Heavenly powers of God angels archangels. The ranks of angels - features of the heavenly hierarchy in Orthodoxy and Catholicism

I believe in One God... Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible (Symbol of Faith).

Mountain to heights, souls, heart's eye, and mental aspirations, with divine love, we always extend in our souls: as if from there the rays are shining, we will flee the darkness of passions, hoping with the angels to appear before the terrible throne of the Creator, and be transformed from light to light (Stichera on “Lord I cried” on the week of eternity, tone 2).

Many wondrous beauties are scattered before our eyes by the generous right hand of the Most High. Fields, meadows, yellowing fields, speckled with emerald flowers, dressed in a way that Solomon never dressed in all his glory, dense forests with their incessant trills of birds, wild mountains, gorges and rocks, frozen as if in their majestic reverie, the boundless sea, blue, with its foaming, stormy waves, a quiet stream, peacefully and gently murmuring somewhere in a green valley, the ringing song of a lark, carried upward, a thousand-eyed, starry sky - all this, and in the field every blade of grass, and in the sky every star - the whole universe is full of such inexplicable beauties that, however, according to one teacher of the Church, the mind could not stand it, the heart could not contain it, if we, being born immediately adult and conscious, suddenly saw all these beauties; True, the enthusiastic hymn of the Psalmist King in honor of the creator of all this beauty also becomes understandable: “How great are Your works, O Lord, how wonderful are Your works, O Lord, that You have done all things with wisdom! Lord our God! How wonderful your name all over the earth! ...Your splendor will rise above the heavens!” ()

But... what are all these visible beauties in comparison with the invisible ones! What are these visible beauties if not a reflection, if not shadows from what is invisible to the eye? There is, beloved, behind this starry sky that we see, there is another sky - the sky of heaven, where the great apostle of tongues was once raptured and where he heard and saw what “Whose eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and the heart of man has not sighed”(). This sky is also strewn with stars, but such that we cannot even imagine now, stars that never fall, ever shining, morning stars, as it is written in Scripture: “with the general rejoicing of the morning stars... approved were the foundations of the earth and laid its cornerstone"(). These morning stars- angels of the Lord.

Oh, beloved, do you know, do you feel all the immeasurability of God’s mercy in the fact that heaven has been opened to us, the sons of dust; we, darkened by sin, through the Sacraments of the Orthodox Church are given enlightened spiritual eyes with which we can see the inhabitants of heaven, the angels of God. “From now on,” we are promised, “ You will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”(). “Heaven,” one preacher exclaims on this occasion, “that blissful abode of invisible spirits and our future eternal dwelling, was previously very little known. Oh, this ignorance alone was so deadly and painful for us! In moments of sorrow, in hours of lamentation, where could our souls fly? In moments of death, in hours of separation, where would we find consolation? And what kind of life would it be that should end irrevocably? It would be better not to live like that at all. And what would these joys be that must disappear forever? It would be better not to be so happy at all. Now, with the coming of Christ the Savior to earth, such thoughts cannot and should not bother us. Now we have heaven - a land of joy and consolation, where so often we fly away from the vanities of the world to rest our souls and calm our hearts; now we have immortal life, where we will one day live a new life, inseparable from everything that is so dear and dear to our hearts.”

Woe are our hearts!

Woe to heights, woe to the heart's eye! But... how can a fallen man rise there when he is constantly being drawn down?

“Having the substance of a mother, and the dirt of a father, and a forefather of dust, I greatly see these affinities in the earth: but grant me, my representative, and grief to look upon heavenly kindness” (Canon of the Guardian Angel).

Let us rush to this heavenly road not on our own, but let us take the wings of the word of God, the scriptures and the testimonies of the wise fathers and teachers of the Church, let us unfold them in all their breadth and power, and surely these wings will lift up our wavering and falling spirit. – Woe to the height of the soul, grief to the heart’s eye. Woe - to the angels - we have hearts!

Angels... What are they? What are these creatures? Are there many of them? What do they do, how do they live in heaven? Do they ever come to our earth?

What are angels? Among all peoples, at all times, along with the innate thought of God, the thought of one or another concept of the angelic world has always lived. And we, although we have not seen angels with our bodily eyes, can draw their image, we can say what kind of creatures they are: the thought of them is deeply embedded in our soul; Each of us mentally imagines angels.

Angel... Isn’t it true, when we pronounce this word with our own lips, or hear it pronounced by the lips of others, or when we think about an angel, then every time this name evokes in us an idea of ​​​​something unusually bright, pure, perfect , holy, beautifully tender, about something that the soul involuntarily yearns for, that it loves, that it bows to? And everything that we notice on earth is holy, bright, pure, beautiful and perfect - we have a tendency to call and designate it with the name of an angel. We look, for example, at pretty children, admire their trusting eyes, their naive smile, and say: “like angels,” “angel eyes,” “angelic smile.” We hear harmonious, touching singing, ringing, gentle voices, we listen to their various modulations and melodies, sometimes quietly sad and thoughtful, sometimes enthusiastically, solemn and majestic, and we say: “as if in heaven, like angels singing.” Will we visit a family whose members live in mutual harmony, mutual love, prayer, where everything bears the stamp of some kind of quietness, meekness, some extraordinary peace, where the soul involuntarily rests - let's visit such a family and say: "live like angels." Whether any extraordinary beauty strikes our eyes, we will say again: “angelic beauty.” And if we are asked, if we are assigned to draw an angel, and if we have paint, how will we depict him? Definitely in the form of a beautiful young man, in snow-white clothes, with a bright, clear face, clear eyes, with white wings - in a word, we will try to portray something attractive, tender, alien to the earth and everything sensual. And the more clearly in our drawing we imprint this alienation from the earth, this airiness, lightness, spirituality, this incorporeality, heavenliness, the more perfect the drawing will be, the more eyes it will attract to itself, the more clearly it will remind those looking of the celestial being . So, this, therefore, is what angels are, as our inner feeling, inner spiritual sense, our inner direct experience tells us about this, first of all.

With the name of an angel we associate the concept of everything that is dear to us, holy, attractive, pure, perfect, beautiful, unearthly. An angel is depicted to our inner gaze as a being not of this world, spiritual, free from all rudeness and sensuality, in a word, as a heavenly being. And what our inner feeling tells us about angels, perhaps not entirely clearly, vaguely, is revealed to us by the word of God with particular clarity and obviousness.

The Word of God is news from heaven and about heavenly things.

And the more often and deeply we read into it, the closer the heavenly - angelic world becomes to us, the more tangible we will feel it with our hearts, the more clearly its victorious songs will reach our inner ears. Just as the sun and the starry sky are reflected in clean water, so in the word of God - this source of living water - the spiritual sky is reflected - the angelic world; in the word of God we see angels as if standing before us.

By their nature, the word of God teaches us, angels are spirits. “Are not all ministering spirits, says the ap. Paul, - sent to minister for those who are to inherit salvation."(). “You want to know,” says the blessed one. Augustine, is the name of his (angel of) nature? This is spirit. Would you like to know his position? This is an angel. In essence he is a spirit, and in activity he is an angel.” But angels are spirits, not bound, like our spirit, by flesh, which fights against the spirit, captivates it with the sinful law, constrains it, interrupts its flights to heaven, and constantly pulls it towards the earth. Angels are spirits free from all flesh, its laws are alien to them. They are not tormented by hunger, they are not tormented by thirst. Therefore, all our persistent work in obtaining our daily bread is unknown to them. “Cursed is the earth because of your deeds,...it will bring forth thorns and thistles for you...By the sweat of your brow you shall bear your bread.”(). This formidable sentence of Divine justice was pronounced only to fallen man, but the angels remained faithful to their Creator to the end. Thorns and thistles do not grow in the sky, sweat does not wear out the face of an angel. They do not sow, do not reap, do not gather into barns, they are not dried up by worry about tomorrow; our struggle for bread, for existence, our mutual strife, discord, wars, anger, hatred, envy because of this are unknown to disembodied spirits. True, they experience hunger and feel thirst, but not our hunger with pain, not our thirst with suffering. Their hunger is a never-ending need to be satisfied with the sweetness of contemplating the beauty of the Divine, with the sweetness of knowledge of eternal wisdom, to be satisfied with the one living bread.

“Holy bread,” the priest prays in the words of St. before the liturgy - Holy Bread, Living Bread, Sweetest Bread. Bread is a delight, pure bread, full of all kinds of sweets and incense! The angels in heaven feed abundantly on you; May even the stranger on earth be satisfied in his strength with You!”

