Sefer HaIkkarim, Maamar 2

There is a dispute concerning the existence of angels between the philosophers and the sages of the Torah. All agree that angels exist, but they differ about their quiddity. The philosophers say that as their essence is simple intellect, we can not conceive that there should be plurality among them. For plurality in things agreeing in form can only be due to the matter, seeing that plurality everywhere is due to matter and unity to form, unity being therefore superior to duality. Now since angels, as being separate intellects, are not material, it is inconceivable how they can differ from each other except by one being the cause and the other the effect. For this reason they say that the number of the separate intellects is ten, the same as the number of the spheres, which is nine, or ten if we include the matter which is beneath the lunar sphere, as we said in the preceding chapter.

A group of theologians who follow this idea say that the number of angels is the same as the number of spheres having different motions, each one of them having a special intellectual mover which gives it its special motion. Now since the number of spheres which it is necessary to assume in order to explain all the apparent motions of the heavenly bodies is forty-nine or fifty, the number of angels is forty-nine or fifty, the same as the number of movers. They say that this is the opinion of the Rabbis, expressed in the following statement: “Fifty gates of understanding were created in the world, all of which were given over to Moses except one, as is said, ‘Thou hast made him but little lower than the angels.’ ” They are called gates of understanding because every one of them has a special mode of comprehension.

But all this is in opposition to the opinion of the Torah. For it would follow from the doctrine above mentioned that the angels sent down with messages to men are imaginary things and not real. But the Bible says that there are many angels, self-existent, who are not sent down to men, as the Rabbis say by way of comment on the verses, “The chariots of God are myriads, even thousands upon thousands,” and, “Thousand thousands ministered unto him;” and that there are real angels who are sent down to mankind, as is said, “For He will give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways;” “The man Gabriel whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, approached close to me about the time of the evening offering;” also, “And there is none that holdeth with me against these, except Michael your prince.” All of this shows that there are self-existent angels who are sent with messages to mankind, an opinion agreed upon by all theologians.

It seems therefore that the difference between the separate intellects is due to the difference in their intellectual contents, and depends upon the degree of understanding which they have of the attributes of divine perfection, but has nothing to do with one being a cause and the other an effect. The word intellect would then represent, as it were, the genus embracing them all, while the difference would be represented by their respective degrees of comprehension. And yet this would not necessitate plurality in the essence of any one of them. For some things are composed of genus and difference in reality, like man, who is composed of animality and rationality, which are the genus and the difference, having real existence. Therefore man is necessarily composite. Some things again are composed of genus and difference by logical definition only, but not in reality, as for example, blackness is a color contracting the sight. “Color” is the genus, “contracting the sight” is the difference. But this does not induce plurality in the essence of blackness at all, because blackness is not really composed of two things but only by logical definition.

The same is true of the separate intellects. They are composite by logical definition, which does not induce plurality in their essence. Just as the advocates of the opinion mentioned before admit that there may be a difference among the separate intellects that is due to their different activities, as giving different motions to their respective spheres, without the one being a cause and the other an effect, so they may differ by reason of their degrees of comprehension. Thus the one which comprehends one or two of the attributes of divine perfection, is different from the one that comprehends more attributes or other ideas, without this inducing any plurality in the essence of any one of them. And their power and influence in the world are different according to the difference in their respective intellectual contents. Just as a political head appoints certain persons to a given position of influence in accordance with their ability and intelligence, and gives other persons a higher position in accordance with their greater ability and understanding, so God assigns every one of the angels to a specific charge according to his power and understanding. This is what the Rabbis mean when they say, “An angel can not perform two missions.” From this it appears that every angel is charged with a specific mission and power according to his understanding. Thus the Rabbis speak of the prince of fire, and the prince of water.

Now since the attributes of divine perfection are many, or rather infinite, as we shall see later, it follows that there are a great many separate intellects, as many as there are different degrees of understanding God, and of power of action bestowed by God upon them, without the one being cause and the other effect, and this too despite the fact that they are absolutely simple and that God is absolutely one. This opinion is true and correct, in agreement with the Torah and with philosophy, as we shall explain in the following chapter.