The chain of being

A creature

The traditional western worldview, which was shaped by the Christian Bible, was that humans are creatures – in other words, they were intentionally created by another. According to Genesis 2:4-25 God first creates man from the dust and breathes life into him. He then places man in the Garden of Eden (see Big ideas: Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, ‘Second Adam’). In order to provide companionship for man, animals and birds are then created and named by man. Finally, God creates woman as a partner for the man.

An ordered created world

In medieval times, the universe was seen as a hierarchy, with God, the Creator, as at the top. Everyone and everything else, having been made by God, was a ‘creature’ of God:

Next to God in the order of creation were the angelic spirits: there were thought to be nine orders, or ranks: Seraphs, Cherubs, Thrones, Principalities, Virtues, Powers, Dominions, Archangels, Angels.
Below these spirits were human beings, who were thought to be unique in having both a body, like animals, but also a spirit (orsoul).
Below mankind came animals, having body but no soul; then plants; then stones.

In traditional medieval imagery, humans were each seen as a miniature world (microcosm) which corresponded to the wider cosmos (macrocosm).

Spiritual soul and physical body

Medieval writers often described the body as a container for the soul, seeing the body as made of earth and the soul as a spirit trapped within it. This idea was partly derived from the Greek philosopher Plato, but also reflected the words of Genesis (see above).

Mortal and eternal

Human life is mortal, that is, it inevitably ends with physical death. Medieval people generally assented to the Christian teaching that all human beings have a soul which is immortal and reflects something of being made in God's image. Despite the relative brevity of human life, according to Christian belief the soul actually only wants to spend a short time in the world: it would far sooner be back in heaven. This was because humans were made in the image of God and welcomed the chance to be reunited with him.

(For more information see Big ideas: Death and resurrection.)

Today's New International Version: ⁴This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. ⁵Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no-one to work the ground, ⁶but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. ⁷Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. ⁸Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. ⁹The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground - trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. ¹⁰A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. ¹¹The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. ¹²(The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) ¹³The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. ¹⁴The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. ¹⁵The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. ¹⁶And the LORD God commanded the man, 'You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; ¹⁷but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will certainly die.' ¹⁸The LORD God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.' ¹⁹Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. ²⁰So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. ²¹So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. ²²Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. ²³The man said, 'This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman', for she was taken out of man.' ²⁴For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. ²⁵The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
King James Version: ⁴These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, ⁵And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. ⁶But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. ⁷And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. ⁸And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. ⁹And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. ¹⁰And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. ¹¹The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; ¹²And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. ¹³And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. ¹⁴And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates. ¹⁵And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. ¹⁶And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: ¹⁷But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. ¹⁸And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. ¹⁹And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. ²⁰And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. ²¹And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; ²²And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. ²³And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. ²⁴Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. ²⁵And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Name originally given to disciples of Jesus by outsiders and gradually adopted by the Early Church.

The Christian Bible consists of the Old Testament scriptures inherited from Judaism, together with the New Testament, drawn from writings produced from c.40-125CE, which describe the life of Jesus and the establishment of the Christian church.

Symbolic in the Bible of human mortality, echoed in the Anglican funeral service ('ashes to ashes, dust to dust').

The place described in the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament, in which God placed his first human creatures, Adam and Eve.

A body of persons or things ranked in grades, orders, or classes. Used specifically of the 'Nine orders of angels'.

The animate beings ' angels, humans, animals ' made by God.

Supernatural beings closely linked with the work of God; his messengers, traditionally portrayed as having a winged human form.

A non-physical being, or the non-physical but vital and intelligent part of a being, not limited by physical constraints.

Chief angel. In Christian tradition Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are considered to be archangels.

Supernatural beings closely linked with the work of God; his messengers, traditionally portrayed as having a winged human form.

The spirit which gives life to a human being; the part which lives on after death; a person's inner being (personality, intellect, emotions and will) which distinguishes them from animals.

The little world, human beings and their inner world, often seen as paralleling the macrocosm.

The bigger world or cosmos. Anything from a planet to the whole universe.

Name originally given to disciples of Jesus by outsiders and gradually adopted by the Early Church.

The Bible describes God as the unique supreme being, creator and ruler of the universe.

The Creation; Fall of humankind and universal or original sin; Noah and the Flood; the call of Abraham (start of salvation history), followed by the stories of the other patriarchs, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph.