© © D. Hurst / Alam

What kind of Angel?

According to early Christian theology, there are nine categories of angels, arranged in groups of three.

The highest level consists of the seraphim (guardians of the throne of God), the cherubim (messengers who communicate with humanity and carry out God’s judgements) and the ophanim, or thrones (glowing, wheel-shaped creatures covered with eyes, who act as God’s chariot).

In the second rank are the Dominions, Principalities and Powers, and the third division embraces the Virtues, Archangels and Angels. This scheme is derived from the writings of St Ambrose, a fourth-century Bishop of Milan, and restated in the work of an anonymous theologian (known as Dionysius the Areopagite) writing in about the year AD500.

Angels are not always kind, gentle beings. The inhabitants of Satan’s realm are also angels, albeit ones who have fallen from God’s favour. Although higher beings than humans, they are able to feel emotions, as we learn from the Gospel text that says that there is much joy in heaven when a sinner repents (Luke 15:7).

Guardian angels

Many Christians believe that every person born has a guardian angel watching over them. People speak of their angel intervening to look after them in an accident, perhaps breaking their fall and saving them from serious injury.

This belief has never been subject to an official declaration by the Roman Catholic Church, and is not therefore an Article of Faith (something that is compulsory for believers to accept). It is to be found, though, in the work of such early authorities as the fourth-century writer St Jerome: “The dignity of a soul is so great, that each has a guardian angel from its birth.”

Angels are capable of taking on human form when they so wish, craftily concealing their true identities. St Paul advises, in his epistle to the Hebrews, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” (13:2).

However the angels may be described, they are certainly in a higher state of grace than human beings, as is clear from the following text: “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? ... For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.” (Psalms 8:4,5).

On the head of a pin

In medieval times, the nature of angels was a favourite theme of theological debate. Even today, the question, “How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?” stands for pointless hair-splitting in an argument. (The original question was probably “How many angels can stand on the point of a needle?”, which of course makes much more sense…)

This was already something of an old chestnut by the 17th century, as the Cambridge philosopher Ralph Cudworth indicates in his 1678 work The True Intellectual System Of The Universe: “... Some who are far from atheists, may make themselves merry with that conceit of thousands of spirits dancing at once upon a needle’s point.”

Modern Angelology

Recent times have seen a great explosion of interest in the idea of angels. These tend not to be the Biblical seraphim and cherubim, but are more likely the common or guardian variety!

Some people claim to be able to communicate with, and even see, these angels. Festivals devoted to Mind, Body and Spirit matters, and the annual Faery, Angel and Healing Fayre, are good places to meet angelologists.

World Angel Day, which began in 2001, is an annual celebration of human-angelic contact. Like Easter, its date varies according to a precise calculation (in this case, based on mystical numerology). The celebration for 2005 took place on October 17.

Did You Know?

In France, when a sudden silence descends over a group of people who were previously talking, it is said that “un ange passe [an angel is passing]”.