Description The world of Angels What are angels? When were they created? How many are they; What are their characteristics? What is their presence in our lives? How does the Church honor them? These and other questions are answered in this book, always based on the Holy Bible and the sacred Tradition of the Orthodox Church. CONTENTS PREFACE 9 A. THE ANGELS AND THEIR KNOWLEDGE 11 Testimonies of the Holy Bible and the sanctuary Tradition about the existence of angels 12 The creation of angels 15 Knowledge of angels 20 Spiritual, incorporeal and immortal 20 Trembling, but now immovable in evil 24 Their power and knowledge 29 Number and hierarchy 33 Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael 44 Archangel Michael 45 Archangel Gabriel 47 Archangel Raphael 49 B. THE WORK OF ANGELS 51 The doxology of the angels 51 The ministry of angels 55 Angels and visible creation 56 The holy angels in Israel and the rest of the nations 58 Angels in the economy in Christ 61 Angels as messengers and helpers of men 65 The guardian angel of the faithful 72 Other guardian angels 79 The angels in the temples and in the local Churches 83 Angels in Sequences 88 Angels and spiritual life of believers 93 Punishing angels 96 The angels at the death of man 98 The angels at the Second Coming of the Lord 110 Holy angels and Divine Liturgy 114 The presence of angels inside the holy temple during the Divine Liturgy 114 The perpetual heavenly Divine Liturgy 120 C. THE HONOR OF ANGELS 128 Feasts in their honor (the main ones) 129 Sacred images in honor of 131 Sacred monasteries and temples in honor of 132 D. THE HOLY ANGELS AND WE 136 “I want to see angels” 139 INSTEAD OF CHOICE 145 BIBLIOGRAPHY 147
