Michael (archangel)

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Michael,Template:Efn also called Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael and Saint Michael the Taxiarch<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead link</ref> is an archangel and the warrior of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in third- and second-century BC Jewish works, often but not always apocalyptic, where he is the chief of the angels and archangels, and he is the guardian prince of Israel and is responsible for the care of the people of Israel.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Christianity conserved nearly all the Jewish traditions concerning him,Template:Sfn and he is mentioned explicitly in Revelation 12:7–12,<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> where he does battle with Satan,Template:Sfn and in the Epistle of Jude, where the archangel and the devil dispute over the body of Moses.Template:Sfn

Old Testament and ApocryphaEdit

The Book of Enoch Template:Sfn lists him as one of seven archangels (the remaining names are Uriel, Raguel, Raphael, Sariel, Gabriel, and Remiel), who, in the Book of Tobit, “stand ready and enter before the glory of the Lᴏʀᴅ”.Template:Sfn The fact that Michael is introduced implies the knowledge of him and the other named angels.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn He is mentioned again in last chapters of the Book of Daniel, a Jewish apocalypse composed in the second century BC although set in the sixth, in which a man clothed in linen (never identified, but matches description given to John in Revelations regarding the Alpha and Omega.) tells Daniel that he and “Michael, your prince” are engaged in a battle with the “prince of Persia”, after which, at the end-time, “Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise”.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn

Enoch was instrumental in establishing the pre-eminent place of Michael among the angels or archangels, and in later Jewish works, he is said to be their chief, mediating the Torah (the Law of God), and standing at the right hand of the throne of God.Template:Sfn In the traditions of the Qumran community, he defends or leads the people of God in the eschatological (i.e., end-time) battle.Template:Sfn And in other writings, he is responsible for the care of Israel (and he may be the “one like a son of man” mentioned in Daniel 7:13–14) and the commander of the heavenly armies; he is Israel's advocate contesting Satan's claim to the body of Moses; he intercedes between God and humanity and serves as High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary; and he accompanies the souls of the righteous dead to Paradise.Template:Sfn

New TestamentEdit

The seven archangels (or four, as traditions differ but always include Michael) were associated with the branches of the menorah, the sacred seven-branched lampstand in the Temple as the seven spirits before the throne of God, and this is reflected in the Book of Revelation 4:5 (“From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God” – ESV).Template:Sfn Michael is mentioned explicitly in Revelation 12:7–12, where he does battle with Satan and casts him out of heaven so that he no longer has access to God as accuser (his formal role in the Old Testament).Template:Sfn The fall of Satan at the coming of Jesus marks the separation of the New Testament from Judaism.Template:Sfn In Luke 22:31, Jesus tells Peter that Satan has asked God for permission to “sift” the disciples, the goal being to accuse them, but the accusation is opposed by Jesus, who thus takes on the role played by angels, and especially by Michael, in Judaism.Template:Sfn

Michael is mentioned by name for the second time in the Epistle of Jude, which is an impassioned plea for the believers to engage in battle against the incursion of the error.Template:Sfn In verses 9–10, the author denounces the heretics by contrasting them with the archangel Michael, who, in disputing with Satan over the body of Moses, “did not presume to pronounce the verdict of 'slander' but said, 'The Lᴏʀᴅ punish you!'”Template:Sfn

JudaismEdit

File:Michael.svg

The name Michael in Hebrew

According to rabbinic tradition, Michael acted as the advocate of Israel, and sometimes had to fight with the princes of the other nations (Daniel 10:13) and particularly with the angel Samael, Israel's accuser. Their enmity dates from the time Samael was thrown from heaven and tried to drag Michael down with him, necessitating God's intervention.<ref>Pirkei De-Rabbi Eliezer xxvi</ref><ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>

The idea that Michael was the advocate of the Jews became so prevalent that in spite of the rabbinical prohibition against appealing to angels as intermediaries between God and his people, he held a place in the Jewish liturgy: "When a man is in need he must pray directly to God, and neither to Michael nor to Gabriel."<ref>Yer. Ber. ix. 13a</ref> Jeremiah addresses a prayer to him.<ref>Baruch Apoc. Ethiopic, ix. 5</ref>

The rabbis declare that Michael entered into his role of defender at the time of the biblical patriarchs. Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob said he rescued Abraham from the furnace into which he had been thrown by Nimrod (Midrash Genesis Rabbah xliv. 16). Some say he was the "one that had escaped" (Genesis 14:13), who told Abraham that Lot had been taken captive (Midrash Pirke R. El.), and who protected Sarah from defilement by Abimelech.

Michael prevented Isaac from sacrifice by his father by substituting a ram in his place. He saved Jacob, while yet in his mother's womb, from death by Samael.<ref>Midrash Abkir, in Yalḳ., Gen. 110</ref> He later prevented Laban from harming Jacob.(Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer, xxxvi).

