Angels make the universe a friendlier, more companionable place, and importantly reveal that we are not the only conscious parts of God’s creation. Indeed, their difference from us helps us to understand more clearly what it is to be human. Comparing ourselves only to beasts and plants can give us too grandiose an idea of ourselves, while the existence of pure intelligences puts us in our place and de-centers us.

How do angels fit into the Christian cosmos – and how do they relate to us?