Second Decade
Chapter One of the Second Decade
Containing five questions concerning the being and essence of the angels who guard souls
Question One of the Second Decade
Whether demons are found in the nature of things
It is asked whether angels—who in Latin are called messengers, or in Hebrew are said to be derived from a, which means “without,” and geos, “earth,” as if they were “without earth”—exist and are found according to the truth of the matter.
To this it is answered that, as Aristotle says in Book IV of the Physics, the ancient philosophers did not believe there to be any incorporeal substances, but thought that all beings were corporeal.
The reason was, as was said above in the first question of the First Decade, that they did not know how to distinguish between sense and intellect.
The Sadducees also fell into this error, saying that there is neither spirit, nor angel, nor separated soul.
But the existence of angels is proved by reason, authority, and examples.
By reason, as follows.
For the perfection of the world requires that every grade of creatures be found. A spirit united to a body is found, as in a human being. And a body separated from a spirit is found, as in a stone. Therefore, a spirit separated from a body must be found, as is an angel.
The reason for this is that something is found composed of two things, and one of those two, which is less perfect, is found by itself, as a body without a spirit. Therefore, the other, which is more perfect, must be found by itself, as a spirit without a body, which is an angel.
See Thomas, Book II Against the Gentiles, chapter 48.
Secondly, this is proved by authority.
First, by the Philosopher in Book I On the Soul, who says that outside heaven there is neither time, nor place, nor void, but that there are beings there which are impassible and unalterable, the best beings, living throughout the whole of eternity.
And Avicenna in the Metaphysics holds that there are intelligences, that one is the creator of another, and that they emanate in a certain order from the first being.
Thirdly, this is proved by examples.
First, in Tobit, chapter 5: “A good angel of God will be assigned to him.”
And Isaiah, chapter 33: “At the voice of the angel the peoples fled,” and so forth.
See, if you please, other examples of the existence of angels in sacred and Roman writings, where you will find the things above proved.
These things are from the theologians and philosophers.