Raphael (archangel)
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Aloguinsan, Cebu , Philippines |
Raphael (
Origins in post-exilic literature
In the
Raphael first appears in two works of this period, 1 Enoch, a collection of originally independent texts from the 3rd century BCE, and the Book of Tobit, from the early 2nd century BCE.[14][15] In the oldest stratum of 1 Enoch (1 Enoch 9:1) he is one of the four named archangels, and in Tobit 12:11–15 he is one of seven.[16]
His name derives from the Hebrew
In post-biblical Judaism
According to the Babylonian
In Midrash Konen, it is revealed that Raphael was originally once named Libbiel[23][24] (Hebrew: לִבִּיאֵל Lībbīʾēl; Meaning: "God is my heart"). In the Midrash, God takes council with His Angels before he creates Adam the first Man. The Angels were not all of one opinion however, with differing views and reasons. The Angel of Love and Angel of Justice both favoured Man's creation as he would be affectionate and loving, alongside practicing Justice. The Angel of Truth and the Angel of Peace opposed his creation however, as he would be full of lies and be quarrelsome. To invalidate his protest, God cast the Angel of Truth down from Heaven to Earth, and when the others cried out against the treatment of their companion, He said, "Truth will spring back out of the earth." Before their objections, God had only told the Angels of the good there would be among Humans, but not of the evil too. Despite not knowing the whole truth, the Angels were nevertheless prompted to cry out: "What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that Thou visitest him?" God replied: "The fowl of the air and the fish of the sea, what were they created for? Of what avail a larder full of appetizing dainties, and no guest to enjoy them?" And the Angels could not but exclaim: "O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth! Do as is pleasing in Thy sight." For not a few of the Angels their opposition bore fatal consequences. When God summoned the band under the Archangel Michael, and asked their opinion on the creation of man, they answered scornfully: "What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that Thou visitest him?" God thereupon stretched forth His little finger, and all were consumed by fire except their Chief Michael. And the same fate befell the band under the leadership of the Archangel Gabriel; he alone of all was saved from destruction. The third band consulted was commanded by the Archangel Libbiel. Taught by the horrible fate of his predecessors, he warned his troop: "You have seen what misfortune overtook the Angels who said 'What is man, that Thou art mindful of him?' Let us have a care not to do likewise, lest we suffer the same dire punishment. For God will not refrain from doing in the end what He has planned. Therefore it is advisable for us to yield to His wishes." Thus warned, the Angels spoke: "Lord of the world, it is well that Thou hast thought of creating man. Do Thou create him according to Thy will. And as for us, we will be his attendants and his ministers, and reveal unto him all our secrets." Thereupon God changed the Archangel Libbiel's name to Raphael, the Rescuer, because his Host of Angels had been rescued by his sage advice. He was appointed the Angelic Prince of Healing, who has in his safe-keeping all the celestial remedies, the types of the medical remedies used on Earth.[25]
In the
In Rabbeinu Bahya, a commentary on the Torah written by Rabbi Bahya ben Asher (1255–1340), the Camp of Ephraim, situated to the west of the Tabernacle (Numbers 2:18),[27] corresponded to the celestial camp headed by the archangel Raphael supported by the angels Zavdiel and Achziel. It is also said that this was the camp that Moses alluded to when he prayed that Miriam be healed from her tzaraath by saying "please God heal her" (Numbers 12:13). He appealed to the attribute represented by Raphael.[28]
It is said in
In the Beginning of Wisdom, an introduction to
In kabbalistic astrology, Raphael is most commonly associated with the Sun (alongside Michael) and the planet Mercury.[35] The Zohar also associates him with the image of man in the tetramorph of the four holy living creatures of the Prophet Ezekiel's vision, alongside the zodiac sign of Aquarius, and in relation to the image of man; the Sephirah of Malkhuth (Kingdom)[36] and the Earth.[37][38] As well as Tiphereth and Malkhuth, the Zohar also has Raphael corresponding to the Sephirah of Hod (Majesty),[39] the Euphrates river (Hebrew: פְרָת Pərāt, Tiberian: Părāṯ; the fourth river of Eden in Genesis) the left leg of the body, and the Israelite Tribe of Ephraim. The text states: "The fourth (river) is Hod (Majesty), the "left leg" (referred to in what was said of Jacob, that "he halted on his left thigh"), and from it shall drink the camp of Raphael, whose mission is to heal the ills of the captivity, and with it the tribe of Ephraim and his two accompanying tribes (Manasseh and Benjamin)."[40][41]
It is also customary in
Christianity
The New Testament names only two archangels or angels, Michael and Gabriel (Luke 1:9–26; Jude 1:9; Revelation 12:7), but Raphael, because of his association with healing, became identified with the unnamed angel of John 5:1–4 who periodically stirred the pool of Bethesda "[a]nd he that went down first into the pond after the motion of the water was made whole of whatsoever infirmity he lay under".[44] The Catholic Church accordingly links Raphael with Michael and Gabriel as saints whose intercession can be sought through prayer.[45]
Patronage
Due to his actions in the Book of Tobit and the Gospel of John, Saint Raphael is considered patron of travelers, the blind, happy meetings, nurses, physicians, medical workers, matchmakers,[46] Christian marriage, and Catholic studies. As a particular enemy of the devil, he was revered in Catholic Europe as a special protector of sailors: on a corner of the famous Doge's Palace in Venice is a relief depicting Raphael holding a scroll on which is written: "Efficia fretum quietum" (“Keep the Gulf quiet”). On July 8, 1497, when Vasco da Gama set sail from Lisbon with his four-ship fleet to India, the flagship was named São Rafael at the insistence of King Manuel I of Portugal. When the flotilla reached the Cape of Good Hope on October 22, the sailors debarked and erected a column in the archangel's honor. The little statue of Raphael that accompanied Da Gama on the voyage is now in the Naval Museum in Lisbon.
