The Spheres of the Christian Angelic Hierarchy

There are more things in heaven and earth than you know.

Angels are mysterious beings of spiritual substance, divine creatures which go out into our world to do the bidding of God, protecting us, making war on the enemies of God, and bringing messages from heaven to earth. Their comings and goings are mostly unknown to us, but a few individuals, throughout history, have possessed the insight to discern their organization and inner workings.

Pseudo-Dionysius, a Christian philosopher of the late fifth century CE, drew on passages from the New Testament, as well as other possible sources of supernatural knowledge, to put forth an angelic hierarchy in his book, “De Coelesti Hierarchia”. Organizing this hierarchy into three main Spheres, with each Sphere containing three “Choirs,” Pseudo-Dionysius created a heavenly hierarchy that is still studied and cited to this day. In short, the first Sphere of angels commune directly with God, seeing and adoring Him directly, and communicating His will to those angels closer to man’s affairs. The second Sphere of angels manages the affairs of the lower angels, and the third Sphere directly interacts with man and the material universe.

Journey with us as we study these Spheres, and discover the 9 kinds of angels in the angelic hierarchy.

First Sphere—Seraphim

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The angels of the first sphere could be likened to the executive management of a corporation—they are responsible for directly interpreting the will of the CEO—God—and implementing it on the grandest scale.

These first-Sphere angels are the direct servants of God in heaven. The greatest of these are the Seraphim, which literally translated, means “burning ones”. These angels “burn” with the most intense love for God out of all the angelic beings, and are the closest to the throne of God, continuously shouting praises to the Lord and calling attention to His majesty and glory, ever-communicating this glory down through the ranks of the lower angels.

These angels are described in Isaiah 6:1-8 as having six-wings, with two covering their faces, two covering their feet, and two being used to fly. They are fiery in appearance, and the voice of even a single Seraph can shake the foundations of a building and fill it with smoke. It was a Seraph which touched a burning coal to the lips of Isaiah, purifying him in order that he might be able to prophesy.

If the Choirs of angels are thought of a gradient of holiness from most holy and just beneath God, to less holy, the Seraphim are nearer to God than any created being in the universe.

Interestingly, it is thought that Satan—once the highest of angels—was once a Seraph, his glory, light, and praise outshining that of all the other angelic beings. That light, however, turned to equivalent darkness when he betrayed God, and was cast from heaven.

First Sphere—Cherubim

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Next, and second in rank in the first Sphere of angels are the Cherubim. Far from the classic Renaissance art images of infant-like beings—known as putti—with tiny wings, the Cherubim of the Bible are incalculably powerful celestial beings with four faces—that of a man, an ox, a lion, and an eagle, each respective face representing man, domestic animals, wild animals, and aviary creatures. They possess four wings covered with eyes, the body of a lion, and ox’s feet.

While this description may sound bizarre, these angels are the most mentioned heavenly being in the Bible other than God, Himself, and are mentioned in Genesis, Exodus, Chronicles, Ezekiel, 1 Kings, and Revelation. In Genesis, they are recorded as being the guardians of the Garden of Eden, keeping its entrance safe with swords of flame.

The Cherubim, whose name translates to “fullness of wisdom,” contemplate and communicate God’s divine plan for His creation. In some traditions, Cherubs also implore God on behalf of man, asking Him to forgive and protect the righteous.

First Sphere—Thrones

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The Thrones, the third highest class of angel, are mentioned by Paul in Colossians 1:16, Jewish apocryphal literature, the Book of Enoch, and the Testament of Levi, and while lesser known, are nevertheless important. Belonging to the first Sphere, these angels are among those with the highest knowledge of the works of God, and are deemed worthy of direct fellowship with Jesus.

These angels, as beings of the first Sphere, are able to convey the full essence of God’s word, passing the messages on to the lower classes of angels, who then pass them on to men. Specifically, the Thrones are living symbols of God’s justice—they continually contemplate this, and ensure that God’s will concerning justice and judicial power is communicated.

The Thrones are the last of the first Sphere of angels—those beings who see and adore God directly. The next Spheres are those angels who deal more closely with man, and the material realm.

Second Sphere—Dominions

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The Dominions, also known as Lordships in some translations, manage the affairs of the lower angels, and rarely make their presence directly known to man. They are the upper management of the angels, so to speak, taking the big-picture communication from the first Sphere of angels and translating it into detailed instruction. They maintain order amongst the angels, and sometimes preside over nations, guiding and directing rulers.

