29. Angels
Angels are personal, free, and spiritual beings who do not possess either a body like ours or any other kind of corporeal form. They are often represented in pictures or statues with some sensible form, but this is not intended to show reality. These representations merely aid our imagination. Besides, angels have appeared on some occasions in sensible form, as Sacred Scripture narrates.1
9. The Existence of the Angels
In the beginning of time, God created spiritual essences [angels] out of nothing (de fide).
The number of the angels is very great (sent. comm.).
In the Fourth Lateran Council and the First Vatican Council, the Magisterium of the Church defined as a truth of faith that God “created both orders of creatures in the same way out of nothing, the spiritual or angelic world and the corporeal or visible universe.”2
In Sacred Scripture, angels make their appearance from the very first moments of the history of salvation: “… and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim” (Gen 3:24). On many occasions, angels act as messengers and servants of God, in charge of transmitting divine precepts to people and guiding them according to the will of God.
Some angels have proper names indicating their specific mission, such as the archangels St. Michael (“Who is like God”), St. Gabriel (“Strength of God”), and St. Raphael (“Medicine of God”).
St. Raphael accompanied the young Tobit on his journey and, after the family adventure ended, he revealed his identity: “I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels who present the prayers of the saints and enter into the presence of the glory of the Holy One” (Tb 12:15). St. Gabriel revealed his name to Zechariah after he foretold the birth of John the Baptist: “I am Gabriel, who stand in the presence of God; and I was sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news” (Lk 1:19). St. Gabriel was also sent to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary to announce her future divine maternity (cf. Lk 1:26). St. Michael led the heavenly army in the battle against the evil spirits (cf. Rv 12:7).
Jesus Christ often spoke about the angels. While referring to children, he said, “Their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven” (Mt 18:10). An angel consoled our Lord in his agony in Gethsemane (cf. Lk 22:43). Angels announced the Resurrection of the Lord to the holy women (cf. Mt 28:2–7).
The ease with which the early Christians accepted their guardian angels is reflected in their exclamation “It is his angel!” when told by the maid Rhoda that St. Peter was at the door of the house (Acts 12:15).
Constant references to the angels can be found in Sacred Tradition from the very beginning of the Church. The writings of the apostolic Fathers and many liturgical rites contain such references. The first monographic work on angels, De Coelesti Hierarchia, was written shortly after a.d. 500 by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite.
Since the angels have an incorporeal nature, we could not have discovered their existence with our senses alone. They cannot be seen, heard, or touched since they have no material body. Further, they cannot be known through reason alone since, as we have seen earlier, God is completely free in his act of creation, and he was not bound to make entirely spiritual creatures. Therefore, we can know of the existence of the angels only through revelation.
Nevertheless, once we learn through divine revelation that angels do exist, we realize that their existence is very appropriate for the perfection of the universe.
Through our senses and intellect, we know that there are purely material beings and that man is a union of a material part (the body) and a spiritual part (the soul). Thus, it seems quite fitting for the harmony of the universe that there should also be purely spiritual beings.
The glory given by all creatures to God makes the existence of angels all the more appropriate. All created beings reflect the divine perfection, each one in its own way. The glory they render to God by their mere existence is called material glory. In addition to this glory, creatures endowed with will and intellect can give God formal glory by knowing and loving him. Since human intellect is rather limited, the formal glory offered to God by the whole universe would be relatively limited if people were the only free and intelligent creatures. It is, therefore, very fitting for there to be pure or angelic intellects, more capable of understanding the universe, and thus able to give a much greater formal glory to God.
10. The Nature of the Angels
The nature of the angels is spiritual (de fide).
The angels are by nature immortal (sent. comm.).
The definitions of the Fourth Lateran Council and the First Vatican Council state that angels are spirits.3
The word spirit, frequently used in Sacred Scripture to refer to the angels, suggests their immateriality (cf. Mt 8:16; Lk 6:18, etc.). Christ himself, in one of his apparitions after the Resurrection, said that “a spirit has not flesh and bones” (Lk 24:39), that is to say, it does not have a material body.
Although angels have appeared to people on multiple occasions, the “body” with which they appeared was not an actual corporeal body, but an appearance they used in order to communicate with humans in a sensible way. We can deduce the incorporeal nature of the angels from the answer of St. Raphael to Tobit: “All these days I merely appeared to you and did not eat or drink, but you were seeing a vision” (Tb 12:19).
