Angelology (ነገረ መላእክት): Intercession of the Holy Angels (የቅዱሳን መላእክት አማላጅነት) in the EOTC Tradition – Part III

The intercession of holy angels is a deeply revered and profound aspect of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC) tradition. As servants and messengers of God, angels not only carry out His divine will but also intercede for humanity, bringing prayers before the throne of God. This essay, the third part in the Angelology (ነገረ መላእክት) series, explores the theological foundation of angelic intercession, drawing insights from biblical passages and EOTC teachings. Through an exploration of scriptural evidence and contextual interpretations, the essay seeks to reveal the crucial role of angels in the spiritual lives of the faithful.

The Holy Bible provides several passages that highlight the intercessory role of angels. One such passage is found in Job 33:23-25, which states: “የቀናውን መንገድ ለሰው ያስታውቀው ዘንድ፥ ከሺህ አንድ ሆኖ የሚተረጕም መልአክ ቢገኝለት እየራራለት፦ ቤዛ አግኝቻለሁና ወደ ጕድጓድ እንዳይወርድ አድነው ቢለው፥ ሥጋው እንደ ሕፃን ሥጋ ይለመልማል ወደ ጕብዝናውም ዘመን ይመለሳል።” This passage suggests that the messenger mentioned in the English Bible (interpreted as an angel) intercedes on behalf of humanity.

Another clear illustration of angelic intercession is found in the book of Zechariah . In Zechariah 1:12–13  it is written that “የእግዚአብሔርም መልአክ መልሶ፦ አቤቱ፥ የሠራዊት ጌታ ሆይ፥ እነዚህ ሰባ ዓመት የተቈጣሃቸውን ኢየሩሳሌምንና የይሁዳን ከተሞች የማትምራቸው እስከ መቼ ነው? አለ። እግዚአብሔርም መልሶ ከእኔ ጋር ይነጋገር ለነበረው መልአክ በመልካምና በሚያጽናና ቃል ተናገረው።” This passage highlights an angel interceding on behalf of Jerusalem, demonstrating their role in seeking God's mercy.

Similarly, Revelation 8:3–4 states: “ሌላም መልአክ መጣና የወርቅ ጥና ይዞ በመሰዊያው አጠገብ ቆመ፤ በዙፋኑም ፊት ባለው በወርቅ መሰዊያ ላይ ለቅዱሳን ሁሉ ጸሎት እንዲጨምረው ብዙ ዕጣን ተሰጠው። የዕጣኑም ጢስ ከቅዱሳን ጸሎት ጋር ከመልአኩ እጅ በእግዚአብሔር ፊት ወጣ።” This verse illustrates angels presenting the prayers of the faithful before God, emphasizing their vital intercessory role.

These passages collectively highlight the active role of angels in interceding on behalf of humanity. To gain a deeper understanding of their intercessory nature, it is important to explore the meanings of key biblical terms, such as "to stand" (መቆም).

In the Holy Bible, Job 1:6 states: “ከዕለታት አንድ ቀን እንዲህ ሆነ፤ የአምላክ ልጆች በእግዚአብሔር ፊት ለመቆም መጡ፥ ሰይጣንም ደግሞ በመካከላቸው መጣ።” Similarly, Luke 1:19 declares: “መልአኩም መልሶ፦ እኔ በእግዚአብሔር ፊት የምቆምው ገብርኤል ነኝ፥ እንድናገርህም ይህችንም የምሥራች እንድሰብክልህ ተልኬ ነበር።”

What does the word "stand" (መቆም) truly mean in the above passages? The term "stand" (መቆም) appears in various biblical contexts, and its meaning can vary depending on the context. One key meaning is intercession (ምልጃ), which will be further clarified below. Additionally, "stand" can also refer to rising from a sitting or lying position, standing upright, or maintaining a firm stance (መጽናት). Therefore, its interpretation must be understood within its specific context, as focusing on only one meaning may lead to misunderstanding.

