human. Medicine calls these defects in humans cherubism.

The Talmud mentions that the statues of the Cherubim stood only in the very first temple. When, during its destruction, the pagans saw them, they began to mock the believers, calling them worshiping statues. Therefore, in the future, Cherubim were not depicted in the form of sculptures. They could only be seen in the murals of temples.

According to Jewish traditions, during sleep, the human body tells the soul about everything that was done during the day. The soul transmits information to the spirit, he - to the angel, the angel - to the archangel, the archangel - to the Cherubim, and the Cherubim tells about everything to the Seraphim, and the Seraphim reports to God. Accordingly, the Seraphim are the direct authorities of the Cherubim, their intermediaries in communion with God. Kabbalah says that the chief among the Cherubim is the angel who bears the name Cherubil.

Painting "Cherub" of the Church of Martin the Confessor in Alekseevskaya Novaya Sloboda (Moscow).

The Midrash says that it is not the Cherubim that wears God, but that God wears him. It does not contain anything material, God is sitting on the Cherubim, watching what is happening in the world. The same source names two names of the Cherubim - Tetragrammaton and Elohim. According to legend, these are parts true name God.

In the Christian tradition, Cherubim are considered angels singing in honor of the Lord, as well as carriers of his mind and wisdom. According to biblical descriptions, they have twelve wings. Astrologers associate the number of wings of the Cherubim with the number of signs of the zodiac. In addition, there is a connection with the number of hours in half the earth's day.

Later, John Chrysostom wrote that Cherubim are completely composed of eyes - their entire body is covered with them. Perhaps that is why they hide it under their wings. John Chrysostom saw in such a structure a symbol of wisdom. According to him, through the Cherubim, God's mind looks at the world.

Some theologians, for example, Thomas Aquinas and Theodore the Studite, call the Cherubim representatives of the highest angelic authority. In their opinion, they occupy the first place in the divine hierarchy, and the Seraphim - the second. V Orthodox worship there is a special prayer called the cherubic song.

What place do the Thrones occupy in the heavenly hierarchy?

According to the Holy Scriptures, the Thrones have such a name for a reason. God sits on them from time to time, pronouncing his Judgment. According to some legends, the Thrones also serve as a means of transportation for God, therefore they are sometimes called God-bearing.

Image of thrones on the fresco of the Church of St. John the Baptist in Kratovo, Macedonia.

Representatives of this angelic order fulfill the role of the throne of the Lord. They rank third among the angelic ranks, obeying the Seraphim and Cherubim. All other angelic ranks are subject to the Thrones and higher angels.

Thrones perform not only the functions of transport and the divine throne. With their help, God carries out his judgment on angels and people. Thrones also deal with human courts, helping rulers, judges, leaders who carry out their duties at different levels, on different scales.

Thrones are depicted as fiery wheels with eyes on the rims. They have four wings. Initially, the Cherubim were depicted in this form, but later their appearance became closer to the Seraphim, and the fiery wheels were their attributes for some time. At the same time, the true appearance of the Thrones was revealed to people. V Jewish culture the third order is called the Wheels, or Ofhanim.

In general, there are three orders of the first sphere of the divine hierarchy. These are the Seraphim closest to God and the Cherubim and Thrones subordinate to them. Each of these divine entities fulfills their roles in helping God rule the world.

Everything in the world is subject to strict laws and hierarchy. Without order, cities would not have developed, civilization would not have developed. But the hierarchy can be traced not only in the material plane of being, but also in the spiritual or in another way - the angelic world.

Angels were no exception, helping God in his affairs and becoming the conductors of His will. The structure of the angelic hierarchy is clearly divided into three spheres, each of which has its own ranks of angels.

Each religion has its own angels, archangels and other powers of heaven, but, of course, they are called differently.

Angels of Christianity

Modern Angelology began to take shape on initial stages development of Christianity. Theologians of that time took seriously the question of creating schemes for the hierarchies of these beings. Moreover, each scheme is divided into several levels, which later became known as choirs.

Of course, Christian theologians did not come up with all this out of their heads. As a source of information they used Old and New Testaments... This is confirmed by the fact that in Judaism (from which many traditions have followed to Christianity) there are no such angelic ranks as the archangel or the "leadership".

