The Angelic Hierarchy: All 9 Orders & Why Archangels Rank so Low

Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In today’s video, we’re going to discuss the angelic hierarchy as reckoned by Pseudo-Dionysius, a 6th century Christian theologian who wrote several seminal treatises. His account of the angelic hierarchy has remained influential for hundreds of years, even into contemporary times. The hierarchy he developed comprises nine angelic choirs, nine stratifications organised based on their proximity to God’s throne. These nine choirs are grouped into three triads, meaning three groups of three. The number three is significant because it reflects the holy trinity of father, son, and holy spirit. Choirs that are closer to earth are further away from God’s throne and vice versa. For example, the archangel choir is ranked second lowest because of its nearness to earth.

From here, we’re going to look at each choir, bottom to top, working from those most earthly to those most heavenly.

Let’s get into it.

In the third triad we have angels, which are our first entry, followed by archangels and principalities.

The bottom of the celestial hierarchy, angels - ordinary angels, if there is such a thing - account for the ninth and final choir, meaning they are closest to earth and farthest away from God’s throne. Indeed, more than anything else, the celestial hierarchy is a positional hierarchy; because of this, the upper echelons are mostly removed from earthly matters, and the lower echelons are dedicated to earthly matters, angels most of all.

Angels, like all the other choirs, are entities of pure spirit and exist to carry out God’s will. Chief among their responsibilities are acting as the protectors of humanity and as the messengers that carry the word of God to the mortal plane. As the choir closest to humanity, guardian angels are selected from among them to watch over people, but also places, like churches, towns, and even countries. As the messengers of God, they may bring blessed tidings, such as the birth of Christ, or dark portents, such as the looming destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; as agents of the divine, they may encourage people towards the light, helping them to endure pain in all its forms and resist the temptation of sin; and as the wielders of the unfathomable power bestowed on them by God, they may reveal the true potency within them, like when one angel single-handedly annihilated an Assyrian army, eradicating 185,000 soldiers.

Watch the video for the rest!

[MythologyExplained]

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"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." - Philippians 4:8

[kaimagnus]

I'd always heard Michael and Gabriel count with "The Seven who stand before the throne of God" and that those seven in particular functioned outside of the normal hierarchy as direct agents of God's will.

[Felix-bmzf]

1:11 angels
2:38 archangels
4:32 principalities
5:24 powers
6:04 virtues
6:49 dominions
7:48 ophanim (thrones)
9:03 cherubim
10:40 seraphim

[lizzykay]

I do like the bureacratic descriptions of higher tier angels, it makes them seem almost extra-terrestrial.

[TairoruXRyuu]

This is something that has always confused me no matter how many times I read about it. I found your explanation to be as clear and concise as I needed to understand. Thanks!

[humanity]

Explanation regarding the archangels:
They probably count as outliers in the hierarchy, as each Archangel governs an entire choir, for example Michael & Uriel govern the Cherubs and Seraphs.
Additionally, in the middle east they are referred to as the Angels of the Presence, referring to them being the angels that dwell directly in God's presence so they are clearly the highest ranking.
Their reason for their low rank could be that they are charged with governing the interactions between their heavenly hosts and humanity, a trait attributed to the third choir.👍

[jaidamwhi]

I think Michael and Gabriel make sense being that they more do deal with humanity (Michael leading the army to fight Satan basically over us and Gabriel being the archangel over things like prophecy and visions) and are in charge of more of our realm and higher ranked angels tend to affairs in the celestial realm

[garrisonjones]

Isn't it kinda funny that Michael, a third tier arch angel, managed to defeat Luficier, a former who managed to convince 1/3 of Heaven to side against the Lord

[anozymous]

Anyone else have a good laugh at the use of a couple images of Tyrion from Diablo game series?

[johnnycage]

Happy Easter
There's a reason why they start conversations with "Be not afraid".

[andrewrenshaw]

Man, some of these saints who made this stuff up would have been great at Dungeons and Dragons

[johnnyhudson]

I was under the impression that Metatron was the name that Enoch took when he was taken by God. That would imply that Metatron must have taken charge of the Seraphim's choir after the fall, implying that if he were the leader of that choir the head of it would change at least once.

[alteregoAtlas]

Ah! A lot of great useful info here, and you got it out quickly and concise! My thanks! Also uh where’d you get that sweet background choir tune?

[angeldude]

I find it hilarious that the most awesome looking (and most awesome in the original sense) are also basically just the most dedicated team of cheerleaders ever.
I could also comment on the mechanics behind the interlocking wheels, but I'll save that for another time.

[nickimontie]

I learned the hard way - don't plant outside before May in New England! That was the year we had a snowstorm on Mother's Day! Start your seeds inside then plant later. Unless you're feeling lucky ☘🍀

[uhhlexsiss]

So happy to see a video where we get a little bit more into principalities

[dragonmaster]

As an Shin Megami Tensei fan, I enjoy this knowledge.

[spencerkimori]

I love my Angels that God created for us. They are amazing and spectacular beings. I dedicate my life to praying for them and human kind.

[michaelongaria]

So in summary:

The Angelic Hierarchy
(highest to lowest)

1. Seraphim
2. Cherubim
3. Thrones
4. Dominations
5. Virtues
6. Powers
7. Singularities
8. Archangels
9. Normal Angles

[koleyturner]

I don't know it word for word but it says somewhere in the biblical text that humans are the direct descendants of God himself, that we are the true sons of God and that is why we were made in his image, and because of that we will be risen to sit alongside Jesus and we will pass judgment upon the angels, and that's why we were given the authority to create whatever we wish freely, including children/descendants