The midrash Exodus Rabbah holds that Michael exercised his function of advocate of Israel at the time of the Exodus and destroyed Sennacherib's army.<ref>Midrash Exodus Rabbah xviii. 5</ref>

ChristianityEdit

Early Christian views and devotionsEdit

File:Stift Rein - Bibliothek, Antiphonale Cisterciense, Miniatur Erzengel Michael.jpg

St. Michael weighing souls during the Last Judgement, Antiphonale Cisterciense (15th century), Abbey Bibliotheca, Rein Abbey, Austria

Michael was venerated as a healer in Phrygia (modern-day Turkey).<ref name="Cathenc">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The earliest and most famous sanctuary to Michael in the ancient Near East was the Michaelion, also associated with healing waters. It was built in the early fourth century by Constantine the Great at Chalcedon, on the site of an earlier temple called Sosthenion.<ref name="Richard">Richard Freeman Johnson (2005), Saint Michael the Archangel in Medieval English Legend Template:ISBN; pp. 33–34</ref>

Epiphanius of Salamis (c. 310–320 – 403) in his Coptic-Arabic Hexaemeron referred to Michael as a replacement of Satan. Accordingly, after Satan fell, Michael was appointed to the function Satan served when he was still one of the noble angels.<ref>Monferrer-Sala, J. P. (2014). "One More Time on the Arabized Nominal Form Iblīs", Studia Orientalia Electronica, 112, 55–70. Retrieved from https://journal.fi/store/article/view/9526 Template:Webarchive</ref>

A painting of the Archangel slaying a serpent became a major art piece at the Michaelion after Constantine defeated Licinius near there in 324. This contributed to the standard iconography that developed of the Archangel Michael as a warrior saint slaying a dragon.<ref name="Richard" /> The Michaelion was a magnificent church and in time became a model for hundreds of other churches in Eastern Christianity; these spread devotions to the Archangel.<ref>Anna Jameson (2004), Sacred and Legendary Art Template:ISBN; p. 92</ref>

In the fourth century, Saint Basil the Great's homily (De Angelis) placed Saint Michael over all the angels. He was called "Archangel" because he heralds other angels, the title Ἀρχαγγέλος (archangelos) applied to him in Jude 1:9.<ref name="Cathenc" /> Into the sixth century, the view of Michael as a healer continued in Rome; after a plague, the sick slept at night in the church of Castel Sant'Angelo (dedicated to him for saving Rome), waiting for his manifestation.<ref name="Butler320">Alban Butler, The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and other Principal Saints. 12 vols. Dublin: James Duffy, 1866; p. 320</ref>

In the sixth century, the growth of devotions to Michael in the Western Church was expressed by the feasts dedicated to him, as recorded in the Leonine Sacramentary. The seventh-century Gelasian Sacramentary included the feast "S. Michaelis Archangeli", as did the eighth-century Gregorian Sacramentary. Some of these documents refer to a Basilica Archangeli (no longer extant) on via Salaria in Rome.<ref name="Cathenc" />

The angelology of Pseudo-Dionysius, which was widely read as of the sixth century, gave Michael a rank in the hierarchy of angels. Later, in the thirteenth century, others such as Bonaventure believed him to be Prince of the Seraphim, the first of the nine angelic orders. According to Thomas Aquinas (Summa Ia. 113.3), he is Prince of the last and lowest choir, the Angels.<ref name="Cathenc" /><ref>Even if they are the lowest order of angels, according to Summa Ia. 113.3, Psalms 90 attributes the guardianship of men to the angels and In Template:Bibleref2 Jesus warns not to despise children because "their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven."</ref>

CatholicismEdit

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File:Second class Relic stone of Saint Michael the Archangel.jpg

Second-class relic stone of Saint Michael the Archangel from Monte Gargano, Italy

File:Jacopo vignali, san michele arcangelo libera le anime del purgatorio.jpg

Archangel Michael frees souls from purgatory, by Jacopo Vignali, 17th century

Catholics often refer to Michael as “Holy Michael, the Archangel”<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> or “Saint Michael”. He is generally referred to in Christian litanies as “Saint Michael”, as in the Litany of the Saints. In the shortened version said at the Easter Vigil, he alone of the angels and archangels is mentioned by name, omitting Saints Gabriel and Raphael.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In Roman Catholic teachings, Saint Michael has four main roles or offices.<ref name="Cathenc" /> His first role is the leader of the Army of God and the leader of celestial forces in triumphing over the powers of Hell.<ref name="Donna60">Donna-Marie O'Boyle, Catholic Saints Prayer Book OSV Publishing, 2008 Template:ISBN p. 60</ref> He is viewed as the angelic model for the virtues of the “spiritual warrior”, his conflict with evil taken as “the battle within”.Template:Sfn

The second and third roles of Michael in Catholic teachings deal with death. In his second role, he is the angel of death, carrying the souls of Christians to Heaven. Catholic prayers often refer to this role of Michael. In his third role, he weighs souls on his perfectly balanced scales, a common object he holds in art.Template:Sfn

In his fourth role, Saint Michael, the special patron of the Chosen People in the Old Testament, is also Guardian of the Church. Saint Michael was revered by the military orders of knights during the Middle Ages. The names of villages around the Bay of Biscay reflect that history. Moreover, doubtless for the same motive he was considered the patron saint of a number of cities and countries.Template:Sfn<ref name="ReferenceA">Michael McGrath, Patrons and Protectors. Liturgy Training, 2001. Template:ISBN.</ref>

Catholic tradition includes also elements such as the Prayer to Saint Michael, which specifically asks the saint to “defend” the faithful from evil.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Matthew Bunson, The Catholic Almanac's Guide to the Church, OSV Publishing, 2001 Template:ISBN p. 315</ref><ref>Amy Welborn, The Words We Pray. Loyola Press, 2004. Template:ISBN, p. 101.</ref> The Chaplet of Saint Michael consists of nine salutations, one for each choir of angels.Template:Sfn<ref>EWTN "The Chaplet of St. Michael the Archangel Template:Webarchive"</ref>

