Every army has a hierarchy, crowned by a general staff. In the case of the Angels, it is made up of seven elite officers.
Newsroom (16/02/2025 19:59, Gaudium Press) Perhaps the Angels are not what we imagine them to be. A few centuries of adulatory religious iconography have ended up selling us a kind of standard figure of the winged character, young – or a child, depending on the customer’s taste – dressed in light or null clothing and nonchalantly exercising his violinist skills for all eternity. Assuming this, we would be led to conclude that Paradise appears to be either an immense orchestra of virtuosos or a picturesque crèche for eternal babies…
The truth, however, seems much broader. We must not forget that these soft, diaphanous, pure creatures were born in a heaven of fire, they went to war against the demons from the very first moments of their existence, they were placed at the entrance to Eden to guard it with flaming swords, and they are capable of decimating armies and chastising entire cities (cf. Rev 12:7; Gen 3:24; II Kgs 19:35; II Sam 24:15-17).
Finally, when analyzed carefully, the Angels reveal themselves to be so powerful, combative and, dare we say it, manly – since manliness consists above all in a value of spirit – that perhaps they can only be adequately designated, as a whole, with this incomparable formula: ‘heavenly militia’ (Lk 2:13)!
Now, every army has a hierarchy, crowned by a general staff. In the case of the Angels, it is made up of seven elite officers. That is who we will be dealing with now.
How do we know they exist?
St. Raphael is the one who makes us aware of the existence of the seven Archangels. After carrying out his mission with Tobias and his followers, he reveals his true nature and claims to belong to this select group of spirits (cf. Tb 12:15). Although he does not even use the term Archangel – in fact, it is only used twice in Scripture, both times in the New Testament – his words underpin our faith in the existence of the seven Archangels.
Tobias’ friend presents himself as one of the angelic beings who attend God’s presence and enter into the summary of His glory. This function, indicated by Raphael with such simplicity, is fit to cause holy envy in any creature. It is a task analogous to that of the direct servants of the kings of the earth; these seven Angels have free access to the intimacy of the Most High, as confidants and ministers. They therefore belong to the choir of the Seraphim, whose function is to be in an immediate relationship with God and to love Him, not with ordinary loving kindness, but with a ‘love set on fire’.
What are they called?
It has to be said that the Angels have always shown a curious reluctance to reveal their own names. Manuah, Samson’s father, tried to find out the name of one of them when the spirit appeared to him, but he did not do well… The answer came almost as a rebuke: ‘Why do you ask my name? It is magnificent’ (Judges 13:18).
In fact, angelic creatures do not need to be embarrassed by this kind of formality, because they do not communicate through words. The names under which they present themselves simply refer to the mission they fulfil for mankind. They are adaptations made for the human intellect, in other words, they always fall short of reality… Perhaps this is why only three of the seven Archangels have revealed their names officially, in other words, they have been accepted by the Holy Church as part of public Revelation: St. Michael, St. Gabriel and St. Raphael.
In the first centuries of the Church, it was customary to worship other angelic spirits by name, above all on the basis of data taken from apocryphal books. This came to an end in 745, when Pope St. Zechariah condemned, at the request of St. Boniface, a certain Adelbert, who is thought to have used some of these invocations for witchcraft. At the synod that impeached the heretic, it was reiterated that the Church only officially recognizes the three designations mentioned above.
The Pope did not say that it was illegal to give names to Angels; he only condemned those that the sorcerer used. This is proven by the fact that the Saints after Zechariah’s pontificate adopted this practice. It is clear, however, that it is still advisable to proceed with caution in this matter.
In any case, humanity is still unaware of four of the seven Archangels, and will remain so until they themselves deign to shed some light on the subject. We see no other way than through a private revelation approved by the Church. But that does not depend on us…
Their missions
Earlier we considered that the seven Archangels are Seraphim. However, they do not spend all their time exclusively contemplating God. When they set out on some ‘practical’ mission that the Most High has entrusted to them, their burning love turns into zeal, and their action is usually precise, effective and overwhelming.
While in exile in Babylon, the prophet Ezekiel was mystically led into the inner court of the Temple in Jerusalem. It was revealed to him that idolatry was being practiced in the sacred precinct itself, probably the worship of the goddess Astarte, the Phoenician Venus, whose cult used to be associated with obscene actions. To top off the scandal, there were ‘images of reptiles and unclean animals’ (Ezekiel 8:10) being incensed in certain chambers around the Temple and, it seems, these were the priests’ quarters. At the heart of true religion, the men called to be the spearhead of fervour transformed the House of God into a den of abominations. That sin could not go unpunished.
Soon six men appeared, each carrying their own ‘instrument of destruction’ (Ezekiel 9:2) in their hands. They were led by a seventh figure, dressed in linen like the priests and with a scribe’s kit round his waist. Those angels in human form were given precise instructions: firstly, the last of them was to go round Jerusalem marking with a cross on his forehead those who groaned and sighed because of the sins committed in the city; then the other six were to exterminate all the wicked who did not have this sacred sign, starting with the Sanctuary. The terms of the order are striking for their truculence: ‘Smear the Temple and fill the churchyards with corpses; then go out!’ (Ezekiel 9:7).
Once the operation was over, in a typically military manner, the commander of the detachment went to give an account to the authority, with a disconcerting objectivity and level-headedness – if he had blood… -: ‘I have done what you commanded me’ (Ezek 9:11). In fact, Jerusalem would soon be devastated by Nebuchadnezzar.
