Archangel is a term
meaning an angel of high rank. Archangels are found in a number of
religious traditions, including
Christianity,
Islam,
Judaism, and
Zoroastrianism.
Michael is the only archangel named in
the
Bible as recognized by both Jews and
Christians.
Gabriel, named in
Luke, is considered to be an archangel, as are
Raphael (mentioned in the
Book of Tobit) and
Uriel (mentioned in the
non-canonical Book of
Enoch). The Book of Tobit is included in the Catholic Canon of
the Bible; however, this book is considered apocryphal by many
Protestants. The archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are
venerated in the
Roman Catholic
Church with a feast on 29 September. The named Archangels in
Islam are Gabriel, Michael, Raphael and
Azrael. Other traditions have identified a group of
Seven Archangels, the names of
which vary, depending on the source.
The word
archangel derives
from the
Greek αρχάγγελος
archangelos.
In Judaism
The
Hebrew Bible uses the terms מלאכי
אלוהים (
melakh Elohim; Angels of God), מלאכי יהוה
(
melakh Adonai; Angels of the Lord), בני אלוהים (
b'nai
elohim; sons of God) and הקדושים (
ha-qodeshim; the
holy ones) to refer to beings traditionally interpreted as
angelic messengers. Other terms are used
in later texts, such as העליונים (ha-olinim, the upper ones, or the
Ultimate ones). Indeed, angels are uncommon except in later works
like
Daniel, though they are
mentioned briefly in the stories of
Jacob
(who, according to several interpretations, wrestled with an angel)
and
Lot (who was warned by angels of the
impending destruction of the cities of
Sodom and Gomorrah).
Daniel is the first biblical figure to refer to
individual angels by name. It is therefore widely speculated that
Jewish interest in angels developed during the
Babylonian captivity.
According to Rabbi Simeon ben
Lakish of Tiberias
(230–270
AD), all the specific names for the angels were brought back by the
Jews from Babylon
.
There are no explicit references to
archangels in the
canonical texts of the
Hebrew Bible (
Old
Testament). In
post-Biblical
Judaism, certain angels came to take on a particular
significance and developed unique personalities and roles. Though
these
archangels were believed to have
rank amongst the heavenly host, no systematic hierarchy ever
developed.
Metatron is considered one of
the highest of the angels in Merkavah and
Kabbalist mysticism and often serves as a scribe.
He is briefly mentioned in the Talmud, and figures prominently in
Merkavah mystical texts.
Michael, who serves as a warrior and
advocate for Israel ( ) is looked upon particularly fondly.
Gabriel is mentioned in the
Book of Daniel ( ) and briefly in the Talmud,
as well as many Merkavah mystical texts. The earliest references to
archangels are in the literature of the intertestamental periods
(
e.g., 4
Esdras 4:36).
Within the rabbinic tradition, the
Kabbalah, and the
Book of
Enoch chapter 20, and the
Life
of Adam and Eve, the usual
number of
archangels given is at least seven, who are the focal
angels. Three higher archangels are also commonly referenced:
Michael,
Raphael, and
Gabriel.
There is confusion about one of the following eight names,
concerning which one listed is not truly an archangel. They are:
Uriel,
Sariel,
Raguel, and
Remiel (possibly the
Ramiel of
the
Apocalypse of
Baruch, said to preside over true visions),
Zadkiel,
Jophiel,
Haniel and
Chamuel. Medieval
Jewish philosopher Maimonides made a
Jewish angelic hierarchy.
In addition, traditional homes often sing an ode to the angels
before beginning Friday night (
Shabbat)
dinner. It is entitled
Shalom Aleichem, meaning "peace
onto you" (referring to the angels as messengers of godly light,
peace and love).
In Christianity
The
New Testament speaks frequently of
angels (for example, angels giving messages to Mary, Joseph, and
the shepherds; angels ministering to Christ after his temptation in
the wilderness, an angel visiting Christ in his agony, angels at
the tomb of the risen Christ, the angels who liberate the Apostles
Peter and Paul from prison); however, it makes only two references
to "archangels." They are: Michael in
Jude 1:9 and
I Thessalonians 4:16,
where the "voice of an archangel" will be heard at the return of
Christ.
