The 5th-century scholar Dionysius, the Pseudo-Areopagite, had already described these. From Heaven to Earth there are three levels of spheres of angelic influence. The first and closet to God are the Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones; the second includes the Dominations, Virtues and Powers; and in the lowest rank are the Principalities, Archangels and Angels. The Celestial Hiearchy of Dionysius, with its three ranks of three, was inspired by the work of neo-Platonic philospher Plotinus (c.205-270 CE).
No one, it seems, can agree on the ordering of the celestial hierarchies. Authorities from other Christian sources and other religeons list different celestial hierachies and even vary the order in which they are listed. The Pharisees (who were active from 536 BCE to 70 CE), upon whose thought traditional Judaism is based, believed in angels, as did the celebrated Greek philosphers Aristotle and Socrates. Aristotle called them intelligences, while Socrates had his daimon, an attendant spirit who guided him throughout his life. Read more to help you decide do angels exist and how they can really help you
