The Celestial Hierarchy — Chapter Ix

St. Dionysius the Areopagite

1. 0. Greeting

Of the Principalities, Archangels and Angels, and of their last

Hierarchy.

There remains for us the reverent contemplation of that sacred Order

which completes the Angelic Hierarchies, and is composed of the Divine

Principalities, Archangels and Angels. And first, I think, I ought to

explain to the best of my ability the meanings of their holy names.

The name of the Celestial Principalities signifies their Godlike

princeliness and authoritativeness in an Order which is holy and most

fitting to the princely Powers, and that they are wholly turned towards

the Prince of Princes, and lead others in princely fashion, and that

they are formed, as far as possible, in the likeness of the Source of

Principality, and reveal Its superessential order by the

An image of angels

An Image of an Angel by Perrugino

good Order of the princely Powers.

The choir of the holy Archangels is placed in the same threefold Order

as the Celestial Principalities; for, as has been said, there is one

Hierarchy and Order which includes these and the Angels. But since each

Hierarchy has first, middle and last ranks, the holy Order of

Archangels, through its middle position, participates in the two

extremes, being joined with the most.holy Principalities and with the

holy Angels.

It is joined with the Princedoms because it is turned in a princely way

to the superessential Principality and, as far as it can attain, moulds

itself in His likeness, and it is seen to be the cause of the union of

the Angels with its own orderly and invisible leadership. It is joined

with the Angels because it belongs to the interpreting Order, receiving

in its turn the illuminations from the First Powers, and beneficently

announcing these revelations to the Angels; and by means of the Angels

it shows them forth to us in the measure of the mystical receptivity of

each one who is inspired by the divine Illumination. For the Angels, as

we have said, fill up and complete the lowest choir of all the

Hierarchies of the Celestial Intelligences since they are the last of

the Celestial Beings possessing the angelic nature. And they, indeed,

are more properly named Angels by us than are those of a higher rank

because their choir is more directly in contact With manifested and

mundane things.

The highest Order, as we have said, being in the foremost place near

the Hidden One, must be regarded as hierarchically ordering in a bidden

manner the second Order; and the second Order of Dominions, Virtues and

Powers, leads the Principalities, Archangels and Angels more

manifestly, indeed, than the first Hierarchy, but in a more hidden

manner than the Order below it; and the revealing Order of the

Principalities, Archangels and Angels presides one through the other

over the human hierarchies so that their elevation and turning to God

and their communion and union with Him may be in order; and moreover,

that the procession from God, beneficently granted to all the

Hierarchies,