Catholic
In Catholicism, three are honoured by name
- St.Michael (see above)
- St. Gabriel
- St.Raphael, Raphael ( , ) (see
below)
St. Gregory the Great gave the
names of the other four:
Although this was overturned by St. Zachary a few years later as a
Bishop, Adalbertused the Kabbalah to pray to Uriel for his own
purposes. In the trial they said the "Uriel" he was praying to was
a demon (Accursed Uriel) and not "Blessed Uriel".
Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Tradition mentions "thousands of
archangels; however, only
seven
archangels are venerated by name. Uriel is included, and the
other three are most often named
Selaphiel,
Jegudiel, and
Barachiel (an
eighth,
Jeremiel, is sometimes included as archangel). The
Orthodox Church celebrates the
Synaxis of
the Archangel Michael and the Other
Bodiless Powers on
November 8 of Stencyl the
Eastern Orthodox liturgical
calendar (for those churches which follow the
Julian Calendar,
November 8 falls on
November 21 of the modern
Gregorian Calendar).
Other feast days of the Archangels include the Synaxis
of the Archangel Gabriel on March 26
(April 8), and the Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Colossae
on September 6 (September
19). In addition, every Monday throughout the year is
dedicated to the Angels, with special mention being made in the
church hymns of Michael and Gabriel. In Orthodox
iconography, each angel has a symbolic
representation:
- Michael in the
Hebrew language means "Who is like unto God?" or "Who is equal to
God?" St. Michael has been depicted from earliest Christian times
as a commander, who holds in his right hand a spear with which he
attacks Lucifer, Satan,
and in his left hand a green palm branch. At the top of the spear
there is a linen ribbon with a red cross. The Archangel Michael is
especially considered to be the Guardian of the Orthodox Faith and
a fighter against heresies.
- Gabriel means "Man
of God" or "Might of God." He is the herald of the mysteries of
God, especially the Incarnation of God and all other
mysteries related to it. He is depicted as follows: In his right
hand, he holds a lantern with a lighted taper inside, and in his
left hand, a mirror of green jasper. The
mirror signifies the wisdom of God as a hidden mystery.
- Raphael means
"God's healing" or "God the Healer" ( , ). Raphael is depicted
leading Tobit (who is carrying a fish caught in the Tigris
) with his
right hand, and holding a physician's alabaster jar in his left
hand.
- Uriel means "Fire of
God," or "Light of God" (III Esdras 3:1, 5:20). He is depicted
holding a sword against the Persians in his right hand, and a fiery
flame in his left.
- Sealtiel means "Intercessor of
God" (III Esdras 5:16). He is depicted with his face and eyes
lowered, holding his hands on his bosom in prayer.
- Jegudiel means "Glorifier of
God." He is depicted bearing a golden wreath in his right hand and
a triple-thonged whip in his left hand.
- Barachiel means "Blessing of
God." He is depicted holding a white rose in his hand against his
breast.
- (Jeremiel means "God's
exaltation." He is venerated as an inspirer and awakener of exalted
thoughts that raise a person toward God (III Ezra 4:36). As an
eighth, he is sometimes included as archangel.)
The edition of the Bible used by Protestants, which excludes the
Apocrypha, never mentions a "Raphael" and
he is therefore not recognized by many of them. Raphael, however,
is mentioned in the
Book of Tobit, one
of the
deuterocanonical
books. In the story, Raphael comes to the aid of Tobit, healing
him of blindness, and his son Tobias, driving away a demon that
would have killed him. Raphael also plays an important role in
the Book of Enoch.
In the canon of the
Ethiopian
Orthodox Church in
1 Enoch,
Saraqael is described as one of the angels
that watches over "the spirits that sin in the spirit." (20:7, 8)
(see
Ethiopian Orthodox
Church)
Protestant
The Protestant Bible provides names for two angels: Archangel
Michael and the angel
Gabriel.
Some
Protestants view Michael as the sole
archangel, as the only one explicitly described as such in the
Protestant canon of the Bible. ( ) In their view, Gabriel is never
called 'archangel' in the
Gospels. According
to
Origen, verse 1:9 of Jude is an insertion
that led to the writing of
The
Assumption of Moses.
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that
Michael is one of the names
Jesus has
in heaven. In this view, Michael is the first and greatest of all
God's creatures, the chief messenger of Jehovah that takes the lead
in vindicating God's sovereignty, sanctifying God's name, fighting
the forces of Satan and protecting God's people on earth.
