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Dist. 10

Book II: On the Creation of Things · Distinction 10

Textus Latinus
p. 258

Distinctio X.

Cap. I.

An omnes caelestes spiritus mittantur.

Hoc etiam investigandum est, utrum omnes illi caelestes spiritus ad exteriora nuntianda mittantur. — Opinio 1. Quidam putant, aliquos in illa multitudine esse, qui foras pro officio exeunt; alios, qui semper intus assistunt, sicut scriptum est in Daniele1: Millia millium ministrabant ei, et decies centena millia assistebant ei.

Item, Dionysius2 in Hierarchia, quae sacer principatus dicitur, de praelatione spirituum ait: « Superiora illa agmina ab intimis nunquam recedunt, quoniam ea quae praeeminent, usum exterioris officii nunquam habent ». His auctoritatibus innituntur qui Angelos mitti Obiicitur. nisi inferiores infitiantur. — Quibus obiicitur quod Isaias3 ait: Volavit ad me unus de Seraphim, qui ordo superior est et excellentior; ideoque, si de illo ordine mittuntur, non est ambigendum, quin etiam et de aliis mittantur. Apostolus quoque ait: Omnes sunt administratorii spiritus, in ministerium missi. His teOpinio 2. stimoniis asserunt quidam, omnes Angelos mitti. Nec debet indignum videri, si etiam superiores mittantur, cum et ille qui Creator est omnium, ad haec inferiora descenderit.

Hic oritur quaestio: si omnes mittuntur et nuntii Quaestio incidens solvitur. Dei existunt, quare unus tantum inter novem ordines Angelorum nomine censetur? — Ad quod quidam dicunt, omnes quidem mitti, sed alios saepius et quasi ex officio iniuncto, qui proprie Angeli, vel Archangeli nominantur; alios vero rarius mitti, scilicet maiores, causa extra communem dispensationem oborta, qui cum Angelorum ministerium suscipiunt, etiam nomen assumunt. Unde in Psalmo4: Qui facit Angelos suos Dubium 1. spiritus, quia illi qui natura spiritus sunt, aliquando angeli, id est nuntii fiunt.

Cap. II.

An Michael, Gabriel, Raphael sint nomina ordinum, vel spirituum.

Et putant quidam, Michael, Gabriel, Raphael de superiori ordine fuisse. « Michael interpretatur, quis ut Deus? Gabriel, fortitudo Dei; Raphael, medicina Dei5 », nec sunt ista nomina ordinum, sed spirituum. Duplex opinio. Et dicunt quidam6, singulum horum unius proprie ac singulariter spiritus esse nomen. Alii vero, non unius singulariter et determinate, sed nunc huius, nunc illius esse nomen, secundum qualitatem eorum, ad quae nuntianda vel gerenda mittuntur; sicut et daemonum quaedam nomina sunt, quae quidam putant esse unius propria, alii vero, pluribus communia. Diabolus quippe, qui Graece ita vocatur et criminator7 interpretatur, vel deorsum fluens, Hebraice dicitur satan, id est adversarius. Dicitur et belial, id est apostata et absque iugo. Dicitur etiam leviathan, id est additamentum eorum; et alia plura reperies nomina, quae vel unius spiritus sunt propria, vel pluribus communia.

Reditur ad quaest. primam. Qui autem omnes Angelos mitti asserunt, praedictas auctoritates, Danielis scilicet et Dionysii, ita determinant: dicuntur superiora agmina Deo assistere et ab intimis nunquam recedere, non quin aliquando mittantur, sed quia rarissime ad exteriora prodeunt; neque tunc ab intimis recedunt, sed Dei praesentiae et contemplationi semper assistunt; quod etiam faciunt qui frequenter mittuntur.

