What was Saint Michael's childhood like?

Answer 1

No St. Michael is an archangel not a human being, so he was neither born nor breed, rather he was created by Holy God and since that creation as with all angels has remained in that unchanging state, save those angels caste down with Lucifer (the devil).

Answer 2

Michael, archangel. His name means ‘Who is like unto God? He appears in the Book of Daniel as ‘one of the chief princes’ of the heavenly host and as the special guardian or protector of Israel (Dan. 10: 13 ff. and 12: 1). In the Book of Revelation he is the principal fighter of the heavenly battle against the devil (or dragon), ‘who was cast unto the earth and his angels were thrown down with him’ (Rev. 12: 7–9). In the Epistle of Jude (9) he disputes with the devil about the body of Moses and says: ‘May the Lord rebuke you.’ It seems likely that this passage cites a lost passage of the Assumption of Moses, an apocryphal Jewish work. In this and similar writings he is ‘the great captain, who is set over the best part of mankind’. The early Christian Shepherd of Hermas (2nd century) depicts Michael as an angel of majestic aspect, who presides over the awards when the willow twigs, some of which grow and others wither away, are brought for inspection and judgement. He had authority over ‘this people and governs them, for it was he who gave them the law…and superintends those to whom he gave it to see if they kept it’. In The Testament of Abraham (also 2nd century) Michael is the principal character whose intercession is so powerful that souls can be rescued even from Hell. Perhaps this passage inspired the offertory antiphon formerly used in the Roman Liturgy for the dead: ‘May Michael the standard bearer lead them into the holy light, which you promised of old to Abraham and his seed.’ It seems that the formal cult of Michael began in the East, where he was invoked for the care of the sick: Constantine built a church in his honour for this purpose at Sosthenion, near Constantinople: hot springs were also dedicated to him in Greece and Asia Minor. A famous apparition of Michael on Monte Gargano (SE. Italy) in the late 5th century was important in spreading the cult to the West; the feast of 29 September commemorates the dedication of his basilica on the Salarian Way near Rome. From early times his cult was strong in the British Isles. There were known dedications of churches at Malmesbury (Wilts.), Clive (Glos.), and Stanmer (East Sussex), besides that of the cemetery‐oratory near Hexham mentioned by Bede. According to Eddius' Life, Wilfrid had a vision of Michael shortly before his death. Many high places were associated with his cult, one of the most spectacular being the Great Skellig (Skellig Michael, Co. Kerry), while St. Michael's Mount (Cornwall) was believed to commemorate a vision there in the 8th century. Often he was chosen as patron of cemeteries. His cult became popular in Wales in the 10th–11th centuries, while in England by the end of the Middle Ages, his church dedications numbered as many as 686. In art he was represented in at least two ways. Sometimes he is depicted slaying the dragon, as on an 11th‐century English bronze crucifix at Copenhagen, or in 14th‐century East Anglican psalters, or in Epstein's famous sculpture at Coventry cathedral. Less familiar nowadays, but frequent in medieval art, were paintings of him weighing souls, either as part of a Doom or separately. Examples survive from the 13th century at Chaldon (Surrey), from the 14th at Swalcliffe (Oxon.), and from the 15th at South Leigh (Oxon.). Stained‐glass examples survive at Eaton Bishop (Hereford and Worcester) and Martham (Suffolk). Certain iconographical links with ancient Egyptian paintings are commonly claimed in this type of representation. The most famous shrine in Western Europe is Mont‐Saint‐Michel (Normandy), where a Benedictine abbey was founded in the 10th century to commemorate an earlier apparition. After the Norman Conquest some abbots and monks came to England, who presumably further emphasized devotion to Michael. His principal feast is on 29 September. This is often called ‘St. Michael and All Angels’; since 1969 the Roman calendar has included Gabriel and Raphael under this feast. Local feasts which commemorated the apparitions at Monte Gargano and at Mont‐Saint‐Michel were kept on 8 May and 16 October.

Answer 3

Saint Michael is an archangel and has not lived as a human.

Answer 4

Saint Michael is an archangel and has not lived as a human.

Answer 5

Saint Michael the Archangel is a pure spirit, an angel, and never lived a human life.

Answer 6

Saint Michael the Archangel is an angel, he had no childhood.