Luther and Calvin Brigade 914: THE SEVEN ARCHANGELS

Sunday, September 29, 2013

THE SEVEN ARCHANGELS

As it is Michaelmas on this date, September 29, I will post an article about the Seven Archangels from different internet sources.

Seven Archangels (SOURCE: http://www.marianland.com/sanfrancis2/sevenarchangels.html)

INTERNET SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Archangels

The earliest reference to a system of seven archangels as a group appears to be in Enoch I (the Book of Enoch) which is not part of the Jewish Canon but is prevalent in the Judaic tradition, where they are named as Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, Uriel, Raguel, Remiel and Saraqael. While this book today is non-canonical in most Christian Churches, it was explicitly quoted in the New Testament (Letter of Jude 1:14-15) and by many of the early Church Fathers. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church to this day regards it to be canonical.

In the late 5th to early 6th century, Pseudo-Dionysius gives them as Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Chamuel, Jophiel, and Raguel.

The earliest Christian mention is by Pope Saint Gregory I who lists them as Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, Uriel (or Anael), Simiel, Oriphiel and Raguel. A later reference to seven archangels would appear in an 8th or 9th century talisman attributed to Auriolus, a "servant of God" in north-western Spain. He issues a prayer to "all you patriarchs Michael, Gabriel, Cecitiel, Oriel, Raphael, Ananiel, Marmoniel, who hold the clouds in your hands".

"Synaxis of the Archangel Michael" ("Собор Архистратига Михаила"). An Eastern Orthodox Church icon of the "Seven Archangels". From left to right: Jegudiel, Gabriel, Selaphiel, Michael, Uriel, Raphael, Barachiel. Beneath the mandorla of Christ Emmanuel are representations of Cherubim (in blue) and Seraphim (in red).

Archangels in current church traditions

The Catholic Church only explicitly names 3 archangels: Gabriel, Michael and Raphael. Gabriel and Michael are the only two named in the New Testament of the Bible. However, the same passages that name Raphael in the book of Tobit also states that he is "one of the seven who stand before God." The other names can be derived from traditional Jewish teaching. The Catholic Church suppresses the names of the other Archangels during the First Council of Nicaea.

The Eastern Orthodox tradition venerates Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, Uriel, Selaphiel, Jegudiel, and Raguel.

Another variation lists them corresponding to the days of the week as: Michael (Sunday), Gabriel (Monday), Raphael (Tuesday), Uriel (Wednesday), Selaphiel (Thursday), Raguel or Jegudiel (Friday), and Barachiel (Saturday).

In the Coptic Orthodox tradition the seven archangels are named as Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, Suriel, Zadakiel, Raguel and Aniel.

In Anglican and Episcopal tradition, there are three or four archangels in its calendar for September 29 feast for St. Michael and All Angels (also called Michaelmas: namely Gabriel, Michael and Raphael), and often, Uriel.

Council of Seven Holy Archangels. Russian icon in the early 1900s. (SOURCE: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:7_archangels.jpg)

Other views

In the more modern angelology, different sources disagree on the names and identities of the seven archangels. In the Book of Enoch, Remiel is also described as one of the leaders of the 200 Grigori, the fallen angels. Various occult systems associate each archangel with one of the traditional seven "luminaries" (the seven moving objects in the heavens that can be seen with the naked eye): the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn; but there is disagreement as to which archangel corresponds to which body.

According to Rudolf Steiner, four important archangels also display periodic spiritual activity over the seasons: Spring is Raphael, Summer is Uriel, Autumn is Michael, and Winter is Gabriel.

The seven archangels figure in some systems of ritual magic, each archangel bearing a specific seal.

There may be an etymological relationship between the three "disputed" Archangel names, and they may in fact be equivalent.

It could also be argued that each one of the seven archangels represents one of the heavenly virtues, in the same way that each of the seven princes of hell represents one of the deadly sins.