Wisdom Quarterly: American Buddhist Journal: Angels: The 9 Ranks of Shining Ones (devas)

Monday, July 24, 2023

Angels: The 9 Ranks of Shining Ones (devas)

Hochelaga; Generalist Papers, 4/27/23; Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

(Hochelaga) Here's a shocking Bible truth: Biblically accurate angels ("messengers") are very creepy.

Buddhism calls the various ranks of angels ("messengers") devas
The devas of Dharmic religions
or literally "shining ones," but their classifications vary depending on the plane of existence they are found on. Messengers are just one lowly rank known as gandharvas (Pali gandhabbas), whereas the higher-ranking gods, demigods, and godlings are called akasha-devas (celestial-deities) and brahmas (divinities). For some strange reason they are all, as a class, just "light beings." Some live on earth as woodland fairies (nats) and dryads, or walk among humans as shapeshifters and messengers, or reside at the tops of large trees in miniature palaces in the air. The king of the gods (devas) is a being named Sakka (Sakra, Indra, which, interestingly, seems to share a name with the Scythians or Indo-Sakas of Sakastan, the Buddha's clan, Indo-Scythians, where Scythian, Shakya, and Saka are essentially equivalent terms, and the Buddha epithet is Shakyamuni, "the Sage of the Shakyas"), equivalent to the Catholic St. Michael, who is only king of the devas in the Realm of the Thirty-Three and the Realm of the Four Great Sky Kings, the two lowest "heavens" in the Sensual Sphere.

The 9 Ranks of Angels

(The Generalist Papers) According to some groups within the Abrahamic religions, there are many different types of angels. Let’s look into the angelic hierarchy put forward by the Medieval Catholic Church.

SOURCES

Summa Theologica by Thomas Aquinas (translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province).
On the Celestial Hierarchy by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite
Angelic Spirituality: Medieval Perspectives on the Ways of Angels by Steven Chase

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Biblically accurate angels are creepy

(Hochelaga) July 31, 2020. Ever wonder why angels described accurately in the Bible look so creepy? Instead of angelic humanoids of great beauty, the Bible depicts bizarre animal-human hybrids (chimeras), fiery winged beasts, and wheels made of eyes. It's uncertain, but most believe that they are descendants of mythical beasts across the ancient Near East. #creepy #angel #bible #biblical

Biblical texts:

MESSENGERS