The following verses highlight different meanings of the word "stand" (መቆም) depending on their context: “…የደምዋም ፈሳሽ በዚያን ጊዜ ቆመ” (Luke 8:44), “የደመናውም ዓምድ በድንኳኑ ደጃፍ ላይ ቆመ” (Exodus 31:15), and “ንቁ፥ በሃይማኖት ቁሙ፥ ጎልምሱ ጠንክሩ” (1 Corinthians 16:13). In each of these verses, the word "stand" carries a different meaning, emphasizing its contextual variation.

To grasp how 'stand' (መቆም) can also mean to intercede (ማማለድ), we need to examine the action of the prophet Moses. In Exodus 14:21-22 and Exodus 32:32, after God miraculously led the Israelites through the Red Sea, they angered Him by worshipping idols, prompting God to consider destroying them. However, Moses intervened, saying, "Blot me out of the book of life, instead of destroying these people." God listened to his plea (ልመና) and turned away from His wrath (ቁጣ).

Saint David recalls this event, stating: “ታላቅ ነገርንም በግብጽ፥ ድንቅንም በካም ምድር፥ ግሩም ነገርንም በኤርትራ ባሕር ያደረገውን ያዳናቸውንም እግዚአብሔርን ረሱ። እንዳያጠፋቸው ቁጣውን ይመልስ ዘንድ የተመረጠው ሙሴ በመቅሠፍት ጊዜ በፊቱ ባይቆም ኖሮ ያጠፋቸው ዘንድ ተናገረ፡፡” (መዝ 106:21-23). Here, when it says “had not Moses stood before Him” (ባይቆም ኖሮ), it is clear that this refers to Moses having interceded or prayed on behalf of the people.

In Job 1:6, “የእግዚአብሔር ልጆች (መላእክት) በእግዚአብሔር ፊት ለመቆም መጡ፡፡ ሰይጣንም ደግሞ በመካከላቸው መጣ,” the phrase "to stand" (ለመቆም) is understood as “to plead, to intercede” (ለመለመን፣ ለማማለድ). In this passage, Satan comes before God to plead for permission to test the righteous Job, while the angels come to intercede on his behalf for protection. Here, "to stand" refers to the act of pleading, begging, or interceding.

It is important to recognize that "to stand" (መቆም) in the Bible also signifies praying and interceding. Proper interpretation of biblical terms requires an understanding of their context and deeper meaning; failing to do so leads to misinterpretation. A misunderstanding of key terms has caused many to lose sight of the true nature of the intercession of angels and saints.

Similarly, in Luke 1:19, “እኔ በእግዚአብሔር ፊት የምቆመው መልአኩ ገብርኤል ነኝ::”, it is crucial to understand that, within this context, the phrase “who stand” (የምቆመው) refers to interceding or praying to God.

If we do not interpret the phrase “እኔ በእግዚአብሔር ፊት የምቆመው…” in this manner, we must ask: how else should it be understood? Is the angel presenting God as an earthly king, and himself as a guard standing before the king? Certainly not. Standing before God is profoundly different from standing at the gate of God’s house, as described in Revelation 21:12 and Genesis 3:24.

Moreover, if we interpret the angel's statement “እኔ በእግዚአብሔር ፊት የምቆመው…” as merely expressing gratitude (ምስጋና ) to God, we are left with an important question: why would the angel need to inform the priest Zechariah about standing before God to give thanks? Such an interpretation would be irrelevant to the purpose of Angel Gabriel’s visit to Zechariah and, therefore, cannot be correct.

Additionally, in Daniel 12:1, it speaks, “በዚያም ዘመን ስለ ሕዝብህ ልጆች የሚቆመው ታላቁ አለቃ ሚካኤል ይነሣል::” Why does the Archangel Michael stand? Is it merely to give thanks? Certainly not, as the verse specifies “ስለ ሕዝብህ ልጆች የሚቆመው” (who stands for the children of your people). Therefore, the proper interpretation, based on the context, is that he stands to pray to God and intercede on behalf of the people.

In conclusion, the intercession of holy angels holds a profound place in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church tradition, as demonstrated through various biblical passages. The term " stand" (መቆም), often understood as intercession, highlights the active role of angels in interceding for humanity before God. By properly interpreting key scriptural terms and contexts, the vital role of angels in the spiritual life of the faithful becomes clearer, highlighting their intercessory function and their service in fulfilling God's divine will.