“The angels in heaven feed abundantly,” and everyone wants to be satisfied more and more with the sweetness of contemplation of the Divine. What a high, truly heavenly, most blissful hunger! The angels are also overcome by thirst, but also by a heavenly and blissful thirst - a thirst for ever closer communion with God, penetration by the Divine, enlightenment by Him. Their thirst is a never-ending yearning for God. A small semblance of this thirst occurs on earth. So the eagle, spreading its mighty wings to its full width, soars high and flies, rising higher... higher... there - deep into the sky. But no matter how high he rises, he must come down again. This is how it happens: our mind, in moments of greatest spiritual tension, inspiration, prayer, powerfully breaking the bonds of the flesh, like an eagle, rushes to heaven, contemplates God, is imbued with Him, and thinks about Him. But, alas, our mind, fickle and wavering, again falls from the heavenly heights; breaks into many vain thoughts, dissipates. Not so the angels: their mind is constantly, invariably directed towards God, does not deviate from Him for a single moment, and does not know any turning back. The angels “with a firm mind and an unwavering desire guide the being” contemplate the Divine, and sing about them. “The angels are inflamed with Divine love” (1 Octoechos, chapter A). Inflamed even by this love, kindled by the dawn of the Divine being, from this Divine thirst the angels themselves become “God-bearing coal” (2 Octoechos, chapter 2). Canon on Monday morning, canto 1. “By communion of divine fire, as there is a flame.” “Cherubim and seraphim stand before You in fiery fires. God!" (3 Tone 4, Tuesday, canto 8).

What truly divine, what sweetest thirst! Thus, in the unceasing contemplation of God, in constant striving and exaltation towards Him, in the never-ceasing hymn of His immeasurable glory and greatness, angels live in heaven.

On the path of constant aspiration and elevation to God, they do not know any stops, obstacles and obstacles, they do not know the most important, the most fundamental, the most difficult obstacle on this path - sin, which every now and then binds the wings of our spirit with its bonds, hampering its flight to heaven and God. Angels can no longer sin. At first, according to the teachings of Blessed. Augustine, were created by God with the ability to sin, then, by the steady exercise of their will in good, they passed into the state of being able not to sin, and finally, strengthened in obedience to God, by the power of divine grace, they became so perfect that they reached the state of the impossibility of sinning.

In this most blessed and holy state the angels remain in heaven to this day.

As disembodied spirits, angels know neither our space nor time; our methods of transportation, which involve many efforts and difficulties, are unknown to them. Angels are fleet, fast-moving: an angel is now in one place, in the blink of an eye - in another; there are no walls, no doors, no locks for the angels. “They,” teaches Gregory the Theologian, “walk freely around the great throne, because they are fast-moving minds, flames and divine spirits, quickly moving through the air.” And they pass through closed doors, and see through the walls, and no fortress, the most solid, high and impregnable, is able to hold back their flight. On their swift-flying wings, angels fly uncontrollably and freely: before the “noise of their spirit” (), all space disappears like smoke.

And not only do the angels themselves so easily rush about; If an angel approaches a person, takes him, lifts him on his wings, then space ceases to exist for the person; covered with the blood of angelic wings, he is transported across the most distant distances in the blink of an eye. This is how it is told in the book of the Acts of the Apostles about St. ap. Philippa: “The Angel of the Lord said to Philip: get up and go at noon, to the road going from Jerusalem to Gaza... He got up and went.” On the road I met an Ethiopian husband, a eunuch, a nobleman of Candace, the queen of Ethiopia, entered into a conversation with this nobleman, converted him to Christ and baptized him. And so, “When they came out of the water, the Holy Spirit descended on the eunuch, and Philip was taken away by the Angel of the Lord, and the eunuch no longer saw him... And Philip(straightaway) ended up in Azot" ().

Even more wonderful things are told in the Word of God about the prophets Daniel and Habakkuk. The Prophet Daniel was in captivity in Babylon; Through the machinations and malice of the pagan Babylonians, he was thrown by the king into the lions' den. He languished there for six days without food, the lions did not touch the righteous man, but hunger made itself felt. While “There was in Judea the prophet Habakkuk, who, having cooked a stew and crumbled bread into a dish, went to the field to take it to the reapers. But the angel of the Lord said to Habakkuk: “Take this dinner that you have to Babylon to Daniel in the lions’ den.” exclaimed in surprise Habakkuk: “Sir! I have never seen Babylon and I don’t know the ditch.” And then the angel of the Lord took him by the crown, and, holding his head by the hair, set him in Babylon over the ditch by the power of his spirit. And Habakkuk called and said: “Daniel! Daniel! take the lunch I sent you.” Daniel, full of enthusiastic feelings, thanked the Lord: “You remembered me, O God, and did not forsake those who love You!” And Daniel arose and ate; An angel of God instantly put Habakkuk in his place.”, again to Judea ().

It’s wonderful, it’s wonderful, my friends!

For us, bound by flesh, it’s strange, for us, shackled from everywhere by space, it’s incomprehensible how it’s possible: to be here now, and at any second be transported across hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, millions of miles and find yourself immediately in another place, in another country. , among other people, to hear a foreign language, to see a different nature. It’s strange, but not so strange that we are completely unable to accommodate such rapid movement in our minds; it is incomprehensible, but not so much that such rapidity is in direct contradiction to our mind. Man, “made low according to the Word of God, little chimney from the angel"(), in itself carries the possibility of angelic speed. In fact, tell me, isn’t our spirit fast-moving, isn’t our thought fleeting? For thought, for our spirit also, there are no barriers or obstacles. In the blink of an eye we can travel across the most enormous distances with our thoughts, in the blink of an eye we can visit in our spirit various places. And this, more and more intensifying now, the desire to conquer, to conquer space, to cut through it with all kinds of the most fast-moving machines, this, more and more increasing, thirst to get off the ground, and on newly invented airships, as if on wings, to fly there ... high, high .. where the sky is blue - what does all this mean if not that man is truly "made less than an angel" that his spirit is fast-moving, his thought is fleeting, that in spirit, in thought, man is an angel, and is also not bound by space.

Alas, sin living in us, and on this human desire for angelic speed leaves its heavy stamp! The angelic speed of our thoughts poisons with its deadly and destructive poison: a person with the speed of lightning runs through entire spaces, swims across the seas in order, as quickly as possible, to bring destruction and death with him; a man, like a bird, soars into the air and from this height throws down terrible destructive projectiles.

Oh, dear brothers, let us pray that the angelic swiftness inherent in our spirit, in our thoughts, will penetrate and dissect the space of sin that surrounds us more and more deeply, let us begin to work on ourselves, so that our fast-moving spirit, like an angel, soars to God , would be carried away more often to the heavenly, angelic world!

As disembodied spirits, angels, we have seen, do not know space. They do not know our time either. In heaven there is neither our yesterday, nor today, nor tomorrow, or, better, there is only today, today, ever-being; Angels do not know our days, nor nights, nor minutes, nor hours; there is no winter, no spring, no summer, no autumn in their kingdom, or, better, there is only one spring, bright, joyful; among the angels there is everlasting Easter, an unceasing holiday, eternal joy - Angels, according to the word of the Savior, "they can no longer die"(). An open, gloomy grave, gravestones and monuments do not disturb the angelic gaze, funeral songs of mourning do not disturb their ears, our last, soul-tearing “forgiveness” is unfamiliar to them, the bitterness of separation does not devour their hearts, does not distort or disfigure beauty with its corrupting breath angelic.

Life, friends, only life lives in heaven, eternal, blessed life with God and in God - “in Him there is life” (). We saw a wide, boundless sea... you look, and there is no end to it, a thought is lost, like a grain of sand, like a speck of dust in its immensity. So this is the life of an angel: it is boundless, there is no end to it and there is no measure. Every day we become weaker, older, and decrepit, but the angels, with each approach to God, become more and more youthful, ascending from strength to strength, from perfection to perfection.

Oh, Angels of God, what grace-filled calmness, what joy in the soul just from contemplating your blessed life! From the heights above, give at least one drop of this life into our hearts!