Saint Michael the Archangel prayerEdit

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Eastern and Oriental OrthodoxyEdit

The Eastern Orthodox accord Michael the title Archistrategos, or “Supreme Commander of the Heavenly Hosts”.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The Eastern Orthodox pray to their guardian angels and above all, to Michael and Gabriel.<ref>Eastern Orthodox Theology: A Contemporary Reader by Daniel B. Clendenin (2003) Template:ISBN, p. 75</ref>

The Eastern Orthodox have always had strong devotions to angels. In contemporary times, they are referred to by the term of “Bodiless Powers”.<ref name="EOEnc" /> A number of feasts dedicated to Archangel Michael are celebrated by the Eastern Orthodox throughout the year.<ref name="EOEnc">The Encyclopedia of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, by John Anthony McGuckin (2011) Template:ISBN p. 30</ref>

Archangel Michael is mentioned in a number of Eastern Orthodox hymns and prayer, and his icons are widely used within Eastern Orthodox churches.<ref name="B16">The Eastern Orthodox Church: Its Thought and Life, by Ernst Benz (2008) Template:ISBN, p. 16</ref> In many Eastern Orthodox icons, Christ is accompanied by a number of angels, Michael being a predominant figure among them.<ref name="B16" />

In Russia, many monasteries, cathedrals, court and merchant churches are dedicated to the Chief Commander Michael; most Russian cities have a church or chapel dedicated to the Archangel Michael.<ref>A Geography of Russia and Its Neighbors, by Mikhail S. Blinnikov (2010), p. 203 Template:ISBN?</ref><ref>Architectures of Russian Identity, 1500 to the Present, by James Cracraft (2003) Template:ISBN, p. 42</ref>

In Ukraine, the Archangel Michael is the patron saint of the capital city, Kyiv. He became popular since the time of Prince Vsevolod of Kievan Rus'.

While in the Serbian Orthodox Church Saint Sava has a special role as the establisher of its autocephaly and the largest Belgrade church is devoted to him, the capital Belgrade's Orthodox cathedral, the see church of the patriarch, is devoted to Archangel Michael (in Serbian: Арханђел Михаило / Arhanđel Mihailo).

The place of Michael in the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria is as a saintly intercessor. He is the one who presents to God the prayers of the just, who accompanies the souls of the dead to heaven, who defeats the devil. He is celebrated liturgically on the 12th of each Coptic month.<ref>Two Thousand Years of Coptic Christianity, by Otto Friedrich August Meinardus (2010) Template:ISBN pp. 27, 117, 147</ref> In Alexandria, a church was dedicated to him in the early fourth century on the 12th of the month of Paoni. The 12th of the month of Hathor is the celebration of Michael's appointment in heaven, where Michael became the chief of the angels.<ref>Money, Land and Trade: An Economic History of the Muslim Mediterranean, by Nelly Hanna (2002) Template:ISBN, p. 226</ref>

ProtestantismEdit

File:West Window, Church of the Good Shepherd (Rosemont, Pennsylvania).jpg

West window showing Michael in armour, Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd (Rosemont, Pennsylvania) United States; memorial to the dead of the First World War

File:Erzengel Michael-Statue über dem Portal der St. Michaeliskirche Hamburg.jpg

Statue at St. Michael's Church, Hamburg

Protestants recognize Michael as an archangel. The Anglican and Methodist traditions recognize four archangels: Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, and Uriel.<ref name="Armentrout2000">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The controversial Anglican bishop Robert Clayton (d. 1758) proposed that Michael was the Logos and Gabriel the Holy Spirit.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Controversy over Clayton's views led the government to order his prosecution, but he died before his scheduled examination.<ref>Dictionary of National Biography: Clayton, Robert</ref><ref>John Walsh, Colin Haydon & Stephen Taylor, eds. (1993) The Church of England c. 1689 – c. 1833: from Toleration to Tractarianism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Template:ISBN; p. 47</ref>

The Lutheran Churches of St. Michael's Church, Hamburg and St. Michael's Church, Hildesheim are named for Michael. In Bach's time, the annual feast of Michael and All the Angels on 29 September was regularly celebrated with a festive service in Lutheran churches, for which Bach composed several cantatas, for example the chorale cantata Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir, BWV 130 in 1724, Es erhub sich ein Streit, BWV 19, in 1726 and Man singet mit Freuden vom Sieg, BWV 149, in 1728 or 1729.

