An Historical Summary of Angelic Hierarchies from Part VII: The “Seven” Thrones in In Operibus Sigillo Dei Aemeth by David Richard Jones.

“The first is that of the Angels, the second of the Archangels, the third of the Thrones; and these three orders make up the first hierarchy: not first in order of nobility, nor of creation (for the others are nobler and all were created at one time), but first in the order of our ascent to their degree of elevation.” [via]

 


Dante Alighieri

 

Consider also:

  1. “A similar, though less elaborate nine-fold celestial hierarchy was proposed by Pope Gregory I in his Gospel Homilies and in his Moralia on Job by collecting the Old Testament and Pauline references to angelic orders and arranging them by logical inference. We speak of nine orders of Angels, because we know, by the testimony of Holy Scripture, that there are the following: Angels, Archangels, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Dominations, Thrones, Cherumbim and Seraphim. Nearly every page of Scripture is witness to the fact that there are Angels and Archangels. The prophetic books, as has been noted often, speak of Cherubim and Seraphim. Four more orders are enumerated by Paul the Apostle, writing to the Ephesians, when he says, ‘Above every Principality and Power and Virtue and Domination.’ And again writing to the Colossians, he says, ‘Whether Thrones, or Powers, or Principalities, or Dominations.’ When ,then, we add the Thrones to those he mentions to the Ephesians, there are five orders, to which are to be added Angels, Archangels, Cherubim and Seraphim, certainly making nine orders of Angels in all. Homily XXIV — Pope St. Gregory I”
  2. “Pseudo-Dionysus ranks the Thrones amongst the highest third of his nine (three by three ranking) orders of Celestial Beings and gives to them the function of showing forth the Divine Radiance. ‘The name of the most glorious and exalted Thrones denotes that which is exempt from and unattained by any base and earthly thing, and the super mundane ascent up the steep. For these have no part in that which is lowest, but dwell in fullest power, immovably and perfectly established in the Most High, and receive the Divine Immanence above al passion and matter, and manifest God, being attentively open to divine participations.’ Chapter VII: Of the Seraphim, Cherubim & Thrones & their first Hierarchy”
  3. “In the first section below and the text following it, not given but to which the careful reader is referred, the hierarchy is fairly strictly that of Saint Gregory and Denis. In the second section here we have a threefold division according to the lower planetary spheres, exactly along the lines given in the passage describing the principle hierarchies of the Sigillum, that is Thrones, Archangels (or as demonstrated above Trumpets) and Angels. And in the final section we see that Thrones are assigned to the motions of the heavenly spheres. This is the function they seem to have in the overall structure of the Sigillum and which clearly relates to the magical theories of Dee’s own Propeadeumata Aphoristica.”
  4. “It is in the Celestial Hierarchy that the Thrones become situated and defined with the structure of subsequent Christian metaphysics, and from this context that essentially all further elaborations are derived. The Thrones and their celestial functions are given in chapters II, V–VII, and XI of the Celestial Hierarchy, wherein they are described as being symbolically represented by ‘some kind of fiery wheels above the heavens, or material thrones upon which the Supreme Deity may recline,’ and further as great wheels, covered with numerous eyes, marking the end of the uppermost choir or hierarchy of angels where the emanations from God begin to take on material form.”
  5. “The last important source for understanding the Thrones and the Dionysian hierarchies before the discovery of the Hermetica is Dante (c. 1265-1321). The Dionysian order is central to the structure of the Paradiso of Dante’s Divine Commedy and therefore the Thrones must be encountered on the celestial ascent. Above are mirrors, Thrones you call them, from which shines to us God the adjudicator thus we ensure that it is right to say all these things Here she was silent, and she appeared to turn toward other things, reentering, onto the wheel and again into the dance. Dante, Paradiso Canto 9”