n.
One of the archangels of Hebrew tradition.
Raphael
Dictionary:
Raph·a·el1 (răf'ē-əl, rā'fē-, rä'fē-ĕl')  |
| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Raphael |
For more information on Raphael, visit Britannica.com.
| Saints: Raphael |
Raphael, one of the three archangels mentioned in the Bible, notably in the Book of Tobit. The name means ‘God has healed’. Raphael has been venerated from early times, especially in the East, as a healer, being sometimes identified with the angel who moved the waters of the healing pool in Jerusalem ( John 5: 1–4). His name was in the Litany of Saints; he was depicted in art (in England as elsewhere) together with Michael and Gabriel, from whom he was distinguished by the presence of his companion Tobit with a fish. Although no churches were dedicated to him in England, Edmund Lacy, bishop of Exeter 1420–55, wrote an office in his honour. Various guilds of healing were placed under his patronage. Feast: formerly 24 October; now, with SS. Michael and Gabriel, 29 September.
Bibliography
Click here for a list of abbreviations used in this bibliography.
- I. Schuster, The Sacramentary, v. 189–91; E. F. Jacob, Essays in the Conciliar Epoch (1963), p. 160; G. McN. Rushforth, Medieval Christian Imagery (1936), pp. 393–4
| Columbia Encyclopedia: Raphael |
Raphael (răf'ēəl, rā'-), archangel. He is prominent in the book of Tobit, as the companion of Tobias, as the healer of Tobit, and as the rescuer of Sara from Asmodeus. Milton made him a featured character of Paradise Lost. Feast: Sept. 29 (jointly with the other archangels).
| Occultism & Parapsychology Encyclopedia: Raphael |
An angel whose name means "God has healed." He first appeared in the Apocrypha, those honored but uncanonical books of the Hebrew people that were considered but not included in their Bible (i.e., the Christian Old Testament). The book of Tobit, written in the second century B.C.E. , concerns a man who was blind. Raphael was the angel sent to heal him. In the pseudepigraphical (falsely ascribed) book of Enoch it was said that: "Raphael presides over the spirits of men." In Jewish rabbinical legend of the angelic hierarchies, Raphael was the medium through which the power of Tsebaoth, or the Lord of Hosts, passed into the sphere of the sun, giving motion, heat, and brightness to it.
As one of the angels named in the ancient writings, Raphael reappears in the Kabalistic literatures of the Middle Ages. As an archangel, Raphael was identified with Hod, one of the ten sephiroth iminated by the Ein Soph (God) who implements God's creative purposes, in this case healing. He then reappears in a variety of magical operations of ceremonial magic and is one of the four angels called upon in, for example, the basic "Ritual of the Pentagram" which was taught to neophytes in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
The name "Raphael" was also adopted by pioneer British astrologer Robert Cross Smith (1795-1832) whose career really marks the beginning of the modern astrological revival from the low point of astrological interest in the eighteenth century. Smith founded a successful astrological publishing house and compiled Raphael's Astronomical Ephemeris, the book of sun, moon, and planet position for each day of the year, a necessary tool for the preparation of an accurate horoscope. Since his death, the publishing house continues to publish his ephemeris which remains one of the most popular used today.
Through the nineteenth century, individual astrologers also assumed the name and operated as "Raphael." Raphael II was John Palmer (1807-1837), editor of Raphael's Sanctuary of the Astral Art (1834), Raphael III was a Mr. Medhurst, who edited the Prophetic Messenger almanac (1837-ca. 1847), Raphael IV was Mr. Wakeley (d. 1853) who wrote under the name "Edwin Raphael," and Raphael V was a Mr. Sparkes (1820-1875) who edited The Oracle (May-June 1861). Raphael VI was Robert C. Cross (1850-1923) who acquired the Raphael copyrights, including the ephemeris. Since Cross's death, a company has continued the Raphael publications.
Sources:
Christian, Paul. The History and Practice of Magic. New York: Citadel Press, 1969.
Halevi, Z'ev ben Shimon. A Kabbalistic Universe. New York: Samuel Weiser, 1977.
Lewis, James R. Astrology Encyclopedia. Detroit: Gale Research, 1994.
