Theology of History
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Egalitarianism - XII
The Great & Good Inequality in the
Choirs of Angels
Note: Prof. Plinio gave this series of classes in 1957; today in 2026 we see how the egalitarianism in each of the fields he points out has increased and come to dominate almost completely. TIAHaving thus presented the seven stages of human action (here and here), I will now proceed to demonstrate its relationship to the world of Angels. All this serves as an analogy to aid in understanding the workings of Heaven. For Heaven is a dynamic entity – a system that functions. It possesses various organs and categories, and moves organically toward the fulfillment of its purposes.
We observe that there are seven categories of action, which correspond to the seven choirs of Angels. In Heaven, each Angel excels in one of these areas - naturally, in the manner proper to an Angel.
We have, then, the Cherubim, Seraphim, Thrones, Dominations, Virtues, Powers, Thrones, Archangels and Angels. The Angels are further subdivided into three categories: the Principalities, t Archangels, and Angels proper—or Guardian Angels.
Seraphim, Cherubim & Thrones – the Cognitive Angels
1) What is a Seraphim? It is the spirit of the highest purity that has the most eminent knowledge of the purposes of creation and of the glory of God, as well as the power to draw souls - indeed, all things - to their final end.
Seraphim surround the Divine Throne
3) The Thrones are so named due to their proximity to God seen as King and active in governing. They know in God the issuance of decrees by which He governs the universe, that is, the governing operations of God. The Thrones discern most clearly the order of the universe in this way. What they know, they communicate to one another and also to the Angels of lower rank who are, so to speak, more operative in nature than the cognitive Angels.
Domination, Virtues & Powers
Dominations have the capacity to lead & distribute duties to the other Angels
5) The Virtues impart motion to the entire universe, specifically motion inside the ongoing course of God's creation. They possess an eminent capacity for action.
6) Below them we have the Powers, who are properly the ‘Ultramontanes’ of Heaven, because they collaborate in this entire work, focusing their efforts particularly upon overcoming obstacles; they are the terror of the demons.
Principalities, Archangels & Angels
7) Then we have the simple Angels:
a) Some care for the peoples. St. Michael the Archangel, for example, in Antiquity watched over the Persians, Jews and Greeks, according to St. Thomas. He affirms this because the Prophet Daniel declared as such. These Principalities are over Kingdoms and transfer dominion from one people to another. That is to say, they hold the unfolding of History in their hands. It also falls to these Archangels to inspire the men who lead the peoples or nations.
St. Michael, assigned to watch over whole peoples - the Persians, Greeks, and Jews
c) The Angel watches over the individual good in that it helps each person to fulfill his personal destiny. In this sense, the Angel is at the service of the Archangel and the Principality. They are the beings to whom the Archangels and Principalities issue orders. To fulfill my destiny, I have my Guardian Angel, who watches over my particular well-being.
St Thomas says that, for this reason, the Archangels and Principalities are sent to announce to people and to the world matters pertaining to the common good, both spiritual and temporal. This is why Gabriel was an Archangel. But when it comes to announcing to a specific individual something concerning his own particular good, it is an Angel who comes.
The great inequalities of the Angels
We thus observe a specialization of functions in Heaven, and we gain an overview of the hierarchies – the inequalities – that God Himself established in Heaven. We see that this constitutes a conception of the universe populated by Angels - and by Angels far more numerous than men or any other beings. For this reason, the Angels also exist in the atmosphere and exercise an active presence in it.
The Angels exist in the atmosphere and exercise an active presence in it
We could analyze, although St. Thomas does not do so, the action of Hell, proceeding from the bottom up. And we would likewise arrive at the medieval conception of a great battle taking place in the world: a battle between Angels and demons, and between good men and evil men, with both good and evil Angels present in everything and active in the unfolding events.
Why did God make everything so unequal?
From the point of view of inequality, one must consider why God did this. Did He do it on a whim? Did He do it simply because he felt that He should?
