The reason for bringing up the angelic ranks is to say that angels and bodiless powers are catch-all terms for heavenly beings which are quite different from each other in terms of role and appearance. In addition, whilst no Church Father denies Dionysius’ classification – and many affirm it – other Church Fathers admit that the nine ranks may only be those that have been revealed to us, and not be a “complete” list. Listing the nine ranks here is not important, as not all of the different ranks are commonly depicted in icons. In The Celestial Hierarchy, St Dionysius derives nine ranks (or angelic choirs) from Scripture into which the angels fit. Iconography of the Angels and Other Bodiless Powers The above is enough of an introduction to the subject here, which is specifically angels in iconography. Dionysius the Areopagite, who puts forward the most detailed and influential teachings on angels. There are many other articles on line which deal with the orthodox teaching on angels, and I include a few links below, including The Celestial Hierarchy, attributed to St. Now, compared with us, the angel is said to be incorporeal (bodiless) and immaterial, although in comparison with God, Who alone is incomparable, everything proves to be gross and material – for only the Divinity is truly immaterial and incorporeal. St John of Damascus sums up the angels’ spirit nature by writing: This last part is important: angels are spirits, and “God is spirit” (John 4:24), but angels are still created beings in their own right. They are sometimes described as Bodiless Powers: bodiless meaning they are purely spirit, rather than material, and power meaning they have their own will and intellect, rather than being an aspect of God. they are messengers from God, sent to us.
The name reflects the nature of angels with regards to humans and God: i.e.
The word angel, used throughout the Bible, comes from the Greek word meaning messenger. Their depiction in icons reflects this revealed teaching of who the angels are. In Orthodoxy, however, the purpose and even form of the angels are not the result of imagination, but revelation. These conditions are ripe for idle speculation. They have a commonly understood form (a person with halo and wings) and so are not too abstract, yet they are ethereal enough to remain mysterious. Talk of God, of Jesus, and of the Saints may diminish, but the subject of angels always manages to capture popular imagination.
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