medieval angelology

[Druscilla]

Any of the nine orders of angels in medieval angelology

[jeanyb]

Hello Druscilla

Choir

[BimblePants]

Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels and Angels.

[Peter Pedant]

wasnt it about this that Occam said,

entes non multiplicanda sunt praeter necessitatem?

beings should not be multiplied without prior need/necessity

just to add colour in case you're doing an essay....

[firefly]

This is the angel hierarchy.

[Octavius]

Some Christian traditions hold that angels are organised into three major hierarchies which are subdivided into orders called "Choirs", and list as many as ten orders of angels. The Celestial Heirarchy is the source of the names that have become part of tradition: Archangels, Angels, Principalities, Powers, Virtues, Dominions, Thrones, Cherubim, and Seraphim. In this hierarchy, the Cherubim and Seraphim are typically closest to God, while the Angels and Archangels are most active in human affairs. Many of these names come from verses in the bible which would appear at first to be referencing a literal thing, although retroactively suggesting that they really mention angels can also make sense in the context. For example the verse in Paul "our struggle is not with earthly things but with principalities and powers" (meaning according to most theologians the fallen angels of those choirs, used as an example of all the fallen angels).