Since all these schemes were created at about the same time, they often overlap with each other. At the same time, it often happened that the hierarchies and choirs were seriously increased or, on the contrary, the previously existing ranks were missing.

However, there have been examples of schemes with radically different positions in history. Moreover, there were hierarchies of the reverse execution scheme (from lowest to highest).

As an example, the hierarchy built and described by Athanasius the Great can be cited: he did not begin to systematize all the information and simply listed all the available ranks.

Those who are now called cherubim are actually the image of the ancient Greek Cupid.

The first treatise that appeared, in which the work on structuring the congregation of angels was more or less thoroughly done, was called "Ariopagitics". It was this Talmud that theologians used in their works as a source detailed description choirs.

This book belongs to the hand of Pseudo-Dionosius and in it the hierarchy of heavenly powers is shown in ascending order. Where more and more important angels were placed above the rest.

In the treatise "On the Heavenly Hierarchy" there are two options for the location of the hierarchy of the heavenly forces. How it happened is explained in the work of a later time - Schilia to the Areopagitics.

Another interesting scheme can be called the vision of the hierarchy from Hildegard, which is described in the work "Know the paths of light, that is, the Lord." In this scheme, there were nine choirs, which had their own symbolism:

1. Angels, along with archangels, corresponded to body and soul.
2. Seraphim and Cherubim related to love of God and knowledge.
3. The intermediate five symbolized human feelings (sight, touch, etc.).

Gradually, some of the schemes atrophied, while others were reborn. Wrong, in the opinion of theologians, ideas about hierarchy were discarded. Ultimately, the Areopagite scheme became canonical. It had three spheres in each of three groups.

The heavenly hierarchy in Orthodoxy differs little from that in Catholicism.

Orbs of Angelic Ranks and Ranks of Angels (descending order)

First sphere:

• seraphim;
• cherubim;
• thrones.

Second sphere:

• domination;
• strength;
• authorities.

Third area:

• angels;
• archangels;
• start.

Of course, the above scheme has been refined and signed several times. New interpretations of hierarchies have often emerged.

Ranks of the First Orb

All 9 angelic ranks in Orthodoxy did not deviate much from the Catholic canon:

Second Sphere

Third Sphere

The above table fully answers the question of how much Christian religion angelic ranks. As you can see, there is nothing complicated in the hierarchy of paradise.

Ranks of the Angel

The Bible speaks of 8 orders of Angels. These are: Archangels, Cherubim, Seraphim, Thrones, Dominions, Principalities, Authorities, Strengths.

Where does such a variety of the inhabitants of Heaven come from? .. The teachers of the Church thought about it. Origen (III century) suggested that the difference between Angels in ranks is due to their cooling in love for God. The higher the rank, the more faithful, more obedient to God the Angel is, and vice versa. However, the Orthodox Church rejected this interpretation.

St. Augustine (4th century) wrote: “That there are Thrones, Dominions, Principalities and Authorities in heavenly abodes, I have unshakable faith, and that they differ from one another, I undoubtedly contain; but what they are and in what way they differ from each other, I do not know. "

The deepest and most thoughtful work on this topic belongs to the pen of the theologian of the 5th century St. Dionysius the Areopagite. He wrote an essay, which is called "On the Heavenly Hierarchy" and in which the question is just clarified - how do Angels differ from each other.

St. Dionysius divides all Angels into three triads. Each triad has 3 ranks (he has 9 ranks in total).

The first triad, closest to God, are: Cherubim, Seraphim and Thrones.

The second triad: Dominance, Strength, Power.

Finally, the third triad: Beginnings, Archangels, Angels.

St. Dionysius says that the rank of the Angel depends on the position in Heavenly hierarchy, that is, from closeness to the Heavenly King - God.

The most supreme angels praise God, stand before Him. Other Angels, whose rank in the Heavenly hierarchy is lower, carry out various assignments, for example, guarding people. These are the so-called service spirits.

