Raphael (archangel)

For other uses, see Raphael (disambiguation).

Raphael (Standard Hebrew רפאל, "God has healed") is the name of an archangel of Judaism and Christianity, who performs all manner of healing. The Hebrew word for a doctor of medicine is Rophe connected to the same root word as Raphael.

The angels mentioned in the older books of the Hebrew Bible are without names. Indeed, Rabbi Simeon ben Lakish of Tiberias (230-270 CE), asserted that all the specific names for the angels were brought back by the Jews from Babylon, and modern commentators would tend to agree.

Of seven archangels in the angelology of post-Exilic Judaism, only two, Gabriel and Michael are mentioned by name in the scriptures that gradually became accepted as canonical. The five others, however, are named in the 2nd century BC Book of Enoch (chapter xxi): Uriel, Raguel, Sariel, Jarahmeel and Raphael

Raphael in Christianity

The name of the archangel Raphael appears only in the deutero-canonical Book of Tobit (Tobias). There he first appears disguised in human form as the travelling companion of the younger Tobias, calling himself "Azarias the son of the great Ananias". During the adventurous course of the journey the archangel's protective influence is shown in many ways including the binding of the demon in the desert of upper Egypt. After the return and the healing of the blindness of the elder Tobias, Azarias makes himself known as "the angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord" (Tobit, xii, 15). Compare the unnamed angels in John's Apocalypse viii, 2.

Regarding the healing powers attributed to Raphael, we have little more than his declaration to Tobit (Tobit, 12) that he was sent by the Lord to heal him of his blindness and to deliver Sarah, his daughter-in-law, from the devil that was the serial killer of her husbands.

As the main character of the Book of Tobit, which is included in the Septuagint but assigned an apocryphal status by Protestant churches, many Protestant groups do not acknowledge Raphael.

Raphael is not often the patron of Christian churches. Notable exceptions are St. Raphael's Cathedral in Dubuque, Iowa –- seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque, and St. Raphael's Cathedral Parish in Madison, Wisconsin –- seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison. He has made only a light impression on Catholic geography: Saint Raphaël, France and Saint Raphaël, Quebec, Canada; San Rafaels in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Mexico, Peru, the Philippines and in Venezuela as San Rafael de Mohán and San Rafael de Orituco. In the United States, San Rafaels inherited from Mexico survive in California (where besides the city there are San Rafael Mountains), in New Mexico, and in Utah, where the San Rafael River flows seasonally in the San Rafael Desert.

In the New Testament, only the archangels Gabriel and Michael are mentioned by name (Luke, i, 19, 26; Epistle of Jude, 9). John 5:1-4, refers to the pool at Bethesda, where the multitude of the infirm lay awaiting the moving of the water, for "an angel of the Lord descended at certain times into the pond; and the water was moved. And he that went down first into the pond after the motion of the water was made whole of whatsoever infirmity he lay under". Because of the healing role assigned to Raphael, this particular angel is generally associated with the archangel.

Raphael in Islam

Israfil (Raphael in Arabic) is the Angel responsible for signalling the coming of Judgment Day by blowing a horn and sending out a "Blast of Truth". It translates to English as Azrael or one of the similar names. As with Jibra'il and Mika'il, this archangel was also mentioned in Qur'an.

Raphael in Angelology and the Occult

According to the occultist Johannes Trithemius (1462–1516), Raphael is one of the 7 angels of the Apocalypse (this opinion is derived from Enoch 20) and numbered among the 10 holy sefiroth. Furthermore, Raphael is also denoted as one of the 7 Archangels who stand in the presence of God, as well as a ruler of the Cherubim and Archangel classes in the heavenly hierarchy. The Archangel, alongside Zarachiel, also holds dominion over Raquia, the Second Heaven.

Modern occultists sometimes associate Raphael with the color Yellow, the direction East (or West), the element Air, and the Suit of Swords of the Tarot in traditions loosely derived from reports of Kabbalism. According to Francis Barrett (The Magus, vol. II, 1801), Raphael has also been denoted as the angel of science and knowledge, as well as the preceptor angel of Isaac. Other titles attributed to Raphael include the angel of prayer, love, joy, light, as well as the guardian of both The Tree of Life and humanity.

In Stregheria, Raphael's Grigori counterpart is Aldebaran.

Raphael in the Book of Enoch

Raphael allegedly bound Azzel under a desert called Dudael according to Enoch 10:5-7:

And again the Lord said to Raphael: 'Bind Azazel hand and foot, and cast him into the darkness: and make an opening in the desert, which is in Dudael, and cast him therein. And place upon him rough and jagged rocks, and cover him with darkness, and let him abide there for ever, and cover his face that he may not see light. And on the day of the great judgement he shall be cast into the fire.

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Raphael (archangel)

Raphael in Christianity

Raphael in Islam

Raphael in Angelology and the Occult

Raphael in the Book of Enoch

See also