Many Protestant theologians identify a relationship, (e.g. typological or identical), between Michael with Christ, including:

Charles Spurgeon once stated that Jesus is "the true Michael"<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and "the only Archangel".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

John Gill comments on Jude 9, "'Yet Michael the archangel ...' By whom is meant, not a created angel, but an eternal one, the Lord Jesus Christ ..."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

RestorationismEdit

Seventh-day AdventistsEdit

Template:See also Seventh-day Adventists believe that "Michael" is but one of the many titles applied to the pre-existent Christ, or Son of God. According to Adventists, such a view does not in any way conflict with the belief in the full deity and eternal preexistence of Jesus Christ, nor does it in the least disparage his person and work.<ref>Seventh-day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrine Template:Webarchive, Review and Herald Publishing Association, Washington, D.C., 1957. Chapter 8 "Christ, and Michael the Archangel".</ref> According to Adventist theology, Michael was considered the "eternal Word", and the one by whom all things were created. The Word was then born incarnate as Jesus.<ref>Seventh Day Adventists: What do they believe? by Val Waldeck Pilgrim Publications (April 5, 2005) p. 16</ref>

They believe that name "Michael" signifies "One Who Is Like God" and that as the "Archangel" or "chief or head of the angels" he led the angels and thus the statement in Revelation 12:7–9 identifies/refers to Jesus as Michael.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Jehovah's WitnessesEdit

Template:See also Jehovah's Witnesses believe Michael to be another name for Jesus in heaven, in his pre-human and post-resurrection existence.<ref name="autogenerated218">Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, p. 218</ref> They say the definite article at Jude 9<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref>—referring to "Michael the archangel"—identifies Michael as the only archangel. They consider Michael to be synonymous with Christ, described at 1 Thessalonians 4:16<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> as descending "with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

They believe the prominent roles assigned to Michael at Daniel 12:1,<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> Revelation 12:7,<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> Revelation 19:14,<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> and Revelation 16<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> are identical to Jesus' roles, being the one chosen to lead God's people and as the only one who "stands up", identifying the two as the same spirit being. Because they identify Michael with Jesus, he is therefore considered the first and greatest of all God's heavenly sons, God's chief messenger, who takes the lead in vindicating God's sovereignty, sanctifying his name, fighting the wicked forces of Satan and protecting God's covenant people on earth.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Jehovah's Witnesses also identify Michael with the "Angel of the Lord" who led and protected the Israelites in the wilderness.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Their earliest teachings stated that Archangel Michael was not to be worshipped.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsEdit

Template:See also Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that Michael is Adam, the Ancient of Days (Dan. 7), a prince, and the patriarch of the human family. They also hold that Michael assisted Jehovah (the pre-mortal form of Jesus) in the creation of the world under the direction of God the Father (Elohim); under the direction of the Father, Michael also cast Satan out of heaven.<ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref>Template:Lds</ref><ref>Template:Lds</ref><ref>Template:Lds</ref>

Islam Edit

File:Muhammad ibn Muhammad Shakir Ruzmah-'i Nathani - The Archangel Michael - Walters W65946B - Full Page.jpg

Muhammad ibn Muhammad Shakir Ruzmah-'i Nathani - The Archangel Michael - Walters W65946B - Full Page

In Islam, Michael, or Mīkāʾīl,<ref name="King">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> is one of the four archangels along with Jibril (Gabriel, whom he is often paired with), ʾIsrāfīl (trumpeter angel) and ʿAzrāʾīl (angel of death).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He is mentioned only once in the Quran, along with Gabriel in Template:Cite quran.<ref>Burge, S. (2020). Michael. In K. Fleet, G. Krämer, D. Matringe, J. Nawas and D. J. Stewart (eds.), Encyclopaedia of Islam Three Online. Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_36410</ref> The verse is understood as a rejection of the claim of the Jews of Medina stating that Gabriel is the enemy of Michael.Template:Sfn In hadith and tafsir, the meaning of the term is occasionally interpreted as "ʿabd Allāh" (Servant of God).<ref>Burge, S. (2020). Michael. In K. Fleet, G. Krämer, D. Matringe, J. Nawas and D. J. Stewart (eds.), Encyclopaedia of Islam Three Online. Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_36410</ref>

In further Islamic literature, Michael is associated with mercy. He asks God for forgiveness for humans and is one of the first angels who obeyed God's orders to bow before Adam.<ref>John L. Esposito Oxford Dictionary of Islam Oxford University Press Template:ISBN p. 200</ref><ref name=britannica/> From the tears of Michael, angels of mercy are created as his helpers.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Like Gabriel, with whom he is often mentioned together, Michael is also a messenger. While Gabriel delivers messages from heaven to humans, Michael delivers messages to the angelic world.<ref>Burge, S. (2020). Michael. In K. Fleet, G. Krämer, D. Matringe, J. Nawas and D. J. Stewart (eds.), Encyclopaedia of Islam Three Online. Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_36410</ref> As the angel to effectuate God's providence he is also associated with natural phenomena and causes rain upon the lands.<ref name=britannica>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The latter function is also attested among modern writers, such as Sayyid Qutb.<ref>Burge, S. (2020). Michael. In K. Fleet, G. Krämer, D. Matringe, J. Nawas and D. J. Stewart (eds.), Encyclopaedia of Islam Three Online. Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_36410</ref> Unlike Christian tradition, Michael is rarely portrayed as a warrior-angel, with a few references to the Battle of Badr by Suyuti as an exception.<ref>Burge, S. (2020). Michael. In K. Fleet, G. Krämer, D. Matringe, J. Nawas and D. J. Stewart (eds.), Encyclopaedia of Islam Three Online. Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_36410</ref>