And our heart, dear brothers, is designed in such a way that it has the ability to perceive, feel, and even anticipate angelic life on earth. You know: this is why angels do not know time and everything connected with time: gradual withering, old age, death - because they live in God. And a person, when he lives in God, entering into the closest communication with him through prayer, also ceases to take into account time, often goes beyond it, approaches the threshold of eternity. Time becomes invisible to him; he, as they say, does not notice time. Many hours will pass, but it seems to him that barely a few minutes have passed. It’s so sweet to talk with God! “God,” says St. John of Damascus, “contains in Himself the entire being, as if some boundless and limitless sea of ​​essence.” And whoever enters this sea, who plunges into its unsearchable depths, minutes, hours, all time disappear in these depths, and only eternity remains, and in eternity the eternal God.

Not far from the Trinity-Sergius Lavra there is the monastery of Gethsemane. In this monastery, the elder, hieroschemamonk Alexander († February 9, 1878), a tireless practitioner of the heartfelt Jesus Prayer, labored in retreat. A former student and his cell attendant, now a venerable abbot, himself a wise elder and a proven teacher in spiritual life, tells about this elder, says:

“It used to be that you would go to the all-night vigil and go to the elder, Father Alexander, and he would sit on a chair with me; you will go to the all-night vigil, and, at the end of the service, you will again go to the elder, and the elder still sits in the same place with prayer. Hearing the noise, he will raise his head and, seeing me, will be surprised and ask: “Has the all-night vigil really left? I thought that I had just sat down, but four hours had already passed, I don’t see time during the Jesus Prayer, it flows so quickly, as if it were flying.”

Here on earth, in the kingdom of death and time, a person, in a conversation with God, completely forgets time, emerges from its cascading whirlpool, then you understand, beloved, why in heaven, in the kingdom of eternal life, there is and cannot be time at all? There, the angels have only one thing in their thoughts, one thing in their hearts - the eternal God. And “eternity,” says St. Gregory the Theologian, “there is such a continuation that extends along with the eternal, is not divided into parts, is not measured by any movement or flow of the sun... eternity is neither time nor a part of time, it is immeasurable.”

An immeasurable, limitless commandment has been given to you and me, friends: “Be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect” ().

Supported by the right hand of God, stand firmly and unswervingly on this path of spiritual growth and perfection in Christ Jesus, and you will become like the angels: with all your soul you will feel how time, days, weeks, months, years begin to disappear before you, and before your eyes in all its greatness in its own and immensity, as before the angels, eternity-eternity will unfold... eternity...

Are there many angels? Is it possible to count them? No. The bliss of the angels is immeasurable, and their number is immeasurable. They surround the Throne of God with tens of thousands and thousands of thousands. “I saw,” says the prophet Daniel, “ that thrones were set up and the Ancient of Days sat down... A river of fire came out and passed before Him; thousands upon thousands served Him, and ten thousand thousand stood before Him.”(). And the shepherds of Bethlehem, on the holy Christmas night, saw a large army of heaven, who sang: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”(). When the Lord was taken in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Apostle Peter, in defense of his Teacher, drew his sword, striking the servant of the high priest, the Lord said to Peter: “Return your sword to its place... or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will present Me with more than twelve legions of Angels?” ().

Legions of angels... Numerous hosts... Tens of thousands and thousands... You see how the word of God numbers the angels: with all this it wants to tell us: the world of angels is immense. That is why in the word of God angels are compared with stars (). You can admire the stars, you can, looking at them, glorify the Creator, but you cannot count them; So it is with angels: you can pray to them, you can sing to them, but you can’t say how many there are. Wonderful thoughts about the immensity of the angelic world are expressed by St. Kirill

Jerusalem. “Imagine,” he says, “how numerous the Roman people are; imagine how numerous other rude peoples currently exist, and how many of them have died in a hundred years; imagine how many are buried in a thousand years; Imagine people, starting from the present day: their multitude is great, but it is still small in comparison with the angels, of whom there are more. They are ninety-nine sheep, and the human race is only one sheep; The vastness of the place should also judge the number of inhabitants.

The earth we inhabit is, as it were, a certain point located in the center of the sky: therefore, the sky surrounding it has as many inhabitants as the space is larger; and the heavens of heavens contain an immense number of them; “thousands of thousands serve Him, and darkness stands before Him.”(); this is not because this is exactly the number of angels, but because more the prophet could not speak.” So great, so vast is the angelic world! And what order, what wonderful harmony, harmony and peace reign in the angelic world with all its immensity! Do not think to search among the angels, looking at mutual love them, equality or unbridled freedom, which is often presented and preached among us as an ideal, as the height of perfection. No, you won’t find anything like that among the angels. “And there,” notes one saint, “some rule and lead, others obey and follow. Essential and complete equality is found only between the three Persons of the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.”

But, oh, why, someone will say, is there a difference in degrees even among the celestials? Is it really impossible to do without ranks and degrees in heaven? Moreover, don’t degrees and ranks introduce some discord, some disharmony into the life of angels? And is complete bliss possible if it is unequally distributed? If in heaven some are in charge and presiding, while others obey and follow, then doesn’t it also happen there that almost always happens here on earth: don’t those who obey and those who follow harbor some feelings of envy, some dissatisfaction towards those in charge and upcoming? Doesn’t the higher state of some and the lower state of others cast even the smallest shadow on the bright angelic life? All such perplexed questions arise in us because we are too attached to the earth, so that we often think about heavenly things in an earthly way, and transfer to heaven what we became familiar with on earth, completely losing sight of the most important thing. , the most dramatic difference between heaven and earth: on earth there is sin, in heaven there is none. And it is from sin that all sorts of abnormalities, all kinds of deviations from truth and truth arise and grow, as if from a root. So it is in this case: it is not the difference in degrees and ranks that gives rise to discontent and envy in those distinguished, but gives the difference its sinful shade of vanity, which fulfills the difference with its poisonous bitterness. Earthly difference often stems from petty vanity, it is nourished and supported by it, introducing into the higher feelings of lust for power, ambition, unmercifulness, even cruelty towards the lower; in the lower classes it instills murmuring, developing flattery, sycophancy, people-pleasing, hypocrisy, and servility. All these are distortions of sin. This cannot happen in heaven. The ranks and degrees of angels are like different tones of the same harmony, different colors of a single picture of the great Artist - the Creator. The difference between angels is the difference between stars in the blue sky, the difference between fragrant flowers in green meadows; the difference of angels is the difference of voices in a harmonious choir - a difference that creates harmony, greatness, beauty.

How do we, beloved, know about the ranks and degrees of angels? He said, he told us about this, who himself, with his own eyes, saw these ranks and degrees of angels, who himself heard their touching songs, their victorious hymns - the supreme apostle of languages, Paul. “I know,” he says about himself, “ man in Christ, who... whether in the body - I don’t know, whether outside the body - I don’t know: knows - was caught up to the third heaven... into paradise, and heard unspeakable Verbs , which a person cannot retell"(). It’s impossible because the heart can’t stand it, the mind can’t accommodate it. That is why the Apostle Paul could not retell to anyone the verbs he heard in heaven. But about the structure of life of angels, what degrees there are among them - the apostle told all this to his disciple, whom he converted from the 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 wrote down everything he heard from Paul and compiled a book: “On the Heavenly Hierarchy.”

According to this book, the structure of the angelic world is presented in this form: all angels are divided into three faces, and in each face there are three ranks.

So, the first face: there are three ranks in it. The first rank is Seraphim; second rank - Cherubim; third rank - Thrones.

Finally, the third face, and in it the following three ranks: the first rank - Beginnings; second rank - Archangels; third rank - Angels.

So, you see, all angels are divided into three faces and nine ranks. This is how it is customary to say: “nine ranks of angels.” What divine order, what wondrous harmony! Do you not notice, beloved, in the structure of the angelic world a clear imprint of the Divinity Himself? one, but threefold in persons. Look: this Trisolar Light also shines in the angelic world. And, notice what a strict sequence, what a wonderful trinitarian arrangement, trinitarian unity: one face and three ranks; and again: one face and three ranks; and again: one face and three ranks. What is this if not a clear reflection of the Holy Trinity, not a deep trace of the Triune God? One God - one face; three Persons - three ranks. And, then, this repetition, this is some kind of strengthening, divine multiplication: one face, one face, one face - one is taken three times; ranks: three, three, three - it turns out: three times three. Such multiplication, repetition, as if emphasizing, does not mean that the radiance of the Trisolar Light pours out in the angelic world especially abundantly, not only pours out, but also overflows, that the everlasting life of the Triune Source flows into heavenly powers ah never interrupted, abundant, multiplied flow.