Iconography
Raphael is said to guard pilgrims on their journeys, and is often depicted holding a staff. He is also often depicted holding or standing on a fish, which alludes to his healing of Tobit with the fish's gall.[47] Early mosaics often show him and the other archangels in the clothing of a Byzantine courtier.[48]
Feast day
The feast day of Raphael was included for the first time in the General Roman Calendar in 1921, for celebration on October 24. With the 1969 revision of the General Roman Calendar, the feast was transferred to September 29 for celebration together with archangels Saints Michael and Gabriel.[49] Pope Benedict XVI's Summorum Pontificum permitted, within certain limits for public use, the General Roman Calendar of 1960, which has October 24 as Raphael's feast day.
He is commemorated in some Spanish dioceses on the old date[50] and with a procession on 7 May in Cordoba, Spain.[51]
In the diocese of
The archangel Raphael is commemorated by the Eastern Orthodox Church on 8 November in the Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers.[53]
In the
The Coptic Orthodox Church celebrates Raphael's feast on Kouji Nabot 3[1] and Koiak 13.[citation needed]
In the Antiochian Western Rite Vicariate Saint Raphael the Archangel is commemorated on 24 October.[55]
Apparitions
The Archangel Raphael is said to have appeared in Cordoba, Spain, during the 16th century; in response to the city's appeal, Pope Innocent X allowed the local celebration of a feast in the Archangel's honor on May 7, the date of the principal apparition. Saint John of God, founder of the Hospital order that bears his name, is also said to have received visitations from Saint Raphael, who encouraged and instructed him. In tribute to this, many of the Brothers Hospitallers of St. John of God's facilities are called "Raphael Centers" to this day. The 18th century Neapolitan nun, Saint Maria Francesca of the Five Wounds, is also said to have seen apparitions of Raphael.
In Islam
Raphael (
The name "Israfil" (or "Israfel", "Esrafil") is not specifically written in the Quran, although there is mention of an unnamed trumpet-angel assumed to identify this figure:
And the trumpet shall be blown, so all those that are in the heavens and all those that are in the earth shall swoon, except him whom Allah will; then it shall be blown again, then they shall stand up awaiting.
— Qur'an (39.68)
Certain Islamic sources indicate that, created at the beginning of time, Israfil possesses four wings, and is so tall as to be able to reach from the earth to the pillars of heaven.[57] A beautiful angel who is a master of music, Israfil sings praises to God in a thousand different languages, the breath of which is used to inject life into hosts of angels who add to the songs themselves.[58] Further he is probably the highest angel, since he also mediates between God and the other archangels, reading on the Preserved Tablet (al-lawh al-mahfooz) to transmit the commands of God.[59] Although disputed, some reports assert he visited Muhammad prior to the archangel Gabriel.[60]
According to
In another account, Rafāʾīl (Arabic: رفائيل) is mentioned by name in the Islamic tradition narrated by Ath-Tha'labi from
The angel told
Places named for Raphael
The following places have been named in honor of Raphael:
Saint Raphaël, France; Saint Raphaël, Quebec, Canada; and San Rafaels in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, Peru, and the Philippines; also San Rafael de El Moján and San Rafael de Orituco in Venezuela.
- In the United States, patronages under the name San Rafael, inherited from Spanish tradition survive in California (where besides the city there are the San Rafael Mountains) and also:
- Mission San Rafael Arcángel in San Rafael, California.
