THE HOLY CELESTIAL HIERARCHIES (Part II)

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

THE HOLY CELESTIAL HIERARCHIES (Part II)

When Adam and Eve were cast out from Paradise and the Lord God "caused him to dwell over against the garden of Delight, He stationed the Cherubs and the fiery sword that turns about to keep the way of the true of life" [Genesis 3:24]. In the Psalter there are many references to Angels, as well as in the prophetical writings and the Book of Job, "When the stars were made, all My Angels praised Me with a loud voice" [Job 38:7].

The Prophet Isaiah writes: "I saw the Lord sitting on a high and exalted Throne, and the house was full of His Glory. And Seraphs stood round about Him. Each one had six wings, and with two, they covered their face, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.. And one cried to the other, and they said, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.’ And there was sent to me one of the Seraphs, and he had in his hand a coal, which he had taken off the altar with the tongs: and he touched my mouth, and said, ‘Behold, this has touched thy lips, and will take away thine iniquities, and will purge off thy sins’" [Isaiah 6:1-7].
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The Prophet Ezekiel beheld the Cherubim in his vision of the temple, and wrote: "I looked, and, behold, over the firmament that was above the head of the Cherub there was a likeness of a Throne over them, as a sapphire stone. And he said to the man clothed with the long robe, ‘Go in between the wheels that are under the Cherubs, and fill thy hand with coals of fire form between the Cherubs, and scatter them over the city…’ [Ezekiel 10:1-5, 8-13, 18-22].

We read in the Epistle (Letter) of Saint Peter of Jesus "Who went into heaven and is at the Right of God, and Angels and Authorities and Powers have been made subject to Him" [1 Peter 3:22], and in the Epistle of Saint Paul that in Christ "were all things created, the things in the heavens and the things upon the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether Thrones, or Dominions, or Principalities, or Authorities. All things through Him and to Him have been created. And He is before all things, and in Him all things have come into existence" [Colossians 1:16-17].

Saint Dionysios the Areopagite writes that these "holy powers" possess…an unshakeable courage in all its godlike energies, which abandons all laziness, and softness during the reception of the divine illuminations granted to it, and is powerfully uplifted to an assimilation with God… It looks undeviatingly to that transcendent Power which is the source of all power.

Saint Paul writes that the much-variegate wisdom of God is made known to the Principalities and to the Authorities in the heavenlies through the Church, according to the purpose of the ages which He made in Christ Jesus our Lord [Ephesians 3:10]. Saint John Chrysostom writes, as though speaking to the Apostle Paul: "To mankind it was not revealed. And art thou enlightening Angels and Archangels and Principalities and Authorities? Yes, say he, For it was hid in God, even in God Who created all things. And dost thou venture to say this? Yes, says he. But whence has this become manifest to the Angels? Through the Church. Again he says, not simply the manifold, but the much-variegated wisdom of God, that is, ‘the multiplied and varied.’ What then is this? Did not Angels know it? Not at all; for if Principalities knew it not, much less could Angels ever have known it. What then? Did not even Archangels know it? But who was to reveal it? When we were taught it, then were they also through us. For hearken to the words of the Angel to Joseph [cf. Matthew 1:21].

The Names of the Archangels

In the Sacred Scripture, we find the names of some of the Archangels. Archangel Michael, whose name signifies "Who is like unto God?" may be found in Daniel 10:13, 12:1; Jude 1:9; and Revelation 12:7. Archangel Gabriel, whose name signifies "Man of God," may be found in Daniel 8:16, 9:21, and Luke 1:19-26. In the Deutero-canonical books, the Archangel Raphael, whose name signifies "God heals," may be found in Tobit 3:17, 12:15. Archangel Uriel, whose name signifies "The Fire of God", or Archangel Jeremiel, whose name signifies "The highness or mercy of God," may be found in 2 Esdras 4:36. Archangel Salathiel, who signifies "Prayer to God," or Archangel Phaltiel or Psaltiel [Syriac], may be found in 2 Esdras 5:16. Apart from these names, although pious tradition lists two other Archangels, they are not listed in Holy Scripture: Jehudiel, whose name signifies, "The Praise of God”; and Barachiel, whose name signifies "The blessing of God." The roster of the Archangels, showing these alternative names, abounds. It is generally agreed, however, that there are seven.