Some Fathers of the Church, such as St. Augustine (possibly because of neo-Platonic influence), were a bit hesitant to describe angels as incorporeal. While they did not attribute common matter to them, they did attribute a kind of ethereal, “aerial and invisible” matter. Even so, the great majority of the Fathers clearly maintained the incorporeal nature of angels and devils.
St. Thomas Aquinas explained that angels are spiritual and subsistent forms, which are independent of matter.
We have already seen that one can discern the essence (that by which a thing is what it is) and the act of being in all creatures. We should also recall that the essence is a composition of matter and form. Think of a steel nail. The essence of the nail does not actually exist by itself—individual nails do. There are many particular nails, but they all have some basic things in common (such as having a sharp point and a flat top). The principle that explains their multiplicity is matter. Form explains the similarity between individual nails. One single form can be multiplied because it can be applied to different matter. In our example, the form of the nail gives rise to a multitude of individual nails because that form is received by different matter. Matter individuates the form, making the multiplicity of individuals of the same species possible.
With these metaphysical principles in mind, let us go back to what we know about angels. We established that they have no matter. Thus, their essence has no composition; it is pure form. The only composition in the structure of an angel is that of essence (identical with the form, since it has no matter) and act of being. Each angel is, therefore, a subsistent form, devoid of matter.
Since they are simple substances (i.e., without composition of matter and form), they cannot lose their act of being by decomposition. Thus, they are incorruptible. Hence, they are immortal and substantially immutable.4
11. Angelic Knowledge
The knowledge of the angels is highly perfect. Some of Jesus’ words can give us an idea of the perfection of angelic knowledge: “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven” (Mt 24:36). From this, we can surmise that the angels know almost everything, and they know it rather well.
Although their knowledge is highly perfect, it is limited. By their own natural powers, they cannot know the supernatural mysteries (cf. 1 Cor 2:11), the secret thoughts and desires of others, or future events that depend on created freedom.
In order to understand the special characteristics of the angels’ knowledge, let us review our human way of knowing. Human knowledge begins in the senses. Through them, we perceive sensible data, which give us a dematerialized image of a thing in front of us. From this sensible image, by a process of abstraction, we get to form an idea or intelligible species, which is present in our intellect and through which we can know that object.
If, for example, we look at an alarm clock, we perceive a number of data through our senses—shape, color, the shape and arrangement of its pieces, the ticking sound, the sound of the alarm, etc. Through these data, the clock is somehow made present inside of us. Even without looking, we can picture its shape and other characteristics. But we do not actually have the clock with all its wheels, hands, and bells inside us. We have an image, which is dematerialized, that is, devoid of matter. From these perceived data we form the abstract concept of alarm clock.
Any intelligent being can know an object when it becomes present to the intellect in an intelligible way, when it is devoid of matter. Since the essence of the angel is purely spiritual, and thus perfectly intelligible, the first thing that an angel knows is his own essence. So the angel knows himself in his own essence in an immediate way. Knowing himself, he knows that he has an act of being, which is a participation of the divine Being. Through this deductive knowledge, the angel has a sure natural knowledge of God.
In order to know other creatures—both material and spiritual—angels, like humans, need to have the corresponding species in their intellects. However, since angels do not have a body, and, thus, no bodily senses, they cannot abstract species directly from objects as humans do. Instead, God implanted the species in the intellect of angels with their nature when they were created.
12. Angelic Will
The angels have free will (sent. certa).
The will of the angels, which is free in its decisions, adheres to what they have chosen in a fixed and immovable way.
Sacred Scripture asserts that angels are morally responsible for their actions, since they receive the retribution that they deserve: “God did not spare the angels when they sinned” (2 Pt 2:4). If they are morally responsible, it follows that they are free.
The will and freedom of the angels is a necessary consequence of their intellectual nature. Further, it is an essential premise for the dogma of the fall and punishment of the angels, which we will study later.
The intensity of the choice made by an angel is hardly conceivable by human reason. When a person makes a decision, there is first a process of deliberation, which can sometimes be quite long. The subsequent implementation of the decision usually requires an elapse of time and an action of the body. Because of the duration and complexity of this process, there is a possibility for retraction in human decisions. The will can change its decisions in the light of new considerations or findings.
The decision of an angel, on the other hand, is the result of an instantaneous and lucid option. It is so strong that it radically excludes any contrary movement of the will. Once he has made a decision, an angel is immovable—he is either confirmed in goodness or obstinate in evil.
