Abbot Elfric states that prior to the birth of Christ, man’s sin had brought about a coldness between mankind and angels. However, the birth of Christ in human flesh changed this, as we see from the way that angels treat men as inferiors in the Old Testament, but as their equals in the New.

Elfric explains that after Christ took human flesh the angels could no longer despise its weakness, because they felt obliged to honour in us what they worship in him. Nonetheless, Elfric warned us not to disappoint our new-found brethren among the angels by lowering ourselves in sin and forfeiting their respect.

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