The concept ofSeven Archangels is found in some works of earlyJewish literature and inChristianity.[1] In those texts, they are referenced as the angels who serve God directly.
TheCatholic Church venerates seven archangels: inLatin Christianity, three are invoked by name (Michael,Gabriel, andRaphael) while theEastern Catholic Churches name seven.Lutheranism andAnglicanism's traditions generally recognize four known archangels: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and sometimes Uriel. Non denominational Protestant churches often venerate only Gabriel and Michael.
In theCoptic tradition, the Seven Archangels are Michael, Gabriel, Raphael,Surael,Sedakiel,Sarathael, andAnanael. In parts ofOriental Orthodox Christianity andEastern Orthodox Christianity,Eight Archangels may be honoured, including Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, as well asSalathiel,Jegudiel,Barachiel, andJeremiel.[1] The Eight Archangels are commemorated on theFeast of the Archangels.[2]
The termarchangel itself is not found in theHebrew Bible or the ChristianOld Testament, and in the GreekNew Testament the termarchangel only occurs in1 Thessalonians 4 (1 Thessalonians 4:16) and theEpistle of Jude (Jude 1:9), where it is used ofMichael, who inDaniel 10 (Daniel 10:12) is called 'one of the chief princes,' and 'thegreat prince'. In theSeptuagint, this is rendered "the great angel."[3]
The idea of seven archangels is most explicitly stated in thedeuterocanonical/apocryphalBook of Tobit whenRaphael reveals himself, declaring: "I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who stand in the glorious presence of the Lord, ready to serve him." (Tobit 12,15) The other two angels mentioned by name in the Bibles used by Catholics and Protestants are the archangelMichael and the angelGabriel;Uriel is named in 2 Esdras (4:1 and 5:20) andJerahmeel is named in 2 Esdras 4:36, a book that is regarded as canonical by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, the Georgian and Russian Orthodox Churches,[4] and falls within the Apocrypha section of the Protestant Bible used by Lutherans and Anglicans. The names of other archangels come from tradition.
Zechariah 4,10 tells about "seven rejoices" that are "the eyes of the Lord, Which scan to and from throughout the whole earth."[5]Revelation 8 (Revelation 8:2) mentions seven angels (Ancient Greek:ἀγγέλους[6]) who "stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets." Similarly,Revelation 16 (Revelation 16:1) indicates: "and I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels (Ancient Greek:ἑπτὰ ἀγγέλοις[7]): Go and pour out the seven bowls of the wrath of God into the earth." Lastly,Revelation 4 andRevelation 5 (Revelation 4:5) mention "seven Spirits" (Ancient Greek:τα ἑπτά Πνεύματα, transliterated into "ta heptaPneumata" – whose identity is not well specified – who are the "seven lamps of fire [that] were burning before thethrone".[5]
One such tradition of archangels comes from the Old Testamentbiblical apocrypha, the third century BCBook of the Watchers,[8] known as1 Enoch or theBook of Enoch, eventually merged into the Enochic Pentateuch.[9][10] This narrative is affiliated with theBook of Giants, which also references the great archangels[11][12] and was made part of theEthiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church'sscriptural canon. Although prevalent in Jewish and early Christian apostolic traditions and the earlyChurch Fathers, theBook of Enoch gradually fell from academic and religious status, and by the seventh century was rejected from thecanonical scriptures of all other Christian denominations.
The names of the archangels entered Jewish tradition during theBabylonian captivity (605 BC).Babylonian folklore and cosmology,[13] andearly Mesopotamian beliefs under the dualistic influence ofZoroastrianism, centered aroundanthropomorphic andzoomorphic representations ofstars, planets, andconstellations, including the four sons of theSky Father carrying theWinged Sun, the throne ofWisdom. First the prophetDaniel, then authors such as Ezekiel hebraized this mythology, equating the Babylonian constellations withabstract forms held to be "sons of the gods", angels of the Lord of Israel, and heavenly animalcherubim. The 2 BCBook of Parables (Ch XL) names the four angels accompanying theAncient of Days, standing before the Lord of Spirits, "the voices of those upon the four sides magnifying the Lord of Glory": Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, andPhanuel.
The Book of the Watchers (Ch IX) lists the angels who inantediluvian times interceded on behalf of mankind against the rogue spirits termed "theWatchers": Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, andUriel.
