The powers work miracles and send down the grace of miracles to the saints of God.

The authorities have the power to tame the power of the devil. They repel all our temptations and also have power over the elements of nature.

The Principles govern the universe, the laws of nature, protect peoples, tribes, and countries.

The Archangels proclaim the great and most glorious Mysteries of God. They are the conductors of God's revelation.

Angels are present with every person, they inspire spiritual life, preserve in ordinary life.

Of course, the opinion of St. Dionysius should not be considered indisputable. In the Holy Fathers (and even in St. Dionysius himself) we encounter the idea that there are many more than nine ranks of angels, their ministries are more diverse than those enumerated above, but this is not revealed to us. The system of St. Dionysius is only an introduction to angelology, a starting point for further theological studies of these questions.

The great John of Damascus, who himself greatly appreciated the work of St. Dionysius, summed up the opinion of the Orthodox Church on this question as follows: "Whether they are equal in essence or differ from each other, we do not know. Only God knows, Who created them, Who also knows everything. They differ from each other in light and position; or, having a degree according to the light, or according to the degree participating in the light, and enlighten one another because of the superiority of the order or nature. But it is clear that the higher Angels communicate both light and knowledge to the lower."

When and how were the Angels created?

Based on the testimony of Holy Scripture and Tradition, the Church says that the Angels were created by God before the creation of the visible world. In the Symbol of Faith we confess: "I believe in One God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible..." This invisible means the spiritual world. The Apostle Paul writes about the same thing in the following way: "For by Him all things were created, both in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, dominions, principalities, or powers, all things were created by Him and for Him; and He is before all things, and in Him all things stand."13

In the Book of Job we read how the Lord menacingly says to Job, who is arguing with God: "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me if you know. Who has put a measure on it, if you know?.. On what are its foundations established, or who laid its cornerstone, with the general rejoicing of the morning stars, when all the sons of God shouted for joy?" 14 "Sons of God" is a characteristic biblical phrase for angels, both good and evil. These words of the Lord show that at the creation of our planet, Angels were already present and rejoicing. How the Angels were created is unknown to us. We remember how God creates the world: "And God said, and it was so!" This is probably what happened in the case of the Angels: "By that speech and was, by that command was created".. 15

The opinion that the Angels were created before the material world was also dominant among the Holy Fathers. Thus, in St. Gregory the Theologian we read: "Since it was not enough for the Goodness of God to exercise only in the contemplation of Himself, but it was necessary that the good should be poured out, go on and on, so that there would be as many benefactors as possible (for this is the property of the highest Goodness), then God invents, first, angelic and heavenly powers. And thought became a deed that is filled with the Word and done by the Spirit. So... the intelligent world was created by God... And since the first creatures were pleasing to Him, He invents another world, material and visible; and this is the harmonious composition of heaven, earth, and that which is between them." Prep. St. John of Damascus, accepting the opinion of St. Gregory the Theologian about the time of the creation of the Angels, adds: "I agree with Gregory the Theologian: for it was more proper to first create an intellectual essence, then a sensual one, and then from both essences – man."

The Ministry of Angels