Regardie, Israel. The Golden Dawn. 4 vols. Chicago: Aries Press, 1937-40. Revised ed., St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications, 1969.
| Wikipedia: Raphael (archangel) |
For other uses, see Raphael (disambiguation).
| Saint Raphael the Archangel | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Archangel | |
| Venerated in | Christianity, Judaism, Islam |
| Feast | September 29; October 24 (local calendars and among Traditional Roman Catholics) |
| Attributes | Archangel holding a bottle or flask; Archangel walking with Tobias; Archangel; young man carrying a fish; young man carrying a staff |
| Patronage | apothecaries; blind people; bodily ills; druggists; archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa; eye problems; guardian angels; happy meetings; insanity; lovers; mental illness; nightmares, nurses; pharmacists; physicians; archdiocese of Seattle, Washington; shepherds; sick people; travelers; young people |
Raphael (Standard Hebrew רָפָאֵל, Rāp̄āʾēl, "It is God who heals", "God Heals", "God, Please Heal", Arabic: رافائيل, Rāfāʾīl) is the name of an archangel of Judaism and Christianity who performs all manner of healing and another one of Islam.
Contents |
Raphael in Judaism
The angels mentioned in the Torah, the older books of the Hebrew Bible, are without names. Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish of Tiberias (A.D. 230-270), asserted that all the specific names for the angels were brought back by the Jews from Babylon, and modern commentators would tend to agree.
Raphael is named in several Jewish apocryphal books (see below).
Raphael in the Book of Enoch
Raphael bound Azazel 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."
Of seven archangels in the angelology of post-Exilic Judaism, only Michael, mentioned as archangel (Daniel 12:1) and Gabriel are mentioned by name in the scriptures that came to be accepted as canonical by all Christians. Raphael is mentioned by name in the Book of Tobit, which is accepted as canonical by Catholics and Orthodox. Four others, however, are named in the 2nd century BC Book of Enoch (chapter xxi): Uriel, Raguel, Sariel, and Jarahmeel.
The root of the name Raphael also appears in the modern Hebrew word Rophe meaning doctor of medicine, thus echoing the healing function traditionally attributed to this angel.
Raphael in Christianity
The name of the angel Raphael appears only in the Deuterocanonical Book of Tobit. The Book of Tobit is considered canonical by Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christians. Raphael 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 Tobit, Azarias makes himself known as "the angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord" Tobit 12:15. Compare the unnamed angels in John's Revelation 8:2. Christian churches following Catholic teachings (Roman, Oriental, Orthodox, Anglican, etc) venerate and patronize him as Saint Raphael.
Regarding the healing powers attributed to Raphael,[1] 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 (Asmodeus) that was the serial killer of her husbands.[2] Among Catholics, he is considered the patron saint of medical workers and matchmakers, travellers and may be petitioned by them or those needing their services.[3]
The feast day of Raphael was included for the first time in the General Roman Calendar in the year 1921, for celebration on October 24. With the reform of the Roman Catholic Calendar of Saints in 1969, this feast was transferred to September 29 for celebration together with Saint Michael and Saint Gabriel.[4] The Church of England has also adopted the September 29 date for celebrating "Michael and All Angels".[5] In some local calendars and among Traditional Roman Catholics, St Raphael's feast is still celebrated on October 24.[6]
Raphael has made only a light impression on Catholic geography: Saint Raphaël, France and Saint Raphaël, Quebec, Canada; San Rafaels in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, 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 1:19-26, Jude 1:9. 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 is sometimes shown (usually on medallions) as standing atop a large fish or holding a caught fish at the end of a line. This is a reference to Book of Tobit (Tobias), where he told Tobias to catch a fish, and then uses the galbladder to heal Tobit's eyes, and to drive away Asmodeus by burning the heart and liver.[7]
Raphael in Islam
Main article: Israfel
Seen in this 16th century Islamic miniature is Raphael, along with Michael, and Gabriel, accompanying Muhammad to Mecca. According to the Hadith, Raphael (Israfil in Arabic) is the Angel responsible for signaling the coming of Judgment Day by blowing the horn (namely Sûr) and sending out a "Blast of Truth". Unlike Gabriel (Jibrail) and Michael (Mikail), this archangel was not mentioned by name in the Quran.