Footnotes:
1. Cf. CCC, 328–336.
2. DS 800, 3002; cf. CCC, 328–330.
3. Cf. DS 800, 3002.
4. Cf. ST, I, q. 50, a. 2.
9. The Existence of the Angels
In the beginning of time, God created spiritual essences [angels] out of nothing (de fide).
The number of the angels is very great (sent. comm.).
In the Fourth Lateran Council and the First Vatican Council, the Magisterium of the Church defined as a truth of faith that God “created both orders of creatures in the same way out of nothing, the spiritual or angelic world and the corporeal or visible universe.”2
In Sacred Scripture, angels make their appearance from the very first moments of the history of salvation: “… and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim” (Gen 3:24). On many occasions, angels act as messengers and servants of God, in charge of transmitting divine precepts to people and guiding them according to the will of God.
Some angels have proper names indicating their specific mission, such as the archangels St. Michael (“Who is like God”), St. Gabriel (“Strength of God”), and St. Raphael (“Medicine of God”).
St. Raphael accompanied the young Tobit on his journey and, after the family adventure ended, he revealed his identity: “I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels who present the prayers of the saints and enter into the presence of the glory of the Holy One” (Tb 12:15). St. Gabriel revealed his name to Zechariah after he foretold the birth of John the Baptist: “I am Gabriel, who stand in the presence of God; and I was sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news” (Lk 1:19). St. Gabriel was also sent to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary to announce her future divine maternity (cf. Lk 1:26). St. Michael led the heavenly army in the battle against the evil spirits (cf. Rv 12:7).
Jesus Christ often spoke about the angels. While referring to children, he said, “Their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven” (Mt 18:10). An angel consoled our Lord in his agony in Gethsemane (cf. Lk 22:43). Angels announced the Resurrection of the Lord to the holy women (cf. Mt 28:2–7).
The ease with which the early Christians accepted their guardian angels is reflected in their exclamation “It is his angel!” when told by the maid Rhoda that St. Peter was at the door of the house (Acts 12:15).
Constant references to the angels can be found in Sacred Tradition from the very beginning of the Church. The writings of the apostolic Fathers and many liturgical rites contain such references. The first monographic work on angels, De Coelesti Hierarchia, was written shortly after a.d. 500 by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite.
Since the angels have an incorporeal nature, we could not have discovered their existence with our senses alone. They cannot be seen, heard, or touched since they have no material body. Further, they cannot be known through reason alone since, as we have seen earlier, God is completely free in his act of creation, and he was not bound to make entirely spiritual creatures. Therefore, we can know of the existence of the angels only through revelation.
Nevertheless, once we learn through divine revelation that angels do exist, we realize that their existence is very appropriate for the perfection of the universe.
Through our senses and intellect, we know that there are purely material beings and that man is a union of a material part (the body) and a spiritual part (the soul). Thus, it seems quite fitting for the harmony of the universe that there should also be purely spiritual beings.
The glory given by all creatures to God makes the existence of angels all the more appropriate. All created beings reflect the divine perfection, each one in its own way. The glory they render to God by their mere existence is called material glory. In addition to this glory, creatures endowed with will and intellect can give God formal glory by knowing and loving him. Since human intellect is rather limited, the formal glory offered to God by the whole universe would be relatively limited if people were the only free and intelligent creatures. It is, therefore, very fitting for there to be pure or angelic intellects, more capable of understanding the universe, and thus able to give a much greater formal glory to God.
10. The Nature of the Angels
The nature of the angels is spiritual (de fide).
The angels are by nature immortal (sent. comm.).
The definitions of the Fourth Lateran Council and the First Vatican Council state that angels are spirits.3
The word spirit, frequently used in Sacred Scripture to refer to the angels, suggests their immateriality (cf. Mt 8:16; Lk 6:18, etc.). Christ himself, in one of his apparitions after the Resurrection, said that “a spirit has not flesh and bones” (Lk 24:39), that is to say, it does not have a material body.
Although angels have appeared to people on multiple occasions, the “body” with which they appeared was not an actual corporeal body, but an appearance they used in order to communicate with humans in a sensible way. We can deduce the incorporeal nature of the angels from the answer of St. Raphael to Tobit: “All these days I merely appeared to you and did not eat or drink, but you were seeing a vision” (Tb 12:19).
Some Fathers of the Church, such as St. Augustine (possibly because of neo-Platonic influence), were a bit hesitant to describe angels as incorporeal. While they did not attribute common matter to them, they did attribute a kind of ethereal, “aerial and invisible” matter. Even so, the great majority of the Fathers clearly maintained the incorporeal nature of angels and devils.
