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The ranks of the forces of heaven and saints in Orthodoxy. heavenly hierarchy.

Since the creation of the world and man, there have always been creatures that interfere with people, and that help. Angels, Cherubim, Seraphim - perhaps there is not a single person on earth who has not heard about these incorporeal forces. Since ancient times, people have known about the existence of angels, they were revered, and continue to be revered in many religions, angels are revered by almost all peoples of the world. Angels are mentioned more than once in Holy Scripture, their actions are described in fulfilling the will of God, helping the righteous, as well as protecting people from troubles and misfortunes with their angelic cover. But, angels are mentioned not only in the main Christian book, the Holy Fathers also left information about them, to whom heavenly beings appeared more than once and conveyed to them the will of the Almighty, they did, because according to God's plan, he sends angels to notify, bring news, therefore they are called angels, that is, messengers.

The Lord endowed his disembodied messengers with many gifts and powerful power, with the help of which God's spiritual essences can influence the world of things and man, but only by the will of the Lord and his desire, fulfilling his will. With all their essence, the angels love their Creator and remain in tireless gratitude to him for the bliss in which they are, and this bliss cannot be compared with anything. There are a lot of angels, sometimes the mind of a person is lost in their countless number. In fact, everything is much simpler, because among the angels of heaven, there is its own harmony, order and hierarchy, which is described in the creation of the disciple of the Holy Apostle Paul - the passion-bearer and martyr Dionysius the Areopagite. According to the writings of St. Dionysius, the heavenly hierarchy has three degrees, each of which has three ranks, respectively, a total of nine spiritual entities:

1. Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones - are distinguished by their closeness to the Most High God. dominance;
2. Forces and Powers - emphasize the basis of the universe and world domination;
3. The beginnings - the Archangels and Angels - are distinguished by their closeness to each person.

Our Lord Jesus Christ pours out his love on all his angels, starting from the highest faces, therefore the angelic ranks are in complete harmony and subordination of the lower ranks to the higher ones, according to the hierarchy.

Seraphim - this name means "Flaming, Fiery." They are always close to the Lord, of all the angels they are closest to the Heavenly Father. They burn with divine and great love for the Lord, transfer it to other faces, inflaming them. This is their main purpose, and their main task.

Cherubim - This name means "Chariot". The prophet Ezekiel saw them in the form of a lion, an eagle, an ox and a man. This means that the Cherubim combine intelligence, obedience, strength and speed, are God's chariot and stand before the throne of God. Cherubim know everything that the Lord gives to know his children, through them God sends wisdom and knowledge of it into the world.

Thrones are spiritual entities shining with the light of knowledge of God. God Himself rests on them not sensually, but spiritually, and executes His just judgment. Their purpose is to help the children of God, to be honest and act only in justice.

Dominions - rule over the subsequent ranks of angels. Their direct purpose is to protect from the fall, to tame obstinacy, to overcome the thirst for temptation and to piously control one's feelings.

Forces - created by the Lord in order to work miracles, to bestow gifts of insight, healing from ailments, and miracles to the saints God's saints and righteous holy fathers. They help people endure hardships and hardships, bestow wisdom, fortitude and prudence.

Authorities- The True God is endowed with special power, they are able to tame the actions and power of Satan. Their direct purpose is to protect earthly inhabitants from the machinations of the devil, to protect the ascetics in their pious life, and to pacify the natural elements.

Beginnings- direct the lowest degree of angels, direct their deeds to fulfill the will of God. They govern the universe, the world and the peoples inhabiting the earth. Earthlings are taught to live not for their own benefit, but for the glory of God.

Archangels- were created to bring good news to the world of people, to reveal the sacrament of the Christian faith, and to convey the will of the Lord to people. They are the conductors - Revelations.

Angels- the main defenders of ordinary people, every person has, they guide him on the path of righteousness, protect him from evil spirits and evil spirits, keep from falling and help the fallen to rise.

According to the Holy Scriptures, the Archangel Michael, the heavenly warrior and commander-in-chief of the angelic host, is placed above all angelic ranks. Led by the Archangel Michael, the Divine Angels cast down the proud angel and all those who followed Satan into the underworld. The great warrior of the forces of heaven, Archangel Michael, took part in many heavenly battles and defended the people of Israel in troubles and hardships.