(Revelation 12:7; 19:14,16• Daniel 12:1) This belief is held
because of the prominence Michael has among the heavenly sons of
God in the Bible, the similarity of Michael’s and Jesus’ mission
and the connection of Jesus with the archangelic office in 1
Thessalonians 4:16, where it is said: "Because the Lord himself
will descend from Heaven with a commanding call, with an
archangel's voice." Taking also into account that the Bible refers
to one archangel only using a definite article (Jude 9), Jehovah's
Witnesses have concluded that Michael and Jesus are one and the
same.
A similar opinion is held by certain Protestants, such as
Seventh-day Adventists, and the
Presbyterian Commentary author
Matthew
Henry, who believe that the Archangel Michael is not an angel,
and is instead the divine Son of God. In this view "archangel"
means "head of the angels" rather than "head angel," and is a title
similar to "Prince or Leader of the host." (
Daniel 8:11) While few Baptists hold to this view,
Seventh-day Adventists generally do.
The Fallen
- Lucifer The fallen archangel,
who aspired to rise to Godhood {Isaiah 14:14]. Lucifer was cast to
earth by Michael. Lucifer is known as Satan, The Serpent, The
Tempter. in his Day he was "the Anointed Cherubim" {Ezeikel 28:14}
and "the Morning Star" {Isaiah 14:12}
In Islam
In Islam, the named archangels include:
- Gabriel (or Jibraaiyl
or Jibril or Jibrail in Arabic). Gabriel is the Archangel
responsible for revealing the Qur'an to Muhammad. Gabriel is known
as the angel who communicates with the Prophets.
- Michael (Mikhail or Mikaaiyl
in Arabic). Michael is often depicted as the Archangel of mercy who
is responsible for bringing rain and thunder to Earth.
- Raphael (Israfil or
Israafiyl). According to the Hadith, Israfil is the Angel
responsible for signaling the coming of Judgment Day by blowing a
horn and sending out a Blast of Truth. It translates in Hebrew as
Raphael.
- Azrael, responsible for parting the soul
from the body. Although he is frequently referred to as Azrael in
Arabic, he is referred to as Malak al-Maut (the angel of death) in
the Quran (Surah al-Sajdah 32:11). There is also no mention of the
name Azrael in reference to Malak al-Maut found amongst the
verified Hadith of Bukhari.
Other traditions
Occultists sometimes associate archangels in
Kabbalistic fashion with various seasons or elements, or even
colors. In some Kabbalah-based systems of
ceremonial magic, all four of the main
archangels (Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel) are invoked as
guarding the four quarters, or directions, and their corresponding
colors are associated with magical properties.
In
anthroposophy, based on teachings
by
Rudolf Steiner, there are many
spirits belonging to the hierarchical level of archangel. In
general, their task is to inspire and guard large groups of human
beings, such as whole nations, peoples or ethnic groups. This
reflects their rank above the
angels who deal
with individuals (the
guardian angel)
or smaller groups. The main seven archangels with the names given
by Pope
Saint Gregory I are Michael,
Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel (or
Anael),
Simiel (or
Samael),
Oriphiel and
Zachariel
have a special assignment to act as a global
Zeitgeist ("time spirit" or, "spirit of the
times/age"), each for periods of about 380 years. According to this
system, since 1879, Michael is the leading time spirit. Four
important archangels also display periodic spiritual activity over
the seasons:
Spring is Raphael,
Summer (Uriel),
Autumn
(Michael) and
Winter is Gabriel. In
anthroposophy, archangels may be good or evil; in particular, some
of their rank are collaborators of
Ahriman,
whose purpose is to alienate humanity from the spiritual world and
promote materialism and heartless technical control.
Another Catholic variation lists them corresponding to the days of
the week as: St
Michael
(Sunday), St
Gabriel (Monday), St
Raphael (Tuesday), St
Uriel (Wednesday), St
Sealtiel/
Selaphiel
(Thursday), St
Jehudiel/
Jhudiel (Friday), and St
Barachiel (Saturday).
In the lesser banishing ritual of the
pentagram, the invocation includes the words
"Before me Raphael; Behind me Gabriel; On my right hand Michael; On
my left hand Auriel [Uriel]..."
In art, archangels are sometimes depicted with larger wings and
many eyes. Some of the more commonly represented archangels are
Gabriel, Michael, Raphael,
Metatron, Uriel,
and
Satanel.
See also
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