Duae opiniones reducuntur in concordiam. Alii vero dicunt, tres ordines supremos, scilicet Seraphim, Cherubim et Thronos, ita Creatori assistere, quod ad exteriora non exeunt; inferiores autem tres ad exteriora mitti; tres vero medios inter utrosque consistere, non modo dignitate vel loco, sed etiam Dubium 2. officio, quia praeceptum divinum a superioribus accipiunt et deferunt ad inferiores. Ideoque cum supremi mediis, et medii imis, atque hi hominibus praeceptum Dei nuntient, merito omnes Angelos nominari dicunt8. Et ob id forte Apostolus dicit: Omnes spiritus administratores esse Filii et mitti in ministerium, vel per omnes non singulos ordines, sed de inferioribus ordinibus singulos Angelos complexus est9. Illud vero quod Isaias dicit, per verba Dionysii10 determinant dicentes: Dubium 3. Hi spiritus, qui mittuntur, percipiunt horum vocabulum, quorum gerunt officium. Unde dicunt, illum Angelum, qui missus est ad Isaiam, ut mundaret et incenderet labia Prophetae, fuisse de ordine inferiorum. Sed ideo dictus est forte de Seraphim, quia veniebat incendere et consumere delicta Isaiae.

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English Translation

Distinction X.

Chapter I.

Whether all the heavenly spirits are sent.

This too must be investigated: whether all those heavenly spirits are sent forth to announce outward things. — A first opinion. Some think that, in that multitude, there are certain ones who go forth abroad for office, and others who always stand within in attendance, as it is written in Daniel1: Thousands of thousands ministered to him, and ten times a hundred thousand stood by him.

Likewise, Dionysius2, in the Hierarchy which is called the sacred principate, says concerning the preeminence of the spirits: «Those higher hosts never withdraw from the innermost things, since those which are preeminent never have the use of an outward office». Upon these authorities rely those who It is objected. deny that Angels are sent except the lower ones. — Against these it is objected that Isaiah3 says: There flew to me one of the Seraphim, which order is higher and more excellent; and therefore, if [Angels] are sent from that order, there is no doubt that they are sent from the others also. The Apostle too says: They are all ministering spirits, sent forth into ministry. By these teA second opinion. stimonies certain ones assert that all the Angels are sent. Nor ought it to seem unworthy if even the higher ones are sent, since even He who is the Creator of all things has descended to these lower things.

Here a question arises: if all are sent and exist as messengers The incidental question is resolved. of God, why is one only among the nine orders reckoned by the name of Angels? — To which some say that all indeed are sent, but some more often and as it were by an enjoined office — those who are properly named Angels or Archangels; but others more rarely, namely the greater ones, when a cause has arisen beyond the common dispensation, who, when they undertake the ministry of the Angels, also take on the name. Hence in the Psalm4: Who makes his Angels First doubt. spirits, because those who by nature are spirits become at times angels, that is, messengers.

Chapter II.

Whether Michael, Gabriel, Raphael are names of orders or of spirits.

And some think that Michael, Gabriel, Raphael were of a higher order. «Michael is interpreted, "Who [is] as God?"; Gabriel, the strength of God; Raphael, the medicine of God5», and these are not names of orders, but of spirits. A twofold opinion. And some say6 that each one of these is the name of one spirit, properly and singularly. But others [say] that it is the name not of one [spirit] singularly and determinately, but now of this one, now of that, according to the quality of those things which they are sent to announce or to carry out; just as also there are certain names of demons which some think to be proper to one, but others [think] common to several. For the devil — who is so called in Greek and is interpreted the accuser7, or flowing downward — is in Hebrew called satan, that is, the adversary. He is also called belial, that is, apostate and without yoke. He is also called leviathan, that is, their addition; and you will find many other names which are either proper to one spirit or common to several.

Return to the first question. But those who assert that all the Angels are sent determine the aforesaid authorities — namely those of Daniel and of Dionysius — thus: the higher hosts are said to attend upon God and never to withdraw from the innermost things, not but that they are sometimes sent, but because very rarely do they go forth to outward things; nor do they then withdraw from the innermost things, but always attend upon the presence and contemplation of God; which those also do who are frequently sent.