In addition to the incorporeal forces, there is a distribution of all saints into ranks of holiness, which are understood by different categories, namely:

1. Holy Old Testament - Holy Fathers and Prophets
2. Saints of the New Testament - Apostles, Equal-to-the-Apostles and Enlighteners, Hierarchs, Great Martyrs and Martyrs, Confessors and Passion-Bearers, Saints, Holy Fools, Blessed Ones, Unmercenaries.

So who are these New Testament saints?

True God - created his spiritual essences reasonable and strong, and distributed them according to the type of service. According to merit, way of life and degree of holiness - distributed Old Testament and New Testament Saints.

God immediately created various kinds of angelic forces. The difference between them in nature was not the result of different degrees of "cooling" of the Angels in love, as Origen taught. Dionysius the Areopagite brought into the system the church doctrine of the nine angelic ranks. He writes that the Heavenly World has a hierarchical structure, since not all angelic ranks equally accept divine enlightenment. The lower ranks receive enlightenment from the higher ones. The angelic world is a single whole and, at the same time, a ladder. All Angels to a certain extent participate in the Divine and the Light communicated from Him, but the degrees of their knowledge and perfection are not the same.

The angelic hierarchy consists of three triads. The first, the highest, is - Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones. All of them are in the closest and immediate proximity to God, "as if on the threshold of the Divine", at the very Trinity sanctuary. They have access to direct and immediate knowledge of the Divine mysteries. They live in inexpressible illumination, contemplate God in a bright light.

six-winged seraphim(Heb. - flaming, fiery), which are mentioned only by the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 6:2), burn with love for God and incite others to it.

Cherubim(Heb. - chariots) - spiritual creatures that the prophet Ezekiel saw in the images of a man, an ox, a lion and an eagle (Ezek. 1). These symbols mean that the Cherubim combine the qualities of intelligence, obedience, strength and speed. Cherubim stand before the throne of God (Rev. 4:6-7). They are the spiritual vehicle of the Supreme (Ezekiel 1:10) so God is called sitting on cherubs (1 Sam. 4:4).

The cherub guarded the entrance to paradise (Gen. 3:24). Images of two Cherubim overshadowed the Ark of the Covenant, the place of the direct presence of God (Ex. 25:18-20). The king of Tire, symbolizing, according to the holy fathers, Satan, is called the overshadowing cherub (Ezekiel 28:14), which indicates his initial closeness to God.

The many-eyed Cherubim, according to Dionysius the Areopagite, shine with the light of knowledge of God. They send down wisdom and enlightenment for knowledge of God to the lower ranks. They are "rivers of wisdom" and "places of God's rest"; hence some of the Cherubim are called " Thrones", since God Himself rests on them not sensually, but spiritually, with a special abundance of grace.

The middle hierarchy is: Dominions, Powers and Powers.

dominance (Col. 1:16) rule over the successive ranks of Angels. They instruct earthly rulers appointed by God in wise management. They teach to control feelings, to tame sinful lusts, to enslave the flesh to the spirit, to overcome temptations. Forces (1 Pet. 3:22) they work miracles and send down the grace of wonderworking and clairvoyance to the saints of God. They help people in carrying out labors, strengthen them in patience, bestow spiritual strength and courage. Authorities (1 Pet. 3:22; Col. 1:16) have the power to tame the power of the devil. They repel demonic temptations from us, protect ascetics, help them in the fight against evil thoughts. They also have power over the forces of nature, such as wind and fire. (Rev. 8:7).

The lower hierarchy includes: Principles, Archangels and Angels.

Beginnings (Col. 1:16) they rule over the lower Angels, directing their activity towards the fulfillment of Divine commands. They are entrusted with managing the universe, protecting countries, peoples and tribes. They teach earthly authorities to fulfill their duties not for the sake of profits and personal glory, but in everything to seek the glory of God and the benefit of others.

Archangels (1 Thess. 4:16) proclaim great and glorious things. They reveal the secrets of faith, prophecy and the will of God to people, that is, they are the conductors of Revelation.