The Miraj literature occasionally mentions both Gabriel and Michael as two angels who showed Muhammad Paradise and hell.Template:Sfn<ref>Burge, S. (2020). Michael. In K. Fleet, G. Krämer, D. Matringe, J. Nawas and D. J. Stewart (eds.), Encyclopaedia of Islam Three Online. Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_36410</ref> However, he does not feature prominently and some accounts do not mention him at all.<ref>Burge, S. (2020). Michael. In K. Fleet, G. Krämer, D. Matringe, J. Nawas and D. J. Stewart (eds.), Encyclopaedia of Islam Three Online. Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_36410</ref> Prayers concerning Michael appear in some devotional literature, but usually in conjunction with the other three archangels.<ref>Burge, S. (2020). Michael. In K. Fleet, G. Krämer, D. Matringe, J. Nawas and D. J. Stewart (eds.), Encyclopaedia of Islam Three Online. Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_36410</ref>Template:Sfn He is mentioned in a Shia supplication (dua), reportedly handed down by the 6th Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, in the prayers for blessings for the Bearers of the Throne.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Burge, S. (2020). Michael. In K. Fleet, G. Krämer, D. Matringe, J. Nawas and D. J. Stewart (eds.), Encyclopaedia of Islam Three Online. Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_36410</ref>

Bahá'í FaithEdit

The archangel Michael seems to have never been mentioned publicly by Baha'u'llah, 'Abdu'l-Baha, Shoghi Effendi, or even the Universal House of Justice. Bahá'í publications interpreting the Book of Revelation from the New Testament say Baha'u'llah was a chief prince of Persia<ref>The Logic of The Revelation of St. John|Stephen Beebe|Baháʼí Publishing Trust|2001|pp. 103–104</ref><ref>Daniel 10:7–13</ref> foretold as Michael who would win "final victory over the dragon". Or, Michael, "One like God", is thought to be Baha'u'llah, as archangel Michael is thought to be an emanation of Hod or "glory" in Jewish Mysticism<ref>The Apocalypse Unsealed|Robert F. Riggs|Philosophical Library, Inc.|1982|pp. 160, 164 Template:ISBN?</ref> – because "Baha'u'llah" means splendor or glory of God.

GnosticismEdit

In the Secret Book of John, a second-century text found in the Nag Hammadi codices of Gnosticism, Michael is placed in control of the demons who help Yaldabaoth create Adam, along with six others named Uriel, Asmenedas, Saphasatoel, Aarmouriam, Richram, and Amiorps.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> According to Origen of Alexandria in his work Against Celsus, Michael was represented as a lion on the Ophite Diagram.<ref>Template:Cite wikisource</ref>

FeastsEdit

File:S. Miguel Arcanjo.jpg

Archangel Michael at a Portuguese feast in Cabeceiras de Basto

In the General Roman Calendar, the Anglican Calendar of Saints, and the Lutheran Calendar of Saints, the archangel's feast is celebrated on Michaelmas Day, 29 September. The day is also considered the feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, in the General Roman Calendar and the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels according to the Church of England.<ref>Saint Michael the Archangel in Medieval English Legend by Richard Freeman Johnson 2005 Template:ISBN p. 105</ref>

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Saint Michael's principal feast day is 8 November (those that use the Julian calendar celebrate it on what in the Gregorian calendar is now 21 November), honouring him along with the rest of the "Bodiless Powers of Heaven" (i.e. angels) as their Supreme Commander (Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers), and the Miracle at Chonae is commemorated on 6 September.<ref>Icons and saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church by Alfredo Tradigo 2006 Template:ISBN p. 46</ref><ref>The Blackwell Companion to Eastern Christianity 2010 by Ken Parry Template:ISBN p. 242</ref>

In the calendar of the Church of England diocese of Truro, 8 May is the feast of St. Michael, Protector of Cornwall. The archangel Michael is one of the three patron saints of Cornwall.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The feast of the Appearing of S. Michael the Archangel is observed by Anglo-Catholics on 8 May.<ref>The English Missal for the laity; 3rd ed. London: W. Knott, 1958; pp. 625–627</ref> From medieval times until 1960 it was also observed on that day in the Roman Catholic Church; the feast commemorates the archangel's apparition on Mount Gargano in Italy.<ref>Cross & Livingstone (eds.) ODCC; p. 613</ref>

In the Coptic Orthodox Church, the main feast day in 12 Hathor and 12 Paoni, and he is celebrated liturgically on the 12th of each Coptic month.

Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels is commemorated on 29 September in ROCOR Western Rite.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Apparition of Saint Michael in 492 on Mount Gargano is commemorated on 8 May<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Dedication of Saint Michael the Archangel is commemorated on 29 September (Antiochian Western Rite Vicariate).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Dedication of Saint Michael sanctuary Mont Saint-Michel by Saint Aubert of Avranches is commemorated on 16 October.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

On 7 April, the Oriental Orthodox Church commemorates the deliverance of prophet Jeremiah from prison by Michael.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Patronages and ordersEdit

In late medieval Christianity, Michael, together with Saint George, became the patron saint of chivalry and is now also considered the patron saint of police officers, paramedics and the military.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>Template:Sfn

Since the victorious Battle of Lechfeld against the Hungarians in 955, Michael was the patron saint of the Holy Roman Empire and the Patron of the Germans.