Concerning the Fallen Angels

The devil (also known as Satan or "the enemy") was created as a mighty and beautiful Archangel, one of the most perfect and radiant. He was given the name Lucifer meaning "light-bearer." Saint John of Damascos writes: "Lucifer was not made wicked in nature but was good, and made for good ends, and received from his Creator no trace whatever of evil in himself. But he did not sustain the brightness and the honor which the Creator had bestowed on him. Of his free choice, he was changed from what was in harmony to what was at variance with his nature, and became roused against God Who created him. He was determined to rise in rebellion against God; thus, he was the first to depart from good and become evil. For evil IS NOTHING ELSE THAN ABSENCE OF GOODNESS, JUST AS DARKNESS ALSO IS ABSENCE OF LIGHT. FOR GOODNESS IS THE LIGHT OF THE MIND, AND, SIMILARLY, EVIL IS THE DARKNESS OF THE MIND…Now along with him an innumerable hosts of Angels, subject to him, were torn away, followed him, and shared in his fall. Therefore, being of the same nature as the Angels, THEY BECAME WICKED, TURNING AWAY AT THEIR OWN FREE CHOICE FROM GOOD TO EVIL."

Hence, Lucifer boasted with PRIDE that he would set his throne on the clouds of heaven and become EQUAL TO THE ALMIGHTY, even as Isaiah writes: "How has Lucifer, that rose in the morning, fallen from heaven! He that sent orders to all the nations is crushed to the earth. But thou saidst in thy heart, "Note, further, that what in the case of man is death is a fall in the case of angels. For after the fall THERE IS NO POSSIBILITY OF REPENTANCE FOR THEM, JUST AS AFTER DEATH THERE IS FOR MEN NO REPENTANCE."

Appearances in the Old Testament

Michael, the most Glorious and Radiant Chief-Commander of the bodiless powers, and the other Archangels and Angels, have performed numerous benevolent deeds and rendered great assistance to the race of man, as e shall see demonstrated in both the Old Testament and in the new period of the grace of the Gospel. In some instances, however, we shall see that the Angel of the Lord is the Logos/Word Himself.

Angels in the New Testament

In the New Testament, the Archangel Gabriel announces the birth of Saint John the Baptist to his father, the Righteous Zacharias [Luke 1:19]. This Archangel also announced the Nativity of the Christ, Jesus, to the Holy Virgin Mary [Luke 1:26-28]. He also appeared to the Righteous Joseph in a dream and told him not to fear to take Mary his wife and that she shall bring forth a Son Whom he was to name Jesus [Matthew 1:20-21]. An Angel also appeared to Joseph to take the Child and His Mother into Egypt [Matthew 2:13]. At the Nativity of Christ, an Angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds, announcing the newborn Babe [Luke 2:9-12]. Then a multitude of the Heavenly Host were praising God, and saying, "GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST, AND ON EARTH PEACE, GOOD WILL AMONG MEN ” [Luke 2:14]. An Angel rolled away the stone from Christ’s tomb [Matthew 28:2] and announced the Resurrection to the women [Matthew 28:7; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:6]. As the Disciples looked on, a cloud took Jesus up from under at His Ascension, and two men or Angels stood by them in white raiment, saying, "Men, Galilaeans, why do ye stand looking into the heaven? This Jesus, the One Who was taken up from you into the heaven, so shall He come in the manner ye beheld Him going into the heaven" [Acts 1:9-11].

The holy Apostles were arrested, but an Angel of the Lord during the night opened the doors of the prison and led them out, telling them to take a stand in the Temple and to be speaking to the people all the words of this life [Acts 5:19-20].

The Angels and the Second Coming

The Angels shall be ministers of Christ at the Resurrection of the dead. Their participation and ministration are strongly attested by the New Testament. In the Gospel of Saint Matthew, Jesus announces that "they shall see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send forth His Angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from the uttermost parts of the heavens unto their extremities [Matthew 24:30-31]. Saint Paul wties: "We say this to you by the word of the Lord, that we the living, the one remaining over until the coming of the Lord, in no wise shall precede those who fell asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout of command, with a voice of an Archangel, and with a trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ rise first. Then we the living, the ones remaining over, shall be carried off together with them in the clouds to a meeting of the Lord in the air, and SO SHALL WE ALWAYS BE WITH THE LORD" [1 Thessalonians 4:15-17]. The Angels shall also be present at the Final or Last Judgment, even as it is written: "Whenever the Son of Man should come in His Glory, and all the Holy Angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the Throne of His Glory.

Miracles of the Chief-Commander of the Bodiless Host,
the Archangel Michael, in Byzantine Times

In the period after the New Testament, there are also accounts of the Archangel Michael’s cures and Wonders. Therefore, on this day, we call up him as the Protector of our lives, and celebrate his honored feast with the remembrance of some of his marvels. [Source:  The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church]

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"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George