Angels (1 Pet. 3:22) closest to people. They proclaim the intentions of God, instruct in the virtues and a holy life. They protect the faithful, keep us from falling, raise the fallen.

Saint Dionysius the Areopagite is aware of the imperfection of such a systematization. He writes: “How many ranks of celestial beings, what they are and how they perform the secrets of the hierarchy, only God knows exactly, the Culprit of their hierarchy; they themselves also know their own powers, their own light, their sacred and supreme rank and file. And we can be told about this as much as God has revealed to us through them, as those who know themselves.”

Blessed Augustine argues in a similar way: “What there are Thrones, Dominions, Principles and Powers in the heavenly abodes, I unshakably believe, and that they differ from each other, I undoubtedly contain; but what they are and how they differ from each other, I do not know.

Some holy fathers believe that the listed nine ranks do not cover all the existing angelic ranks, there are others that will open only in the Future Age (Eph. 1:21).

The well-known Orthodox theologian, Archpriest John Meyendorff, believes that for the Christian tradition, the hierarchical structure of the angelic world proposed by Dionysius the Areopagite presents great inconvenience. “Old Testament angelology is complex and does not fit into the hierarchy of Dionysius. So, Seraphim in the book of the prophet Isaiah is a direct messenger of God (in the system of Dionysius, Seraphim would have to use the underlying hierarchy). The Church honors the Archangel Michael as the head of the heavenly host (in the Epistle of the Apostle Jude he fights Satan), however, in the system of Dionysius, the archangel rank is one of the lowest in the heavenly hierarchy. This was noticed by the holy fathers, so they accepted the hierarchy of Dionysius with reservations. Thus, St. Gregory Palamas claims that the Incarnation of Christ violated the original order: in violation of all hierarchical ranks, God sent the Archangel Gabriel, that is, one of the lower Angels, to announce to the Virgin Mary the good news of the Incarnation. Reflecting the same thought, the hymns of the feasts of the Ascension and the Assumption proclaim that the Angels were surprised that the human nature of Christ and the Mother of God "ascends from earth to heaven" completely independently of the angelic hierarchy.

So, it should be kept in mind that the classification Heavenly Forces Dionysius the Areopagite is rather arbitrary and schematic; she is unable to satisfactorily explain some of the facts of the Revelation and the phenomena of spiritual life. For example, if we strictly follow the scheme of Dionysius, then our communication with God is possible only through Angels. However, in the Holy Scriptures there are any number of examples of people communicating with God without the mediation of Angels.

Archangels

In the canonical books of the Bible, only two names of the Archangels are mentioned:

1) Michael(from Heb. - “who is like God”; Dan. 10:13; Jude 1:9) - Archangel of the incorporeal Forces.

2) Gabriel(from Heb. - "man of God"; Dan. 8:16; Luke 1:19) - a servant of the Divine fortress and a messenger of the mysteries of God.

Four names appear in non-canonical books:

3) Raphael(from Heb. - "God's help"; Tov. 3:16) - a healer of ailments.

4) Uriel(from Heb. - “the fire of God”; 3 Ezra 4: 1) - a servant of Divine love, kindling love for God in hearts and enlightening with the light of God-knowledge.

5) Selaphiel(from Heb. - “prayer to God”) - a minister of prayer, teaching prayer.

6) Jeremiel(from Heb. - "the height of God"; 3 Ezra. 4:36).

In addition, pious tradition speaks of two more Archangels:

7) Yehudiel(from Heb. - “Praise of God”) - an assistant in labor and an advocate for rewards for those who work for the glory of God.

8) Barahiel(from Heb. - "God's blessing") - a servant of God's blessings.

There is an opinion that seven of them are coming to the throne of God. In this sense, the following words from the Revelation of John the Theologian are interpreted: Grace to you and peace from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne” (Rev. 1:4). This is, of course, a rather arbitrary interpretation. The exact meaning of this text is hidden from us.

There are prayers with petitions to each of the Archangels according to their ministry.

