Dear Students bloated in Christ and
ever hungering for more!
The following is an extract from
"The Wandering Jew" by Stefan
Heym that defines quite clearly the role of Angels and of
course by association - their counterparts the Daemons. This
particular extract is posted here after a tiresome debate with an
ungodly 'christian' who claims that Angels are saints and like the
Pope and saints in general should be given proper veneration.
Please note it will be expected of students to recite this extract
as part of an oral examination, said exam will be recited in
Latin.
"Angeli sunt spiritus finiti" - of spiritual substance their number
limited made by God endowed with will and reason and ordained
diligently to serve God. Their attributes are ad primum the
negative ones: Indivisibilitas as they are not composed of parts
but constitute one whole. Invisibilitas as their substance is
invisible. Immutabilitas as they neither grow nor diminish.
Incorruptibilitas as they are not mortal and Illocalitas as they
are both everywhere and no place. Ad secundum to the affirmative
qualities of angels. Vis intellectiva because they were endowed
with intelligence and understanding. Voluntatis liberatas because
they had it in them to do good or evil of their own volition their
Facultas loquendi for they were frequently heard talking to people.
Their Potentia which enabled them to perform Mirabilia ie,
astonishing deeds but not Miracula ie, wonders. And then there was
their Duratio aeviterna note well not eterna, for they were
immortal but not eternal in view of the fact that they were created
and had a beginning. And finally their Ubietatem definitivum, a
certain domicile and Agilitatem summam as they appeared with
lightening speed soon here, soon there.
"Angeli boni sunt qui in sapientia et sanctitate perstiterunt" -
that is, who persist in wisdom and holiness so that they may
worship God without ever being tempted by sin and live by his
everlasting grace. One division of these good angels was assigned
to the service of God and of Christ another however was appointed
the salvation of people. Such angels did serve the righteous
individually from their earliest infancy to their blessed end and
they were as any reasonable person could easily see, especially
responsible for the welfare of those who preached the word of God.
But these angels are also duty bound to their political mission,
subordinate to the public laws namely to aid and support the
servants of the governments save them from danger and protect them
against unjust enemies.
The good angels are active in business affairs in that they make
the enterprises of the righteous prosper and come to a profitable
end. And like wise are helpful in family matters in that they guard
it's members and see to it that order prevails for the family is in
a small measure what Church and State are on a larger scale. In
summa all this activity of the good angels is merely their
Praeparatio for the great tasks they will have to perform on
Judgement Day when they will be doing the preliminary work for the
judgements Christ will pass, in that they serve as assessors prior
to the sentencing. And also separate the righteous from the wicked,
dispatching the righteous towards future seats to the right of
Christ, the wicked however toward hell.
Therefore it is fitting to glorify and love the angels and to be
careful lest we encounter one of them while we are about to commit
disreputable deeds, but it is not proper to direct prayers to
them.
"Angeli mali sunt qui in concreata sapienta et justitia non
perseverarunt" - the bad angels who did not persevere in the wisdom
and virtues with which they were endowed and who deviated of their
own will from God and from the ways of righteousness and thus
turned themselves into absolute enemies of God and man. The bad
angels also are busy among the authorities creating mischief and
disturbing the peace and harmony of the state by abetting
dissidents or appearing as witnesses for them and how they helped
the enemy by whispering false counsel to emperors and princes and
by fomenting unrest and dissatisfaction among the populace.
And behold the power of the bad angels is greater than any which
humans possess for it derives from divine force and is but a whit
less than the power of God. And their Lord is the angel Lucifer who
sits on a black throne ringed by fire presiding over the lower
orders and another of them is Ahasverus who wants to change the
world as he believes it can be changed and man along with it. And
no one knows how many of them there might be and what shape they
will take."