No. Herein lie the designs of His wisdom. The fact is that the governance of any undertaking breaks down into these specific parts. These constitute the intrinsic and logical components of the governance of a thing; they are the logical stages of action. Therefore, for each stage He created a category of celestial spirits.
Each Angel is unique in its kind
Note that among these Angels there is nothing like what would happen if, for example, Mr. “X” entered this room and assigned each of us a task. We humans all belong to the same genre; each Angel, however, is - in and of itself - its own genre, unique within its genre. The difference between one Angel has nothing to do with the difference between one man and another, or even one race and another. The difference is akin to that which exists between a single human being and an entirely different mankind. Each angel is a rational being of a different category of a different species altogether.
A medieval depiction of angels presents the choirs as different, but each angel is a unique species
If we consider this, we will see that the inequality among them is not capricious. God acted rightly in creating them so; for it is the very essence of action that establishes these distinct stages.
Nor is this inequality something artificial or merely conventional; rather it is in their very being that they are thus constituted. They are unequal in the most intimate depths of their being by the will of God so that this inequality itself might achieve a certain perfection. It is a perfection of the whole far greater than if they were all equal to one another. Thus we have an inequality created by God, rooted in each being, and which obeys the proper theory of organization, according to the proper theory of action.
Drawing from the example of the Angels, one can deduce the nature of the relationship that ought to exist between unequal men.
Let us observe how this inequality is typically created by God; it is an inequality that harbors no envy toward anyone. The Angel who is lower has a nature splendid in itself, which also encompasses the beatific vision of God. What one beholds in God is scarcely higher than what another beholds.
These beings receive, as a specific order of Angels, a specific measure of knowledge for their own governance. Yet, in all of this, we perceive a reverence for God in every creature, a reverence that renders even the lowliest among them a true prince. It is an inequality that dignifies, an inequality that elevates.
Man should follow the example of the angel
This serves as an excellent lesson on how an intelligent man, or one perceived as such, should regard a less intelligent man, or one perceived as such. It is a superb subject for meditation to help dispel pretensions about matters like this. A lower ranking angel, considering a superior one, would not think: “He lacks my vigilance; nor does he have my polemical capacity. This is something he does not receive through divine communication in the way that I do. I am the rampart of Heaven and the arm of God; I am the fortress of God’s arm that holds the demons at bay.”
Following the example of the angels, one class should not despise the others
On the other hand, one who is higher up, looking down upon one who is far more modest, ought to reflect thus: “He is more modest than I, yet there is a certain aspect in which he is more capable than I.”
This is precisely why God at times acts as he does with men. He gives a philosopher a prodigious capacity for leadership; yet to keep him humble and to affirm the principle of inequality He has woven into the fabric of all things, He leaves him with no capacity in another field, where that philosopher is utterly incapable of accomplishing even the simplest task.
Indeed, it appears that St. Thomas was just such a man. That prodigious intellect proved utterly useless and even very naive when applied to certain matters. Such is the way of God. Every man, in some way, must pay his due to the common lot of human nature. And every man, no matter how superbly equipped he may be in one field, remains ill-equipped in another.
Therein lies the harmony. There is no cause, then, for those who find themselves with lesser gifts to be ashamed, nor is there any reason for those who have some minor superiority to be proud. Rather, it serves as ample reason for the intelligent man to recognize that he must never treat anyone as a dumb ass, for the one who is less intelligent than he is, nonetheless is more intelligent in another specific area.
Moving from Heaven to Earth, we shall see that God, having established this inequality in Heaven, created men in such a way that, by their very nature, they are equal as men yet unequal in their accidents. This inequality is a good thing and already existed in Paradise.
Therefore, inequality should not be viewed as something that causes sadness or distress. In Heaven we shall be eternally and completely happy as we contemplate the beings both below and above us. And there we shall behold a harmony in the divine order that we would not see so clearly had God created but a single perspective.
To be continued
Posted April 20, 2026
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