The Celestial Hierarchy constitutes a sacred order and science designated for the purpose of assimilation to and union with the Divine. The angelic hosts are organised into nine distinct ranks, divided into three triads.
The Thrones occupy the third rank of the first and highest triad, positioned immediately after the Seraphim and the Cherubim.
This first hierarchy is established immediately around God, encircling the Divine Presence in perpetual purity. These beings are described as God bearing and are distinguished by their steadfastness and capacity to receive the Divine approach in the absence of all passion.
Etymology and Designation
The appellation Thrones denotes a specific set of Godlike characteristics inherent to this order. According to Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, the name signifies a manifest exaltation above every grovelling inferiority and a supermundane tendency towards higher things.
The title indicates an unswerving separation from all remoteness and an invariable, firmly fixed settlement around the veritable Highest.
Unlike earthly seats of power which may be subject to change or decay, the Thrones possess a power that is completely removed from any base or earthly attachment. They accept the Divine In-dwelling from above and represent the ardent expansion of themselves for Divine receptions.
Saint John of Damascus clarifies the terminology regarding their designation as God bearing.
They are not called God bearing according to essence, for only the Word of God was united to flesh according to essence. Rather, they are called God bearing according to grace and according to their office.
Their service is mystically and incomprehensibly to bear God in themselves. Saint Maximus the Confessor further elucidates that God resides upon them intellectually, as on intellectual thrones.
Theological Function and Attributes
The primary function of the Thrones relates to the manifestation of Divine justice and stability. Residing on them in an incomprehensible manner, God executes His righteous judgement.
Through this order, the justice of God is pre eminently manifested. They serve His justice, glorifying it and pouring out the power of justice onto the thrones of earthly judges, assisting kings and masters to bring forth right judgement.
While the Seraphim are defined by their fiery love and the Cherubim by their fullness of knowledge, the Thrones represent the steadfastness of the love of God and His immovable power.
The order of Thrones excels the inferior orders by possessing an immediate knowledge of the types of the Divine works.
While the gifts of the superior orders contain those of the inferior, the specific gift of the Thrones is distinct from the ardour of the Seraphim and the knowledge of the Cherubim, focusing instead on the immediate retention of the Divine Presence.
Iconography and Symbolism
In the visual language of the Church and scriptural prophecy, the Thrones are frequently associated with the Ophanim, or the wheels described in the visions of the Prophet Ezekiel.
These entities appear as a beryl coloured wheel within a wheel, with rims covered in hundreds of eyes. They are described as winged wheels that advance without turning and without deviation, signifying the power of their advancing energy within a straight and direct path.
The name Gel is given to them in Hebrew, which signifies revolutions and revelations. These Godlike wheels possess revolutions by their perpetual movement around the Good Itself, and revelations by the manifestation of things hidden and the elevation of things below.
These wheels are often depicted as the chariots of God, driven by the Cherubim. In the vision of the Prophet Daniel, the throne of God is described as a flame of fire, associating the Thrones with the fiery nature of the Divinity.
The multi eyed aspect of the wheels symbolises their vigilance and capacity to reflect the Divine glory. In traditional iconography, they are sometimes shown holding the throne of God, representing His immovable judgment and power.
Position in the Hierarchy
The placement of the Thrones within the first triad, alongside Seraphim, Cherubim, are all is established immediately about God and is united to Him more closely than any other order.
They receive the primal illuminations of the Godhead first hand and transmit these revelations to the second hierarchy. The second hierarchy, consisting of Dominions, Virtues, and Powers, receives the Divine light through the mediation of the first hierarchy.
Saint Gregory the Dialogist and Saint Dionysius differ slightly regarding the placement of the Principalities and Virtues, but they agree on the composition of the highest hierarchy including the Thrones.
The Thrones are akin to the Dominions, who are the highest order of the second hierarchy, just as the lowest animals are near to the plants in the order of nature. The Thrones are enlightened by God in a manner adapted to the immediate enlightening of the second hierarchy, which is tasked with the disposition of Divine ministrations.
Scriptural Foundation
The existence of the Thrones is attested to in the New Testament epistles of Saint Paul. In the Epistle to the Colossians, the Apostle writes: For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers.
This enumeration confirms their status as a distinct order of invisible beings created by Christ. The ancient traditions of the Church also connect the Thrones with the four many eyed Wheels (Ophanim) or Storm Winds (Galgallim) mentioned in the Old Testament.
The creation of the angels, including the Thrones, occurred before the creation of the material world.
They were present when the stars were made, praising the Creator with a loud voice. As bodiless powers, they are circumscribed in that they cannot be in two places at once, yet they are not limited by walls, doors, or physical barriers. Their immortality is maintained by grace rather than by nature, as only God is eternal by nature.
Relationship to Humanity
While the Thrones are high in the Celestial Hierarchy and primarily focused on the immediate contemplation of God, the entire angelic host are ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation.
The hierarchy functions as a unified whole, where the higher orders share their brightness and knowledge with the lower. The Thrones, as bearers of Divine justice, influence earthly governance and judgment, helping those in authority to exercise righteousness.
The ultimate aim of the hierarchy is the assimilation and union with God.
The Thrones serve as models of steadfastness and separation from base things, teaching rational beings to detach from the material and fix their gaze upon the Divine.
In the age to come, the distinction of natures will remain, and men cannot be assumed into the angelic orders by nature; however, by the gift of grace, men can merit glory equal to the angels in each of the angelic grades.
Thus, the Thrones represent a state of spiritual perfection and proximity to God to which the faithful may aspire through grace.
The Thrones are characterised by their location in the vestibule of the Godhead, their function as the spiritual seat of the Divine, and their embodiment of steadfast justice. They are purified, illuminated, and perfected immediately by the Godhead, rather than through intermediate agents.
They are free from all earthly tendency and hold themselves open to the Divine reception. Their knowledge is immediate and relates to the types of things in God. Through their ministry, the stability of the Divine order is maintained, and the justice of God is mediated to the created universe.
They stand as the third rank of the highest triad, acting as a crucial link in the chain of Divine illumination that flows from the Creator down to the lowest ranks of the angelic host and eventually to humanity.