File:Michael4.jpg

Statue of St Michael at the former seat of the Bavarian Military Order of Saint Michael in the Electoral Palace, Bonn, Germany

In mid- to late fifteenth century, France was one of only four courts in Western Christendom without an order of knighthood.<ref name="Dacre">The Knights of the Crown: The Monarchical Orders of Knighthood in Later Medieval Europe 1325–1520 by D'Arcy Jonathan Dacre Boulton 2000 Template:ISBN pp. 427–428</ref> Later in the fifteenth century, Jean Molinet glorified the primordial feat of arms of the archangel as "the first deed of knighthood and chivalrous prowess that was ever achieved."<ref>Noted by Johan Huizinga, The Waning of the Middle Ages (1919, 1924:56.</ref> Thus Michael was the natural patron of the first chivalric order of France, the Order of Saint Michael of 1469.<ref name="Dacre" /> In the British honours system, a chivalric order founded in 1818 is also named for these two saints, the Order of St Michael and St George (see also: Order of Saint Michael).<ref>Angels in the early modern world By Alexandra Walsham, Cambridge University Press, 2006 Template:ISBN p. 2008</ref>

Prior to 1878, the Scapular of St. Michael the Archangel could be worn as part of a Roman Catholic Archconfraternity. Presently, enrollment is authorized as this holy scapular remains as one of the 18 approved by the Church.

Apart from his being a patron of warriors, the sick and the suffering also consider Archangel Michael their patron saint.<ref>Patron Saints by Michael Freze 1992 Template:ISBN p. 170</ref> Based on the legend of his eighth-century apparition at Mont Saint-Michel, France, the Archangel is the patron of mariners in this famous sanctuary.<ref name="Cathenc" /> After the evangelisation of Germany, where mountains were often dedicated to pagan gods, Christians placed many mountains under the patronage of the Archangel, and numerous mountain chapels of St. Michael appeared all over Germany.<ref name="Cathenc" />

Similarly, the Sanctuary of St. Michel (San Migel Aralarkoa), the oldest Christian building in Navarre (Spain), lies at the top of a hill on the Aralar Range, and harbours Carolingian remains. St. Michel is an ancient devotion of Navarre and eastern Gipuzkoa, revered by the Basques, shrouded in legend, and held as a champion against paganism and heresy. It came to symbolize the defense of Catholicism, as well as Basque tradition and values during the early twentieth century.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

File:Greater coat of arms of the City of Brussels.svg

Coat of arms of Brussels

File:COA of Kyiv Kurovskyi.svg

Coat of arms of Kyiv

He has been the patron saint of Brussels since the Middle Ages.<ref>Netherlandish sculpture 1450–1550 by Paul Williamson 2002 Template:ISBN p. 42</ref> The city of Arkhangelsk in Russia is named for the Archangel. Ukraine and its capital Kyiv also consider Michael their patron saint and protector.<ref name="Fairbairn">Eastern Orthodoxy through Western eyes by Donald Fairbairn 2002 Template:ISBN p. 148</ref>

In Linlithgow, Scotland, St. Michael has been the patron saint of the town since the thirteenth century, with St. Michael's Parish Church being originally constructed in 1134. Since the fourteenth century, Saint Michael has been the patron saint of Dumfries in Scotland, where a church dedicated to him was built at the southern end of the town, on a mound overlooking the River Nith.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

An Anglican sisterhood dedicated to Saint Michael under the title of the Community of St Michael and All Angels was founded in 1851.<ref>All Saints Sisters of the Poor: An Anglican Sisterhood in the Nineteenth Century (Church of England Record Society) by Susan Mumm 200 Template:ISBN p. 48</ref> The Congregation of Saint Michael the Archangel (CSMA), also known as the Michaelite Fathers, is a religious order of the Roman Catholic Church founded in 1897. The Canons Regular of the Order of St Michael the Archangel (OSM) are an Order of professed religious within the Anglican Church in North America, the North American component of the Anglican realignment movement.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The city of Arkhangelsk, Russia, and the federal subject Arkhangelsk Oblast are named after Michael the Archangel.

In the United States military, Saint Michael is considered to be a patron of paratroopers and, in particular, the 82nd Airborne Division.<ref>Chaplain's Corner: Saint Michael, patron saint of the airborne, military Template:Webarchive. Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Alaska.</ref> One of the first battles where the unit first was combat christened is the Battle of Saint-Mihiel during World War I.

The beret insignia of the French paratroopers is a winged arm grasping a dagger, representing Saint Michael.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Saint Michael is the patronus of Italian special forces 9° Reggimento "Col Moschin" and the Italian state police. Saint Michael (Template:Langx) is patron of Croatian Police and Croatian Army, his feast day being also celebrated as the Police day in Croatia.<ref>Svečano obilježen Dan policije i blagdan svetog Mihovila mup.gov.hr. Ministry of Interior. Published 29 September 2022.</ref>

LegendsEdit

JudaismEdit

There is a legend which seems to be of Jewish origin, and which was adopted by the Copts, to the effect that Michael was first sent by God to bring Nebuchadnezzar (c. 600 BC) against Jerusalem, and that Michael was afterward very active in freeing his nation from Babylonian captivity.<ref>Amélineau, "Contes et Romans de l'Egypte Chrétienne", ii. 142 et seq</ref> According to midrash Genesis Rabbah, Michael saved Hananiah and his companions from the fiery furnace.<ref>Midrash Genesis Rabbah xliv. 16</ref> Michael was active in the time of Esther: "The more Haman accused Israel on earth, the more Michael defended Israel in heaven".<ref>Midrash Esther Rabbah iii. 8</ref> It was Michael who reminded Ahasuerus that he was Mordecai's debtor;<ref>Targum to Esther, vi. 1</ref> and there is a legend that Michael appeared to the high priest Hyrcanus, promising him assistance.<ref>comp. Josephus, "Ant." xiii. 10, § 3</ref>

