Great Chain of Being

The hierarchical structure of all matter and living beings. A classical and medieval Christian concept, the Great Chain of Being was believed to be ordained by God.

The concept of the Great Chain of Being, "catena aurea" or “scala naturae” gives every existing thing a place in the hierarchical structure made by God. It was used not only in the classical Christian period, but also in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The Great Chain of Being differentiates and orders the things according to their proportion of “spirit” and “matter”. Creatures with more “spirit” have a higher position, than things containing more “matter”. The Great Chain of Being divides all beings in groups, which are also structured hierarchically within themselves:

God, as omnipotent and omnipresent creator of all other beings, is at the top of the ladder and consists only of “spirit”.

Angels consist also only of “spirit” and are beyond the limitations of time. They possess language, emotions and feelings, but unlike God lack omnipotence and omnipresence. The group of angels had several subdivisions during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, creating three, seven, nine or even ten different groups of angels, but most common was the division made by Dionysius (~500 A.D) and St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) with nine groups of angels and their hierarchy: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominations, Principalities, Powers, Virtues, Archangels, Angels.

Man combines “spirit” and “matter”, because human beings are spiritual beings with passion and reason, but also have a body and are bound to the limitations of time. They have a special role in the chain of being, because of this duality between “spirit” and “matter”. Especially in the Renaissance the human being was seen as a “microcosm” reflecting the “macrocosm”, namely the structure of the world and its constituent parts: the four elements. The “humours” of the body “black bile”(earth), “yellow bile”(fire), “phlegm” (water) and “blood” (air), resembled the four elements. This shows also the correspondence between the different groups of the chain of being. In addition to that the concept of the Chain of Being was not only used by humans to differentiate themselves from other forms of beings, but also to create an order within themselves. Kings and Queens, for example, were directly positioned after the group of angels at the top of the groups of man (in other versions they are only below the Pope or on the same level with him). Other mighty people like Archbishops, Dukes and Bishops succeeded, while common people were seen in lower positions. The chain therefore provided a rationale for the authority of the rulers.

Animals lack the spiritual competence of humans but are animated beings with limited intelligence. They are also classified in several subdivisions, according to their living spaces or their skills. For example, animals like mussels are at the bottom of the chain, because they can not move on their own, whereas the lion and the elephant are considered as intelligent, powerful animals and therefore on the top of the animal group.

Plants are living beings, which can grow and reproduce, but cannot move on their own and have no intelligence. Trees build the top of this group, while fungi are at its bottom.

Minerals are the lowest beings, because they cannot grow and reproduce like plants and have no “spirit” but consist only of “matter”. They are divided into gems, metals and other forms of minerals like marble, sand etc.

Although the Chain of Being divides the different beings into groups, the concept of continuity is of high importance. This means that there are no huge differences between the groups, for example, between animals and plants, because the lowest animals are those, which are already close to the status of plants, according to their abilities to interact and to move etc. Furthermore the concept of correspondence shows the relation of all groups to each other, showing that everything is part of God’s creation and therefore belongs together and cannot be separated completely, but only ordered.

The concept of “correspondences” is especially relevant concerning the preservation of a monarch’s power. Not only was he or she – by nature – placed above all other human beings and therefore had the god-given right to rule, but according to the correspondence, an act against the King would entail horrible consequences for the disloyal, the state and even the entire universe. This idea is summed up by E.M.W. Tillyard under the headline “Macrocosm and Body Politic”. It means that order in the state duplicates order in the macrocosmic world. It was an effective mechanism against any revolutionary tendencies within the state.

Another form of correspondences is, for example, the interconnectedness of Macrocosm and Microcosm; meaning what has been said above about the “four humours”, man resembling a universe in himself with four elements. In the same respect, the blood circling our veins equals the rivers flowing on the surface of the earth, our breath stands for the air, the hair for the grass and the heart in the centre of the human body is equalled to the sun in the centre of the universe. Just as the correspondence between the political body and the universe can preserve the monarch’s power, this idea could serve as a moral statute and hypothetically bring somebody to live a healthy life.

While the Great Chain of Being provides a comprehensible order for the people, the correspondences connect it to the people’s everyday life.

Sources:

Lovejoy, Arthur O. The Great Chain of Being. A Study of the History of an Idea. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1961.

“Renaissance.” A Guide to the Study of Literature: A Companion Text for Core Studies 6, Landmarks of Literature. 23 Sept. 2001. Dept. of English, Brooklyn College, http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/ren.html. Accessed 10 July 2010.

Tillyard, E.M.W. The Elizabethan World Picture. New York: Vintage Books, 1959.