Of the Principalities, Archangels and Angels, and of their last Hierarchy.
Chapter 9
from the The Celestial Hierarchy
by Dionysius
the Areopagite
There remains for us the reverent contemplation of
that sacred Order which completes the Angelic Hierarchies, and is composed of
the Divine Principalities, Archangels and Angels. And first, I think, I ought
to explain to the best of my ability the meanings of their holy names.
The name of the Celestial Principalities signifies
their Godlike princeliness and authoritativeness in an Order which is holy and
most fitting to the princely Powers, and that they are wholly turned towards
the Prince of Princes, and lead others in princely fashion, and that they are
formed, as far as possible, in the likeness of the Source of Principality, and
reveal Its superessential order by the good Order of the princely Powers.
The choir of the holy Archangels is placed in the same
threefold Order as the Celestial Principalities; for, as has been said, there
is one Hierarchy and Order which includes these and the Angels. But since each
Hierarchy has first, middle and last ranks, the holy Order of Archangels,
through its middle position, participates in the two extremes, being joined
with the most .holy Principalities and with the holy Angels.
It is joined with the Princedoms because it is turned
in a princely way to the superessential Principality and, as far as it can
attain, moulds itself in His likeness, and it is seen to be the cause of the
union of the Angels with its own orderly and invisible leadership. It is joined
with the Angels because it belongs to the interpreting Order, receiving in its
turn the illuminations from the First Powers, and beneficently announcing these
revelations to the Angels; and by means of the Angels it shows them forth to us
in the measure of the mystical receptivity of each one who is inspired by the
divine Illumination. For the Angels, as we have said, fill up and complete the
lowest choir of all the Hierarchies of the Celestial Intelligences since they are
the last of the Celestial Beings possessing the angelic nature. And they,
indeed, are more properly named Angels by us than are those of a higher rank
because their choir is more directly in contact With manifested and mundane
things.
The highest Order, as we have said, being in the
foremost place near the Hidden One, must be regarded as hierarchically ordering
in a bidden manner the second Order; and the second Order of Dominions, Virtues
and Powers, leads the Principalities, Archangels and Angels more manifestly,
indeed, than the first Hierarchy, but in a more hidden manner than the Order
below it; and the revealing Order of the Principalities, Archangels and Angels
presides one through the other over the human hierarchies so that their
elevation and turning to God and their communion and union with Him may be in
order; and moreover, that the procession from God, beneficently granted to all
the Hierarchies, and visiting them all in common, may be with the most holy
order.
Accordingly the Word of God has given our hierarchy
into the care of Angels, for Michael is called Lord of the people of Judah, and
other Angels are assigned to other peoples. For the Most High established the
boundaries of the nations according to the number of the Angels of God.
If someone should ask why the Hebrews alone were
guided to the divine Illuminations, we should answer that the turning away of
the nations to false gods ought not to be attributed to the direct guidance of
Angels, but to their own refusal of the true path which leads to God, and the
falling away through selflove and perversity, and similarly, the worship of
things which they regarded as divine.
Even the Hebrews are said to have acted thus, for he
says, 'Thou hast cast away the knowledge of God and hast gone after thine own
heart'. For our life is not ruled by necessity, nor are the divine irradiations
of Providential Light obscured because of the freewill of those under Its care;
but it is the dissimilarity of the mental eyes which causes the Light streaming
forth resplendently from the Goodness of the Father to be either totally
unshared and unaccepted through their resistance to It, or causes an unequal
participation, small or great, dark or bright, of that Fontal Ray which
nevertheless is one and unmixed, eternally changeless, and for ever abundantly
shed forth.
For even if certain Gods not alien to them presided
over the other nations (from which we ourselves have come forth into that
illimitable and abundant sea of Divine Light which is outspread freely for all
to share), yet there is one Ruler of all, and to Him the Angels who minister to
each nation lead their followers.
Let us consider Melchisadek, the hierarch most beloved
of God - not of vain gods, but a priest of the truly highest of Gods - for
those wise in the things of God did not simply call Melchisadek the friend of
God, but also priest, in order to show clearly to the wise that not only was he
himself turned to Him who is truly God, but also, as hierarch, was the leader
of others in the ascent to the true and only Godhead.
Let us also remind you in connection with your
knowledge of hierarchy that Pharaoh was shown through visions by the Angel who
presided over the Egyptians, and the Prince of Babylon was shown by his own
Angel, the watchful and overruling Power of Providence. And for those nations
the servants of the true God were appointed as leaders, the interpretations of
angelic visions having been revealed from God through Angels to holy men near
to the Angels, like Daniel and Joseph.
For there is one Sovereign and Providence of all, and
we must never
suppose that God was leader of the Jews by chance, nor that certain
Angels, either independently, or with equal rank, or in opposition to one
another, ruled over the other nations; but this teaching must be received
according to the following holy intention, not as meaning that God had shared
the sovereignty of mankind with other Gods, or with Angels, and had been chosen
by chance as ruler and leader of Israel, but as showing that although one
all-powerful Providence of the Most High consigned the whole of mankind to the
care of their own Angels for their preservation, yet the Israelites, almost
alone of them all, turned to the knowledge and light of the true God.
Therefore the Word of God, when relating how Israel
devoted himself to the worship of the true God, says, 'He became the Lord's
portion'. Moreover it shows that he too, equally with other nations, was given
into the charge of one of the holy Angels, in order that he might know through
him the one Principle of all things. For it says that Michael was the leader of
the Jews, clearly showing that there is one Providence established
superessentially above all the invisible and visible powers, and that all the
Angels who preside over the different nations lift up to that Providence, as to
their own Principle, as far as is in their power, those who willingly follow
them.
Source: http://www.esoteric.msu.edu/VolumeII/CelestialHierarchy.html
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