# angels on he head of a pin, or needle **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [June 28, 2000, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angels-on-he-head-of-a-pin-or-needle/23806 "2000-06-28T00:45:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mcgowan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@mcgowan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgowan)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2000, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angels-on-he-head-of-a-pin-or-needle/23806/1 "2000-06-28T00:45:09Z")
All things sublunary(under the moon) were thought to be composed of the four elements - earth, air, fire, water. Angels on the other hand were composed of the fifth element, ether, which could not combine with any of the above. Therefore it is not a question, it is a typical medieval verbal trick…like the one about unicorns could only be captured by virgins. No unicorns…ergo… ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2000, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angels-on-he-head-of-a-pin-or-needle/23806/2 "2000-06-28T04:44:10Z")
This was actually one of Cecil’s columns, not a mailbag answer: [Did medieval scholars argue over how many angels could dance on the head of a pin?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_132.html). I’m sure that CKDextHavn will bump it over there momentarily, and then Arnold can tell us what page of what book it’s on. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2000, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angels-on-he-head-of-a-pin-or-needle/23806/3 "2000-06-28T18:20:58Z")
_Arnold can tell us what page of what book it’s on._ But you already have that knowledge–you just weren’t aware of it. There are currently five Straight Dope volumes – Cecil’s pentateuch, so to speak. (Plus the apocryphal _Know it All!_ by little Ed, which of course is not canonical). The Master’s five works, in chronological order, are 1. _The Straight Dope_ 2. _More of the Straight Dope_ 3. _Return of the Straight Dope_ 4. _The Straight Dope Tells All_ 5. _Triumph of the Straight Dope_ Moreover, at no additional charge, each page of each volume is individually numbered. Next, look closely at the URL for this column: [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4\_132.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_132.html) The **a4** refers the the fourth volume, while **132** is the page number. Thus, this column appears on page 132 of _The Straight Dope Tells All_. (Also, Mr. Green did it in the Conservatory with a Candlestick. But I’m not telling how I figured that out). ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2000, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/angels-on-he-head-of-a-pin-or-needle/23806/4 "2000-06-29T00:59:58Z")
Chronos and whitetho have pretty much said what I was going to say (thank you fellow posters to the SDMB), but I still feel the urge to go through my pre-programmed spiel: Welcome to the SDMB, and thank you for posting your comment. Please include a link to Cecil’s column if it’s on the straight dope web site. To include a link, it can be as simple as including the web page location in your post (make sure there is a space **before** and **after** the text of the URL). Cecil’s column can be found on-line at the link provided by Chronos. The column can also be found in the [_book by Cecil Adams_](http://www.straightdope.com/otheroutlets/books.html) mentioned by whitetho.