So what are they? They are beautiful, other-worldly souls of light that were created by God. When He made them no one knows, since it is not written clearly in the Bible, but they probably belong to the “heavens and all that is therein” (Genesis 1:1). He created them to have loyalty and love, wise minds and extreme beauty, and most importantly, free will. He gave them names and ranks, and their tasks depended on both of those characteristics. While Hugh of St. Victor goes on a long discussion regarding their nature & works, and this problem of free will, I think it is quite simple. God created them as souls who were qualified and had free will, and when it was time to examine them, some succeeded and were crowned with righteousness while others failed and lost the righteousness that could have been theirs. The ones who fell were of different ranks but many readings make it clear there are more on the side of God than there are against Him. But does that mean that they no longer have this free will after being tested? No. Each of the angels and the fallen angels maintained that free will which is why the “good” ones continue to do the will of God, which as Hugh concluded, is good and never evil, while the fallen angels have the free will to tempt and make evil works (as long as they get permission from God). Hugh sort of brings up the question that people have asked ever since there was religion: if there is a God, why do bad things happen to people? Well, as it is illustrated numerous times in the book of Job, God allows the devil to act out and tempt whoever he wants but God refuses to have the devil “touch” His faithful. While this can be understood in different ways, I think it means that God allows good and bad people to be tempted but He does not allow their faith to be questioned, and if their faith is strong, then they have succeeded.
As to the question on their relationship with God, it is evident in their names and ranks. Each of the angels is a manifestation of one of God’s features. While I do not agree that they are a part of Him, I do believe that God has created them, like the humans, in His image and with a specific task in mind. There are nine ranks of angels as discussed by Dionysius: Seraphim (those who brightly lit in fire), Cherubim (full of knowledge and wisdom), Thrones (angels of justice and dispenses of God’s judgement), Lordships/Dominions (receiving orders from higher ranks and guidance of lower ranks), Authorities/Virtues (angels of choice and sparks of light), Powers (warriors and theologians), Principalities (leaders and overseers of the world), Archangels (ministers of God and protectors of human life), and Angels (guardians and messengers of God). Whatever their rank is, they execute the will of God without discussion. They deliver messages like Archangel Gabriel (meaning God’s strength) when he appeared to St. Mary, fight Lucifer like Archangel Michael (meaning He who is like God), or heal the servants of God like Archangel Raphael (God’s healing) when he appeared to Tobit.
As mentioned earlier, the function of angels who speak and interact with humans is to lead them to God and His righteousness. A famous example of this is when St. Stephan was getting stoned by the mobs that listened to the words of Saul. When he looked up to the heavens and saw God, everyone around him “saw his face as the face of an angel” (Acts 6:15). This also highlights the difference between angels and humans; in their journey to find God, humans become angels on earth when they arrive to extreme holiness and righteousness. We view those who are described as such as saints. Once again, we are all sons of God because of the unity we share through his light and righteousness. While I believe that we share more with saints because they have lived our physical life and suffered similar circumstances, our prayers to angels bring a similar outcome since they when we pray and carry those prayers up to heaven. They’re also happier when we follow in the path they paved with us which is why Christ said that “...there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance" (Luke 15: 7).
I brought this up with my brother when I was telling him how hard this specific assignment was because it made me question so many things about my faith that I never thought were important and when I asked him if he would rather be an angel than a human, his answer was, and no pun intended, “hell yes.” He then proceeded to tell me how he’d wish he didn’t have to deal with annoying people all the time and he would love to fly around and not be limited by his body. But on a more serious note, above all, he wished he could be one of the thousands and thousands who do nothing but stand in front of God and praise Him because how amazing would it be if you’re standing around with an infinite number of illuminated souls that share their love for this one particular thing and show it constantly. It would be amazing. When he asked me, I told him that all sounded nice and beautiful, but I realized, angels don’t have bodies. They couldn’t receive communion. They couldn’t receive the one thing that is the definition of God’s love towards His creation. So why would I want to be one?
There is an artwork I found that I thought was pretty cool but it was too large to share so I just linked it here if anyone wants to check it out.
MT
I really liked this exploration of the texts we looked at, particularly the exploration of the difference between humans and angels. I agree, that I would not want to become an angel, although I am curious as to what an angel would say if you were to present them with the same question, "Would you want to be human?"
ReplyDelete--OK
I've got a question to ask. As you mentioned in your takedown of your brother's short sighted response, Angels don't have bodies. They don't need to look like anything to function properly. So, why then do angels have different ranks and orders and why is it important for the classes of angels to appear different?
ReplyDeleteI think each appearance of the different ranks depends on the function of that rank. The Seraphim have six wings and they are constantly flying around God who's sitting on His throne and they never stop praising him. That is their function. To not stop praising God. While they are not limited by their bodies, we don't know if that means they could be in two places at once. I would assume they cannot because even angels have their limits and they are not like God since Christians believe that God is everywhere at once. So that means their only job is to be in the presence of God and they can't help out humans if they are praising God. This is why I think there are different ranks. God created them with different purposes and the more important their function the higher ranked they are. So the angels that carry the throne of God and are meant to be all knowing (have eyes everywhere on their bodies) are slightly lower. Then there are those who are meant to interact with humans and they are lower. And it goes on. So yeah they don't need to look like anything to function properly but God isn't random. God likes ordered things and He created everything and "saw that it was good" (Genesis 1).
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think my brother was joking and I assumed I could portray that humor on here but obviously that wasn't clear enough.
-MT
I am also reluctant to say that angels are a part of God—though if the Church is the body of Christ, and if the Church is like the angels in worship and unity (Barker 71), then why can’t angels be part of God? I guess the way I read Barker was with an emphasis on God just being represented by one or more angels, not actually being multiple angels. As you noted, the angels are manifestations of different characteristics of God; by representing Him as a number of angels, we are reminded of different aspects of His complex nature as well as His glory which the angels reflect. But I guess I’m still having trouble wrapping my brain around the angels being, as Barker puts it, “contained within each other and the One” (70), and what that actually means.
ReplyDeleteKY
I am glad that you all brought up the question of unity and hierarchy. Are angels divine? The only angels named in scripture—Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael—have "El" (God) as part of their name, so there is some sense in which they do more than just reflect God (as human souls do). But on the other hand, they are creatures of God, so not One in the way that the Father, Son, and Spirit are understood to be. And yet, Barker shows how the LORD himself (that is, the person whom Christians would identify with the Son) was called "the Angel of Great Counsel." So there are layers here that bear thinking on! Technically, angels are not described as "souls" but as "intelligences," but you all are raising exactly the kinds of questions that the scholastic theologians like Hugh would raise, about whether angels take up space since they do not have bodies, and how they move (e.g. what did it mean that Gabriel was "sent" to Mary?). What did you think about what Barker showed about the importance of the angels' singing? I am happy, MT, that your brother understands how cool it would be to join their song! RLFB
ReplyDeleteYour point about the Eucharist at the end, and how because of it you would not wish to be an angel, is crucial. Yes, it is because we have a body that we can receive this gift; but it is also body that we are receiving, God Incarnate. This is the ultimate penetration, the Creator inside the creation, the one who made us miraculously in our midst. While angels receive the divine radiance and exist in unity with God, the communion we are given seems deeper - the one who made us within us.
ReplyDeleteJM