Библия говорит о 8 чинах Ангелов. Это: Архангелы, Херувимы, Серафимы, Престолы, Господства, Начальства, Власти, Силы.

Откуда такое разнообразие обитателей Небес?.. Учители Церкви думали над этим. Ориген (III век) предположил, что различие Ангелов в чинах обусловлено их охлаждением в любви к Богу. Чем выше чин, тем вернее, послушнее Богу Ангел, и наоборот. Однако Православная Церковь отвергла такую трактовку.

Св. Августин (4 век) писал: «Что есть Престолы, Господства, Начальства и Власти в небесных обителях, непоколебимо верую, и, что они различаются между собою, содержу несомненно; но каковы они и в чем именно различаются между собою, не знаю».

Самый глубокий и продуманный труд на эту тему принадлежит перу богослова V столетия св. Дионисия Ареопагита. Он написал сочинение, которое так и называется: «О небесной иерархии» и в котором как раз выясняется вопрос — чем Ангелы отличаются друг от друга.

Св. Дионисий разделяет всех Ангелов на три триады. В каждой триаде 3 чина (всего у него получается 9 чинов).

Первую триаду, наиболее близкую к Богу, составляют: Херувимы, Серафимы и Престолы.

Вторая триада: Господства, Силы, Власти.

Finally, the third triad: Principalities, Archangels, Angels.

St. Dionysius says that the rank of an Angel depends on one's position in the Heavenly hierarchy, that is, on one's proximity to the Heavenly King, God.

The highest Angels glorify God, stand before Him. Other Angels, whose rank in the Heavenly hierarchy is lower, perform various tasks, for example, guarding people. These are the so-called service spirits.

The work of St. Dionysius is a remarkable achievement of Orthodox mysticism, theology and philosophy. For the first time, a harmonious teaching appeared, trying to show the principles of God's interaction with the world through angelic beings; for the first time, the variety of orders of angels mentioned in the Bible was put in order. However, it should be remembered that the classification of angelic ranks by St. Dionysius is not a strictly scientific work, but rather mystical reflections, material for theological reflection. The angelology of St. Dionysius, for example, cannot be used in the study of biblical angelology, since biblical angelology proceeds from other theological attitudes and develops according to different laws than that of St. Dionysius. However, for the work of a theologian, the system of St. Dionysius is irreplaceable, and here is why: in his work, the Byzantine thinker shows that the closer the Angelic order is to God, the more it becomes a partaker of the blessed Light and grace of God.

Each of the triads of Angels, writes St. Dionysius, has its own common purpose. The first is purification, the second is enlightenment, and the third is perfection.

The first triad, the first three higher orders—the Cherubim, the Seraphim, and the Thrones—are in the process of being cleansed of every impurity of something imperfect. Being near God, in constant contemplation of the Divine Light, they attain the highest degree of purity and purity of their angelic spirit, which strives to resemble the Absolute Spirit — God. And there is no limit to this perfection. No other creature of God can attain the dizzying degree of purity in which these Angels dwell. No one... except Mary of Nazareth, the Mother of the Lord Jesus Christ. Her, who bore under her heart, gave birth, swaddled, and raised the Savior of the world, we sing as "More honorable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim."

The second triad – Dominions, Powers, and Authority – is constantly enlightened by the light of God's Wisdom, and in this there is no limit for it either, for the Wisdom of God is infinite. This enlightenment is not of an intellectual nature, but of a contemplative nature. That is, the Angels in awe and amazement contemplate the boundless and perfect Wisdom of God.