Yes, the mystery of the Trinitarian Deity is deep, incomprehensible, even though the Spirit of God tests and knows these depths of God; The mystery and three-dimensionality of the angelic world is deep, incomprehensible - and the angels themselves do not fully comprehend it. Truly, “great art thou, O Lord, and marvelous are thy works, not a single word will be sufficient for the singing of thy wonders!”

Let us now take a closer look at each rank of angels separately.

The first order of angels is Seraphim

Of all the ranks of heaven, the Seraphim are the closest to God; they are the first participants in divine bliss, the first to shine with the light of the magnificent divine glory. And what amazes them most about God is His endless, eternal, immeasurable, unsearchable love. In all their strength, in all their depths, incomprehensible to us, they perceive, feel God exactly like this, through this they approach, as it were, the very doors, the very Holy of Holies. "impregnable Light", in which God lives (), through this entering into the closest, most sincere communication with God, for God Himself is: “There is a God of love” ().

Have you ever looked at the sea? You look, you look at its boundless distance, at its boundless breadth, you think about its bottomless depth, and... the thought is lost, the heart freezes, the whole being is filled with some kind of sacred awe and horror; I want to prostrate myself and close myself before the clearly felt, boundless greatness of God, reflected by the vastness of the sea. Here is some, albeit the weakest, resemblance, a barely noticeable, subtle shadow of what the Seraphim experience, constantly contemplating the immeasurable, unsearchable sea of ​​Divine love.

God-Love is a consuming fire, and the Seraphim, constantly tapping into this fiery Divine Love, are filled with the fire of the Divine above all other ranks. Seraphim - and the word itself means: fiery, fiery. The fiery burning Divine, by the unsearchableness of His mercy, the immensity of His condescension to all creatures, and most of all to the human race, for the sake of which this Love humbled itself even to the cross and death, always leads the Seraphim into indescribable sacred awe, plunges them into horror, makes the whole being shudder their. They cannot bear this great Love. They cover their faces with two wings, their feet with two wings, and fly with two wings, in fear and trembling, in the deepest reverence, singing, crying, crying out and saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord of hosts!”

Burning with love for God, the six-winged Seraphim ignite the fire of this love in the hearts of others, purifying the soul with divine fire, filling it with strength and strength, inspiring it to preach - with the verb to burn the hearts of people. Thus, when the Old Testament prophet Isaiah, seeing the Lord sitting on a high and exalted throne, surrounded by Seraphim, began to lament his uncleanness, exclaiming: “Oh, accursed Az! For I am a man of unclean lips... - and my eyes saw the King, the Lord of Hosts!.. Then, says the prophet himself. One of the Seraphim flew to me, and in his hand he had a burning coal, which he took with tongs from the altar, and touched my lips and said: Behold, I will touch this with your mouth, and it will take away your iniquity and cleanse your sins.” ().

Oh, fiery Seraphim; With the fire of divine love, cleanse and ignite our hearts, so that we will not desire any other beauty besides God; May our hearts have one joy, one delight, one blessing, beauty, before which all earthly beauty fades!

Second rank of angels - Cherubim

If for the Seraphim God appears as a fiery burning thing, then for the Cherubim God is a luminous Wisdom. The cherubim constantly delve into the divine mind, praise it, glorify it in their songs, contemplate the divine mysteries, and penetrate them with trepidation. That is why, according to the testimony of the Word of God, in the Old Testament the Cherubim are depicted touching the Ark of the Covenant.

“And do,” said the Lord to Moses, “ from the gold of two Cherubim... Make them at both ends of the lid(Ark). Make one Cherubim on one side, and another Cherubim on the other side... And the Cherubim will have their wings spread upward, covering the lid with their wings, and their faces will be towards each other, and the faces of the Cherubim will be towards the lid.” ().

Marvelous image! So it is in heaven: the Cherubim look with tenderness and fear at the Divine Wisdom, explore it, learn from it, and, as it were, cover its secrets with their wings, keep them, protect them, and revere them. And this reverence for the mysteries of Divine Wisdom is so great among the Cherubim that all daring inquisitiveness, all proud looking at the Mind of God is immediately cut off by them with a fiery sword.

What, indeed, “the depth of wealth, wisdom and understanding of God” lies before the eyes of the Cherubim! It’s not for nothing that they are called “many-readers.” This means: from the constant contemplation of Divine Wisdom, the Cherubim themselves are full of knowledge, and therefore they see and know everything perfectly, and they promise knowledge to people.

Third rank of angels - Thrones

You, of course, know what a throne is, with what meaning do we often use this word? They say, for example, “The Tsar’s Throne” or “The Tsar’s Throne”, “The Tsar spoke from the height of the Throne.” With this they want to show dignity and royal greatness.

The throne, thus, is the personification of royal greatness, royal dignity. So in heaven there are their own Thrones, not our material, soulless ones, made of gold, silver, bone or wood and serving only as symbols, but reasonable Thrones, living bearers of the greatness of God, the glory of God. The thrones, especially in front of all ranks of angels, feel and contemplate God as the King of Glory, the King of the entire universe, the King who creates justice and righteousness, the King of Kings, as "God the Great, Strong and Terrible" (). “Lord, Lord, who is like You?” ()... “Who is like You in bozeh. Lord, who is like You: glorified in the saints, wondrous in glory" (). “Great is the Lord and greatly praised, and His greatness has no end” ()... “Great and endless, high and immeasurable”()! All these hymns to the greatness of God, in all their fullness, depth and truth, are understandable and accessible only to the Thrones.

The Thrones not only feel and sing of the greatness of God, but they themselves are filled with this greatness and glory, and they let others feel it, pouring, as if into the hearts of men, waves of greatness and glory of the Divine that fill them.

There are moments when a person somehow especially clearly recognizes with his mind and with some special strength feels in his heart the greatness of God: the roll of thunder, the flash of lightning, the marvelous views of nature, high mountains, wild rocks, worship in some magnificent large temple - all this often so captures the soul, so strikes the strings of the heart that a person is ready to compose and sing psalms and songs of praise; before the perceived greatness of God he disappears, is lost, falls on his face. Know, beloved, such holy moments of a clear sense of the greatness of God do not happen without the influence of the Thrones. It is they who, as it were, join us to their mood, throw its sparkles into our hearts.

Oh, if the Thrones would visit us more often, if they would more often send us a sense of the greatness of God and our own insignificance! Then we would not have been exalted, we would not have been so puffed up in our minds, as we often become puffed up and puffed up, not knowing our own worth, almost considering ourselves to be God.

The fourth rank of angels - Dominions

Dominance... Think about this name. Doesn't it remind you of another like him? “Lord”... This, undoubtedly, is where “Dominions” was borrowed from. This means that in order to understand what these latter are, it is necessary to understand in what sense the name Lord is used.

Have you heard: in everyday life we ​​say: “the master of the house” or “the master of such and such an estate.” What do they want to express with this? And the fact that the person whom we call the master of the house or estate holds his house or estate in his own hands, manages it, takes care of its welfare, provides for it - “a good owner,” as we also say. Likewise, God is called Lord because he cares about the world He created, provides for it, and is its Supreme Owner. “He,” says blessed Theodoret, “is himself both a shipbuilder and a gardener, who increased matter. He created matter, built the ship, and constantly controls its helm.” “From the shepherd,” teaches St. Ephraim the Syrian, - the flock depends, and everything that grows on earth depends on God. In the will of the farmer is the separation of wheat from thorns, in the will of God is the prudence of those living on earth in their mutual unity and like-mindedness. It is in the will of the king to arrange regiments of soldiers, in the will of God there is a definite charter for everything.” So, notes another teacher of the Church, “neither on earth nor in heaven is nothing left without care and without providence, but the care of the Creator equally extends to everything invisible and visible, small and great: for all creatures need the care of the Creator, equally like each one separately, according to its nature and purpose.” And “not for one day does God cease from the work of governing creatures, so that they do not immediately deviate from their natural ways, by which they are guided and directed to achieve the fullness of their development, and each to remain in its own way what it is.”

Now, it is into this domination, into this management of God’s creatures, into this care and providence of God for everything invisible and visible, small and great, that the Dominions delve into.

