Choir of Powers: Origin, Pseudo-Dionysius and Angels 33 to 40

Who are the Powers?

The Powers are the fifth choir of the list of 72 (the sixth in Pseudo-Dionysius). The Latin word potestates translates the Greek exousiai, which means “powers” or “authorities”: the capacity to decide and to have a decision respected. Several modern translations also use “Authorities”. These Powers are therefore not raw forces, but ordered authorities.

In the Kabbalistic and esoteric tradition of the 72 angels, this choir groups angels 33 to 40. For the origin of the list, read our introduction to the 72 angels.

The Powers in the Bible

The Greek word exousiai recurs in several passages:

• Ephesians 1:21 and Colossians 1:16: alongside thrones, dominions, principalities and virtues.
• Ephesians 3:10: God’s wisdom is made known “to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places” through the Church.
• 1 Peter 3:22: Christ has gone up to heaven, and “angels and authorities and powers” are made subject to him.

A point of honesty: the same words elsewhere designate hostile powers, as in Ephesians 6:12 (“principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world”) or Colossians 2:15. In Paul’s letters they also serve for human authorities (Romans 13:1). Translators and theologians disagree on the exact meaning depending on context, and tradition has kept both readings.

The Powers according to Pseudo-Dionysius

In the “Celestial Hierarchy” attributed to Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (around 500, chapter 8), the Powers form the third order of the second triad, after the Dominions and the Virtues. Pseudo-Dionysius describes them as the ones who maintain the divine order: their authority remains harmonious, it does not tip into tyranny, and it places itself at the service of good.

The list of 72 angels, however, places the Powers before the Virtues (Powers 33 to 40, Virtues 41 to 48), whereas Pseudo-Dionysius puts them after. This is one example among others of the freedom authors take with these rankings.

The eight angels of the choir in the list of 72

In the list of 72 names of the Shem HaMephorash, the Powers group eight angels, from no. 33 to no. 40. Each reigns five days in the year and twenty minutes in the day, according to the most common calendar.

Among the eight Powers, see for example Chavakiah (reconciliation) and Aniel (courage and recovery): their pages show how this choir branches into very human themes.

Dates follow the most common calendar (angel no. 1 reigns from March 21 to 25, then five days per angel); sources sometimes shift by a few days: see how to calculate your guardian angel.

Other readings and images

Other readings:

• Medieval tradition often sees them as those who contain evil and guarantee the order of the world. This function is a reading by Thomas Aquinas and Gregory the Great, not a fact of the biblical text.
• Camael is cited by some authors as chief of the Powers; see our page on the archangel Chamuel (Camael), whose traditional figure is martial.
• Iconography sometimes shows them in armor, with a shield or a chain to hold back evil. These representations are late.
• The Roman liturgy: an ancient preface says that the Angels praise the majesty of God, that the Dominions adore him and that the Powers tremble before him. The vocabulary is that of the hierarchy of Pseudo-Dionysius.

A symbolism for today

In today’s symbolism, the Powers evoke the capacity to set a framework: knowing how to say no, setting a limit, enforcing a rule without violence. A limit set with clarity is not an aggression; it is often what makes a relationship viable.

This reading invites reflection on your own limits. It promises no protection.

A gentle practice

An exercise of “limit set”, ten minutes:

1. Identify a situation where you say yes when you would like to say no (a request, a habit, a way of treating yourself).
2. Phrase the limit in one sentence in the first person: “I cannot…”, “I need…”, without accusing.
3. Write what you fear might happen, then what is most likely.
4. If you decide to, choose the moment and the person with whom you will test this sentence.

This exercise belongs to personal reflection and does not replace medical advice or psychological support. If you are in a relationship where you are afraid, the 3919 (the national helpline for women who are victims of violence, in France) or, in case of danger, 17 (in France) or 112 (the emergency number throughout the European Union) can answer you.

What to keep in mind

The nine choirs are a construction of Christian theology, based on Pseudo-Dionysius (around 500), then on Gregory the Great and Thomas Aquinas. This scheme relies on lists of names from the New Testament; it is not an official teaching of the Church, which affirms the existence of angels (Catechism, § 328) without fixing a precise hierarchy.

The attribution of eight Kabbalistic angels to each choir is, for its part, an esoteric construction of the Renaissance, which the Catholic Church does not recognise: it retains only the three archangels named in Scripture, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Nothing shows that a specific angel corresponds to your date of birth, and no one can promise you protection or an event. Read these pages as a symbolic bestiary: for the images and the reflection they inspire.

See also the guide to the 72 angels and the guide to the archangels.

Frequently asked questions

Also read

The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice. Back to Guide to the 72 guardian angels.