When did God make angels?, Angels: Day 068

When did God make angels?, Angels: Day 068 September 27, 2016

angels_augustine_1When did God make angels?

St. Augustine notes that Bible scholars dont agree on what it meant when God said, “Let there be light.” The sun, moon, and stars were made later. Was this first “light”  the spirits of the angels? We cant know with certainty. But we can know that it was created, and God was the Creator.

So, when darkness was over the deep, he who was Light said, “Let there be light.”

From what Light this light came is clear; for the words are, “God said.” But it is not so clear exactly what light was made. There has been a friendly discus- sion among students of the sacred Scriptures about whether this was when God made the light in the minds of the angels—or, in other words, these rational spirits themselves—or whether it was some material light that exists in the higher regions of the universe beyond our knowledge. It was on the fourth day that he made the visible luminaries of heaven. And it is also a question whether these bodies were made at the same time as their light, or were somehow kindled from the light made already.

But whoever reads the sacred writings in the pious spirit that is required to understand them must be convinced that, whatever the light was that was made when, at the time when darkness was over the deep, God said, “Let there be light,” it was created light, and the creating Light was the maker of it.

–St. Augustine, Reply to Faustus the Manichean, 10

IN GOD’S PRESENCE, CONSIDER . . .

When I read Scripture, is it in a pious spirit? Do I have the faith to accept that there will always be some things—like the creation of angels—that I can’t completely under- stand?

CLOSING PRAYER

Guardian Angel, be with me as I contemplate the Scriptures, and lead me away from the temptation to judge what I cannot understand.

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