Angels And Spirits

...qui facit angelos suos spiritus et ministros suos ignem urentem... Commendandum est animo, quia hic specialiter de angelis dicitur, quod in libro Geneseos evidentius non habetur. Nam et verba ipsa sunt discutienda subtilius. Spiritus generale nomen est incorporalis potentisque substantiae, visibiliter sive invisibililter operans quod ei divinitus inspirature. Angelorum enim nomen non significat naturam, sed obsedientem. Angelus enim Graeca Lingua dicitur, qui Latine nuntius interpretatur: nam quando mittuntur angeli fiunt, cum tamen natura spiritus esse noscantur. Addidit, suos, ut illos ostenderet qui recta mente Domini voluntatibus obsecundant. Ordo enim verborum talis est: Qui spiritus suos facit angelos. Sequitur, et ministros suos ignem urentem. Minister Dei est omnis quo divinas exsequitur voluntates, et charitatis fervore semper accensus est. Talis enim vir coelestis ignis efficitur, quando verbo praedicationis peccantium nequitias urere et consumere posse monstratur. Sic enim ipse Dominus dicit: Ignem veni mittere in terram, ignis utique vitalis, ignis salutis, qui dum peccata consumit, animas nutrit. Cassiodorus, Expositio In Psalterium, Psalmus CIII Source: Migne PL 70.729b-c

...He who makes His spirits angels, and His ministers blazing fire... 1 It must be received by the soul, that here angels are spoken of in a special sense, which is not openly found in the book of Genesis. And these words must be distinguished most subtly. A spirit is a general name for an incorporeal and powerful substance, which working visibly or invisibly, is inspired by the Divinity. The name of angels does not signify the nature, but obedience, for 'angel' in the Greek tongue is translated into ours as 'messenger', since when they are sent out they are messengers, but their nature is known to be spiritual. He adds, 'His' to show them to be right minded followers of the Lord's wishes. For the sense of the words is: 'He who makes His spirits messengers.' It follows: 'And his ministers blazing fire.' A servant of God is everyone in whom the Divine wishes are followed, and he is always aflame with the fire of love. For the heavenly man is made fire when by the words of preaching the wickedness of sins is shown to be burnt and consumed. So the Lord says 'I have come to place fire on the earth,' 2 Life giving fire, the fire of salvation, which while it consumes sin, nourishes the soul. Cassiodorus, Commentary On The Psalms, from Psalm 103 1 Ps 103.4 2 Lk 12.49