- San Rafael Desert.
More recent examples include:
- St. Raphael's Cathedral, the seat of the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin
- Archdiocese of Dubuque
- St. Raphael's Episcopal Church in Crossville, Tennessee, in the Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee.
- St. Raphael the Archangel Catholic Church and School, Raleigh, North Carolina
- St. Raphael the Archangel Parish, Saint Louis, Missouri
- St. Raphael Hospital New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Elsewhere:
- St. Raphael’s Catholic Church, Yeading, Hayes, Middlesex, England
- St. Raphael's Church, Huccaby, Hexworthy, Dartmoor National Park, Devon, England
- San Rafael, Vecindario, Santa Lucia de Tirajana Gran Canaria
The Arcangelo Raffaello youth confraternity functioned in Florence, Italy from its founding in 1411 to its suppression in 1785.[62]
St. John of God Catholic Church in Chicago, Illinois, was disassembled, moved and reassembled as St. Raphael the Archangel Church in Mill Creek, Illinois.[63]
In popular culture
Raphael, along with many other prominent angels, appears in John Milton's Paradise Lost, in which he is assigned by God to re-warn Adam concerning the sin of eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He also expounds to Adam the War in Heaven in which Lucifer and the demons fell, and the creation of the Earth.[64]
In the Japanese light novel series Date A Live, Raphael is a spiritual weapon (referred to as angels within the series), belonging to Kaguya Yamai and Yuzuru Yamai. Raphael takes the form of a lance and a pendulum, becoming a bow and arrow when combined. It has the ability to manipulate wind.
In Joseph Haydn's Creation, Raphael (bass) is one of the three angelic narrators, along with Gabriel (soprano) and Uriel (tenor).
Characters associated with Angelic figures, at least by borrowing the names, also feature in the video game industry, as an example there is the title: El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron.[citation needed]
Raphael features as one of the four archangels in the TV series
In season 2 of the TV series Criminal Minds, the archangel Raphael is brought up as being one of Tobias Hankel's personalities.
In the
Gallery
See also
- List of angels in theology
- Angels in Judaism
- Feast of Saint Raphael, Ollur
- Saint Raphael, patron saint archive
Notes
- Amharic: ሩፋኤል, Rufaʾel.
References
- ^ a b "رئيس الملائكة الجليل رافائيل - كتاب الملائكة | St-Takla.org". st-takla.org.
- ^ "Strong's Hebrew Concordance – 7501".
- ISBN 978-1783746767.
- ^ a b Coogan 1993, p. 642.
- ^ Barnes 1993, p. 54.
- ^ Origen (248). "Origen Against Celsus, chapter XXX". . Vol. IV. Translated by Frederick Crombie – via Wikisource.
- ^ "Strong's Hebrew Concordance – 4397. malak".
- ^ Meier 1999, p. 47.
- ^ Grossman 2011, p. 52.
- ^ Van Henten 1999, p. 81.
- ^ Grossman 2011, p. 51.
- ^ Yerushalmi Rosh Hashanah 1:2.
- ^ Bereshit Rabba 48:9.
- ^ Esler 2017, p. 3.
- ^ a b Soll 2000, p. 1110.
- ^ Barker 2006, p. 123.
- ^ "Strong's Hebrew Concordance – 7495. rapha".
- ^ a b c Mach 1999, p. 688.
- ^ "Strong's Hebrew Concordance – 5838. Azaryah or Azaryahu".
- ^ "Bava Metzia 86b".
- ^ "Yoma 37a".
- ^ "Three Angels: Ask the Rabbi Response". aishcom. Archived from the original on 2020-09-23. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
- ^ "Otzar Midrashim, Midrash Konen 1.9". Sefaria.
- ^ לביאל יפה ראית לעצמך שריפאת מה שהרסו חבריך, מיד החליף את שמו וקרא אותו רפאל ומסר בידו כל מיני רפואות שבעולם. "Beautiful Libbiel, you saw for yourself that you healed what your friends destroyed." He immediately changed his name and called him Raphael, and He delivered in his hand all the types of medicines that are in the Universe. – Midrash Konen 1:9.
- ^ Ginzberg, R. Louis. "Legends of the Jews, 1.2". Sefaria.
- ^ "Midrash Tanchuma, Appendix to Chukat, Siman 1".
- ^ "Numbers 2:18". Sefaria.
- ^ "Rabbeinu Bahya, Bamidbar 2:2:8".
- ^ "Kav HaYashar 31:2".
- ^ "Strong's Hebrew Concordance – 8597".
- ^ "Strong's Hebrew Concordance – 2617".
- ^ "Strong's Hebrew Concordance – 1779".
- ^ "The Beginning of Wisdom 9:10".
- ^ "Sefer HaBahir 11". Sefaria.
- ISBN 9781568215037.
- ^ "Strong's Hebrew Concordance – 4438. malkhuth".
- ^ "Zohar 2.42a". Sefaria.
- ^ "Zohar, Bo: Chapter 13".
- ^ "Strong's Hebrew Concordance – 1935. hod".
- ^ "Zohar 1:15a". Sefaria.
- ^ "Zohar Extracts: The Zohar trans. Sperling, Harry Simon Maurice, 1934". The Socino Press, London.
- ^ Gershuny, Rabbi SB. "How To Go To Bed: The Bedtime Shema".
- ^ "Likutei Etzot, Berit 60".
- ^ "Sts. Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Archangels". Catholic News Agency.
- ^ Cresswell 2011, p. unpaginated.
- ISBN 0-87973-539-2
- ^ "St. Raphael's Parish: All About St. Raphael the Archangel". straphaelsparish.net.
- ^ "St. Raphael and Tobias in Christian Art and Iconography". www.christianiconography.info.
- ^ Calendarium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 143.
- ^ "Córdoba 24 | Día de San Rafael – 24 de octubre de 2022". www.cordoba24.info. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
- ^ "San Rafael ya espera en su paso su procesión del 7 de mayo en Córdoba" (in Spanish). sevilla. 2022-04-28. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
- ^ "3 pązdziernika sw. Archaniołów Michała, Gabriela i Rafała – Sanktuarium Św. Ojca Pio w Warszawie" (in Polish). 15 October 2018. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
- ^ "Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers". www.oca.org. Retrieved 2022-07-09.
- ^ "The Feast of the Archangel Raphael – Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdo Church Sunday School Department – Mahibere Kidusan". Retrieved 2022-08-09.
- ^ "Calendar". St. Gregory the Great Orthodox Church. 2012-01-11. Retrieved 2022-07-09.
- ^ "Israfil". Encyclopaedia. Britannica. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
- ISBN 9780029070505
- ISBN 0-7876-0652-9.
- ISBN 978-1-136-50473-0. p. 92.
- ISBN 9789004099012. p. 219.
- ^ See Jalaluddeen As Suyuti's compilation on the proofs of Qutb, Awtad and Abdals.
- ISBN 9781442613034– via Google Books.
- ^ Moran, Dan (February 17, 2015). "Spiritual journey: Chicago church moved, rebuilt in Lake County". www.chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
- JSTOR 27708468– via JSTOR.
Bibliography
- Barker, Margaret (2006). "The Angel Raphael in the Book of Tobit". In Bredin, Mark (ed.). Studies in the Book of Tobit. A&C Black. ISBN 9780567082299.
- Barnes, William H. (1993). "Archangels". In Coogan, Michael David; Metzger, Bruce M. (eds.). The Oxford Companion to the Bible. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199743919.
- Coogan, Michael D. (1993). "Raphael". In Coogan, Michael David; Metzger, Bruce M. (eds.). The Oxford Companion to the Bible. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199743919.
- Cresswell, Julia (2011). "Archangels". In Cresswell, Julia (ed.). The Watkins Dictionary of Angels. Duncan Baird Publishers. ISBN 9781780283609.
- Esler, Philip Francis (2017). God's Court and Courtiers in the Book of the Watchers. Wipf and Stock Publishers. ISBN 9781625649089.
- Grabbe, Lester (2003). "Tobit". In Dunn, James D. G. (ed.). Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible. Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802837110.
- Grossman, Maxine L. (2011). "Angels". In Grossman, Maxine L. (ed.). The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199730049.
- Mach, M. (1999). "Raphael". In Van der Toorn, Karel; Becking, Bob; Van der Horst, Pieter Willem (eds.). Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible. Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802824912.
- Meier, S.A. (1999). "Angel I". In Van der Toorn, Karel; Becking, Bob; Van der Horst, Pieter Willem (eds.). Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible. Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802824912.
- Schaller, Berndt (1999). "Enoch". In Bromiley, Geoffrey William (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Christianity. Vol. 2. Eerdmans. ISBN 9789004116955.
- Soll, Will (2000). "Raphael". In Freedman, David Noel; Myers, Allen C. (eds.). Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Eerdmans. ISBN 9789053565032.
- Van Henten, J.W. (1999). "Archangel". In Van der Toorn, Karel; Becking, Bob; Van der Horst, Pieter Willem (eds.). Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible. Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802824912.
External links
- Media related to Archangel Raphael at Wikimedia Commons