ANGELOLOGY
Gabriela Galan
Thomas Aquinas
“the Angelic Doctor”
• Deemed as ”the Angelic Doctor” due to his writings on
angels and the divine
• Summa Theologiae is Aquinas’s more known works
My focus:
• Summa Theologiae Prima Pars Q. 113. Of the
Guardianship of the Good Angels
Also discussed:
• Aquinas’s thoughts about Angels and free will (Q. 59)
• Which correlates with sin (I, Q. 63)
• How angels communicate with us and with each other
Robert Ombers- God, Angels, and US
Cambridge, Article Section I
◦ Honors Aquinas’s work while highlighting Aquinas’s approach to
Angelology
◦ Stresses that theology of angels should not be rooted in scripture
but also rational reflection and human experience
Quote from text:
◦ “Aquinas says that God exercises his providential care for us at
times through secondary causes and this gives them dignity and
worth. Incidentally, it is in terms of “guardian angels” that some
of the more abstruse discussion in Aquinas on angels and space
have an application that can readily be appreciated (angels on
pin‐heads and all that). The main point to grasp from Aquinas
on this (I q. 52 a. 1 c) is that angels can be said to exist in place,
but not in the same sense as we say this of a body.”
Harm Gorris
The Angelic Doctor and Angelic Speech: The Development of Thomas Aquinas’s
Thought on How Angels Communicate
◦ Compares Aquinas’s three major texts: the notion of word (section IV), the role of the will (section V), and
the need of signification (section VI)
◦ Aquinas says that angels can be considered in three ways: angels have the ratio of intelligible, they possess the
ratio of the word (‘word of the heart’), and they can be connected to an intelligible sign like speech.
◦ The author points out that Augustine’s and Aristotle’s ideologies regarding angelic speech, or spiritual angels,
can be found/noticed in Aquinas’s Summa Theologiae.
◦ The speech of the angels is just a manifestation; they don’t communicate using vocal signs, and it is just
directed toward someone else—connects ‘word’ and ‘speech’ with outward communication
◦ Overall, Angels need to communicate with humans with sensible signs, for we are limited by our bodily
nature. Whereas angels are able to directly communicate with one another as soon as they want to do so.
Raymond E. Marieb
The Impeccability of the Angels Regarding Their
Natural End
Focuses on angels' free will
Is found agreeing with Aquinas’s ideologies
regarding angels' free will
Quote from Text:
◦ "Our formal inquiry will be limited to
demonstrating this thesis: there exists de facto
intellectual creatures (angels) who per se
prima, directly and immediately are incapable
of sinning as regards their natural end taken
alone (praecise sumptum)."
Joshua Han Lim
the Headships of Christ..
Argues that there is an inconsistency or at least
philosophical strain
Aquinas holds the notion that Christ is the universal
principle of grace, even according to his humanity, by
having the maximum perfection of grace. If so,
humanity should also be the cause of angel’s grace.
◦ Christ’s human nature is not the source of angelic
grace, since that grace was given at creation—prior
to the Incarnation and unrelated to human sin.
◦ Therefore, Christ’s headship via humanity is
primarily over redeemed humans, and only
secondarily and in a limited sense over angels.
◦ Aquinas carefully avoids letting philosophical logic
override scriptural revelation, which highlights his
commitment to theological humility and fides
quaerens intellectum (faith seeking understanding).
My Thoughts
If guardian angels can choose evil,
then they can choose to influence
people to do evil as well.
Although all three of the sources
comment on different ideas that
Aquinas presents, I like some of the
ideas that they present.
Goris, Harm J M J. “The Angelic Doctor and Angelic Speech: The Development of Thomas
Aquinas’s Thought on How Angels Communicate.” Medieval philosophy & theology. 11, no. 1
(2003): 87–105. https://www-pdcnetorg.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/collection/authorizedshow?id=medievalpt_2003_0011_0001_00
87_0105&file_type=pdf
Lim, Joshua Han. “The Headship of Christ and the Angels: An Ambiguity in Thomas’s
Account.” New Blackfriars 105, no. 1 (2024): 92-103. https://doi.org/10.1017/nbf.2023.11
Marieb, Raymond E. “The Impeccability of the Angels Regarding their Natural End.” The
Thomist. 28, no. 4 (1964): 409–474. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/642376/pdf
Ombres, Robert. “God, Angels and Us.” New Blackfriars 86, no. 1001 (2005): 48-61.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0028-4289.2005.00064.x.
Thomas Aquinas, Saint. Summa Theologiae. Vol. 9, Angels and Human Beings (1a, 50-64),
trans. Dominican Father (London: Blackfriars, 1968), q. 113
.https://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/03d/12251274,_Thomas_Aquinas,_Summa_Theologiae_%5B1%5D,_EN.pdf
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