"By decree of the angels and by command of the holy men"

Hello,

I am a non-Jewish historian, brought up by parents who were very sympathetic to the Jewish people. As a result, I have always been interested in various aspects of Jewish history.

I've recently immersed myself in Spinoza for a class I taught, and I was struck by a detail in the cherem I had not previously noticed: the words in the title. I knew Judaism had angels, but not holy men (or saints, as the text is also rendered) in the sense of people universally acknowledged and canonized for their piety.

To anyone familiar with the matter: could you explain to me how this works? How should the phrase be understood?

Thanks!