Communication: On Being an Angel. Incarnation and Angelic Communication in Medieval Christian Theology: Modern Reflections,Starting with Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologica

Communication involves incarnation in a twofold sense: it assumes a body, and it brings thoughts and values into being. The question of angelic communication, as a theoretical model for language and thought in medieval Christian theology, combines the two senses: for Thomas Aquinas, angels communicate among themselves without bodies, given that as immaterial beings they transmit their thoughts by will alone; but they need bodies in order to “appear” to humans and communicate with them. This indicates, if only by default, the place of incarnation in communication—for those of us who are not angels.