The horn (sûr) will be blown two times. The first blow of the Sûr signals the beginning of the Judgment Day and with the second blow, all the souls are gathered somewhere between heaven and hell, and interrogated for their good deeds and sins.
According to Sunni narrations as reported by As-Suyuti and others, from the pious predecessors or early Muslim generations, the Ghawth or Qutb, who is regarded amongst the mankind as the highest person in the rank of siddiqun ( the saints ), is someone who has the heart that resembles that of Archangel Israfil, signifying the loftiness of this angel. The next that comes in rank are those of the saints who are known as the Umdah or Awtad , where amongst them the highest ones have their hearts resemble to that of Angel Mikael or Michael, and the rest of the lower ranking saints having the heart of Jibreel or Gabriel, and that of the previous prophets before the Prophet Muhammad. The earth is believed to always have on its surface one from the Qutb, 4 from the Awtad, 40 from the Abdal, and 300 from the Nukhaba, and because of whom Allah blesses the entire earth, and when one of them passes away from a higher rank, he/she is succeeded by a saint from a lower one, who is in turn elevated to his/her rank to fill his/her place. It is believed that the Day of Judgement does not take place until Allah casts death all together upon all of these saintly categories, and only in that state of their absence will the day of Judgement be commenced with Angel Israfil blowing his trumpet.
Raphael in Paradise Lost
Main article: Paradise Lost
The angel Raphael, as well as many other prominent angels appear 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 the Archangel Lucifer fell and became Satan, and the creation of the Earth. Some scholars believe the angel was used as a form of self-insertion by Milton.
See also
- Angel
- Angels in Islam
- Archangel
- Gabriel (archangel)
- List of names referring to El
- Michael (archangel)
- Uriel (archangel)
References
- ^ The Hebrew word for a doctor of medicine is Rophe connected to the same root as Raphael.
- ^ 7Sara the daughter of Raguel was also reproached by her father's maids; Because that she had been married to seven husbands, whom Asmodeus the evil spirit had killed, before they had lain with her. (Book of Tobit, 3.7-8.
- ^ "Dictionary of Patron Saints' Names", Thomas W. Sheehan, p514, Our Sunday Visitor Publishing, 2001, ISBN 0879735392
- ^ "Calendarium Romanum" (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 143)
- ^ Calendar of saints (Church of England)#September
- ^ See the General Roman Calendar as in 1954, the General Roman Calendar of Pope Pius XII, and the General Roman Calendar of 1962
- ^ saintr02.htm Patron Saints Index
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Archangel Raphael |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
| Best of the Web: Raphael |
| Shopping: Raphael |
Learn More
 | Raffield (family name) |
| Hollingshead, Raphael |
| stanza |
 | Who was Raphael Sanzini? Read answer... |
| What does raphael mean? Read answer... |
| Why is Raphael remembered? Read answer... |
Help us answer these
 | Who is Justina Raphael? |
| Who is Raphael Sonzio? |
| Raphael in Greek? |
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
 |
 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Saints. The Oxford Dictionary of Saints. Copyright © David Hugh Farmer 1978, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2003, 2004. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more |
 |
| Occultism & Parapsychology Encyclopedia. Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. Copyright © 2001 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Raphael (archangel)". Read more |
Related answers
- Who was Raphael?
- What is a Raphael?
- Who is Raphael Bianchini?
- Where is Raphael in scripture?
- What is raphael know for?
- Who was Raphael's patron?
ADVERTISEMENT
Answer these
- What nationality was raphael?
- Who was Raphael's mentor?
- What is Raphael known for?
- What were Raphael's madonnas?
- Why was raphael rememberd?
Mentioned in
- Raffield (family name)
- Hollingshead, Raphael
- stanza
- San Rafael
- Reph (family name)
- Raphael (1983 Visual Arts Film)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Raphael Meets His Match (1990 Children's/Family Film)
- Rapha
- Raphaelesque (architecture)
- Raphu
- Donner (art)
- Rachwal (family name)
- Rafalko (family name)
- Raffaelli (family name)