These angels receive their perfection and divine wisdom in a secondary way rather than communing directly with God, receiving information from the first Sphere of angels, who pass the will of God down to the lesser angelic beings.

The Dominions are believed to look like beauteous humans with a single pair of wings—the most common way angels are depicted—but, uniquely, are also depicted as wielding scepters or swords adorned with orbs of light.

Second Sphere—Virtues

The Virtues, also known as the Strongholds, are responsible for maintaining the physical laws of the universe. They ensure that everything from the movement of electrons to the expansion of the universe, itself, remains constant and within the will of God. Everything we take for granted—the reliability of gravity in pulling us down to earth, the functioning of our internal combustion engines and air conditioners and computers—all of it is regulated by God, through the action of the Virtues. These angels, according to Pseudo-Dionysius’s work, quite powerful, and are among the hardest workers of all the angels.

The specific function of the Virtues shows us that the dividing line between science and religion is not so clear. The scientific pursuit of knowledge, of the most intimate workings of the universe, merely serve to reveal God’s creation as we admire His plan, and the work of the Virtues. Think on that when next you look to the stars on a clear night.

Second Sphere—Powers

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The Powers, also known as Authorities, are the warrior class of angels which are dispatched to handle evil spirits, particularly those spirits which harm man in the flesh. They detain evil spirits, chaining them within prisons unknown, and are typically depicted as soldiers are, wearing armor and wielding weapons of war. These angels also watch over the distribution of power amongst mankind, carrying out God’s will in this matter.

These angels showcase the reality of spiritual warfare—that there is an entire, unseen world about us, one which is dangerous, if we are not prepared. Pray to God regularly, that He might, through the use of the Powers, keep you safe from harm, both in the spiritual and in the flesh. Satan was once highest among the angels, and seeks the destruction of mankind. God, however, provides for our safety, and will listen and respond if we pray for protection.

Third Sphere—Principalities

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The Principalities, also known as Princedoms or Rulers, are the angels that, under the direction of the Dominions, directly watch over large groups and institutions, including nations and the Church. They rule over smaller groups of angels, rather like the middle management of an organization, ensuring the fulfillment of the divine will.

The angels of the third sphere are those who most directly guide, protect, and send messages to human beings, and can be likened to the front-line employees of a company, directly interacting with the customer—us. While still absolutely pure, wise, and powerful, these angels are furthest from God in the angelic hierarchy, and so are better able to communicate with man in ways we can understand and even withstand. Think on when God directly communicated with Moses—the event, the barest glimpse of God, turned the man’s hair white. There is a reason God communicates and acts through the different levels of angels.

Third Sphere—Archangels

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The archangels are often presented in popular culture as the most powerful of all angels. In reality, these beings, archangels with a lower-case “a,” as opposed to the very different Archangels with an upper-case “A,” are in the third Sphere, and are the chiefs and rulers of the messenger angels. Their presence is often the herald of immense change, and their words reveal knowledge, God’s prophecies, and grand human understanding of the will of God.

These angels are also the workers of miracles, causing events to occur on behalf of humankind. They are said, by St. Gregory, to “strengthen people in the holy faith, enlightening their minds with the light of knowledge of the holy Gospel and revealing the mysteries of devout faith.”

These angels are a reminder that God grants us understanding and wisdom, should we ask with sincere hearts. Pray to hear and understand the will of God, and you may be visited by an archangel.

Third Sphere—Angels

The angels, messengers to mankind and the lowest order of angels, are the celestial beings most concerned with the comings and goings of mankind. They have many different jobs here on earth, but all are tasked with direct contact with humanity in some way.

Included in this order are guardian angels—angels who are assigned to specific individuals in order to guard, guide, and impart wisdom. Not all angels are guardian angels, but all guardians come from the angel tier. Whenever you feel a “hunch” or a bad feeling about something that turns out to be wholly accurate, it’s likely that it was actually a whispering from your guardian angel. Listen to these feelings, learn to discern them, differentiating them from mere worries or fears, and act on them.

Being farthest from the absolute perfection of God, the angels are most able to speak to us on our level, communicating in ways which our human minds can comprehend.