The Bible only attributes the rank of archangel to one angel: Michael. Although some wonder if we have a second angel, Gabriel, from the Bible, Scripture never labels him as an archangel.
We encounter Michael a number of times in the Old and New Testament. He makes an appearance twice in the book of Daniel. Gabriel mentions Michael stepped into a spiritual fight against the Prince of Persia so Gabriel could deliver a message to the prophet Daniel Michael appears again in Daniel , indicating he protected the Israelite nation from spiritual attacks.
He makes a personal appearance in Jude when in a dispute with the devil, where Satan attempts to get him to blaspheme God as they argue about the body of Moses. He rebukes Satan. Nevertheless, this section will explore other ancient texts and names they have ascribed to archangels.
Readers, keep in mind this article is concluding Scripture as the 66 books in the Protestant Bible. Those from a Catholic background may consider books listing these angels as canon. No Scripture or extracanonical text seems to mention her by name. Uriel presents three impossible riddles to show us how humans cannot fathom the ways of God.
Per Medium , cherubs have been assigned a variety of tasks by God, one of the most important of which is to guard the Garden of Eden. Now, if you've heard of cherubim before, you probably don't think of them as the scary guard type; today, cherubs are typically depicted as chubby little babies.
But the Bible disagrees. According to Ezekiel's vision , every cherub "had the face of a human being, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle.
Additionally, per Medium, cherubs have straight legs and shiny bull hooves. The Bible's frightening depiction of cherubs is a far stretch from how they're traditionally shown today. But the second type of angel described in Ezekiel 1 is even more bizarre. Meet the ophanim singular: ophan.
According to Medium , ophanim comes from the Hebrew word for "wheels. Per Ezekiel 1 , "Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around.
Per Ezekiel, both the cherubim and ophanim help to guard the throne of God himself. Given their frightening description, they're certainly good picks for the job. A different type of angel, seraphim singular: seraph , is described in the Book of Isaiah.
Per Isaiah's vision in Isaiah 6 , "I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. To help you understand more about these mysterious beings that God created, here are five things you need to know about archangels:.
The lowest ranks of angels are the ones we are most familiar with as they are the ones who communicate or interact with us. John in the Book of Revelation and is known as the protector of the Church, guarding her from evil. Saint Michael is most widely known for his role in expelling the rebel angel Lucifer from heaven. Saint Gabriel is first mentioned in the Book of Daniel and helps Daniel in his mission on earth.
Later on Gabriel appears to Zachariah and the Blessed Virgin Mary, delivering the greatest message ever, that God meant to Incarnate and set his tent with us. Raphael accomplished both acts, disguised as a human, guiding Tobias along the way and instructing him on what to do. Unlike us, angels are pure spirits and do not possess anything material. Peter Kreeft gives an excellent description in his book, Angels and Demons :.
On the other hand, even though they do not have material bodies, they can impact and influence the material world. They are pure spirits like God and have such intelligence and mental power that they can move material things or assume the appearance of a body.
How exactly that all transpires is a bit of a mystery. Saint Thomas Aquinas goes in more depth in the Summa. Wings and swords are simply artistic representations of their roles and actions in our world, as messengers and protectors. If Saint Michael and the heavenly host can expel Satan and his minions out of heaven, the archangels can certainly fight against demons tormenting our world and us and protect us from their influence.
One of the greatest prayers is the Saint Michael prayer, which for many years was routinely said at the closing of Mass:. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.
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