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On this question, see Aquinas's Summa Theologiae, 1.63.7: "Utrum angelus supremus inter peccantes fuerit supremus inter omnes". Thomas concludes, drawing on the authority of Gregory the Great, that it is most likely that Lucifer was the highest of all angels before his fall, which would thus make him one of the Seraphim, according to the Dionysian hierarchy. This view, that Satan was the highest of all angels, seems to have been the majority tradition among the Fathers and the scholastics, although one will occasionally find other views, such as in John Damascene. Donald Uitvlugt At 04:11 PM 9/7/00 -0400, you wrote: >A colleague has just stumped me with the following query: > >To which order of angels does (did?) Satan belong? Or is the Adversary >classified according to an order at all? > >Many thanks in advance. > >MW > >Mark F. Williams >Dept. of Classics >Calvin College >Grand Rapids, MI >USA 49546 > >"Keep your stick on the ice." > -Red Green > ================================= Donald Jacob Uitvlugt [log in to unmask] "For Wales? Why, Richard, it profits a man nothing to give his soul for the whole world...But for Wales!" -----Thomas More in _A Man for All Seasons_ %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%