The Angels of the trumpets
The seven Archangels live in intimate contemplation of God, but they also carry out missions in an effective and overwhelming way
We also see the seven Archangels in the eighth chapter of Revelation, this time armed not with mysterious weapons, but with trumpets. When they are blown, they unleash terrible plagues on the earth – and, interestingly, the divine punishment is unleashed in response to the prayers of the Saints (cf. Rev 8:3-5).
It is comforting to note that their methods are very similar to those of Ezekiel’s vision: the punishment refrains from hitting those marked on the forehead with the seal of God (cf. Rev 9:4).
In fact, it is not just a question of sparing the righteous. The same force of irresistible impact and victorious tenacity that they bring to bear against evil in order to exterminate it without mercy, the seven Archangels know how to use to protect, guide and nurture the good. While the Guardian Angels seem to be assigned to watch over individual men, the seven Archangels seem to guard a mystical reality: the Churches of the Apocalypse.
Seven spiritual families in the Mystical Body of Christ
The mysterious writing that concludes the Revelation is simply mesmerizing. Every word, every detail, every gesture contained in it is like precious stones in a huge kaleidoscope: although they always remain identical to themselves, they reorganize and rearticulate themselves, composing new pictures with marvelous depths.
At the very beginning of the book, St. John tells us that he was taken away and heard a strong voice saying to him: ‘What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches’ (1:11). The very wording of the sentence already seems to suggest that it contains a sublime arcanum. This arcana acquires even more charm when we come across the poetic names of the communities: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. Who are these groups?
First of all, the surnames indicate real cities that were in the proconsular province of Asia, part of present-day Turkey. It is legitimate to assume that the Apostle was addressing the Christian communities in each of these places. However, what led him to choose only these, when there were others in the same region of greater importance? To think that the Holy Spirit arranged the sacred text in this way simply for ‘logistical reasons’ of postage, as some would have it, would not be to bind his divine wings?
Some authors preferred to opt for a more transcendent vision. St. Bonaventure and the Venerable Bartholomew Holzhauser, for example, interpreted the Churches as seven phases in the history of the Universal Church, from its foundation to the end of time.
Another particularly interesting exegesis is that of Dr. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, who hypothesized that these Churches were tribes or spiritual families within the Mystical Body of Christ: paradigmatic types of Catholic mentalities, endowed with different roles in the struggle, with their good and bad sides.
Although different, these three ways of understanding the cartel do not contradict each other. On the contrary, we could even say that they complement each other.
The Angels of the Churches
Another point to consider is the immediate recipient of the letters. St. John does not write directly to the entire community, but rather to a kind of preceptor, as we read in all the missives, the opening words of which are invariably: ‘To the Angel of the Church of...’ Who are these characters?
The matter is not as simple as we might think at first glance. To begin with, although it seems obvious that the Apostle is addressing Angels – after all, that’s how it reads – the true identity of the Churches’ representatives has been debated since ancient times. Many authors prefer to see them as nothing more than the Bishops of the communities, or even simple fictitious entities, used as a rhetorical device. To this day, no hypothesis has been presented as definitive, and for every argument in favour, there must be at least two or three against. This is what led St. Augustine to describe the question as ‘res obscurissima’.
In the absence of unanimity, we feel free to choose the opinion of Origen, who interprets them as authentic Angels. Let’s add this to Dr. Plinio’s hypothesis: does not the idea that each of the seven spiritual families of the Holy Church is under the protection of a powerful angelic being seem comforting? Depending on whether we belong to one or the other, we will have a Patron Saint who watches over us with special affection and is willing to help us in any situation, as long as we turn to him.
Now the problem arises: which Angels are they?
An encouraging hypothesis
The Apocalypse does not state outright that these are our already familiar seven Archangels; St. John only refers to them explicitly a little later, in the eighth chapter. However, it seems curious that, when he introduces them, he expresses himself as if they were known. So was there a previous reference, albeit implicit? If we turn to St. Bonaventure, perhaps we will find the answer, along with the last missing piece to complete the puzzle.
Seven series of seven make up the Apocalypse: seven letters, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven bowls of God’s wrath, etc. (cf. Rev 2-3; 6-8:1; 8:2-11; 16). According to the Seraphic Doctor, these cycles repeat the same content in different ways, in perfect harmony.
It is therefore possible to conjecture that the Angels contemplated in the eighth chapter are identified with those in all the other series, but presented from another point of view. Thus, the sublime guardians who watch over the Churches could very well be the seven Archangels. More than guardians: allies!
And why deny it? Scripture compares these most perfect spirits to the ‘eyes of Yahweh’, who scrutinize the whole earth like a company of sentinels; in the Hebrew text, it designates them as the Angels of the face of the Lord, ready to save the people of the Covenant in all their tribulations (cf. Zech 4:10; Is 63:9)
They are much more than just guards: they are our companions in the fight. Providence has granted us to close ranks in a single army corps with its main combatants. In our war against the power of darkness – made up of both great battles and the small skirmishes of everyday life – we can be sure that their help is at our fingertips: all we have to do is put our hands together and pray.
Text taken from Heralds of the Gospel Magazine no. 249, September 2022. By Marcelo Soares Teixeira da Costa.
Compiled by Sandra Chisholm