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The earliest specific Christian references are in the late 5th to early 6th century:Pseudo-Dionysius gives them as Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel,Camael,Jophiel, andZadkiel.[14] InWestern Christian traditions,Michael,Gabriel andRaphael are referred to as archangels.[15] Through its Byzantine tradition, however, the Catholic Church recognizes seven archangels altogether, sometimes named, sometimes unnamed other than the three mentioned above.
Lists of archangels also exist in smaller religious traditions usually regarded within mainstream Christianity asoccultist orsuperstitious.[which?] A reference to seven archangels appeared in an 8th- or 9th-centurytalisman attributed to Auriolus, a "servant of God" in north-western Spain. He issues a prayer to "all you patriarchs Michael, Gabriel, Cecitiel, Uriel, Raphael,Ananiel, Marmoniel.[16]
In theCatholic Church, three archangels are mentioned by name inits Biblical canon: Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. Raphael appears in thedeuterocanonicalBook of Tobit, where he is described as "one of the seven angels who stand ready and enter before the glory of the lord of spirits",[17] a phrase recalled inRevelation 8:2–6. Three Popes rejected to authorize venerationof the purported names of the Seven Archangels within the Roman Catholic Church:Pope Leo XII (1826–1828),[18]Pope Pius VIII (1830) andPope Gregory XVI (1831–1832).[19] TheDirectory on popular piety and the Liturgy (2001) at n. 217 states that "the practice of assigning names to the Holy Angels should be discouraged, except in the case of Gabriel, Raphael and Michael whose names are contained in Holy Scripture."[20]
SomeEastern Orthodox Churches, exemplified in the Orthodox Slavonic Bible (Ostrog Bible,Elizabeth Bible, and later consequentlyRussian Synodal Bible), recognize as authoritative also2 Esdras, which mentions Uriel andJerahmeel.
The Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches of the Byzantine tradition venerate seven to eight archangels.[1] Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Selaphiel (Salathiel), Jegudiel (Jehudiel), Barachiel, and the eighth, Jerahmeel (Jeremiel) (The Synaxis of the Chief of the Heavenly Hosts, Archangel Michael and the Other Heavenly Bodiless Powers: Feast Day: November 8).[21]
As well as Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel, theBook of Enoch, regarded as canonical by theEthiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, mentions (in chapter 20) Raguel, Saraqâêl, andRemiel;[22] however, apocryphal sources give instead the names Izidkiel, Hanael, and Kepharel.[23] Within theOriental Orthodox Christian denominations, theEthiopian Orthodox tradition names seven Archangels asMichael,Gabriel,Raphael,Uriel,Raguel,Phanuel, and Remiel;[24] in theCoptic Orthodox tradition the seven to eight archangels are named as Michael, Gabriel, Raphael,Suriel,Zadkiel,Sarathiel, andAnaniel,[25][26][27] as well as oftenSakakael.[1]
In theLutheran andAnglican traditions there are three archangels celebrated in September 29, the feast of St Michael and All Angels (also calledMichaelmas), namely Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael.[15][28] Uriel is not officially recognized or named in Anglican doctrine, though some still include him; one Episcopal church,St. Uriel’s Episcopal Church, bears his name.[29][30][31][32][33]
Other names derived frompseudepigrapha areSelaphiel,Jegudiel, andRaguel.
InIsmailism, there are seven cherubim, comparable to the Seven Archangels ordered to bow down beforeQadar, of whomIblis refuses.[34]
InYazidism, there are seven archangels, namedJabra'il,Mika'il,Rafa'il (Israfil), Dadra'il,Azrail, Shamkil (Shemna'il), andAzazil, who are emanations from God entrusted with care of the creation.[35]
Various occult systems associate each archangel with one of the traditional "seven luminaries" (classical planets visible to the naked eye): theSun, theMoon,Mercury,Venus,Mars,Jupiter, andSaturn.[36] Different traditions associate different archangels to each planet.
According toRudolf Steiner, four archangels govern the seasons:spring is Raphael,summer is Uriel,autumn is Michael, andwinter is Gabriel.[37]
According to occultistHelena Petrovna Blavatsky, the Seven Archangels were a form ofsyncretism between different religions: they were theChaldeans great gods, the SevenSabian Gods, the seven HinduistManus andSeven Rashi, as well as the Seven Seats (Thrones) and Virtues of theKabbalists.[38]
In the earlyGnostic textOn the Origin of the World, theaeon namedSophia sends seven archangels to rescue theArchon Sabaoth and bring him to the eighth heaven.[39]
It is worth mentioning that St Michael's Day (21/8 November) is the feast of the seven/eight Archangels and the hosts of Holy Angels, who, as have been mentioned, are numberless