1. Holy Archangel Michael, conqueror, conquer my passions.

2. Holy Archangel Gabriel, messenger of God, announce to me the hour of death.

3. Holy Archangel Raphael, healer, heal me from mental and physical illness.

4. Holy Archangel Uriel, enlightener, enlighten my feelings of soul and body.

5. Holy Archangel Yehudiel, glorifier, glorify me with good deeds.

6. Holy Archangel Selaphiel, prayer book, pray to God for me, a sinner.

7. Holy Archangel Varahiel, bless me, a sinner, spend my whole life in spiritual salvation.

8. Holy Angel of God, my Guardian, save my sinful soul.

9. About Holy Lady my Mother of God, all the Heavenly Powers of the holy Angel and Archangel and all the saints, have mercy on me, help me in this life, in the outcome of my soul and in the Future Age. Amen

Culture and ancient traditions give an idea of ​​the existence of guardian angels. The names of angels, their hierarchy and influence on society have a number of features.

Appearance and role in people's lives

Translated from Greek name higher beings means "messenger, messenger." They were sent by God to serve people. Exact time their appearance in our world is unknown, but they appeared on Earth before the creation of man.

Significant events in the Bible take place in the presence of messengers. Saint Gabriel was sent to the Virgin Mary with the aim of bringing important information, one of the angels released. Heavenly creatures follow human history, they are always ready to help and convey a message from above.

The silhouette of the heralds resembles a human one, the appearance of each of them depends on the rank and mission. They are depicted as winged, with wands or spheres in their hands. Messengers of God live in heaven, where there is a hierarchy of angelic ranks. Holy creatures have no gender, human relationships are alien to them. A person cannot become an angel.

Abilities of heavenly creatures

Image and attributes

The heavenly creature looks like a young man of unusual appearance, with wings behind his back. The creatures were dressed in bright linen robes intertwined with golden belts.

Most angels have two wings, with exceptions - and four-fingered Cherubim.

The image of higher creatures is filled with symbols:

• wings signify speed and the ability to be everywhere;
• the staff means the ability to convey the will of God;
• the mirror represents knowledge of future events;
• golden ribbons in the hair symbolize the obedience of God, the connection with him;
• the third eye is a sign of the ability to know everything;
• the halo symbolizes grace, special energy;
• beautiful appearance means the perfection of angels, their highest harmony.

Special features are added to the appearance of creatures that correspond to their mission. Raphael was depicted with medicines, Gabriel with a branch of paradise, and Michael with a spear.

Orders of higher beings

The Holy Society follows a clear division of rights and duties. Messengers do not know meanness, they do not want to substitute the highest in rank. Their existence is filled with harmony, which proves the wisdom of God and his higher nature.

The angelic hierarchy consists of nine ranks, divided into higher, middle and lower triads.

First triad

This includes heavenly creatures that are as close as possible to God. They are admitted to the holy mysteries of the universe. Ranks of higher angels:

1. Seraphim are six-winged creatures that revere the creator. They convey their love to people, causing them to desire confession, inspire them to faith.
2. Cherubim revere the mind and wisdom of God, guard great secrets with their wings. They do not tolerate interference in higher affairs, they preach faith, and people's excessive curiosity for holy knowledge makes them jealous. They became guardians of the tree of life after the expulsion of Adam and Eve.
3. Thrones exalt the majesty and glory of God, convey to mankind his omniscience and justice. Reminding them of the need to maintain a hierarchy.

Second triad

List of representatives of the Middle Sphere:

1. The dominations sing of God's care, his ability to protect everyone. They inspire people with self-confidence, bring up the desire to develop, limit the craving for sin.
2. Forces admire the power and skill of God, teach to respect his capabilities.
3. The authorities control the devil, help people resist temptation and gain faith.

Third triad

Representatives of this rank are closer to the human world. It includes:

1. The principles govern the universe, monitor the performance of the lower angels. They help in structuring society, observing the will of God. Rule over the elements.
2. convey the good news, teach people to keep the covenants. They have access to prophecy. Heavenly creatures help to return to the true path.
3. Angels are the closest beings to people. They give strength to go to enlightenment, protect from excesses and dangers, instill faith.

Meaning of names

Each angel was created for a specific purpose. The names of angels reflect their special mission.

1. - fallen, contrary to the will of God.
2. Uriel - inflames the love of God in human hearts. Enlightens unbelievers.
3. - helps in healing, protects health, monitors thoughts and deeds.
4. Raguel - executes punishments.
5. Savriel - controls the creatures that tempt man.
6. - manages celestial beings, directs to the right path.

