Discourse on the Angels or Spirits of Empires

...angel original: "gelum" – the conclusion of the word "Angelum" from the previous page. of the Persians, the Greeks, and the Hebrews, and of the law among the Prophets, who provide for their own peoples; and according to Plato and all the Platonists Followers of the Greek philosopher Plato who emphasized a spiritual reality beyond the physical world., these are the local Gods set over cities, kingdoms, and men. But the same author explains this very thing more extensively in The Sevenfold Exposition original: "Heptaplus" – a famous work by the Renaissance philosopher Pico della Mirandola (1463–1494) which offers a mystical interpretation of the creation story in Genesis., Book 3, Chapter 3, where, following the tradition of Saint Dionysius Dionysius the Areopagite, a 5th-century theologian who wrote the definitive guide to the ranks of angels., he establishes three hierarchies and further states: The highest hierarchy, since it is devoted solely to contemplation, is rightly represented by the waters that are above the heavens—that is, they are set above all action concerning worldly things, whether celestial or earthly, and they praise God incessantly with a perennial sound. The middle order, however, since it is assigned to celestial duties, could certainly not be signified more fittingly than by the firmament, which is to say, by the heaven. The last Hierarchy, although by nature it is above every physical body and above the heaven, nevertheless cares for those things that are beneath the heaven. Since it is divided into Principalities, Archangels, and Angels, the entire operation of all these is only concerned with those things that are beneath the Moon. The Principalities concern themselves with republics, kings, and princes, as we learn from the Book of Daniel. The Archangels concern themselves with mysteries and sacred ceremonies. The Angels devote themselves to private matters, and each one is assigned to an individual human being. Therefore, this sub-celestial army is rightly represented here by the sub-celestial waters, which both preside over fleeting and perishable things and are subject to that order which is concerned with celestial matters. And likewise the same author in Chapter 4: Just as the Platonists believed, so also do our own people believe: that various spiritual substances have been set by God over the various things of this corruptible world. On this account, Augustine St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430 AD), one of the most influential Western Church Fathers. also constantly asserted that there is no visible thing among us that does not have an angelic power presiding over it, and that all bodies are ruled by a rational spirit of life; a point which Gregory Pope Gregory the Great (c. 540–604 AD). later confirmed. Similarly, Origen A prominent early Christian scholar (c. 184–253 AD) from Alexandria. says in his Commentaries on the Book of Numbers: the world has need of Angels to preside over the beasts, and over the births of animals, and even over the thickets and plantations and...