Were angels made "in the image of God" as well?

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Hum…I do not recall anything in the Bible about that.

P.s. I sent you a pm about one of your threads…
 
A good question. The Bible does not say, however it does say that man was. This may be because the target of the Bible is us. Angels seem to have many of the traits that we do but to what extent is that part of the “Image of God”? Tough question.
 
I don’t know about being made in the image of God but the Bible calls the angels sons of God in Job 1:6
“One day, when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, Satan also came among them.”
 
It can be inferred that angels were created in the image of God as the image of God refers to be created with a rational nature. Free will and intelligence. Angels have these, and to a much higher degree than human beings.
 
Angels are not made in the image of God. Man was made in the image of God, and indeed we see this in how God wishes to raise us up and make us into his adopted sons. He wants us to partake in his divine nature. Angels however are made for the express purpose of glorifying and serving him. They do not get the incredible gift of salvation that we do.
 
I don’t know about being made in the image of God but the Bible calls the angels sons of God in Job 1:6 “One day, when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, Satan also came among them.”
The phrase “sons of God” is used in different contexts in the Bible, though.

Some translations (especially those influenced by Gnostic Heresies) interpret “sons of God” in the Old Testament to always refer to angels. Neither the Catholic Church nor Orthodox Judiasm teach this to be true for all mentions of “sons of God.” In Job it is used to address angels, but in Genesis (and in related portions of Numbers) “sons of God” are righteous men in covenant with God, typically assumed to descended from the line of Seth (in contrast to “daughters of men” who came from the line of Cain and others who did not abide the Lord, mentioned in Genesis). Hence, the whole idea of “Nephilim” being descended from angels (fallen or otherwise) that mated with human women is not taught by the Catholic Church or Orthodox Judaism either.

In the New Testament “sons of God” refers exclusive to human beings.

So I wouldn’t read too much into “sons of God” being used to describe angels in Job.
  • Marty Lund
 
No, it does not. Some translations (especially those influenced by Gnostic Heresies) interpret “Sons of God” in Job an Genesis to refer to angels. Neither the Catholic Church nor Orthodox Judiasm teach this to be true. “Sons of God” are righteous men in covenant with God, typically assumed to descended from the line of Seth (in contrast to “daughters of men” who came from the line of Cain and others who did not abide the Lord, mentioned in Genesis).

Ergo, the whole idea of “Nephilim” being descended from angels (fallen or otherwise) that mated with human women is not taught by the Catholic Church or Orthodox Judaism either.
  • Marty Lund
Sorry I didn’t quote my source. My interpretation comes from the Bible footnotes on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops website usccb.org/nab/bible/job/job1.htm
 
Sorry I didn’t quote my source. My interpretation comes from the Bible footnotes on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops website usccb.org/nab/bible/job/job1.htm
My apologies. I misapplied the teachings on the nature of Angels and Nephilim (from Genesis and Numbers) to a place in the Old Testament were “sons of God” is not used in the same context (Job). I’ve amended my comments accordingly.

It is also relevant to note that St. Paul teaches us that angels (and demons) are spirits, and thus do not have bodies.
  • Marty Lund
 
I enjoyed reading this article about angels in the following link: catholic.org/saints/angel.php .It does not tell us that angels are made in the image of God, but it reminds us that they are His special messengers and they are also the object of His grace and love. We know that they, at least Gabriel, stand in the presence of God and that man was made lower than angels - “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? … For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.” (Psalm 8:4,5)
Isn’t it enteresting that angels do not ‘grow and mature’ in faith and love of God like us. They fully responded to it right from the start, though some rejected the love of God and chose to rebel.
Angels are a very special blessing to us, I take this opportunity to ask you to pray for help and guidence from these blessed ‘sons of God’, specially our own and personal guardian angel.
Peace,
Rina
 
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
329 St. Augustine says: “‘Angel’ is the name of their office, not of their nature. If you seek the name of their nature, it is ‘spirit’; if you seek the name of their office, it is ‘angel’: from what they are, ‘spirit’, from what they do, ‘angel.’” With their whole beings the angels are servants and messengers of God. Because they “always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven” they are the “mighty ones who do his word, hearkening to the voice of his word”.
330 As purely spiritual creatures angels have intelligence and will: they are personal and immortal creatures, surpassing in perfection all visible creatures, as the splendor of their glory bears witness.
Thus since they are spiritual creatures with intelligence and will it cannot be said that they are NOT made in the image of God since these are the same ways in which we are in His Image.
 