The two opinions are brought into concord. But others say that the three highest orders, namely Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones, so attend upon the Creator that they do not go forth to outward things; but the three lower ones are sent to outward things; and the three middle ones stand between both — not only in dignity or place, but also in Second doubt. office, because they receive the divine command from the higher ones and convey it to the lower ones. And therefore, since the highest announce God's command to the middle ones, and the middle to the lowest, and these to men, they say that all are deservedly named Angels8. And for this reason perhaps the Apostle says that all spirits are ministers of the Son and are sent into ministry, or by all he comprehended not the individual orders, but, of the lower orders, the individual Angels9. But that which Isaiah says they determine through the words of Dionysius10, saying: Third doubt. These spirits who are sent receive the appellation of those whose office they perform. Hence they say that that Angel who was sent to Isaiah, to cleanse and to kindle the lips of the Prophet, was of the order of the lower ones. But he was perhaps called [one] of the Seraphim because he came to kindle and consume the sins of Isaiah.

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Apparatus Criticus
  1. Cap. 7, 10. Vulgata: decies millies centena millia. Cfr. de hoc cap. Hugo, I. de Sacram. p. V. c. 32. et Sum. Sent. tr. 3. 2. 5.
    [Daniel] ch. 7, [v.] 10. The Vulgate: ten thousand times a hundred thousand. Cf. on this chapter Hugh [of St. Victor], On the Sacraments book I, part V, c. 32, and the Summa Sententiarum tr. 3, 2, 5.
  2. De Caelest. Hierarch. c. 7. 9. 13, quoad sensum; illa verba leguntur apud Gregorium, Hom. 34. in Evang. n. 12, ubi tantum verba officii nunquam commutata sunt in ministerii nequaquam.
    [Dionysius,] On the Celestial Hierarchy c. 7, 9, 13, as to the sense; those words are read in Gregory, Homily 34 on the Gospels n. 12, where only the words officii nunquam ["the use of office never"] are changed into ministerii nequaquam ["of ministry by no means"].
  3. Cap. 6, 6. Deinde Hebr. 1, 14.
    [Isaiah] ch. 6, [v.] 6. Then Hebrews 1, 14.
  4. Psalm. 103, 4. Vulgata: Qui facis etc.
    Psalm 103, 4. The Vulgate: Qui facis ["Who makest"] etc.
  5. Gregor., loc. cit. n. 9.
    Gregory, in the place cited [Homily 34 on the Gospels], n. 9.
  6. Cod. Erf. hic annotat: Illud sumitur a Gandolpho, II. c. 4, et sententia eius est. — Paulo inferius citatur eiusdem lib. II. c. 37.
    The Erfurt codex here notes: This is taken from Gandulph, [book] II, c. 4, and is his opinion. — A little further below the same [author's] book II, c. 37 is cited.
  7. De his nominibus cfr. Isai. 14, 12; Luc. 10, 17. 18; Apoc. 12, 4. 7. 13. 16; Eccli. 21, 30; II. Cor. 11, 14. et 6, 15; Iob. 40, 10. 20.
    On these names cf. Isaiah 14, 12; Luke 10, 17, 18; Apocalypse 12, 4, 7, 13, 16; Ecclesiasticus 21, 30; II Corinthians 11, 14 and 6, 15; Job 40, 10, 20.
  8. Vat. cum nonnullis aliis edd. Angeli nominari debent.
    The Vatican edition, with some other editions, [reads] Angeli nominari debent ["they ought to be named Angels"].
  9. Cod. Erf. hic annotat: Haec responsio non videtur stare cum intentione Apostoli, quia intendit ibi probare, quod Christus est superior omnibus spiritibus universaliter. Cfr. infra a. 1. q. 2.
    The Erfurt codex here notes: This response does not seem to stand with the intention of the Apostle, because there he intends to prove that Christ is superior to all spirits universally. Cf. below, article 1, question 2.
  10. Apud Gregor., Hom. 34. in Evang. n. 12. in fine: ubi Gregor. addit: Qui enim, ut peccata locutionis incendat, de altari Angelus carbonem portat, Seraphim vocatur, quod incendium dicitur.
    In Gregory, Homily 34 on the Gospels n. 12, at the end: where Gregory adds: For the Angel who, in order to burn away the sins of speech, carries a coal from the altar, is called Seraphim, which means "a burning." ---
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