St. Thomas Aquinas explained that angels are spiritual and subsistent forms, which are independent of matter.
We have already seen that one can discern the essence (that by which a thing is what it is) and the act of being in all creatures. We should also recall that the essence is a composition of matter and form. Think of a steel nail. The essence of the nail does not actually exist by itself—individual nails do. There are many particular nails, but they all have some basic things in common (such as having a sharp point and a flat top). The principle that explains their multiplicity is matter. Form explains the similarity between individual nails. One single form can be multiplied because it can be applied to different matter. In our example, the form of the nail gives rise to a multitude of individual nails because that form is received by different matter. Matter individuates the form, making the multiplicity of individuals of the same species possible.
With these metaphysical principles in mind, let us go back to what we know about angels. We established that they have no matter. Thus, their essence has no composition; it is pure form. The only composition in the structure of an angel is that of essence (identical with the form, since it has no matter) and act of being. Each angel is, therefore, a subsistent form, devoid of matter.
Since they are simple substances (i.e., without composition of matter and form), they cannot lose their act of being by decomposition. Thus, they are incorruptible. Hence, they are immortal and substantially immutable.4
11. Angelic Knowledge
The knowledge of the angels is highly perfect. Some of Jesus’ words can give us an idea of the perfection of angelic knowledge: “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven” (Mt 24:36). From this, we can surmise that the angels know almost everything, and they know it rather well.
Although their knowledge is highly perfect, it is limited. By their own natural powers, they cannot know the supernatural mysteries (cf. 1 Cor 2:11), the secret thoughts and desires of others, or future events that depend on created freedom.
In order to understand the special characteristics of the angels’ knowledge, let us review our human way of knowing. Human knowledge begins in the senses. Through them, we perceive sensible data, which give us a dematerialized image of a thing in front of us. From this sensible image, by a process of abstraction, we get to form an idea or intelligible species, which is present in our intellect and through which we can know that object.
If, for example, we look at an alarm clock, we perceive a number of data through our senses—shape, color, the shape and arrangement of its pieces, the ticking sound, the sound of the alarm, etc. Through these data, the clock is somehow made present inside of us. Even without looking, we can picture its shape and other characteristics. But we do not actually have the clock with all its wheels, hands, and bells inside us. We have an image, which is dematerialized, that is, devoid of matter. From these perceived data we form the abstract concept of alarm clock.
Any intelligent being can know an object when it becomes present to the intellect in an intelligible way, when it is devoid of matter. Since the essence of the angel is purely spiritual, and thus perfectly intelligible, the first thing that an angel knows is his own essence. So the angel knows himself in his own essence in an immediate way. Knowing himself, he knows that he has an act of being, which is a participation of the divine Being. Through this deductive knowledge, the angel has a sure natural knowledge of God.
In order to know other creatures—both material and spiritual—angels, like humans, need to have the corresponding species in their intellects. However, since angels do not have a body, and, thus, no bodily senses, they cannot abstract species directly from objects as humans do. Instead, God implanted the species in the intellect of angels with their nature when they were created.
12. Angelic Will
The angels have free will (sent. certa).
The will of the angels, which is free in its decisions, adheres to what they have chosen in a fixed and immovable way.
Sacred Scripture asserts that angels are morally responsible for their actions, since they receive the retribution that they deserve: “God did not spare the angels when they sinned” (2 Pt 2:4). If they are morally responsible, it follows that they are free.
The will and freedom of the angels is a necessary consequence of their intellectual nature. Further, it is an essential premise for the dogma of the fall and punishment of the angels, which we will study later.
The intensity of the choice made by an angel is hardly conceivable by human reason. When a person makes a decision, there is first a process of deliberation, which can sometimes be quite long. The subsequent implementation of the decision usually requires an elapse of time and an action of the body. Because of the duration and complexity of this process, there is a possibility for retraction in human decisions. The will can change its decisions in the light of new considerations or findings.
The decision of an angel, on the other hand, is the result of an instantaneous and lucid option. It is so strong that it radically excludes any contrary movement of the will. Once he has made a decision, an angel is immovable—he is either confirmed in goodness or obstinate in evil.
Footnotes:
1. Cf. CCC, 328–336.
2. DS 800, 3002; cf. CCC, 328–330.
3. Cf. DS 800, 3002.
4. Cf. ST, I, q. 50, a. 2.