The work of St. Dionysius is a remarkable achievement of Orthodox mysticism, theology and philosophy. For the first time, a harmonious teaching appears that tries to show the principles of God's interaction with the world through Angelic beings; for the first time, the variety of ranks of Angels, which the Bible mentions, has been put in order. However, it should be remembered that the classification of angelic ranks by St. Dionysius is not strictly scientific work- it is, rather, mystical reflections, material for theological reflections. Angelology of St. Dionysius, for example, cannot be used in the study of biblical angelology, since biblical angelology proceeds from different theological attitudes, develops according to different laws than that of St. Dionysius. However, for the work of the theologian, the system of St. Dionysius is irreplaceable, and this is why: in his work, the Byzantine thinker shows that the closer the Angelic order is to God, the more he becomes a partaker of the blessed Light and grace of God.

Each of the triads of Angels, writes St. Dionysius, has its general purpose. The first is purification, the second is enlightenment, and the third is perfection.

The first triad, the first three highest orders - Cherubim, Seraphim and Thrones - are in the process of cleansing from any admixture of something imperfect. Being close to God, in constant contemplation Divine Light, they reach the highest degree purity and clarity of his angelic spirit, striving to resemble the Absolute Spirit - God. And there is no limit to this perfection. No one else from the creatures of God can reach the dizzying degree of purity in which these Angels are. Nobody ... except Mary of Nazareth - Mother of the Lord Jesus Christ. She, who bore her under her heart, gave birth, swaddled her, brought up the Savior of the world, we sing as "The Most Honorable Cherubim and the Most Glorious Seraphim without Comparison."

The second triad - Dominance, Strength, Power - is constantly enlightened by the light of God's Wisdom, and there is no limit for it either, for the Wisdom of God is infinite. This enlightenment is not mental, but contemplative. That is, the Angels in awe and amazement contemplate the boundless and perfect Wisdom of God.

Finally, the work of the last triad - the Beginnings, Archangels, Angels - is perfection. This is a more understandable and specific type of service. These Angels, joined to God's perfection and to His will, convey this will to us and thus help us to improve.

St. Dionysius also emphasizes the fundamental difference in the characteristics of the natures of Angels who make up different triads. If the angelic nature of the first, higher, triad can be described as light and fire, then in the second Dionysius notes strength and material characteristics, and the third triad is understood completely as serving the will of God directed to the world.

St. Dionysius defined not only the general ministry of the triads of Angels, but also the specific ministry of each of the nine orders.

And the very name of the rank will help us to find out what kind of service they are serving.

So, the name Seraphim, which is borne by the highest Angels, is translated in Hebrew as "flaming", and the name Cherubim means "an abundance of knowledge or an outpouring of wisdom" (St. Dionysius the Areopagite). Finally, the name of the third order of the first triad - Thrones means Angels removed from everything earthly, and shows us the desire of these Angels to "cling fixedly and firmly" to the Lord.

Accordingly, one can understand the properties and qualities of the other two angelic triads.

Dominions - instruct earthly rulers to wise management.

Forces - work miracles and send down the grace of miracles to the saints of God.

Authorities - have the power to tame the power of the devil. They reflect all our temptations and also have power over the elements of nature.

Beginnings - rule the universe, the laws of nature, protect peoples, tribes, countries.

Archangels - preach the great and glorious Mysteries of God. They are the vehicles for the revelation of God.

Angels are present with every person, they inspire spiritual life, preserve in everyday life.

Of course, the opinion of St. Dionysius should not be considered indisputable. Among the holy fathers (and even among St. Dionysius himself) we come across the idea that there are many more angelic ranks than nine, their ministries are more varied than those listed above, but this is not revealed to us. St. Dionysius is just an introduction to angelology, a starting point for further theological research on these issues.

The great John of Damascus, who himself greatly appreciated the work of St. Dionysius, so summed up the opinion Orthodox Church on this question: “Whether they are essentially equal or differ from each other, we do not know. Knows the one God who created them, who knows everything. They differ from each other in light and position; or, having a degree according to the light, or, according to the degree, participating in the light, and enlighten each other because of the superiority of rank or nature. But it is clear that the higher Angels impart both light and knowledge to the lower ones. "