About the angels
In spiritual literature the words “archangel” and “angel” are used in two senses, a particular and a general one:
1) In the biblical texts the angels (a Greek word, meaning in Georgian “messenger”) are spirits, messengers of God's word to men. This word belongs to all the heavenly bodiless powers. From this comes the expression “the angelic world.” The archangel (the Greek arche means “beginning”) is the highest, that is, the chief of the angels; so he is named in the New Testament (Jude 1:9; 1 Thess. 4:16). By the teaching of the Church there are eight archangels: the Archangel Michael, chief of the powers of heaven, whose name means “as God” (Dan. 10:13; Jude 1:9); Gabriel, “the strength of God” (Dan. 8:16; Luke 1:26); Raphael, “the divine helper” (Tobit 3:16); Uriel, “God is my light” (1 Esd. 4:1); Salaphiel, “prayer to God” (1 Esd. 4:1); Jeremiel, “the ascent to God” (3 Esd. 4:36). To the archangels belong also Jegudiel (“the glory of God”) and Barachiel (“the blessing of God”), who are not mentioned in Holy Scripture.
2) The words “angel” and “archangel” were used by St Dionysius the Areopagite in his work “The Celestial Hierarchy,” namely when he spoke of the nine ranks of the celestial hierarchy. According to St Dionysius the Areopagite the celestial hierarchy has three steps, and on each step there are three ranks: 1) seraphim, cherubim, thrones; 2) dominions, powers, authorities; 3) principalities, archangels, angels.
“Although the heavenly spirits are bodiless and immortal, the Lord willed that among them too there should be principality, power and authority,” wrote St Ephrem the Syrian.
The angels are messengers of God, and in order to carry out their mission thought, will and omnipotence have been granted to them.
Holy Scripture testifies that the world of the angels was created by God: in the beginning God made the heaven and the earth (Gen. 1:1). The holy fathers and the tradition of the Church understand heaven to mean the spiritual world, and earth to mean matter, the physical principle. This faith of the Church is expressed by the Creed (the symbol of faith) drawn up at the First Ecumenical Council (the year 325, Nicaea), which begins with the words: I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible… Here the words are about God's creation of the unearthly world, of the angelic, supersensible powers.
The holy fathers say that of God's providence we know only as much as is needed for our salvation. The Apostle Paul said: for now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known (1 Cor. 13:12). In other words, complete knowledge of the supersensible has not been given to men; such perfect knowledge is not meant for the physical world. Men will know it and partake of it only after death. And then there will no longer be a half-transparent, clouded glass, but direct experience and perception, a meeting face to face and a knowing of the heavenly reality.
The language of the Bible belongs to different peoples, ages, cultures and geographical settings. That is why, in describing heavenly realities, the world of the angels is expressed by the allegory, the metaphor and even the anthropomorphisms proper to this or that language; for example, the dwellers of the heavenly world are called “many-eyed cherubim,” “six-winged seraphim” and so on. The “many-eyed cherubim” are spiritual beings possessing a special keenness, a wondrous power of spiritual sight. And the “six-winged seraphim” are beings kindled with a “fiery” love for God and standing close to Him, and this nearness is depicted in some ancient frescoes in the form of six wings.
The angels are real spiritual beings, possessing personhood, reason, will and power. They are free from the bounded laws of physical existence; they were created beyond time and space; sometimes they are visible to men, sometimes invisible. We, who belong to this world here, cannot at our own will perceive the presence of these dwellers of heaven beside us.
The angels created by God are mediators between us and the Lord, so as to carry out the will of the Most High in general and for each person individually. Besides this, the angels are intercessors for men before God. Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven (Matt. 18:10).
Why does the Lord need anyone's mediation? Is not the ministry of the angels a kind of limiting of God's omnipotence? Of course not. This can be explained by an example from our own life. God is the source of every good, and this He does without the intervention of men. But in our world good is accomplished through men as well. These are those who are pleasing to God (prophets, saints, martyrs and so on), who appear as announcers and doers of God's will on earth. Thus the labour of good and of mercy done by man in no way hinders the divine omnipotence.
The angels are free beings. They have free will. An example of this is Lucifer (translated as “the morning star”), who was the angel standing closest to the Lord and who out of pride, by his own will, parted himself from God so far that he became the enemy of his Creator, a source of evil whose place is no longer in heaven. Since then an unceasing struggle has been going on between good and evil, and the visible and the invisible, the earthly and the heavenly world are drawn into it. And that is why beside each of us there is now a good power, now an evil one. Always, when we do good, our guardian angels are beside us; and when it is the other way round, we are given over to the evil one.
