A Chorus of Angels - Virtues
Part 5 of NightMau Now's exclusive 9 part series on Biblical Angels.
“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” (Colossians 3:13-14)
Overview
The next rank of angel following the Dominions are the Virtues, or the Strongholds. These angels are known for assisting in the governance of nature and the natural order. There is almost no mention even in passing of the Virtues in the Bible, and as such, nearly all of the information regarding these angels comes from secondary sources and early Christian theologians.
These angels specifically are responsible for granting virtue to humans as a response to their prayers, hence them being referred to as “Virtues.” In addition, miracles are often attributed to the Virtues themselves. As such, when a miracle occurs, it is usually this type of angel that acts out God’s will in that instance. For example, the angels in the movie Angels in the Outfield would be the Virtues.
The word “virtue” is derived from the Latin “Vertus,” which means perfection, excellence or courage. As such, the Virtues act as agents of God’s divine perfection and will in imparting virtues to humans. To symbolize these angels, they have been depicted holding white lilies as perfection and red roses as Christ’s love for humanity. Their unwavering courage is cited as the reason they are referred to as “Strongholds” in addition to being called the Virtues. Compared to the Powers, these angels typically are depicted as more feminine, which correlates with the literary symbolism of femininity as nature and masculinity as civilization.
Perspective through Judaism
Similarly to the Dominions, there isn’t a clear analogy to the Virtues in Judaism. Instead, angels are generically referred to in regard to answering prayer, which could be any of the three Heavenly Rulers in the second choir depending on what is desired. This lack of information compared to Christianity is due to a majority of this choir of angels being developed after Christ. Therefore this creates a separate understanding of angels compared to Judaism.
Perspective through Christianity
In Christianity, the Virtues are sometimes referred to as “the shining ones,” which is a bit of a downgrade from the burning ones, or the Seraphim. This could be due to the Christian belief that the virtues have control over the elements and storms as well as intangible virtues. It is also believed by some that the Virtues are led by the Archangel Raphael.
Perspective through Islam
Islam has no mention of any angels that are analogous to the Virtues in Christian canon. Most of the “special” angels in the Qur’an relate to battle, protection, death and dominion rather than softer concepts such as virtues. That is not to say no virtue itself could be found in the Qur’an, but rather, virtue is attributed directly to Allah and not through angels like it is in Christianity.
To Wrap up
The second choir of angels is shrouded in mystery as they mostly interact with the natural world. When they do interact with humans, it is usually without them knowing. The Virtues themselves play an important role in prayer and holiness, and therefore, next time you offer up a prayer or ask for a virtue, you can thank one of the Virtues for listening and responding.