St. Thomas Aquinas says in Summa Theologica question 93 artical 3
I answer that, We may speak of God’s image in two ways.

First, we may consider in it that in which the image chiefly consists, that is, the intellectual nature. Thus the image of God is more perfect in the angels than in man, because their intellectual nature is more perfect, as is clear from what has been said (58, 3; 79, 8).

Secondly, we may consider the image of God in man as regards its accidental qualities, so far as to observe in man a certain imitation of God, consisting in the fact that man proceeds from man, as God from God; and also in the fact that the whole human soul is in the whole body, as God from God; and also in the fact that the whole human soul is in the whole body, and again, in every part, as God is in regard to the whole world. In these and the like things the image of God is more perfect in man than it is in the angels. But these do not of themselves belong to the nature of the Divine image in man, unless we presuppose the first likeness, which is in the intellectual nature; otherwise even brute animals would be to God’s image. Therefore, as in their intellectual nature, the angels are more to the image of God than man is, we must grant that, absolutely speaking, the angels are more to the image of God than man is, but that in some respects man is more like to God.

newadvent.org/summa/1093.htm#article3
 
He isn’t an intellectual giant, but I recall Bishop Fulton Sheen saying in one of his talks that the fact man was created in the image of God was the cause of Satan’s fall, because he was confounded that a creature inferior to itself would be made in the image of God, rather than angels being made in the image of God. I’m not sure what his source for this would be, since I can’t recall this idea ever being explicit in the scriptures.

Is mankind, in its weakness, somehow bound more intimately with God since we, outside of the Beatific Vision, have experienced suffering along with Christ?
 
God created the Angels … and Heaven.

Later on, God created the physical Universe.
A couple days later, Man was synthesized from Dust.
It is said that Man is in the same image as God.

The Bible is full of stories of Angels being seen down here on Earth.
Most of those times, the Angels looked just like another human being (and were treated like humans).
For instance, in Lot’s time, the Angels at his house were so beautiful, that people were lined up to have sex with them.
So, whatever else Angels are, many of them are created in the image of Man.

That being said, the issue now boils down to Semantics : If
  1. Man is created in the image of God; and
  2. Angels are created in the image of Man (even though created before the beginning of Time); then
  3. Angels (by virtue of being the image of Man) appear to be created in the image of God.
 
In the beginning of John’s gospel it says:

“In the beginning was the Word, … and the Word was God. … All things were made through him, and without him was made nothing that was made.”

Now if we understand that angels were creatures, that is…made, then they too are reflections of the Word and made to the image of God, for “all things were made through him”.

In fact, all creation that was made reflects God and is made to his image, except that some creatures more perfectly reflect his image than others because of their pefections.

Even the world is made to his image and likeness to some degree for nothing that was made was made without the divine Thought or Word. So each thing reflects his thought in creation, and all glory and honor belong to him.

Jesus being the Word of the Father is the greatest and highest of all his creation of humanity and the image for all men.
 
Fred Conty said:"**Now if we understand that angels were creatures, that is…made, then they too
(1) are reflections of the Word and
(2) made to the image of God, for
(3) “all things were made through him”. **

Although this sounds nice. It does not make sense to me.
God created Satan (and all of the Demons in the Universe).
God created all the negative emotions.
God created murderers, molesters and worse.

The previous list does not seem to be to be “reflections of the Word.”

And, as far as all made things are “made to the image of God” … Dirt, feces, etc.
Please explain what you mean.
 
No, angels are not created in the image of God. Anyone who has God’s image in him has the duty to make that image more perfect and at the end of life will be judged – and allotted happiness - in accordance with how clearer that image has become in him. The currency used to sharpen that image is love-driven pain offered to the cross. Angels have no such duty. They were created happy already and do not share, nor are they called to share, Christ’s love-driven pain on the cross.

Another way to approach the matter is to say that angels were not meant to share in God’s divine life, unlike man. But because man (who God loves with passion and wants to adopt as His child) had sinned, Jesus had to die for him so that the obstacle (sin) to man’s sharing in the divine life of God could be removed. The fallen angels knew this. They refused to serve a God who they – pardon my crude language - thought was crazy to become incarnate and then suffer humiliation to save a nobody like man and all so that man could be one with God in Christ.

The fallen angels also knew that the Queen of Heaven would be another nobody, and one not from their own superior ranks, and all the more they refused to serve a God who they thought not only had insulted them but also one who had really gone off his rockers. AMEN. GOD BLESS YOU.
 
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