For the Seraphim, God is a fiery-burning one; for the Cherubim - I will take out the luminous Wisdom; for Thrones God is the King of Glory; for the Dominions, God is the Lord Provider. Above all other ranks of Dominion, they contemplate God precisely as the Provider, they glorify His care for the world: they see “And in the sea is His way, and in the waves is His strong path”(), they look with fear as “He changes times and years, sets kings and places them”(). Full of sacred delight and tenderness, the Lord plunges into the manifold concerns of God: he dresses the village krin, “For even as Solomon was clothed with all his glory, for he is one of these.”(), how He dresses “The sky is clouds, he prepares rain for the earth, he makes grass and grain grow on the mountains for the service of man: he gives their food to livestock, and to the chicks of corvids that call upon Him.”(). The Lords marvel at how God, so great, embraces everyone and everything with His care; stores and protects every blade of grass, every midge, the smallest grain of sand.

Contemplating God as a Provider - the Builder of the world, Dominion and people are taught to arrange themselves, their souls; teach us to take care of the soul, to provide for it; inspire a person to dominate his passions, over various sinful habits, to oppress the flesh, giving space to the spirit. The Lords must be prayerfully invoked to help anyone who wants to free themselves from any passion, wants to dominate it, or give up any bad habit, but cannot do this due to weakness of will. Let him cry out: “Holy Lords, strengthen my weak will in the fight against sin, let me dominate my passions!” And, believe, such a prayerful invocation will not remain fruitless, but now help and strength will be sent to you from the host of Dominions.

Fifth rank of angels – Powers

Above all other ranks, this rank of angels contemplates God as working many powers or miracles. For the Powers, God is a Miracle Worker. "You are the one who can do miracles"(), - this is what constitutes the subject of their constant praise and glorification. The forces delve into how “where nature wants, the order is defeated.” Oh, how ecstatic, how solemn, how wondrous these songs must be! If we, clothed in flesh and blood, when we witness any obvious miracle of God, for example, the sight of a blind man, the restoration of a hopelessly ill person, we come into indescribable delight and awe, we are amazed, we are touched, then what can we say about the Powers when they are given to see such miracles that our minds cannot even imagine. Moreover, they can delve into the very depths of these miracles, their highest goal is revealed to them.

Sixth rank of angels - Authorities

The angels belonging to this rank contemplate and glorify God as the Almighty, “having all power in heaven and on earth.” God of the terrible, “His vision dries up the abysses, and the reproach melts away the mountains, who walked as if on dry land on the sheets of the sea, and forbade the storms of the winds; touching the mountains and smoking; calling on the water of the sea and pouring it out on the face of all the earth.”

Angels of the sixth rank are the closest, constant witnesses of God’s omnipotence; they are given the opportunity to feel it preferably before others. From constant contemplation of Divine power, from constant contact with it, these fulfilling angels are imbued with this power just as red-hot iron is imbued with fire, which is why they themselves become bearers of this power and are called: Power. The power with which they are invested and filled is unbearable for all his hordes; this power turns the devilish hordes to flight, to the underworld, to pitch darkness, to Tartarus.

That is why everyone tormented by the devil must prayerfully call on the Authority for help; for all those possessed by demons, various epileptics, whoremongers, the corrupted - we must daily pray to the Authorities: “Holy Authorities, by the authority given to you by God, drive away from the servant of God (name) or the servant of God (name) the demon that is tormenting him (or her)!”

When the demon of despondency attacks the soul, we must also pray to the Authorities, so that with their power they will drive away this demon. Called with faith, in simplicity of heart, the Authorities will not hesitate to come to the rescue, will drive away the demon, and the one possessed by the demon will feel free from it, will feel spaciousness and lightness in his soul.

The seventh rank of angels - Beginnings

These angels are so called because God entrusted them with authority over the elements of nature: over water, fire, wind, “over animals, plants and generally over all visible objects.” “Creator and Builder of the world. God,” says the Christian teacher Athenagoras, “placed some of the angels over the elements, and over the heavens, and over the world, and over what is in it, and over their structure.” Thunder, lightning, storm... all this is controlled by the Principles, and directed according to the will of God. It is known, for example, that lightning often burns blasphemers; hail destroys one field, leaves another unharmed... Who gives such a reasonable direction to a soulless, unreasonable element? Starters are doing it.

“I saw,” says the seer St. John the Theologian, “ A mighty angel descending from heaven clothed with a cloud; over his head there was a rainbow, and his face was like the sun... And he set right leg his on the sea, and his left on the land, and he cried out with a loud voice, like a lion roars; and when he cried, then the seven thunders spoke with their voices"(); The Apostle John saw and heard "water angel"(), And "an angel who has authority over fire" (). "I saw," the same saint testifies. John, - four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, so that the wind would not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree... - they were given to harm the earth and the sea" ().

The principles also have authority over entire nations, cities, kingdoms, and human societies. In the word of God there is, for example, a mention of a prince or angel of the Persian kingdom, the Hellenic kingdom (). The principles, entrusted to their superiors, lead the peoples to the highest good goals, which are indicated and destined by the Lord Himself; “They are erecting,” according to St. Dionysius the Areopagite, - how many can those who willingly obey them, to God, as to their Beginning.” They intercede for their people before the Lord, “inspiring,” notes one saint, “in people, especially kings and other rulers, thoughts and intentions related to the good of the people.”

Eighth rank - Archangels

This rite, says St. Dionysius of teaching. Archangels are heavenly teachers. What do they teach? They teach people how to organize their lives according to God, that is, in accordance with the will of God.

Different paths of life are before a person: there is the monastic path, the path of marriage, there are various types of service. What to choose, what to decide on, what to stop at? This is where the Archangels come to the aid of man. The Lord reveals His will about man to them. The Archangels know, therefore, what awaits famous person on this or that path of life: what adversities, temptations, enticements; therefore, they deviate from one path, and direct a person to another, teach him to choose the right path suitable for him.

Whoever is broken in life, hesitates, does not know which way to go, he must call on the Archangels for help, so that they teach him how he should live: “Archangels of God, appointed by God Himself for our teaching and admonition, teach me which path to choose.” “I’ll go ahead and please my God!”

The last, ninth rank of angels - Angels

These are the ones closest to us. The Angels continue what the Archangels begin: the Archangels teach man to recognize the will of God, put him on the path of life indicated by God; Angels lead a person along this path, guide, protect the walker so that he does not deviate to the side, strengthen the exhausted, and raise the falling.

Angels are so close to us that they surround us from everywhere, look at us from everywhere, watch our every step, and, according to St. John Chrysostom, "the whole air is filled with angels"; Angels, according to the same saint, “stand before the priest during the performance of the terrible Sacrifice.”

From among the angels, the Lord, from the moment of our baptism, assigns to each of us another special angel, who is called the Guardian Angel. This Angel loves us as much as no one on earth can love. The Guardian Angel is our close friend, an invisible, quiet interlocutor, a sweet comforter. He wishes only one thing for each of us - the salvation of the soul; This is where he directs all his worries. And if he sees us also caring about salvation, he rejoices, but if he sees us being careless about our souls, he grieves.

Do you want to always be with an Angel? Flee from sin, and the Angel will be with you. “Just as,” says Basil the Great, “bees are driven away by smoke and doves by stench, so the Guardian of our life, the Angel, is driven away by lamentable and stinking sin.” Therefore, be afraid to sin!

Is it possible to recognize the presence of a Guardian Angel when he is near us and when he moves away from us? It is possible, according to the inner mood of your soul. When your soul is light, your heart is light, quiet, peaceful, when your mind is occupied with thoughts of God, when you repent and are touched, then it means that an Angel is nearby. “When, according to the testimony of John Climacus, at some utterance of your prayer you feel inner pleasure or tenderness, then stop over it. For then the Guardian Angel prays with you.” When there is a storm in your soul, passions in your heart, and your mind is arrogant, then you know that the Guardian Angel has left you, and instead of him a demon has approached you. Hurry, hurry, then call your Guardian Angel, kneel before the icons, fall on your face, pray, make the sign of the cross, cry. Believe, your Guardian Angel will hear your prayer, come, drive away the demon, say to your troubled soul, to your overwhelmed heart: “Be silent, stop.” And great silence will come within you. Oh, Guardian Angel, always protect us from the storm, in the silence of Christ!

Why, someone will ask, is it impossible to see the Angel, cannot speak, talk with him the way we talk with each other? Why can't an Angel appear visibly? Therefore, so as not to frighten or confuse us with his appearance, for he knows how cowardly, fearful and timid we are in front of everything mysterious.

