To my knowledge there are only 3 angels mentioned in scripture (Judeo-Christian) and they are Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Any others are from other “off the wall” sources.Most of it comes from Aquinas. He wrote quite a bit on the nature of angels.I don’t know where some of this stuff comes from either.
I have never heard of any of these “levels” of angel-dom either. I have heard of the cherubim and seraphim and of course the 3 angels mentioned by name in the earlier post. I think most of this stuff is along the line of people believing that every guardian angel has a name and if we just allow ourself to ponder on it, we’ll realize our own guardian angel’s name. I think it’s a nice story another words, but total hogwash!I don’t know where some of this stuff comes from either.
The names of the nine choirs of angels are actually taken from scripture. Different ideas on how their heirarchy is formed have been presented over time. As I mentioned earlier, a lot of the names come from apocryphal texts. I won’t quote the whole section, as it wouldn’t fit, but here’s a snippet from the Catholic encyclopedia at newadvent.org.
‘Any others are from other “off the wall” sources.’I don’t know where some of this stuff comes from either.
This is what it says in the description for the Chaplet of St. Michael
Isa 6:2 = Seraphim
Hmmm… It’s interesting–and I appreciate the fact that it was the idea that a saint thought up while he was on earth. I’m just not sure that I buy that any of us know God’s precise set up in heaven–or if He even needs a precise set up–like an army on earth with privates, generals etc. And I’m always a little bit leery of apocryphal texts–trying to read reality into symbolism and so on. It is an interesting idea though–I’ll give it that!
How can that be? I see two major problems with “off the wall.” One being the church frowns upon the naming of angels. This implies to me that some random person or source isn’t where the names could have came from. If it were, the church would discredit them due to the doctrine I just mentioned. In my eyes, It must be from some approved dogmatic source. Dogma alone in itself is the other reason. “What you hold true on earth. I’ll hold true in heaven.” Knowing that, did God create and name these angels long ago with knowledge that some random person would just “name them the same into acceptence?” I doubt it.
How can that be? I see two major problems with “off the wall.” One being the church frowns upon the naming of angels. This implies to me that some random person or source isn’t where the names could have came from. If it were, the church would discredit them due to the doctrine I just mentioned. In my eyes, It must be from some approved dogmatic source. Dogma alone in itself is the other reason. “What you hold true on earth. I’ll hold true in heaven.” Knowing that, did God create and name these angels long ago with knowledge that some random person would just “name them the same into acceptence?” I doubt it.
Are we even allowed to believe say The Book of Enoch? I thought that story contains a lot of things that are contradicting to our beliefs. Have any of these texts been labled “worthy of belief” by the church?
I never said anything about accepting or agreeing with these texts. I was merely pointing out that these names weren’t just conjured out of thin air within the last few hundred years, but have been around since even before the time of Christ in some cases.