Angels in their place

29 September [Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, archangels] Jn 1:47-51  And he said to him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.(51) “NT tends to put angels in their place?” Quote: Early Christianity inherited Jewish beliefs about angels, but the interest is much diminished.  The angel of the Annunciation has a permanent place in Christian spirituality, but the New Testament tends if anything to put angels in their place.  So in Heb. 1, angels are inferior to the Son; in 1 Cor 13:1 the eloquence of angels takes second place to love; and in 1 Pet 1:12 the angels are seen as envying the Christian.  http://goodnews.ie/news.php?dt=2010-09-29  The Quote tends to demythologizing. The celebration of the Liturgy reads from a very different hymn sheet. The New Testament, on a Google count, has the word “angels” occur more than in Old Testament: ”Angels in Old Testament”, about 1,630,000 results (0.24 seconds) “Angels in New Testament”, 2,020,000 results (0.20 seconds). “Angels” in King James Version: 185 occurrences. In New Testament G32   ́αγγελος    angelos        ag Total KJV Occurrences: 185 angel, 96 Mat_1:20, Mat_1:24, Mat_2:13, Mat_2:19, Mat_28:2, Mat_28:5, Luk_1:11, Luk_1:13, Luk_1:18-19 (2), Luk_1:26, Luk_1:28, Luk_1:30, Luk_1:34-35 (2), Luk_1:38, Luk_2:9-10 (2), Luk_2:13, Luk_2:21, Luk_22:43, Joh_5:4, Joh_12:29, Act_5:19, Act_6:15, Act_7:30, Act_7:35, Act_7:38, Act_8:26, Act_10:3, Act_10:7, Act_10:22, Act_11:13, Act_12:7-11 (5), Act_12:23, Act_23:8-9 (2), Act_27:23, 2Co_11:14, Gal_1:8, Gal_4:14, Rev_2:1 (2), Rev_2:8, Rev_2:12, Rev_2:18, Rev_3:1, Rev_3:7, Rev_3:14, Rev_8:2-3 (3), Rev_8:5, Rev_8:7-8 (2), Rev_8:10, Rev_8:12-13 (2), Rev_9:1, Rev_9:11, Rev_9:13-14 (2), Rev_10:1, Rev_10:5, Rev_10:7-9 (3), Rev_11:1, Rev_11:15, Rev_14:6, Rev_14:8-9 (2), Rev_14:15, Rev_14:17-19 (3), Rev_16:3-5 (3), Rev_16:8, Rev_16:10, Rev_16:12, Rev_16:17, Rev_17:7, Rev_18:1, Rev_18:21, Rev_19:17, Rev_20:1, Rev_21:17, Rev_22:6, Rev_22:8, Rev_22:16 angels, 80 Mat_4:6, Mat_4:11, Mat_13:39, Mat_13:41, Mat_13:49, Mat_16:27, Mat_18:10, Mat_24:30-31 (2), Mat_24:36, Mat_25:31, Mat_25:41, Mat_26:53, Mar_1:13, Mar_8:38, Mar_12:25, Mar_13:27, Mar_13:32, Luk_2:15, Luk_4:10, Luk_9:26, Luk_15:8-10 (3), Luk_24:22-23 (2), Joh_1:51, Joh_20:12, Act_7:53, Rom_8:38, 1Co_4:9, 1Co_6:3, 1Co_11:10, 1Co_13:1, Gal_3:19, Col_2:18, 2Th_1:7, 1Ti_3:16, 1Ti_5:21, Heb_1:4-7 (5), Heb_1:13, Heb_2:2, Heb_2:5, Heb_2:7, Heb_2:9, Heb_2:16, Heb_12:22, Heb_13:2, 1Pe_1:12, 1Pe_3:22, 2Pe_2:4, 2Pe_2:11, Jud_1:6, Rev_1:20, Rev_3:5, Rev_5:11, Rev_7:1-2 (2), Rev_7:11, Rev_8:2, Rev_8:6, Rev_9:13-15 (3), Rev_12:7 (2), Rev_14:9-10 (2), Rev_15:1, Rev_15:6-8 (3), Rev_17:1 (2), Rev_21:9, Rev_21:12 messenger, 4 Mat_11:10, Mar_1:2, Luk_7:27, 2Co_12:7 messengers, 3 Luk_7:24, Luk_9:52, Jam_2:25 angel’s, 2 Rev_8:4, Rev_10:10 A list of passages from the New Testament with the word angel or in Greek, aggelos. 169 Occurrences, http://www.sage.edu/faculty/salomd/ld/angels.html  The Liturgy The Liturgy embodies every Biblical angelic sense. It is extended to the writings of the Fathers. St. Bernard is eloquent on the choirs of angels. With the recent Beatification of John Henry Newman in mind, it is joyful to reproduce this reading. + + + SAINT MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS Gospel                  From the gospel according to John (1:47-51) Third Reading       From a sermon by John Henry  (Parochial and Plain Sermons, volume 4, pages 200-204. 207-209) There are two worlds, "the visible and the invisible," as the Creed speaks, - the world we see, and the world we do not see; and the world which we do not see as really exists as the world we do see. It really exists, though we see it not. The world that we see we know to exist, because we see it. All that meets our eyes forms one world. It is an immense world; it reaches to the stars. It is everywhere; and it seems to leave no room for any other world. And yet in spite of this universal world which we see, there is another world, quite as far-spreading, quite as close to us, and more wonderful; another world all around us, though we see it not, and more wonderful than the world we see. For, first of all, he is there who is above all beings, who has created all, before whom they all are as nothing, and with whom nothing can be compared. Almighty God, we know, exists more really and absolutely than any of those fellow-men whose existence is conveyed to us through the senses; yet we see him not, hear him not, we do but "feel after him," yet without finding him. Angels also are inhabitants of the world invisible. They are said to be "ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation." No Christian is so humble but he has angels to attend on him, if he lives by faith and love. Though they are so great, so glorious, so pure, so wonderful, that the very sight of them (if we were allowed to see them) would strike us to the earth, as it did the prophet Daniel, holy and righteous as he was; yet they are our "fellow-servants" and our fellow-workers, and they carefully watch over and defend even the humblest of us, if we be Christ's. The world of spirits then, though unseen, is present; present, not future, not distant. It is not above the sky, it is not beyond the grave; it is now and here; the kingdom of God is among us. We look, says St. Paul, not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. Such is the hidden kingdom of God; and; as it is now hidden, so in due season it shall be revealed. Men think that they are lords of the world, and may do as they will. They think this earth their property, and its movements in their power; whereas it has other lords besides them, and is the scene of a higher conflict than they are capable of conceiving. It contains Christ's little ones whom they despise, and his angels whom they disbelieve; and these at length shall take possession of it and be manifested. At the appointed time there will be a manifestation of the sons of God, and the hidden saints shall shine out as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. When the angels appeared to the shepherds it was a sudden appearance, Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host. How wonderful a sight! The night had before that seemed just like any other night; as the evening on which Jacob saw the vision seemed like any other evening. They were keeping watch over their sheep; they were watching the night as it passed. They had no idea of such a thing when the angel appeared. Such are the power and virtue hidden in things which are seen, and at God's will they are manifested. They were manifested for a moment to Jacob, for a moment to Elisha's servant, for a moment to the shepherds. They will be manifested for ever when Christ comes at the Last Day in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. Then this world will fade away and the other world will shine forth.