An Angel once appeared to the Prophet Daniel in visible form; but listen to how the prophet himself tells what happened to him during this phenomenon. "On the twenty-fourth day first month, - says the prophet - I was on the shore big river Tiger, and I lifted up my eyes, and saw, behold, a man clothed in linen, and his loins were girded with gold. His body is like topaz, his face is like the appearance of lightning; His eyes are like burning lamps, his hands and feet are like shiny brass in appearance, and the voice of his speech is like the voice of many people. And I looked at this great vision, but there was no strength left in me, and the appearance of my face changed enormously, there was no vigor in me. And I heard the voice of his words; and as soon as I heard the voice of his words, I fell on my face in a daze and lay with my face to the ground, and became numb, my insides turned inside me, and there was no strength in me, and my breath froze in me.”(). The angel had to deliberately encourage the prophet so that he would not die from fear. “Daniel,” notes St. John Chrysostom, who confused the eyes of lions and in a human body had strength greater than that of a human, could not bear the presence of a celestial being, but fell down lifeless.” What would happen to us sinners if an Angel suddenly appeared before us with our own eyes, when even the prophet could not bear his radiant appearance!

And then: are we worthy of the appearance of an Angel? Here is a significant incident from his life related by Metropolitan Innocent of Moscow, who was previously, in the rank of priest (his name was Fr. John), a missionary on the Aleutian Islands: “Having lived on the island of Unalaska for almost 4 years, I, in Lent, went for the first time to the island of Akun to the Aleuts to prepare them for fasting. Approaching the island, I saw that they were all standing on the shore dressed up, as if on a solemn holiday, and when I went ashore, they all joyfully rushed to me and were extremely kind and helpful to me. I asked them: “Why are they so dressed up?” They answered: “Because we knew that you had left and should be with us today: we were overjoyed and went ashore to meet you.”

“Who told you that I would be with you today, and why did you recognize me as Father John?”

“Our shaman, old man Ivan Smirennikov, told us: wait, a priest will come to you today: he has already left and will teach you to pray to God; and described your appearance to us as we see you now.”

“Can I see this old shaman of yours?” “Why, you can: but now he is not here, and when he comes, we will tell him; Yes, he himself will come to you without us.”

Although this circumstance surprised me extremely, I ignored all this and began to prepare them for fasting, having previously explained to them the meaning of fasting and other things. This old shaman also came to me and expressed a desire to fast and walked very carefully, but I still did not pay special attention to him and, during confession, I even neglected to ask him why the Aleuts call him a shaman, and to tell him about this some instruction. Having introduced him to the Holy Mysteries, I released him...

And what? To my surprise, after communion, he went to his toen and showed him his displeasure with me, namely because I did not ask him in confession why the Aleuts call him a shaman, since it is extremely unpleasant for him to bear such a name from his brothers, and that he is not a shaman at all. Toen, of course, conveyed to me old man Smirennikov’s displeasure, and I immediately sent for him for an explanation; and when the messengers set off, Smirennikov came to meet them with the following words: “I know that the priest Father John is calling me, and I am going to him.” I began to ask in detail about his displeasure towards me, about his life - and when I asked if he was literate, he replied that although he was illiterate, he knew the Gospel and prayers. Then I asked him to explain why he knew me, that he even described my appearance to his brothers, and how he knew that on a certain day I was supposed to appear to you and that I would teach you to pray. The old man replied that two of his comrades told him all this.

“Who are these two comrades of yours?” – I asked him. “White people,” answered the old man. “They, moreover, told me that in the near future you will send your family by shore, and you yourself will go by water to a great man and talk with him.”

“Where are these comrades of yours, white people, and what kind of people are they and what do they look like?” – I asked him.

“They live not far here in the mountains and come to me every day,” and the old man introduced them to me as they depict St. Archangel Gabriel, that is, in white robes and belted with a pink ribbon over the shoulder.

“When did these white people come to you for the first time?” “They appeared soon, as Hieromonk Macarius baptized us.” After this conversation, I asked Smirennikov: “Can I see them?”

“I’ll ask them,” the old man answered and left me. I went for a while to the nearest islands to preach the word of God, and upon my return, seeing Smirennikov, I asked him: “Well, did you ask these white people if I can see them, and if they want to accept me? »

“I asked,” answered the old man. “Although they expressed a desire to see and accept you, they said: “Why should he see us when he himself teaches you what we teach?” So let’s go, I’ll lead you to them.”

Then something inexplicable happened in me,” said Father John Veniaminov. – Some kind of fear attacked me and complete humility. What if, in fact, I thought, I see these angels, and they confirm what the old man said? And how can I go to them? After all, I am a sinful person, therefore, unworthy to speak with them, and it would be pride and arrogance on my part if I decided to go to them; and, finally, by my meeting with the angels, I might have been exalted in my faith or would have dreamed a lot about myself... And I, as unworthy, decided not to go to them, having previously, on this occasion, given a decent instruction, both to old Smirennikov and to his fellow Aleuts, and so that they no longer call Smirennikov a shaman.”

No, we will not desire the appearance of the Angel, but we will begin to turn to him intelligently and heartily more often. In order not to break communication with the Guardian Angel, it is necessary to pray to him daily, in the morning, when waking up from sleep, and in the evening, when going to bed, reading the prescribed Orthodox prayer, as well as the canon to the Guardian Angel.

Thanks to the Lord, who protected us with His angels, and who also sends to each an angel a peaceful, faithful mentor and guardian of our souls and bodies - glory to You, our Benefactor, forever and ever!

Thrones, Seraphim and Cherubim are the main angelic ranks. Their representatives occupy dominant positions in celestial hierarchy. Find out what they are responsible for and what functions they perform.
Thrones, Seraphim and Cherubim in various sources

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

Assumption of the Virgin, Francesco Botticini

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

Angels of the highest rank are rarely depicted as humanoid creatures. Their iconographic images are quite capable of seriously surprising most believers. There is a clear hierarchy of angels only in Christian tradition. The Koran practically does not touch on this topic, so Islam does not pay much attention to the types of Allah's helpers. In Judaism and Kabbalah, there are several versions of the hierarchy of divine essences, and they all differ significantly from each other.

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

Highest angel Metatron - place in the hierarchy

Metatron and Aura

According to legend, the angel Metatron occupies the main position among all other heavenly 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 a 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 took him to heaven alive and turned him into a perfect being - the archangel Metatron. Archangels occupy eighth place 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 an ordinary person as the main one. 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 he suffered. Accordingly, the angel of the highest rank is Metatron, the only one of his kind.

The highest angelic rank - Seraphim

Seraphim are the highest rank of angels. These are the angels who are closest to God other than Metatron. According to the book of the prophet Isaiah, they appeared before people in the guise of six-winged creatures. They covered their faces with the first pair of wings, and the body with the second. 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 discern its appearance. Perhaps the other Seraphim covered their faces and bodies only so as not to blind people with their holiness.

Six-winged seraph. Mosaic of the cathedral of the Nea Moni monastery on the island. Chios.

The icons depict representatives of the highest angelic order with open faces. Two of their wings are raised up, two support the Seraphim in the air, and with two they cover 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 for purity and holiness. They are in constant motion around the divine. Their calling is to illuminate with their light and scorch with their heat, to elevate and liken lower beings to themselves.

Representatives of the highest rank 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 to carry out the purposes of God on earth. They contribute to their embodiment by giving orders to lower ranks of angels, as well as directly influencing people.

Cherubim - the second highest angelic rank

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

... sat on the cherubs and flew.

In the Old Testament there is also a frequent epithet describing God - “seated on cherubim.” According to legend, when Pharaoh was persecuting the Jews, God took 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 together with phoenixes and seraphim.

As one of the highest angels, Cherubim are carriers of divine wisdom. They spread knowledge about God among people, guide them on the right path and help them develop the qualities necessary for a God-fearing person. Cherubim are also dedicated to enhancing the education of other divine entities when necessary.

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 the 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. Ezekiel later 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.

There is no detailed textual description of the appearance of cherubs. However, they were repeatedly depicted in icons and sculpture. Only their faces and wings are visible to people's eyes. Unlike Seraphim, 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 the Cherubim as beings with four faces, and sometimes even appearing in the form of winged bulls. The structure of their faces, different from human ones, is also noted. Medicine calls such defects in people cherubism.

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

According to Jewish traditions, during sleep the human body tells the soul about everything that has been 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 everything to the Seraphim, and the Seraphim reports to God. Accordingly, the Seraphim are the direct superiors of the Cherubim, their intermediaries in communication with God. Kabbalah says that the chief among the Cherubim is an angel who bears the name Cherubiel.

