Archangels

Archangels
The four archangels, mosaics at St John's Church, Warminster
Other Names	Archángelos (Greek)
First Appearance	Christian Theology
Created by	Unknown

Origin

Archangels are the second lowest rank of angel in the Christian hierarchy of angels, put forward by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite in the 5th or 6th century in his book De Coelesti Hierarchia (On the Celestial Hierarchy).

The Bible itself uses the term only two times, with no mention in the Old Testament, and does not mention a hierarchy of angels in any detail. The word is usually associated with the Abrahamic religions. Similar beings exist in several other religions.

Archangel is derived from Greek archángelos, with the Greek prefix arch- meaning 'chief'. A common misconception is that archangels constitute the highest rank of angel in Christianity; this likely stems from the etymology of their name, as well as their presentation in John Milton's Paradise Lost.

In Judaism, the highest ranking angels such as Michael, Raphael, Gabriel and Uriel, who are usually referred to as archangels in English, are given the title of śārīm, to show their superior rank and status. Two examples of this can be seen in Daniel 10:13 and 12:1, where Michael, Chief of the Heavenly Host, is referred to as ʾaḥaḏ haśśārīm hārišōnīm (one of the chief princes) in the former, and haśśar haggāḏōl (the great prince) in the latter.

Michael and Gabriel are recognized as archangels in Judaism and Islam, and by most Christians. Raphael—mentioned in the deuterocanonical/apocryphal Book of Tobit­— is also recognized as a chief angel in the Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and Eastern Orthodox churches. Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael are venerated in the Roman Catholic Church and Lutheran Churches with a feast on September 29 (between 1921 and 1969, March 24 for Gabriel and October 24 for Raphael), and in the Eastern Orthodox Church on November 8 (if the Julian calendar is used, this corresponds to November 21 in the Gregorian).

The named archangels in Islam are Jibra'il, Mika'il, Israfil, and Azrael. Jewish literature, such as the Book of Enoch, also mentions Metatron as an archangel, called the "highest of the angels", though the acceptance of this angel is not canonical in all branches of the faith.

Some branches of the faiths mentioned have identified a group of seven to eight archangels, but the named angels vary, depending on the source. Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael are always mentioned; the other archangels vary, but most commonly include Uriel and Jerahmeel, both of whom are mentioned in 2 Esdras. As well as Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel, the Book of Enoch, regarded as canonical by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (Oriental Orthodox), mentions in chapter 20: Raguel, Sariel, and Jerahmeel (Remiel).

Jehovah's Witnesses, citing a reference to "the voice of the archangel" at 1 Thessalonians 4:16, also believe that "Michael" is another name for Jesus in heaven. They believe Jesus is an archangel in the true sense of the word—the supreme leader of angels.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) interprets the term "archangel" as meaning "Chief Angel", Michael is the only individual so designated in the Latter Day Saints canon. It is believed that he is the head of all of the angels. LDS Church doctrine also states that the archangel Michael was the first man, Adam. Though no other being is identified as an "archangel", Joseph Smith taught that the angel Gabriel was known in mortality as Noah and the angel Raphael is a being of significant standing, even though he has never been identified with any mortal prophet.

Public Domain Appearances

All published appearances of Archangels from before January 1, 1930 are public domain in the US.

Some notable appearances are listed below:

Public Domain Literary Appearances

• De Coelesti Hierarchia
• The Bible
  • Book of Daniel 10:13 and 12:1
  • Book of Tobit­
• The Apocrypha
  • Book of Enoch
    • The Book of Watchers
• Paradise Lost
• The Quran
• The Golden Legend
• Creation (1797-1798)
• Poems (1847)
• Apocalypse of Peter
• Babylonian Talmud (5th Century)
• Book of Zerubbabel (840 CE)
• Cyprianus (18th Century)
• Contributions to the History of Kabbalah - Parts I & II (1852)
• A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (1887)
• Christianity in Talmud and Midrash (1903)
• Jewish Encyclopedia (1906)
• 3 Enoch or The Hebrew Book of Enoch (1928)

See Also

• Wikipedia
• Myths in Media Wiki
• ComicVine