Celestial Hierarchy

The Celestial Hierarchy constitutes a sacred order and an operation assimilated, as far as is attainable, to the likeness of God.

Within the theological framework established by Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, hierarchy is not merely a system of governance or ranking, but a vehicle for the deification of created beings.

The ultimate aim of this hierarchy is the greatest possible assimilation to and union with God. Through this sacred order, the participating beings serve as bright and spotless mirrors, receiving the ray of the Supreme Deity and transmitting this light generously to those below them.

The hierarchy functions through a threefold system of purification, illumination, and perfection. It is ordained that some beings are purified while others purify; some are enlightened while others enlighten; and some are perfected while others make perfect.

This structure ensures that each rank participates in the divine imitation according to its own capacity, becoming a fellow worker with God. The source of this hierarchy is the Divine Blessedness, which is itself the perfection of all holiness and the cause of every hierarchy.

The First Hierarchy

The most exalted order of celestial beings is that which is established immediately around God, encircling the Divine Presence in perpetual purity.

This first triad consists of the Seraphim, the Cherubim, and the Thrones. These beings are unified in their proximity to the Godhead and are considered the most Godlike, receiving the primal illuminations of the Deity at first hand.

The name Seraphim signifies those who kindle or make hot. This appellation denotes their ceaseless and eternal revolution about Divine Principles, their warmth, keenness, and the intensity of their perpetual movement.

They are characterised by an inflexible and undiminished love for God, burning with a purifying energy that destroys the shadows of darkness. They are described as having six wings and many faces, symbolising their manifold capacity for contemplation and their elevation to the divine.

The Cherubim, whose name denotes a fullness of knowledge or an outpouring of wisdom, follow the Seraphim. They are defined by their power of knowing and beholding God, receiving the highest gift of light and contemplating the Divine beauty in its primordial power. They are filled with the participation of divine wisdom and communicate this wisdom ungrudgingly to the orders below them.

The Thrones, the third rank of this supreme triad, are distinguished by their exaltation above every earthly inferiority. Their name signifies their separation from all remoteness and their firm settlement around the Most High. They are completely removed from material passion and are receptive to the Divine approach, bearing God in a spiritual sense and expanding themselves for divine receptions.

The Second Hierarchy

The middle hierarchy, situated between the supreme order and the lowest triad, consists of the Dominions, the Virtues, and the Powers. This triad receives the divine light through the mediation of the first hierarchy and transmits it to the third.

The Dominions (or Lordships) possess a name that signifies an elevation which is free from all servile submission and is superior to any tyrannical dissimilarity.

They are characterised by a rigid and inflexible supremacy that refuses to bend to any discordant quality. They aspire perpetually to the true Dominion and source of all Lordship, fashioning themselves and those below them into a lordly bearing.

The Virtues are named for a powerful and unshakable virility that wells forth into all their Godlike energies. They are defined by their refusal to grow weak or feeble in their reception of divine illuminations.

Mounting upwards in fullness of power to an assimilation with God, they never fall away from the Divine Life through weakness but ascend unwaveringly to the Source of virtue. They flow forth providentially to those below, filling them with power.

The Powers (or Authorities) represent an orderly and unconfined order in the divine receptions. Their name denotes the regulation of intellectual and super-mundane power which does not use its authority imperiously for base purposes.

Instead, they are conducted indomitably towards things divine and conduct those below them with benignity. They manifest the unconfused good order of the divine operations and lead the lower orders to the Supreme Power.

The Third Hierarchy

The final and lowest hierarchy includes the Principalities, the Archangels, and the Angels. This triad completes the angelic orders and is the most directly concerned with the administration of human affairs and the physical world.

The Principalities are characterised by their Godlike princeliness and authoritativeness. They are wholly turned towards the Prince of Princes and lead others in a princely fashion, moulding themselves and their subordinates to that Prince-making Princedom.

Their sphere of influence includes the protection and guidance of nations and the maintenance of divine order within the collective history of humanity.

The Archangels occupy a middle position within this last hierarchy, sharing characteristics with both the Principalities and the Angels. They are princely in relation to the Angels but function as interpreters and messengers in relation to the Principalities.

They receive divine illuminations from the higher powers and announce them to the Angels, who in turn manifest them to the world. They are described as the heralds of great news and the revealers of prophecies and the mysteries of faith.

The Angels constitute the lowest rank of the celestial hierarchy. While all celestial beings can be referred to generally as angels, this specific order is the one that completes the divine series. They are more directly in contact with manifested and mundane things than the higher orders.

They are entrusted with the guardianship of individuals and the revelation of the lesser mysteries of God. Through them, the divine will is communicated to humanity, and they serve as the immediate guides for the ascent of the human soul.

The Transmission of Divine Illumination

A fundamental principle of the celestial hierarchy is the mediated transmission of divine light. The highest order, being nearest to God, participates in the divine knowledge immediately and primarily.

They are purified, illuminated, and perfected by the Godhead Itself. These first beings then impart their knowledge and light to the second hierarchy, which in turn transmits it to the third.

This system of mediation ensures that the divine operations are transmitted with well-ordered regularity. For example, the Prophet Isaiah is described as being purified by one of the Seraphim.

The entire hierarchical structure, both celestial and ecclesiastical, functions as a system of symbols and rites designed to lead the rational being from the sensible to the intelligible, and ultimately to the union with the Divine. By contemplating these hierarchies, humanity is invited to participate in the divine life, ascending through the ranks of purification, illumination, and perfection toward Theosis.