This rank includes many other archangels. The canonical Bible mentions - the chief of the archangels, in other books - Selafiel, Jeremiel, Barahiel and Yehudiel.

Other religions

Faith different countries differ significantly, but in many of them there are messengers of God.

1. In Islam, Cherubim are distinguished, glorifying Allah. Besides him, this religion describes four angels. Michael - the main one among others, the prophet Jabrail - condescends to the elect, Azrael - the ruler of the soul after death, Israfil - announces the Last Judgment.
2. There are many angels in Judaism. There are nine archangels who command the lower creatures.
3. In Zoroastrianism, the archangels are called Amesha Spenta, who are part of the deity. Amirtat is a symbol of immortality, Khaurvtat is the guardian of health, Khshatra Vaira - monitors power, Spenta Armaiti - personifies devotion, Asha Vahishta - the pinnacle of righteousness, Vohu Mana - the deification of light and thought.

Messengers of God in the modern world

Mythology and ancient faith do not lose their relevance today.

culture

Holy beings are present in music, games and literature. Cinema especially often uses the image of celestial creatures. List of the best films with the participation of angels:

1. "Constantine: Lord of Darkness" - Saint Gabriel and his confrontation with Lucifer are described here.
2. "City of Angels" - the director proves to people the presence of angels, talks about their craving for earthly goods.
3. "Michael" - tells about the adventures of the Archangel Michael on Earth.
4. The series "Supernatural" - gives an idea of ​​the special nature of the confrontation between Lucifer and God, interprets angels in a new way.
5. "Angel" - talks about a vampire named Angel.

Each scenario contains a particular vision of higher beings.

guardian angels

The lower angels become protectors of life, mentors and seers. They are in the human world, transmit the will of God and warn of danger. You can see the presence of the guardians:

• through dreams;
• according to the combinations of numbers that often appear in life, angelic numerology deals with this area;
• through sensations;
• according to the body's response to certain events.

Noticing the sign of an angel, you must turn to God.

Day Angel

Since ancient times, the name of the newborn is given in honor of one of the saints. They believed that this deity would keep the baby, assist him in life path. The name day was calculated - this is the next holiday after the birth of a person in honor of a higher creation.

The day of the angel coincides with the date of the baptism of the baby. At this moment, God will give the baby who watches over his life values ​​and protects him from dangers. On a sacred holiday, a person should visit a church, pray to his patron and ask for a prayer service for health.

In pharmacies of Krasnoyarsk, prices for medicines in demand have skyrocketed

Nine angelic ranks

In the Christian mythological tradition, the hierarchy angelic creatures, developed by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (5th or early 6th century). Nine angelic ranks divided into three triads, each of which has a particular feature.

The first triad - seraphim, cherubim and thrones - is characterized by immediate proximity to God;

The second triad - strength, domination and power - emphasizes the divine basis of the universe and world domination;

The third triad - beginnings, archangels and angels proper - is characterized by close proximity to man.

Pseudo-Dionysius summarized what had been accumulated before him. Seraphim, cherubim, powers and angels are already mentioned in the Old Testament; dominions, principalities, thrones, powers, and archangels appear in the New Testament. According to the classification of Gregory the Theologian (4th century), the angelic hierarchy consists of angels, archangels, thrones, dominions, heads, forces, radiances, ascensions and understandings.

According to their position in the hierarchy, the ranks are arranged as follows:

1. SERAPHIM - In Jewish and Christian mythology, angels, especially close to God. The prophet Isaiah describes them as follows: "In the year of the death of King Uzziah, I saw the Lord sitting on a high throne, and the edges of His robe filled the whole temple. Seraphim stood around Him; each of them had six wings: with two each one covered his face, and with two He covered his feet, and with two he flew. And they called to each other and said: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts! The whole earth is full of His glory /" (Is. 6. 1-3).

