The different types of angels that exist in Christianity

Christianity appreciates powerful spiritual beings called angels who love God and serve people in divine assignments. Here is a look at the choirs of Christian angels on the pseudo-dionysian angel hierarchy, the most commonly used system of organization of angels in the world:

Develop a hierarchy
How many angels are there? The Bible says there is a huge amount of angels, more than people can count. In Hebrews 12:22, the Bible describes "an innumerable company of angels" in heaven.

It can be overwhelming to think of so many angels unless you think in terms of how God organized them. Judaism, Christianity and Islam have all developed hierarchies of angels.

In Christianity, the theologian Pseudo-Dionysius Areopagita studied what the Bible says about angels and then published an angelic hierarchy in his book The Heavenly Hierarchy (about 500 AD), and the theologian Thomas Aquinas provided further details in his book Summa Theologica (about 1274 ). They described three spheres of angels made up of nine choirs, with those closest to God in the inner sphere moving towards the angels closest to humans.

First sphere, first choir: seraphim
The seraphim angels have the task of protecting the throne of God in heaven, and they surround him, constantly praising God. In the Bible, the prophet Isaiah describes a vision that he had of the seraphim angels in the heavens that cried out: "Holy, holy, holy is the Almighty Lord; the whole earth is full of his glory "(Isaiah 6: 3). The Seraphim (meaning "to burn those") are illuminated from within with a bright light that manifests their passionate love for God. One of their most famous members, Lucifer (whose name means "light bearer") was the most close to God and known for his bright light, but he fell from heaven and became a demon (Satan) when he decided to try to snatch the power of God for himself and rebelled.

In Luke 10:18 of the Bible, Jesus Christ described Lucifer's fall from heaven as "lightning-like". Since the fall of Lucifer, Christians have regarded the angel Michael as the most powerful angel.

First sphere, second choir: Cherubini
Cherubic angels protect the glory of God and also keep a record of what is happening in the universe. They are known for their wisdom. Although cherubs are often depicted in modern art as cute children sporting small wings and big smiles, the art of earlier times depicts cherubs as imposing creatures with four faces and four wings that are completely covered with eyes. The Bible describes cherubs on a divine mission to protect the tree of life in the Garden of Eden from humans who have fallen into sin: “After [God] drove out the man, he placed on the east side of the garden of the Cherubs of Eden and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life ”(Genesis 3:24).

First sphere, third choir: thrones
The angels of the throne are known for their concern for God's righteousness. They often work to correct wrongs in our fallen world. The Bible mentions the angelic rank of Throne (as well as the principalities and domains) in Colossians 1:16: “For him [Jesus Christ] all things were created, which are in heaven and which are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or domains, principalities or powers: all things were created by him and for him ”.

Fourth sphere, fourth choir: dominations 
The members of the angelic chorus of domination regulate the other angels and oversee the way in which they perform their duties entrusted by God. Domains often also act as channels of mercy for the love of God to flow from him to others in the universe.

Second sphere, fifth choir: virtue
Virtues work to encourage human beings to strengthen their faith in God, for example by inspiring people and helping them grow in holiness. They often visit Earth to perform miracles that God has authorized them to perform in response to people's prayers. Virtues also watch over the natural world that God created on Earth.

Second sphere, sixth choir: powers
The members of the chorus of powers engage in a spiritual war against demons. They also help humans overcome the temptation to sin and by giving them the courage they need to choose good over evil.

Third sphere, seventh choir: principalities
The principality's angels encourage people to pray and practice spiritual disciplines that will help them draw closer to God. They work to educate people in the arts and sciences, communicating inspirational ideas in response to people's prayers. Principalities also oversee the various nations on Earth and help provide wisdom to national leaders as they face decisions on how best to govern people.

Third sphere, eighth choir: archangels
The meaning of the name of this choir is distinct from the other use of the word "archangels". While many people think of archangels as high-ranking angels in heaven (and Christians recognize some famous ones, such as Michael, Gabriel and Raphael), this angelic choir is made up of angels who focus primarily on the task of delivering God's messages to humans . The name "archangel" derives from the Greek words "arche" (sovereign) and "angelos" (messenger), hence the name of this choir. However, some of the other higher-ranking angels participate in the delivery of divine messages to people.

Third sphere, ninth choir: angels
Guardian angels are members of this choir, which is closest to humans. They protect, guide and pray for people in all aspects of human life.