Mural “Cherub” of the Church of Martin the Confessor in Alekseevskaya Novaya Sloboda (Moscow).

The Midrash says that it is not the Cherub who bears God, but God who bears him. It does not contain anything material; God sits on the Cherub, observing what is happening in the world. The same source gives two names for the Cherubim - Tetragrammaton and Elohim. According to legend, these are parts of the true name of God.

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

Later, John Chrysostom wrote that Cherubim consist entirely 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 power. In their opinion, they occupy first place in the divine hierarchy, and Seraphim - second. In Orthodox worship there is a special prayer called the Cherubic song.

What place do Thrones occupy in the heavenly hierarchy?

According to the Holy Scriptures, Thrones have this 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 vehicle for God, which is why they are sometimes called God-bearing.

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

Representatives of this angelic order serve as the throne of the Lord. They occupy third place among the angelic ranks, subordinate to the Seraphim and Cherubim. All other angelic ranks are subordinate 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, and leaders who carry out their duties at different levels, on different scales.

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

In general, there are three ranks 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 to help God rule the world.

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

The angels who helped God in his affairs and became guides of His will were no exception. The structure of the angelic hierarchy is clearly divided into three spheres, each of which has its own ranks of angels.

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

Angels of Christianity

Modern Angelology began to take shape in the initial stages of the development of Christianity. The theologians of that time took seriously the issue of creating diagrams of 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. They used the Old and New Testaments as a source of information. This is confirmed by the fact that in Judaism (from which many traditions followed into Christianity) there are no such angelic ranks as an archangel or “principal”.

Since all these schemes were created at approximately the same time, they often overlap with each other. At the same time, it often happened that hierarchies and choirs were subject to a serious increase or, on the contrary, previously existing ranks were missing.

However, there have also been examples in history of schemes with radically different provisions. Moreover, there were hierarchies reverse circuit performance (from lowest to highest).

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

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

The first treatise that appeared, in which the work on structuring the gathering of angels was more or less thoroughly carried out, was called “Ariopagitiki”. 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 arrangement of the hierarchy of heavenly powers. How this happened is explained in a later work - Schilios to the Areopagitics.

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

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

Gradually, some of the schemes atrophied, others were degenerated. What theologians believed to be incorrect ideas about hierarchy were discarded. Ultimately, the Areopagite scheme became canonical. It had three spheres in each three groups.

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

Spheres of angelic ranks and ranks of angels (descending)

First sphere:

• seraphim;
• cherubs;
• thrones.

Second sphere:

• domination;
• strength;
• authorities.

Third sphere:

• angels;
• archangels;
• started.

Of course, the above-described scheme has been refined and developed more than once. New interpretations of hierarchies often appeared.

Ranks of the First Sphere

All 9 ranks of angels in Orthodoxy have not deviated much from the Catholic canon:

Second Sphere

Third Sphere

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

Having created people in His image and likeness, the Lord introduced into their lives many elements inherent in the Heavenly Kingdom. One of them is the hierarchy inherent in both human society and the world of angels ─ disembodied forces surrounding the Throne of God. The position of each of them depends on the significance of the mission he performs. Our article will discuss how many angelic ranks there are in the Christian religion, and what are the characteristics of each of them.

Messenger of God

Before starting a conversation about the angelic ranks and tracing the differences between them, we should dwell on who the angels are and what their role is in the existing world order. This word itself, which came to us from the Greek language, is translated as “messenger” or “messenger”.

In all Abrahamic religions, that is, those that recognize the union concluded by Patriarch Abraham with God, and this is Christianity, Islam and Judaism, the angel is presented as an incorporeal being, but at the same time possessing reason, will and consciously choosing the path of serving God. In the visual arts, there has been a tradition of giving angels the appearance of anthropoform (human-looking) creatures endowed with wings.

Angels and Demons

According to the Holy Scriptures, angels were created by God even before He created the visible world, and carried within them only a good beginning. But later, some of them, filled with pride, fell away from their Creator and were cast out of Heaven for this. Those who, remembering their true purpose, remained faithful to the Lord (they are usually called “bright angels” in contrast to demons ─ “angels of darkness”), became His faithful servants. In each of these opposing groups there is a certain hierarchy of angelic ranks.

Teachings of an unknown theologian

The correspondence of ethereal forces to one or another level of the hierarchical ladder leading to the Throne of God has been the subject of study by many outstanding theologians of past centuries. In Christianity, it is customary to distribute the ranks of angels in accordance with the classification, the author of which was an unknown theologian who lived at the turn of the 5th and 6th centuries and went down in history under the name of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite. He received such an unusual name due to the fact that for a long time his works were erroneously attributed to the Greek philosopher and thinker of the 1st century, Dionysius the Areopagite, who, according to legend, was a disciple of the Apostle Paul.

From the system proposed by Pseudo-Dionysius, based on the texts Holy Scripture, it follows that the entire world of light spirits is divided into three groups, or triads, each of which, in turn, consists of three certain types disembodied servants of God. The angelic ranks are distributed by the author in a strict hierarchy, illustrating the meaning of each of them.

His work, on which many outstanding theologians of subsequent centuries relied, was called the “Treatise on the Heavenly Hierarchy,” and the system proposed in it became known as the “Nine Orders of Angels.” Based on the system proposed in it, today the entire hierarchy of angelic ranks in Orthodoxy, as well as most western directions Christianity. For almost one and a half millennia it remains dominant.

Higher ranks of ethereal forces

According to this teaching, the highest level of the nine ranks of angels is occupied by spirits called seraphim, cherubim and thrones. The seraphim are considered to be the closest of them to God. The Old Testament prophet Isaiah likens them to fiery figures, which explains the origin of this word, translated from Hebrew as “fiery.”

The seraphim, who constitute the highest rank of angels, are followed by the cherubim. They are the main intercessors of the human race before God and prayer books for the salvation of the souls of the departed. That is why they have a name translated from Hebrew as “intercessor.” Sacred tradition tells of them as the guardians of the Heavenly Book of Knowledge, possessing such extensive information about everything in the world that the human mind cannot contain it. Their most important property is the ability to help people on the path of gaining knowledge and vision of God.

Heavenly support of earthly rulers

And finally, another angelic rank included in the highest triad - thrones. The name of the group of these disembodied spirits comes from the fact that it was they who were given the grace of God to support earthly rulers and help them carry out just judgment over their people. In addition, the peculiarity of the thrones is that the Creator was pleased to embed in them the knowledge of the paths along which human society is destined to move and develop.

It is generally accepted that thrones never interfere in human conflicts, but at the same time they are close to us, helping us gain spiritual insight and be filled with love for God. All representatives of the first highest triad are capable of entering into direct communication with a person.

Bearers of wisdom and creators of good endeavors

The middle triad is opened by the angelic rank ─ dominion. This, according to the classification of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, is the fourth rank of angels. They embody the freedom that underlies the life of the entire visible world and is proof of their boundless and sincere love for the Creator. Dominions, like thrones, are in constant interaction with earthly rulers, giving them wisdom and directing their thoughts only to good endeavors.

In addition, these servants of God help people overcome the impulses of passion that overwhelm them and fight the temptations of the flesh, not allowing it to dominate the spirit. Dominions got their name due to the fact that they are entrusted with the control of all other angels, whose position on the hierarchical ladder is lower.

Executors of the Creator's will

The next stage of the middle triad is occupied by forces. From the treatise of Pseudo-Dionysius it is known that this category consists of angels, gifted with an indestructible divine fortress and capable of fulfilling the will of their Creator in the blink of an eye. They are the conductors of God’s grace, given to people through their prayers and petitions.

All the miracles that the Lord shows to his children occur with their direct participation. Being conductors of divine energy, the powers bring pious Christians deliverance from ailments and the fulfillment of their deepest desires. They also help the chosen sons of God to see the future. An important feature of the powers is the ability to strengthen a person’s spirit, give him courage and ease grief. Thanks to the angels standing on this ─ fifth hierarchical level, people cope with their life problems and overcome adversity.

Fighters against dark forces

They complete the middle triad of power. They are entrusted with an extremely important mission - to keep the keys to the dungeon in which the devil is imprisoned, and to put obstacles in the way of his countless army. They protect the human race from demonic obsessions and help fight temptations sent by the enemy of the human race.