According to the classification of Pseudo-Dionysius, together with the cherubim and thrones, the seraphim belong to the first triad: "... the most holy Thrones, the many-eyed and many-winged Orders, called in the language of the Jews Cherubim and Seraphim, according to the explanation of Holy Scripture, are in greater and immediate proximity to others to God ... as for the name of the Seraphim, it clearly shows the unceasing and everlasting e

Nine angelic ranks

their striving for the Divine, their ardor and swiftness, their ardent, constant, unrelenting and unswerving impetuosity, also their ability to actually raise the lower to the higher, to excite and inflame them to a similar heat: it also means ability, scorching and burning. thereby clean them - always open. inextinguishable, constantly the same, light-like and enlightening power, driving them away and clearing away all obscuration.

2. CHERUVIMS - In Judaic and Christian mythology, guardian angels. The cherub guards the tree of life after the expulsion of Adam and Eve from paradise. The prophet Ezekiel describes the cherubim who appeared to him in a vision of the temple as follows: "... cherubim and palm trees were made; a palm tree between two cherubim, and each cherubim has two faces. On the one hand, a human face is turned to the palm tree, on the other hand to the palm tree - lion's face...

According to the classification of Pseudo-Dionysius, cherubim, together with seraphim and thrones, constitute the first triad of nine angelic ranks. Dionysius says: "The name of the Cherubim means their power to know and contemplate God, the ability to receive the upper light and contemplate the Divine splendor at its very first manifestation, their wise art to teach and communicate to others the wisdom bestowed by them."

3.THRONES - In the Christian tradition, one of nine angelic ranks. This is the third rank of the first triad, where he enters along with the seraphim and cherubim. Pseudo-Dionysius reports:

So, it is right that the highest beings are consecrated to the first of the heavenly Hierarchies, since it has the highest rank, especially because the first Theophany and consecrations originally refer to it, as the closest to God, and heavenly Minds are called burning Thrones and an outpouring of wisdom, because that these names express their God-like properties...

Nine angelic ranks

The name of the highest Thrones means that they are completely free from any earthly attachment and, constantly rising above the earthly, peacefully strive for the heavenly, with all their forces, motionless and firmly attached to the truly Highest Being, accepting His Divine suggestion in complete dispassion and immateriality; also means that they wear God and slavishly carry out His divine commands.

4. DOMINATIONS - In Christian mythological representations, the fourth of nine angelic ranks, together with forces and authorities forming the second triad. According to Pseudo-Dionysius, "the significant name of the holy Dominions ... means some non-servile and free from any low attachment to the earthly exaltation to the heavenly, not in any way shaken by any violent attraction to dissimilar to them, but the dominion is constant in its freedom, standing above all humiliating slavery, alien to all humiliation, removed from all inequality to itself, constantly striving for true Mastery and, as much as possible, holyly transforming both itself and everything subordinate to it into a perfect likeness to Him, not clinging to anything that accidentally exists but always wholly turning to the true-existent and unceasingly partaking of the sovereign likeness of God.

5. FORCE - In Christian mythology, one of nine angelic ranks. Together with dominations and powers, forces constitute the second triad. Pseudo-Dionysius says: “The name of the holy Powers signifies some powerful and irresistible courage, communicated to them as far as possible, reflected in all their God-like actions in order to remove from themselves everything that could reduce and weaken the Divine illuminations bestowed by them, strongly striving for the imitation of God, not remaining idle from laziness, but steadily looking at the highest and all-strengthening Power and, as far as possible, according to one’s own strength, making Her image, completely turned to Her as the source of Powers and God-like about

Nine angelic ranks

descending to the lower forces to impart power to them."

6.POWER - In Christian mythological representations, angelic beings. According to the Gospels, the authorities can be both good forces and minions of evil. Among the nine angelic ranks powers complete the second triad, which, in addition to them, also includes dominions and powers. As Pseudo-Dionysius says, “the name of the holy Authorities signifies equal to the Divine Dominions and Forces, slender and capable of receiving Divine illuminations, the Chin and the device of the worldly spiritual dominion, which does not autocratically use the domineering powers bestowed for evil, but freely and decently to the Divine as ascending itself. who brings others holy to Him and, as much as possible, becomes like the Source and Giver of all power and depicts Him ... in a completely true use of his sovereign power.

7. BEGINNING - In Christian mythology, one of nine angelic ranks. The Bible says, “For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor the present, nor the future ... can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord.

