Orthodoxy commemorate angelic world

On Sunday, the Orthodox Christian Church celebrates the “Assembly of the Chief Commanders Michael and Gabriel and the rest of the Bodiless Powers.” The Western Christian liturgical tradition celebrates the same Sept. 29.

Orthodoxy commemorates the angelic world and, based upon scriptural and ancient liturgical tradition, the hosts consist of nine orders in three tiers. The first tier includes seraphim in Isaiah 6:2, cherubim with 58 biblical verses and especially Ezekiel 10:8-9 and thrones in Colossians 1:16. The second tier includes authorities in Peter 3:22, principalities in Colossians 1:16 and dominions in Colossians 1:16. The third tier includes powers in Colossians 1:16, archangels in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 and Jude 1:9 and angels in 280 biblical verses.

The Ancient Church, consistent with the Old Testament witness, believes that before the visible order of creation, God created an invisible one, which are the body-less hosts. In the Ancient Church’s creed, finalized at the First and Second Ecumenical Councils of 325 and 381 A.D., respectively, we confess “….in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth, and all things visible and invisible ...”

According to the words of Holy Scripture, the host of blessed, heavenly angels is beyond number (see Luke 10:17-20 and Revelation 12:4). When the Prophet Daniel saw his vision of Jesus Christ as both Ancient of Days and Son of Man, there were thousands of angels standing before His throne (Daniel 7:10). The great prophet of the New Testament, St. John the Evangelist, saw a similar vision and saw around God’s throne so many angels that “their number was in the thousands of thousands.” (Revelation 5:2)

Despite their huge number, a perfect and harmonious order exists among the heavenly angels. God’s wisdom gave order to everything. Only that which has fallen away from Him is disorderly and unstable. The nine orders of the heavenly hosts are subject to one another in perfect love and humility. Light pours from the higher to the lower ones.

The name angel comes from the Greek “angelos,” which means messenger. The rank of the heavenly hosts specifically called angels are those whom the Lord sends with His commands throughout the universe. The archangels (Greek: “archangelos”) are the commanders of the divine messengers. They are the ones who announce the greatest and most significant mysteries to mankind. Archangels Michael and Gabriel are mentioned in the Scriptures by name.

It was the Archangel Gabriel (Gabriel in Hebrew means God is mighty) who announced the coming birth of the Savior to the Virgin Mary. According to the liturgical tradition of the Ancient Church, the Archangel Michael (Michael in Hebrew means Who is like God?) was the one who rallied the rest of the heavenly hosts to stand with God the Creator, when Archangel Lucifer (Lucifer in Latin means bearer of light) thought himself to be higher than God, and created a rebellion among the heavenly hosts before the creation of mankind.

Archangel Michael exhorted the other angels with these words: “Stand well! Stand with fear! Let us be attentive!” (These same words are included in every Divine Liturgy in the Orthodox Church immediately after the faithful confess the Nicaean-Constantinopolitan Creed, the verbal symbol of the Ancient Faith.) Jesus Christ bears witness to this event when He declared to His disciples and apostles: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from Heaven.” (Luke 10:18)

Orthodox Christianity believes that at the hour in which the Earthly Church celebrates especially the Divine Liturgy, the Heavenly Church also celebrates with the faithful. It is exactly the place and time where Heaven touches Earth, and it is all done through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. He gave His disciples the commandment: “Do this in remembrance of Me.” (Luke 22:19)

In the Liturgy, the congregation chants “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal have mercy on us.” This hymn is the most ancient hymn of the Undivided Church, taken from Leviticus 11:44 (Holy God), Deuteronomy 10:17 (Holy Mighty) and 1 Timothy 6:16 together with (The Apostolic Fathers) Letter to Diagnetus 9:2 (Holy Immortal). We call this hymn “Trisagion,” which literally means ‘the three holies and echoes back to the vision of the Old Testament Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 6:3, and he writes: “And one [seraphim] cried unto another, and said: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.”

The angels in heaven, along with the saints, offer praise, glory and worship to God, together with us at the time of the Divine Liturgy (the Holy Eucharist). The imagery of Isaiah 6:6-7 cannot be missed as the faithful approach the holy chalice to receive holy Communion. After the clergy receive Communion, they say the same words in Isaiah 6:7.

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged” (from Isaiah 6:6-7).

Angels are depicted in icons with wings to show that while they seem to appear in bodily form, they do not have carnal bodies. The wings show that angels are not limited in their movements as is man, but with great swiftness, they can be in any part of the universe.

Angels are created. They are not perfect spirits as God is, and they are limited in time and space so that, though they know much, they, as individual beings, are not present everywhere at once as God is. Therefore, only God is worshipped and He is glorified in His saints and in the angelic hosts of heaven (Luke 2:13-14).

The Rev. Steve Denas is pastor of Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church in Campbell.