The Different Types of Angels in the Bible

God's servant Michael is classified as an archangel.
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Angels, the spiritual messengers and servants of God, form an important part of Christian and Jewish beliefs. Angels feature extensively in the books of the Bible, but most details about their nature come from the deductions and speculation of religious scholars in later centuries. However, the Bible does occasionally mention particular classes of angels, such as seraphim, cherubim and archangels.

1 The Seraphim

One type of angel clearly mentioned in the Bible is the seraphim, whose name means "burning" in Hebrew. Seraphim are creatures of radiant energy whose job is to proclaim the greatness of God. The Book of Isaiah describes them as "six-winged creatures."

2 The Cherubim

Cherubim act not only as proclaimers of God, but also as throne-bearers -- ceremonial guardians of holy places and things. Their name may come from an ancient Akkadian word that means "pray" or "bless." The Bible suggests that cherubim take the form of impressive winged people or animals, but in the European Renaissance it became popular to depict them as innocent, chubby-faced children.

3 The Archangels

Archangels are a special category of angels serving as God's messengers and servants. These are some of the most prominent angels in the Bible, due to their direct appearances to God's people. Some traditions interpret the archangel Michael as being the only archangel, but others list several more, such as Gabriel and Raphael.

4 Other Types

There are many other types of angels that some scholars list, but most sources of detailed information are not part of the Bible itself. The ancient Book of Enoch, which is not accepted into the Jewish or Christian Bibles, lists seven types of angels: the seraphim, the cherubim, the ofanim, the "angels of power," the "Principalities," the Messiah and "the powers of the earth and the water." An influential Christian work is Dionysius the Areopagite's "The Celestial Hierarchy," from around the year 500. In it, he reasons that God's angels are ranked into nine "choirs" within three "hierarchies": the first hierarchy includes the seraphim, cherubim and "Thrones"; the second the "Dominions," "Virtues" and "Powers"; and the third the Principalities, Archangels and common angels.

Evan Centanni specializes in world cultures and human geography. He grew up in Oregon, but has since lived in two other countries and traveled to many more. Centanni is editor of Political Geography Now at www.polgeonow.com. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in international studies and linguistics from the University of Oregon.

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