According to the classification of Pseudo-Dionysius. the beginnings are part of the third triad along with the archangels and the angels proper. Pseudo-Dionysius says:

The name of the heavenly Authorities means the God-like ability to rule and govern in accordance with the sacred order, befitting the commanding Forces, both to turn to the Beginning without Beginning, and others, as it is characteristic of the Authorities, to guide Him, to imprint in oneself, as far as possible, the image of the inaccurate Beginning, etc. finally, the ability to express His premier leadership in the well-being of the ruling Forces .., the Announcement rank of the Principalities, Archangels and Angels alternately rules over the human Hierarchies, so that in order there is an ascent and conversion to God, communion and unity with Him, which also from God graciously extends to all Hierarchies, is inspired through communication and pours out in the most sacred orderly order.

Nine angelic ranks

8. ARCHANGELS - The word is of Greek origin and is translated as "angel chiefs", "senior angels". According to the Christian heavenly hierarchy, they rank directly above the angels. Religious tradition has seven archangels. The chief here is Michael the Archangel (Greek "supreme commander") - the leader of the armies of angels and people in their universal battle with Satan. Michael's weapon is a flaming sword.

Archangel Gabriel is best known for his participation in the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary about the birth of Jesus Christ. As a messenger of the innermost secrets of the world, he is depicted with a flowering branch, with a mirror (reflection is also a way of knowing), and sometimes with a candle inside the lamp - the same symbol of a hidden mystery.

Archangel Raphael is known as a heavenly healer and comforter of the afflicted.

Less frequently, four other archangels are mentioned.

Uriel is a heavenly fire, the patron of those who have devoted themselves to the sciences and arts.

Salafiel is the name of the supreme minister, with whom prayer inspiration is associated. On the icons he is painted in a prayerful pose, with his arms folded crosswise on his chest.

Archangel Yehudiel blesses the ascetics, protects them from the forces of evil. AT right hand he has a golden crown as a symbol of blessing, in his left is a scourge that drives away enemies.

Barahiel was assigned the role of a distributor of the highest blessings to ordinary workers, primarily farmers. He is depicted with pink flowers. The Old Testament tradition also speaks of the seven heavenly archangels. Their ancient Iranian parallel - the seven good spirits of Amesha Spenta ("immortal saints") finds a correspondence with the mythology of the Vedas. This points to the Indo-European origins of the doctrine of the seven archangels, which in turn correlates ancient ideas people about the septenary structures of being, both divine and earthly. (hierarchy of the heavenly host)

9. ANGELS: Both Greek and Hebrew words expressing the concept of "angel",

Nine angelic ranks

means "messenger". Angels often performed this role in the texts of the Bible, but its authors often give this term another meaning. Angels are the incorporeal helpers of God. They appear as humans with wings and a halo of light around their heads. They are usually mentioned in Jewish, Christian and Muslim religious texts. Angels have the appearance of a man, "only with wings and dressed in white clothes: God created them from stone"; angels and seraphim are women, cherubim are men or children.

Good and evil angels, messengers of God or the devil, converge in the decisive battle described in the book of Revelation. Angels may be ordinary people, prophets, inspiring good deeds, supernatural bearers of all kinds of messages or teachers, and even impersonal forces, like winds, cloud pillars or fire, which led the Israelites during their exodus from Egypt. Plague and pestilence are called evil angels. St. Paul calls his illness "the messenger of Satan." Many other phenomena, as in inspiration, sudden impulses, providences, are also attributed to angels.

Invisible and immortal. According to the teachings of the church, angels are sexless invisible spirits, immortal from the day of their creation. There are many angels, which follows from the Old Testament description of God - "the Lord of hosts." They form a hierarchy of angels and archangels of the entire host of heaven. early church clearly divided nine types, or " ranks", angels.

