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pilchard
Guest
Simple question…
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Ghosty
Guest
Simple answer:
Yes
Specifically a person is a free-willed, intelligent entity. Angels fit that category, as do the three Persons of the Trinity, and every human individual.
Peace and God bless!
Yes
Specifically a person is a free-willed, intelligent entity. Angels fit that category, as do the three Persons of the Trinity, and every human individual.
Peace and God bless!
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DavidFilmer
Guest
Yes, although angels are not created in the image of God (as are humans). Thus, mankind is of a higher order than “angelkind.”Simple question…
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Ghosty
Guest
I’m not sure that this is true. All theologians I know of have said that angels are indeed created in the image of God, and are in fact higher by nature than humans. Humans are potentially higher by Grace, however, hence the Blessed Mother of God being the queen of Heaven.
I know that St. Thomas Aquinas at the very least states that angels have a higher nature than humans.
Peace and God bless!
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DavidFilmer
Guest
I wouldn’t mind seeing such a citation; I have never seen one in my various readings. CCC 330 tells us that angels are “higher in perfection than all visible creatures,” but CCC 343 also points out that “Man is the summit of the Creator’s work.”
The summit is the highest point, so I gather that the Catechism tells us that angels are higher in perfection (one aspect of nature) than “visible” humans, but humans are higher in overall dignity.
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Hastrman
Guest
Man is the summit of material creation, however, he is also a composite substance (matter and form), therefore inferior, naturally speaking, to all simple substances (pure forms like Angels and God). That is why man is mortal–his composition can be broken down–and why there are individuals in the human race. The nature of matter is to have quantities, so there can be more than one of the same species. Not so pure forms: there is only one Gabriel, one Michael, one Raphael, etc, each the only example of his (or her–we don’t know that none of those three is female) species.
Humans are only as high as we are, in dignity as DavidFilmer put it, because God granted us that status, by grace. Mary, Queen of Heaven, is the highest of created things–before she was created, however, that honor belonged to an angel…by the name of Lucifer.
Humans are only as high as we are, in dignity as DavidFilmer put it, because God granted us that status, by grace. Mary, Queen of Heaven, is the highest of created things–before she was created, however, that honor belonged to an angel…by the name of Lucifer.
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Ghosty
Guest
Sure, here ya go from St. Thomas Aquinas:
Summa Theologica. First Part, 111 A1:
I recommend reading his writings on the nature of angels for a LOT more on the matter, especially how they are to be considered higher.
Here’s another quick reference I was able to find on EWTN:
Remember also that “higher” in nature isn’t actually a value judgement in theological terms, but rather a statement of simple fact. An angel, being completely incorruptible by nature is “higher”, more God-like, than humans who are partially corruptible (we are able to die physically, and decay). We are incorruptible by Grace, but not naturally as the angels and demons are.
Something can be higher in the order of nature yet not be higher absolutely in terms of value, as can be seen by the fact that at least one human being (Mary), with a completely human nature, is elevated above all angels by Grace. She is not naturally endowed with greater power, however, and naturally she is further from God than even the lowest angel because she could die physically, and because being born she did not have much knowledge in her but rather had to learn it, while an angel has their complete knowledge at their creation (and in this they are more like God, therefore “higher”).
So saying that something is lower by nature is not to say that it’s absolutely lower, only that by natural endowment it is further from the Divine than what is higher.
I can find more references if you like, but they all say pretty much what I’ve said here.
Peace and God bless!
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Aureole
Guest
Ghosty, that’s one fine explanation. Methinks some ghosts had to help you out with it.
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wjp984
Guest
Not that I believe any of this junk but the idea had to come form some scripture. Movies like Constantine say how the angels are above us but then we will above them in Heaven and then the angels get jealous or something stupid like that.
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Aureole
Guest
I’m sure Constantine wasn’t trying to be theologically correct, though I have heard something to that effect within Catholic circles. It goes something like: God reveals His plan to the angels. Lucifer, seeing that he would have to bow to Christ, a man, chooses pride and sins. Because of this St. Michael and his angels cast Lucifer and his angels out of heaven onto earth. Lucifer, jealous that man will be raised by grace, persecutes and tempts man. You can find some evidence of this in the Scriptures, notably Revelation 12.
That all being said, it doesn’t mean a word of it is truth (Or even false for that matter). I’m fairly certain we don’t know exactly why some angels fell, though we do know they fell and that they persecute and tempt us. Does anyone have more information on this?
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