Annotation LIII

”All things are delivered to me by my Father.” — Matthew 11:27

Whether the angels see God.

Athanasius of Alexandria, in a sermon published on this passage, hints in a certain way that the angels do not see God, saying: “Men truly bold and proud, who do not tremble at that glory into which the angels desire to gaze, bent and bowed down — although they are by far more sublime than [men] in nature and order! For what is nearer [to God] than the Cherubim and Seraphim? They do not gaze upon this majesty, nor hold themselves erect on [their] feet; nay, they do not even leave [their own] face bare, but — it being veiled — they extol the glory and majesty of God with lips that never cease.” See below, Annotation 182.