Without ceasing the fight against the fallen angels, who are the embodiment of evil, the authorities at the same time protect pious people, confirming them in virtue and filling their hearts with love for God. They are entrusted with the responsibility of driving away bad thoughts from them, strengthening them in good intentions, and escorting those who have succeeded in serving God after death to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Patrons of nations and kingdoms

On lowest level of the hierarchical ladder of angelic ranks are the last three categories of disembodied spirits, the eldest of which are the beginnings. They represent an invincible legion of defenders of the faith. The principles received their name due to the mission entrusted to them to lead the remaining two categories of angels and direct their labors to fulfill the will of God.

In addition, principles have another important purpose - to manage the construction of hierarchies among people. It is believed that none other than the beginnings invisibly anoint earthly monarchs to the kingdom and bless rulers of other ranks. In this regard, it is generally accepted that the Lord sends an angel of this category to each people, called to protect them from troubles and shocks. The basis for such a judgment may be the words of the Old Testament prophet Daniel about the angels of the Judean and Persian kingdoms, making sure that the rulers anointed by them were zealous not for personal wealth, but for increasing the glory of God.

The world of angels and archangels

And finally, the representatives of the last two groups who are closest to people are the archangels and angels. The word archangel translated from Greek means “great messenger.” In most cases, it is through his prophecies that people learn the will of the Creator. An example is the good news brought by the Archangel Gabriel to the Most Pure Virgin Mary. Archangels sometimes become the watchful guards of the Lord. In this regard, it is enough to recall the Archangel Michael, who blocked the entrance to Eden with a flaming sword.

The most lower ranks the heavenly hierarchy are angels. They can also be called the disembodied spirits closest to people, helping in Everyday life. The Holy Church teaches that at baptism, the Lord sends a special guardian angel to each person, protecting him throughout his subsequent life from spiritual falls, and if they occur, guiding him on the path of repentance, regardless of the severity of the sins committed.

Depending on how rich a person’s spiritual world is, how strong his faith in God is and what his purpose in life is, he may be under the tutelage of not one angel, but several, or even have direct communication with the archangels. It is important to remember that the enemy of the human race does not cease to tempt people and turn them away from serving the Creator, therefore angels and archangels, until the end of time, will be next to those in whose hearts the fire of faith burns, and protect them from the attacks of dark forces.

The orders of angels are an important part of Christian culture. After all, even in heaven there is a strict hierarchy. We will help you understand angelic chinaz in this article.

In the article:

The ranks of angels - what are they and why are they needed

The kingdom of God is like any organization. If these words seem blasphemous to you, then think about where people got their structure of society from? God made man in his own image and likeness, which means he handed down the hierarchy to us. Moreover, let us remember that he bears the title Archangel, that is, the commander-in-chief of the heavenly army. This alone can say that the ranks of angels really exist.

Ancient icon Image of St. Michael the Archangel, leader of the heavenly army. Russia XIX century.

What are they created for? As in any organization, so in heaven, there must be a chain of command. Without it, disorder and anarchy will reign in the organization. And it was precisely for refusing to obey that he was expelled. And let us remember that each of the angels has its own, so to speak, field of activity. So, without a clear hierarchy, it is simply impossible to establish order in such a structure. In general, the nine angelic ranks were created by God precisely in order to manage the heavenly kingdom as effectively as possible.

The Creator, naturally, is endowed with limitless power and possibilities - how else would he create the whole world? But you should understand that even he sometimes needs to escape from one problem in order to take care of another. Especially real world too fragile to withstand direct divine intervention. Let's not forget, which is the Voice of God. After all, if the Creator turns to a person directly, then he simply will not withstand the power of the true voice and will die. This is why God needs help. Excessive power imposes its own limitations.

Nine angelic ranks

Yes, this seemingly monolithic organization has its problems. On at least one occasion, a rift was brewing among the angels. But it happened because of, who was able to attract a few rebels to his side. From this we can conclude that the basis of the problems is not the reasonableness of the hierarchy, which no one questions. The problem is that only the Lord himself can be perfect in this world. Even Adam and Eve, his beloved children, succumbed to the temptations of the Serpent. Yes, you can make a discount on the freedom of choice given to them. But if their souls were completely pure, then the flattering speeches of the Enemy would not have had their destructive effect.

If we sum up all of the above, it turns out that there is no hierarchy in Heaven. Everything is like people. But should this be surprising? Unlikely. Any organization is designed to eliminate, so to speak, the human factor. In our case - angelic. It doesn’t always work out, but how could it be otherwise? Even such a perfect being as God can have mistakes.

9 angelic ranks of the heavenly hierarchy

We have already talked about how many angelic ranks there are in the Christian religion. There are 9 angelic ranks. Now let's get to the bottom of it - what are the ranks of angels and their names? You need to start the story with the fact that the ranks are divided into triads angels. They were created for a reason - each triad unites a certain group of angels. The first is those who are directly close to the Lord. The second emphasizes the divine basis of the universe and world dominion. The third is those who are directly close to humanity. Let's look at each in more detail.

Angelic ranks in Orthodoxy

The first triad consists of seraphim, cherubim and thrones. . These six-winged creatures live in constant movement. They are often confused with muses, who can also kindle the fire of life in the souls of mortals. But at the same time, seraphim can scorch a person with their heat. Cherubim are guardian angels. They are the ones that guard the tree of life, which appeared after the expulsion of Adam and Eve. The first representatives of the great Mistrust, because before the Expulsion the tree did not need to be protected. Thrones are not part of the interior. They are the third rank of the first triad, they are often called the Mirrors of Wisdom. They reflect divine providence, and with their help, heavenly souls can predict the future.

The second triad includes powers, dominations and authorities. The forces are engaged in transferring a piece of divine power to mortals. Help in Hard time grab your head, so to speak, and don’t despair. Dominions - the middle rank in the angelic hierarchy, personify the craving for freedom and independence, convey to people the craving to remove themselves from inequality. Authorities are the rank that closes the second triad. Some texts, the Gospels, for example, say that authorities can be both helpers of good and minions of evil. Carry out manifestations of divine power in the human world.

The third triad completes the hierarchy ladder. It includes the principles, archangels and angels. The Principles are the angelic rank that governs the human Hierarchies. There is a version that it was with their permission that the monarchs were anointed. Archangels are senior angels who control the angels themselves. As an example, Archangel Michael the Archangel, the chief of the angelic army. Angels are those who are most involved in people's lives. They bring messages from God, they fight in his name, they give him honor and glory.

These are all the angelic orders that exist in the Christian religion. In different interpretations there may be a different number of them, from 9 to 11. But the most reliable is the one mentioned in the works of Dionysius by the Areopagite. They were written at the end of the 5th or early 6th century. This is a whole collection of research texts, the purpose of which was to bring clarity to the lives of celestial beings. The theologian asked himself difficult questions and tried to answer them as clearly as possible. He did it. The key to such success was the researcher’s spirituality and the most powerful power of thought. He read many texts just to satisfy his and our curiosity. We can say that the theologian simply summarized everything that had been written before him. And this is true, but partially. Even such a seemingly simple job required titanic efforts.

Angelic ranks in Orthodoxy

Between Orthodox and Catholic there is a difference in culture. She also touched upon the roles assigned to the angelic ranks. Yes, if you look in general, the differences will not be striking. Still, even if they are different confessions, they are of the same religion. How are the angelic ranks different in Orthodoxy?

All 9 angelic orders are depicted in “The Assumption” by Francesco Botticini.

Firstly - in Orthodox religion no triads. There are degrees here. There are also three of them, and they are called - Higher, Middle, Lower. They differ from each other in their “distance” from the divine throne. This in no way means that God loves the Lower degree less than the Higher. Of course not. It’s just that if the first is in direct contact with people, doing the will of God, then mortals almost never see the second.

The next big difference is the degree of personalization. In Orthodoxy, individual angelic personalities appear more often. They are given honor as intercessors and guardians. In Catholicism this happens much less often. Although here, like Catholics, there are 9 angels, 9 ranks of angels. Both faiths used the same texts, and minor differences can be attributed to different interpretations. , for example, reflect wisdom rather than guardianship. They have the highest spiritual wisdom and can use it. For the good, of course, by telling his fellow men how best to carry out this or that command of the Lord.

Let us dwell on the last degree, the lower angelic rank, their description and meaning. In Orthodoxy they are given the most attention, because they are more often shown to people. Some higher archangels are given names such as Michael, Gabriel, Raphael. Ordinary angels communicate most closely with people, even becoming personal guardians and intercessors. take custody of every mortal, instructing and helping him, pushing him along the path of God's Plan, the so-called Great Plan.