Angels served as mediators between God and his people. AT Old Testament it is said that no one could see God and remain alive, so direct communication between the Almighty and a person is often portrayed as communication with an angel. It was the angel who prevented Abraham from sacrificing Isaac. Moses saw an angel in a burning bush, although the voice of God was heard. An angel led the Israelites during their exodus from Egypt. From time to time, biblical angels look just like mortals until their true nature is revealed, like the angels who came to Lot before the horrific destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Nine angelic ranks

Unnamed spirits. AT Holy Scripture other angels are mentioned, such as a spirit with a fiery sword that blocked Adam's path back to Eden; cherub and seraphim, depicted as thunderclouds and lightning, which recalls the faith of the ancient Jews in the god of thunder; the messenger of God, who miraculously rescued Peter from prison, in addition, the angels who appeared to Isaiah in his vision of the heavenly court: “I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and exalted, and the edges of His robe filled the whole temple. Seraphim stood around Him; each of them had six wings; with two each one covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

Hosts of angels appear several times on the pages of the Bible. Thus, a choir of angels announced the birth of Christ. Archangel Michael commanded numerous heavenly hosts in the battle against the forces of evil. The only angels in the Old and New Testaments who have their own names are Michael and Gabriel, who brought the news of the birth of Jesus to Mary. Most of the angels refused to identify themselves, reflecting the popular belief that revealing a spirit's name would diminish its power. .

On the Orthodox Cross The first Christians of the Old Believers, if you look closely, in fact, depict not one, but two crosses.
(photo http://foto.mail.ru/mail/vasjuki/41/52.html)
The central part of the field is occupied by a wooden cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. And its border, on which the signs and symbols describing the structure of our world, forms the second cross. As for the symbolism of the wooden cross, there are many versions, but they are all too vague and contradictory. So it’s not worth dwelling on them yet, but the symbolism of the “peace” cross deserves serious attention, because. it fixes the most important initial fundamental subtleties of Orthodoxy.

At the ends of its middle, longest crossbar, dividing the cross (and the World) in half, against the background of the sky, the Sun and the Moon are depicted. Obviously, she (the crossbar) also symbolizes the Sky. In this case, logically, the lower part is the under-heavenly world, and the upper part is the kingdom of heaven. And indeed. On the lower crossbar there is a fragment of the city wall, clearly indicating that this is our material physical world, and on the upper crossbar there are two angels, symbols of the kingdom of heaven. In short, the three crossbars of the Cross symbolize the three main levels-floors of our world: the material-physical level, the level of cosmic energies and the spiritual level.

On the other hand, it is known that our world is controlled and interacts through nine ranks of angels, which make up three triads:
- cherubim, seraphim, thrones;
- domination, strength, power;
- beginnings, archangels and angels.

Information is not God knows what, but only as long as the cross and the angels are in our imagination separately! But as soon as we combine them together, i.e. let us inscribe three angelic triads on the three levels of the Cross, the picture changes dramatically. It takes the form of a widely known, and deeply worked out in the East, seven-plane system of the World .. (Fig. 5 above the text. Where the Angels live).
And what does it give us?
Judaism is based on (theory) Kabbalah, and Ayurveda, for example, is built on ancient philosophy Sankhya, ... in short, all world religions have a theoretical basis. And only the Crusade religion Christianity is built on the popular Biblical PARABLES, without theoretical justification. And throughout the two thousand years of its existence, it opposed theorization in every possible way .... * 1

And now there is a theory. This is the theory of the Cross religion, originating already from the Aryan-Russians themselves, at one time, laid the foundation for the teachings of Yin-Yang and Ayurveda. Therefore, if necessary, to interpret the subtleties of Christianity, we have every right to apply the achievements of such teachings as:
- Yin-Yang Teachings *2
- Ayurveda, *3
- Esoterics,
- as well as widely use the Cyrillic alphabet
Additionally, there is the possibility of Christianity, as restored,
systematized and supplemented by Jesus, the Cross religion, to use as a kind of framework religion, uniting and including other world religions.

But the most important convenience is that we now have the opportunity to fully apply the theory of chakras to describe inner peace man, his interaction with various planes of the world, and those inhabiting these planes (angels and demons), which earlier, within the framework of Christianity, it was not possible to do, ...
... due to which to expand the concepts of Good and Evil, describe the Path to God in modern terms, answer a number of previously inexplicable questions about Christianity, *5 .. and much, much more ...

Reviews

I knew about nine ranks, I did not imagine such a system. I thought that they fit into three triads, but here there are seven levels. Please write more! Very interesting.

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