According to Legends of the Jews, archangel Michael was the chief of a band of angels who questioned God's decision to create man on Earth. The entire band of angels, except for Michael, was then consumed by fire.<ref name="ginzberg michael">Ginzberg, Louis, The Legends of the Jews, Vol. I: The Angels and The Creation of Man Template:Webarchive, (Translated by Henrietta Szold), Johns Hopkins University Press: 1998, Template:ISBN</ref>

ChristianityEdit

File:Michael Miracle Icon Sinai 12th century.jpg

A 12th-century icon of the Miracle at Chonae, from Saint Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai

The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates the Miracle at Chonae on September 6.<ref>Makarios of Simonos Petra, The Synaxarion: the Lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church, trans. Christopher Hookway (Holy Convent of the Annunciation of Our Lady 1998 Template:ISBN), p. 47.</ref> The pious legend surrounding the event states that John the Apostle, when preaching nearby, foretold the appearance of Michael at Cheretopa near Lake Salda, where a healing spring appeared soon after the Apostle left; in gratitude for the healing of his daughter, one pilgrim built a church on the site.<ref>Synaxarion, p. 47.</ref> Local pagans, who are described as jealous of the healing power of the spring and the church, attempt to drown the church by redirecting the river, but the Archangel, "in the likeness of a column of fire", split the bedrock to open up a new bed for the stream, directing the flow away from the church.<ref>Synaxarion, p. 48.</ref> The legend is supposed to have predated the actual events, but the fifth- to seventh-century texts that refer to the miracle at Chonae formed the basis of specific paradigms for "properly approaching" angelic intermediaries for more effective prayers within the Christian culture.<ref name=Peers >Template:Cite book</ref>

Template:Visible anchor in Cornwall, England, that the Archangel appeared to fishermen on St Michael's Mount.<ref name=Cornwall /> According to author Richard Freeman Johnson, this legend is likely a nationalistic twist to a myth.<ref name=Cornwall >Saint Michael the Archangel in medieval English legend by Richard Freeman Johnson 2005 Template:ISBN p. 68</ref> Cornish legends also hold that the mount itself was constructed by giants<ref>Popular Romances of the West of England by Robert Hunt 2009 Template:ISBN p. 238</ref> and that King Arthur battled a giant there.<ref>Myths and Legends of Britain and Ireland by Richard Jones 2006 Template:ISBN p. 17</ref>

File:St. Michael the Archangel of Bacoor.jpg

An 18th-century statue of a triumphant Saint Michael, enshrined as the patron of Bacoor, Cavite, Philippines. The town fiesta was originally on May 8, the Feast of the Apparition at Mount Gargano.

The legend of the apparition of the Archangel at around AD 490 at a secluded hilltop cave on Monte Gargano in Italy gained a following among the Lombards in the immediate period thereafter, and by the eighth century, pilgrims arrived from as far away as England.<ref>The Medieval state: essays presented to James Campbell by John Robert Maddicott, David Michael Palliser, James Campbell 2003 Template:ISBN pp. 10–11</ref> The Tridentine calendar included a feast of the apparition on 8 May, the date of the 663 victory over the Greek Neapolitans that the Lombards of Manfredonia attributed to Saint Michael.<ref name=Cathenc /> The feast remained in the Roman liturgical calendar until removed in the revision of Pope John XXIII. The Sanctuary of Monte Sant'Angelo at Gargano is a major Catholic pilgrimage site.

According to Roman legends, Archangel Michael appeared with a sword over the mausoleum of Hadrian while a devastating plague persisted in Rome, in apparent answer to the prayers of Pope Gregory I the Great (c. 590–604) that the plague should cease. After the plague ended, in honor of the occasion, the pope called the mausoleum "Castel Sant'Angelo" (Castle of the Holy Angel), the name by which it is still known.<ref name=Butler320 />

According to Norman legend, Michael is said to have appeared to St Aubert, Bishop of Avranches, in 708, giving instruction to build a church on the rocky islet now known as Mont Saint-Michel.<ref name=MonkM >Mont-Saint-Michel: a monk talks about his abbey by Jean-Pierre Mouton, Olivier Mignon 1998 Template:ISBN pp. 55–56</ref><ref name="CathMont">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=pilgrim /> In 960 the Duke of Normandy commissioned a Benedictine abbey on the mount, and it remains a major pilgrimage site.<ref name="pilgrim">Pilgrimage: from the Ganges to Graceland : an encyclopedia, Volume 1 by Linda Kay Davidson, David Martin Gitlitz 2002 Template:ISBN p. 398</ref>

A Portuguese Carmelite nun, Antónia d'Astónaco, reported an apparition and private revelation of the Archangel Michael who had told to this devoted Servant of God, in 1751, that he would like to be honored, and God glorified, by the praying of nine special invocations. These nine invocations correspond to invocations to the nine choirs of angels and origins the famous Chaplet of Saint Michael. This private revelation and prayers were approved by Pope Pius IX in 1851.Template:Sfn<ref>EWTN The Chaplet of Saint Michael the Archangel Template:Webarchive</ref>

From 1961 to 1965, four young schoolgirls had reported several apparitions of the Archangel Michael in the small village of Garabandal, Spain. At Garabandal, the apparitions of the Archangel Michael were mainly reported as announcing the arrivals of the Virgin Mary. The Catholic Church has neither approved nor condemned the Garabandal apparitions.<ref>Michael Freze, 1993, Voices, Visions, and Apparitions, OSV Publishing Template:ISBN p. 267</ref>

