9 Types of Angels

In Catholicism, the hierarchy of angels is traditionally organized as three triads:

Seraphim means "the fiery ones." It is the plural of the word "seraph." These angels are mentioned in the Bible as having faces, hands and feet. Each seraph has six wings, four of which they used to cover themselves in the presence of God as a sign of humility; they use the other two to fly. They cry out "holy, holy, holy" and appear to worship God continuously. They are often depicted in religious art.

These are the angels who are closest to God. They encircle his throne and emit an intense, fiery light representing his love. Seraphim are considered "fiery serpents," and not even the other divine beings may look at them. There are only four of them, and each has four faces. When they come to Earth, they leave their serpent appearance behind, preferring tall, thin, clean-cut human embodiments.

These angels are the keepers of celestial records and hold the knowledge of God. They are sent to Earth with great tasks, such as expelling humankind from the Garden of Eden. Ancient art depicts cherubim as sphinx-like, winged creatures with human faces, not the fat babies with wings that now grace greeting cards and book covers. Ophaniel, Rikbiel and Zophiel are cherubim, as was Satan before his fall to evil.

Thrones' appearance is perhaps the most bizarre of the first grouping. They are said to look like great glowing wheels covered with many eyes. They serve as God's chariot and dispense his judgment in order to carry out his desires for us.

The angels in the second group can exist in a state of transition between the celestial and human worlds. They are considered heavenly governors, attempting to strike a balance between matter and spirit, good and bad.

Think of dominions as middle management. They receive orders from seraphim and cherubim, then dish out duties to the "worker bee" angels of the lower orders. Their main purpose is to make sure that the cosmos remains in order by sending down power to heads of government and other authority figures. Zadkiel (sometimes called Hashmal) is the chief of this order.

Shaped like sparks of light, virtues are in charge of maintaining the natural world, and they inspire living things in areas such as science. They also take orders from the angels above and convert them into miracles for the deserving. When they make themselves known to us in their earthly forms, they are musicians, artists, healers and scientists who work with the power of love, as well as physics. The two angels at the ascension of Jesus are believed to have been virtues.

In their celestial forms, powers appear like brightly colored, hazy fumes. Powers are border patrol agents between heaven and Earth. They are the angels of birth and death. Some believe that they also preside over demons who wish to overthrow the world, while others, namely St. Paul, thought the powers themselves were the evil ones. In any case, powers are a group of experts who serve as advisers in terms of religion, theology and ideology.

The third group of angels is the one ordinary humans will have the most interaction with. First in this group are the principalities. These angelic beings are shaped like rays of light. Just like a principal in school, the principalities oversee everything. They guide our entire world — nations, cities and towns. What's more, they are in charge of religion and politics. As if their plate isn't full enough, they are also in charge of managing the earthly duties of the angels below them.

These, along with the angels, are guardians of people and all things physical. But don't call on them to help you personally; archangels respond best when dealing with matters involving all humankind, such as justice. This order is most commonly known because some are mentioned by name in the Bible — Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Archangels engage in spiritual warfare by fighting against demons (e.g., Michael) or bring messages from God, such as when Gabriel came to Mary to tell her that she was going to be the mother of Jesus. It is believed there are only seven archangels.

These might just be called "regular angels." They are guardians of people and all things physical and are the most common type of angels. These angels are sent as messengers to humanity. Personal guardian angels come from this category. Angels may protect and warn humans, as well as act as warriors on behalf of God.

Outside of Catholicism, several other religions and spiritual traditions believe in angels.

Islam

In Islam, malaikah (angels) are central, created from light, and serve directly under Allah's command. The most notable angels include Jibril, the angel of revelation who conveyed the Qur’an to Muhammad; Mikail, who oversees provision and mercy; Israfil, who will blow the trumpet on Judgment Day; and Azrael, the angel of death.

Judaism

Jewish angelology also has a structured hierarchy of angels. Common ranks include the Malachim (messengers), Cherubim (guardians of divine spaces), and Ophanim (wheels, associated with visions of Ezekiel’s chariot). Angels serve as intermediaries between God and humanity, carrying out specific tasks like delivering messages and executing divine justice.

Hinduism

Hinduism has beings similar to angels. There are devas, deities or divine beings with roles that range from overseeing natural elements to guiding moral principles. There are also Gandharvas (musicians and messengers) and Yakshas (guardians of treasures).

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:

Helen Davies, Marjorie Dorfman, Mary Fons, Deborah Hawkins, Martin Hintz, Linnea Lundgren, David Priess, Julia Clark Robinson, Paul Seaburn, Heidi Stevens, and Steve Theunissen

This article was updated in conjunction with AI technology, then fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.