Angels serve, but prayer goes to God
After this, as though Jews or Christians would answer that those who come down to men are angels, he says, “But if you speak of certain angels,” and goes on to ask, “what do you call them: gods, or some other kind of being?” Then again he brings them in as if they had answered, “Some other kind, presumably: the demons.” Come, let us consider this too.
For we too do indeed acknowledge that there are angels, who are “ministering spirits, sent out for service for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14). They ascend, bringing men’s petitions up to the purest regions of the world, the heavenly ones, or even to the regions above the heavens, which are purer still; and they come down again from there, bringing to each, as he deserves, something of what God commands them to minister to those who receive the benefit. Since we have learned to call them angels from the work they do, we find that, because they are divine, they are sometimes even named “gods” in the sacred Scriptures. Yet this is not so that we should be commanded to revere and worship, in place of God, those who minister to us and bring us the things of God.
For every supplication and prayer and intercession and thanksgiving (1 Timothy 2:1) must be sent up to the God who is over all, through the High Priest who is above all the angels, the living Word and God. And we shall make supplication to the Word himself also, and intercede with him, and give thanks to him, and pray to him too, if we can understand how the word “prayer” is used in its strict sense and in its looser sense.
Greek
Ἐπεὶ δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα, ὡς ἀποκριναμένων ἂν Ἰουδαίων ἢ Χριστιανῶν περὶ τῶν πρὸς ἀνθρώπους καταβαινόντων ὅτι εἶεν ἄγγελοι, φησίν· εἰ δέ τινας ἀγγέλους φατὲ, καὶ προσεπερωτᾷ λέγων· τίνας τούτους λέγετε; θεοὺς ἢ ἄλλο τι γένος; εἶτα πάλιν οἱονεὶ ἀποκριναμένους ἄγει ὅτι ἄλλο τι ὡς εἰκὸς, τοὺς δαίμονας· φέρε καὶ ταῦτα κατανοήσωμεν. ὁμολογουμένως μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἀγγέλους φαμὲν, „λειτουργικὰ“ ὄντας „πνεύματα“ καὶ „εἰς διακονίας ἀποστελλόμενα διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν“, ἀναβαίνειν μὲν προσάγοντας τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐντεύξεις ἐν τοῖς καθαρωτάτοις τοῦ κόσμου χωρίοις ἐπουρανίοις ἢ καὶ τοῖς τούτων καθαρωτέροις ὑπερουρανίοις, καταβαίνειν δ᾿ αὖ ἐκεῖθεν φέροντας ἑκάστῳ κατ᾿ ἀξίαν τῶν ἀπὸ θεοῦ τι αὐτοῖς διακονεῖν τοῖς εὐεργετουμένοις προστασσομένων. τούτους δὴ ἀγγέλους ἀπὸ τοῦ ἔργου αὐτῶν μεμαθηκότες καλεῖν, εὑρίσκομεν αὐτοὺς διὰ τὸ θείους εἶναι καὶ „θεοὺς“ ἐν ταῖς ἱεραῖς ποτε ὀνομαζομένους γραφαῖς, ἀλλ᾿ οὐχ ὥστε προστάσσεσθαι ἡμῖν τοὺς διακονοῦντας καὶ φέροντας ἡμῖν τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ σέβειν καὶ προσκυνεῖν ἀντὶ τοῦ θεοῦ. πᾶσαν μὲν γὰρ δέησιν καὶ προσευχὴν καὶ ἔντευξιν καὶ εὐχαριστίαν ἀναπεμπτέον τῷ ἐπὶ πᾶσι θεῷ διὰ τοῦ ἐπὶ πάντων ἀγγέλων ἀρχιερέως, ἐμψύχου λόγου καὶ θεοῦ. δεησόμεθα δὲ καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ λόγου καὶ ἐντευξόμεθα αὐτῷ καὶ εὐχαριστήσομεν καὶ προσευξόμεθα δὲ, ἐὰν δυνώμεθα κατακούειν τῆς περὶ προσευχῆς κυριολεξίας καὶ καταχρήσεως.