In literature, music, and artEdit

LiteratureEdit

In the 1667 English epic poem Paradise Lost by John Milton, Michael commands the army of angels loyal to God against the rebel forces of Satan. Armed with a sword from God's armory, he bests Satan in personal combat, wounding his side.<ref>John Milton, Paradise Lost 1674 Book VI line 320 Template:Webarchive</ref>

In Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's translation of the mid-thirteenth century The Golden Legend, Michael is one of the angels of the seven planets. He is the angel of Mercury.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

MusicEdit

Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Praelium Michaelis Archangeli factum in coelo cum dracone, H.410, oratorio for soloists, double chorus, strings and continuo (1683).<ref>Praelium Michaelis archangeli factum in coelo cum dracone</ref>

Artistic depictionsEdit

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File:Meister der Ikone des Erzengels Michael 001 adjusted.jpg

Tenth-century gold and enamel Byzantine icon of St Michael, in the treasury of the St Mark's Basilica

In Christian art, Archangel Michael may be depicted alone or with other angels such as Gabriel. Some depictions with Gabriel date back to the eighth century, e.g. the stone casket at Notre Dame de Mortain church in France.<ref name=rich141 />

The widely reproduced image of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, an icon of the Cretan school, depicts Michael on the left carrying the lance and sponge of the crucifixion of Jesus, with Gabriel on the right side of Mary and Jesus.<ref>Icons and saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church by Alfredo Tradigo 2006 Template:ISBN p. 188</ref>

In many depictions, Michael is represented as an angelic warrior, fully armed with helmet, sword, and shield.<ref name=Cathenc /> The shield may bear the Latin inscription Quis ut Deus or the Greek inscription Christos Dikaios Krites or its initials.Template:Sfn He may be standing over a serpent, a dragon, or the defeated figure of Satan, whom he sometimes pierces with a lance.<ref name=Cathenc /> The iconography of Michael slaying a serpent goes back to the early fourth century, when Emperor Constantine defeated Licinius at the Battle of Adrianople in AD 324, not far from the Michaelion, a church dedicated to Archangel Michael.<ref name=Richard />

Constantine felt that Licinius was an agent of Satan and associated him with the serpent described in the Book of Revelation (12:9).<ref>"Constantine and the Christian empire" by Charles Matson Odahl 2004 Template:ISBN p. 315</ref> After the victory, Constantine commissioned a depiction of himself and his sons slaying Licinius represented as a serpent a symbolism borrowed from the Christian teachings on the Archangel to whom he attributed the victory. A similar painting, this time with the Archangel Michael himself slaying a serpent, then became a major art piece at the Michaelion and eventually lead to the standard iconography of the Archangel Michael as a warrior saint.<ref name=Richard />

In less common depiction, Michael holds a pair of scales, weighs the souls of the departed and holds the book of life (as in the Book of Revelation) to show he partakes in the judgment.<ref name=rich141 >Saint Michael the Archangel in medieval English legend by Richard Freeman Johnson 2005 Template:ISBN pp. 141–147</ref> Michelangelo depicted this scene on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In Byzantine art, Michael was often shown as a princely court dignitary rather than a warrior who battled Satan or with scales for weighing souls on the Day of Judgement.<ref>Saints in art by Rosa Giorgi, Stefano Zuffi 2003 Template:ISBN pp. 274–276</ref>

Faras - Archangel Michael with a horn trumpet and an orb - Google Art Project.jpg

Archangel Michael on a 9th-century Makurian mural
Rublev Arhangel Mikhail.jpg

Andrei Rublev's standalone depiction c. 1408
Francesco Botticini - I tre Arcangeli e Tobias.jpg

Michael (left) with archangels Raphael and Gabriel, by Botticini, 1470
MemlingJudgmentCenter-crop.jpg

Weighing souls on Judgement Day by Hans Memling, 15th century
Luca Giordano - The Fall of the Rebel Angels - Google Art Project.jpg

The Fall of the Rebel Angels, by Luca Giordano c. 1660–1665
Angel Van Verschaffelt SantAngelo.jpg

Bronze statue of the Archangel Michael, standing on top of the Castel Sant'Angelo, modelled in 1753 by Peter Anton von Verschaffelt.
Archangel Michael Hajdudorog.JPG

Michael's icon on the northern deacons' door on the iconostasis of Hajdúdorog. The archangel is often depicted on iconostases' doors as a defender of the sanctuary.
Archangel Michael, St Pancras New Church, London.JPG

Archangel Michael by Emily Young in the grounds of St Pancras New Church. Plaque inscription: "In memory of the victims of the 7th July 2005 bombings and all victims of violence. 'I will lift up my eyes unto the hills'"
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St. Michael the Archangel and the Dragon. Queen of Archangels Roman Catholic Parish, Clarence, Pennsylvania
St Michael's victory over the Devil by Sir Jacob Epstein, Coventry Cathedral.jpg

St Michael's Victory over the Devil, a 1958 sculpture by Jacob Epstein on the wall of the new Coventry Cathedral, England
Aartsengel Michaël vertrapt de draak - Sint-Michielskerk Gent - 0000.jpg

Archangel Michael tramples the dragon, Saint Michael's Church, Ghent