Devotion to Angels: the ancient story of the 7 Archangels of the Bible

The Seven Archangels - also known as Observers because they tend to humanity - are mythical beings found in the Abrahamic religion that underlies Judaism, Christianity and Islam. According to the "De Coelesti Hierarchia dello Pseudo-Dionisio" written in the fourth to fifth century AD, there was a nine-level hierarchy of the celestial host: angels, archangels, principalities, powers, virtues, domains, thrones, cherubs, and seraphim . The angels were the lowest of these, but the archangels were right above them.

Seven archangels of biblical history
There are seven archangels in the ancient history of the Judeo-Christian bible.
They are known as The Watchers because they take care of humans.
Michael and Gabriel are the only two named in the canonical Bible. The rest were removed in the XNUMXth century when the books of the Bible were configured at the Council of Rome.
The main legend concerning the archangels is known as the "Myth of the fallen angels".
Archangels background
There are only two Archangels called in the canonical Bible used by both Catholics and Protestants, as well as in the Koran: Michael and Gabriel. But, originally there were seven discussed in the apocryphal text of Qumran called "The Book of Enoch". The other five have different names but are more often called Raphael, Urial, Raguel, Zerachiel and Remiel.

The archangels are part of the "Myth of the Fallen Angels", an ancient history, much older than the New Testament of Christ, although Enoch is thought to have been collected for the first time around 300 BC. The stories come from the period of the first Bronze Age temple in the XNUMXth century BC, when the temple of King Solomon was built in Jerusalem. Similar stories are found in ancient Greek, Hurrian and Hellenistic Egypt. The names of the angels are borrowed from the Babylonian civilization of Mesopotamia.

Fallen angels and the origins of evil
In contrast to the Jewish myth about Adam, the myth of fallen angels suggests that humans in the Garden of Eden were not (entirely) responsible for the presence of evil on earth; they were the fallen angels. The fallen angels, including Semihazah and Asael and also known as the Nephilim, came to earth, took human wives and had children who turned out to be violent giants. Worse still, they taught the celestial secrets of the Enoch family, especially precious metals and metallurgy.

The consequent bloodshed, says the Angel Fallen story, caused a clamor from the earth strong enough to reach the gates of heaven, which the archangels reported to God. Enoch went to heaven on a fiery chariot to intercede, but was blocked by heavenly hosts. Eventually, Enoch was transformed into an angel ("The Metatron") for his efforts.

God then commissioned the archangels to intervene, warning Noah's descendant of Adam, imprisoning the guilty angels, destroying their offspring and purifying the earth that the angels had polluted.

Anthropologists note that the story of Cain (the peasant) and Abel (the shepherd) could reflect the anxieties of society resulting from competing food technologies, so the myth of fallen angels could reflect those between farmers and metallurgists.

Rejection of mythologies
During the Second Temple period, this myth was transformed, and some religious scholars such as David Suter believe that it is the myth behind the rules of endogamy - who is allowed a high priest to marry - in the Jewish temple. Religious leaders are warned by this story that they should not marry outside the circle of the priesthood and certain families of the lay community, lest the priest run the risk of desecrating his seed or family.

What is left: the book of Revelation
However, for the Catholic Church, as well as the Protestant version of the Bible, a fragment of the story remains: the battle between the single fallen angel Lucifer and the archangel Michael. This battle is found in the book of Revelation, but the battle takes place in heaven, not on earth. Although Lucifer fights a host of angels, only Michael is named among them. The rest of the story was removed from the canonical bible by Pope Damasus I (366-384 AD) and by the Council of Rome (382 AD).

Now war began in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there was no place left for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown to earth, that ancient serpent, which is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world, was thrown to earth and his angels were thrown down with him. (Revelation 12: 7-9)

Michael

Archangel Michael is the first and most important of the archangels. His name means "Who is like God?" which is a reference to the battle between the fallen angels and the archangels. Lucifer (aka Satan) wanted to be like God; Michael was his antithesis.

In the Bible, Michael is the general angel and advocate for the people of Israel, the one who appears in Daniel's visions while in the lion's den, and guides the armies of God with a powerful sword against Satan in the Book of Apocalypse. He is said to be the patron saint of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. In some occult religious sects, Michael is associated with Sunday and the sun.

Gabriel
The Annunciation

The name of Gabriel is translated in various ways as "the strength of God", "hero of God", or "God has shown himself powerfully". He is the holy messenger and the Archangel of wisdom, revelation, prophecy and visions.

In the Bible, it is Gabriel who appeared to the priest Zechariah to tell him that he would have a son called John the Baptist; and appeared to the Virgin Mary to let her know that she would soon give birth to Jesus Christ. He is the patron of the Sacrament of Baptism, and the occult sects connect Gabriel to Mondays and the moon.

Raphael

Raphael, whose name means "God heals" or "The healer of God", does not appear in the canonical Bible by name at all. He is considered the Archangel of Healing and, as such, there may be a reference to him in John 5: 2-4:

In the [pond of Bethaida] lay a great multitude of sick, blind, lame, withered people; waiting for the movement of the water. And an angel of the Lord descended at certain moments into the pond; and the water was moved. And the one who first descended into the pond after the movement of the water was made whole, of whatever illness he was under. John 5: 2-4
Raphael is in the apocryphal book Tobit, and is the patron of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and connected to the planet Mercury and Tuesday.

The other archangels
These four archangels are not mentioned in most modern versions of the Bible, because the book of Enoch was judged to be non-canonical in the fourth century CE. Consequently, the Council of Rome of 382 CE removed these Archangels from the list of beings to be venerated.

Uriel: Uriel's name translates to "Fire of God" and is the Archangel of Repentance and the Damned. He was the specific observer in charge of overseeing Hades, the patron of the sacrament of confirmation. In occult literature, it is related to Venus and Wednesday.
Raguel: (also known as Sealtiel). Raguel translates into "Friend of God" and is the Archangel of Justice and Fairness, and patron of the Sacrament of Orders. It is associated with Mars and Friday in occult literature.
Zerachiel: (also known as Saraqael, Baruchel, Selaphiel or Sariel). Called "the command of God", Zerachiel is the Archangel of God's Judgment and the patron of the Sacrament of Marriage. Occult literature associates it with Jupiter and Saturday.
Remiel: (Jerahmeel, Jeudal or Jeremiel) Remiel's name means "Thunder of God", "Mercy of God" or "Compassion of God". It is the Archangel of Hope and Faith, or the Archangel of Dreams, as well as the patron saint of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, and connected to Saturn and Thursday in the occult sects.