Degrees of knowledge, Angels: Day 042

Degrees of knowledge

Each creature, says St. Ephrem the Syrian, has a degree of  knowledge proper to it. The different ranks of  angels never ask questions  beyond what they know to be their ability.  Yet some human philosophers think they can vault over all the ranks of  angels and figure out the most  hidden secrets  of  God’s own nature!

The knowledge of angels searches in measure; human knowledge roams without measure. Your mercy put inns and milestones in your way, so that the unsettled disputers might come into order. Blessed is he who has measured his wonder with his knowledge so as to reach the inns.

Human knowledge is like a feeble twilight compared to the angels’ knowl- edge; and even the angels’ knowledge is like a little twinkling compared to the Spirit’s knowledge. The Spirit says of the Son, “who shall declare his generation?” (Isa. 53:8). It is pure rashness to run on beyond this boundary when the Spirit came up to it and stopped.

When the angels searched to learn the generation of the Son, they directed their questions to those who were higher than they were; and those great ones learn at the suggestion of the Spirit. As are the ranks of angels, so are the ques- tions of angels. There is none among them that dares to reach beyond what be- longs to him. Nature witnesses to this by its own subordination: rank leads to rank, up to that which is the crown. Yet human beings, who are of low rank, trespass over the ranks of angels to search into the First-Born!

–St. Ephrem the Syrian,  Rhythm 5

IN GOD’S PRESENCE, CONSIDER . . .

The angels know how far each rank can reach, and do not pretend to reach any

further. Am I sometimes tempted to declare my opinions on things I can’t possibly know?

CLOSING PRAYER

Lord, grant me the wisdom  to understand your mysteries as far as I am capable; but when I cannot understand, grant me the humility to serve you in my proper place, the way each rank of your angels serves you.

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