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Archangel Raphael
Raphael
[Hebrew: רָפָאֵל, Rāfāʾēl, 'It is God who heals', 'God Heals', 'God, Please Heal']
is an archangel of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam who in the Christian tradition performs all manners of healing. In Islam, Raphael is the fourth major angel;
in the Muslim tradition, he is known as Israfil. Raphael is mentioned in the Book of Tobit, which is accepted as canonical by Catholics, Orthodox, and some Anglo-Catholics, as useful for public teaching by Anglicans and considered useful and good to read by Lutherans. Raphael is generally associated with the angel mentioned in the Gospel of John as stirring the water at the healing pool of Bethesda. Raphael is also an angel in Mormonism, as he is briefly mentioned in the Doctrine and Covenants.
Book of Enoch about Archangel Raphael
Chapter 9
Then Michael and Gabriel,
Raphael,
Suryal, and Uriel, looked down from heaven, and saw the quantity of blood which was shed on earth, and all the iniquity which was done upon it, and said one to another, It is the voice of their cries;
The earth deprived of her children has cried even to the gate of heaven. And now to you, O you holy one of heaven, the souls of men complain, saying, Obtain Justice for us with
[Obtain justice for us with. Literally,
"Bring judgment to us from."
(Richard Laurence, ed. and trans., The Book of Enoch the Prophet. London: Kegan Paul, Trench & Co., 1883, p. 9)]
the Most High. Then they said to their Lord, the King, You are Lord of lords, God of gods, King of kings. The throne of your glory is for ever and ever, and for ever and ever is your name sanctified and glorified. You are blessed and glorified. You have made all things;
you possess power over all things;
and all things are open and manifest before you. You behold all things, and nothing can be concealed from you. You have seen what Azazyel has done, how he has taught every species of iniquity upon earth, and has disclosed to the world all the secret things which are done in the heavens. Samyaza also has taught sorcery, to whom you have given authority over those who are associated with him. They have gone together to the daughters of men;
have lain with them;
have become polluted;
And have discovered crimes
[Discovered crimes. Or,
"revealed these sins"
(Charles, p. 70)]
to them. The women likewise have brought forth giants. Thus has the whole earth been filled with blood and with iniquity. And now behold the souls of those who are dead, cry out. And complain even to the gate of heaven. Their groaning ascends;
nor can they escape from the unrighteousness which is committed on earth. You know all things, before they exist. You know these things, and what has been done by them;
yet you do not speak to us. What on account of these things ought we to do to them?
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Chapter 10
Then the Almighty, Holy and Mighty, spoke, and sent Uriel to the son of Lamech, and said to him: “Go to Noah and say to him in my name“ Hide!
and reveal to him the end that is approaching: that the whole earth will perish, and the flood will soon descend on the earth, and destroy everything that is on it. And now teach him how to save himself, and so that his seed may be preserved for all generations of the world. And again the Lord said to Raphael: “Bind Azazel hand and foot, and throw him into darkness: and make a hole in the desert that is in Dudael, and throw him there. And put on him (the hole)
unhewn and sharp stones, and cover him (Azazel)
with darkness, and let him remain there forever, and cover his face so that he cannot see the light. And on the day of the great judgment he will be thrown into the fire. And heal the earth defiled by the angels, and proclaim the healing of the earth, so that they may correct the consequences of the disaster, and so that all the children of men will not perish from those secrets that the Watchers revealed and taught their sons. And the whole earth was defiled through the deeds that Azazel taught: place all sin on him. And the Lord said to Gabriel: “Go against the illegitimate and profligate, and against the children of fornication: and destroy (the children of fornication and)
the children of the Watchers from among the people (and cause them to go out): send them against each other so that they destroy one another in battle: for the length of days shall not be with them. And no request for them, which they (i.e. their fathers)
will pray to you, will be fulfilled to the fathers;
for they hope to live eternal life, and that each of them will live five hundred years.” And the Lord said to Michael: “Go, bind Semjaz and those who are with him, who have united with women in order to be defiled with them in all their impurity. And when their sons kill each other, and they see the death of their beloved (sons), bind them tightly for seventy generations in the valleys of the earth, until the day of their judgment and the end, until the judgment, which is for ever and ever, is done. In those days they will be led into the abyss of fire, and into torment and prison, in which they will be shut up forever. And whoever he is: “Go to Noah and tell him in my name “Hide!”, And reveal to him the approaching end: that the whole earth will perish, and the flood will soon descend on the whole earth, and destroy everything that is on it. And now teach him how to save himself and so that his seed will be preserved for all generations of the world. And again the Lord said to Raphael: “Bind Azazel by the feet and hands, and throw him into the darkness: and make a hole in the desert.
And then all the righteous will be saved, And they will live until they give birth to thousands of children, And they will spend all the days of their youth and old age in peace.
And then the whole earth will be cultivated in righteousness, and all will be planted with trees and filled with blessing. And all the desired trees will be planted on it, and they will plant a vineyard on it: and the vine planted on it will bring wine in abundance, so will all the seeds sown on it, every measure (of seeds)
will bring forth a thousand, and every measure of olives yields ten squeezes of oil. And cleanse the earth from all oppression, and from all unrighteousness, and from all sin, and from all ungodliness: and every uncleanness committed on the earth, destroy from the earth. And all the children of men will become righteous, and all nations will bow down and glorify Me, and all will bow down to Me. And the earth will be cleansed from all defilement, and from all sin, and from all punishment, and from all torment, and never again will I send (them)
on it from generation to generation and forever.
Chapter 20
And these are the names of the holy angels who are watching. Uriel, one of the holy angels who is above the world and above Tartarus. Raphael, one of the holy angels who is above the spirits of men. Raguel, one of the holy angels who brings vengeance to the world of luminaries. Michael, one of the holy angels, namely, he is placed over the best part of humanity and over chaos. Sarakael, one of the holy angels, who is placed over the spirits that sin in the spirit. Gabriel, one of the holy angels who is above paradise and snakes and Cherubim. Remiel, one of the holy angels whom God has placed over those who rise up.
Chapter 22
And from there I went to another place, and to a mountain (and)
of hard stone. And there were four hollow places in it, deep and very even. What smooth voids, both deep and dark in appearance. Then Raphael answered, one of the holy angels who was with me, and said to me: “These voids were created for the purpose that the spirits of the souls of the dead would gather in them, yes, that all the souls of the children of men would gather here. And these places were made to receive them until the day of judgment and until a certain period (until the period appointed), when the great judgment (come)
upon them. I saw that the (spirit)
of a dead person interceded for mercy, and his voice went up into heaven and interceded. And I asked Raphael, the angel who was with me, and I said to him: “This spirit, asking for mercy, whose is it, whose voice sounds and intercedes for mercy from heaven?” And he answered me, saying:
"This is the spirit that went out from Abel, whom his brother Cain killed, and he cries out against him until his seed is destroyed from the face of the earth, and his seed is destroyed from the midst of the seed of man."
Then I asked about this, and about all the voids: “Why is one separated from the other?” And he answered me and said to me: “These three were made so that the spirits of the dead could be separated. And such a division was made (for)
the spirits of the righteous, in which there is a bright source of water. And a similar (separation)
was made for sinners when they die and are buried in the earth, and judgment was not made on them in the days of their lives. Here their spirits will be separated with terrible pain until the great day of judgment, and eternal punishment, and the torment of those who curse, and retribution for their spirits. There He will bind them forever. And such a division was made for the spirits of those who cry, who revealed their death when they were slain on the day of sinners. So it was done for the spirits of men, who were not righteous, but sinners who have committed crimes, and they will be accomplices of criminals: but their spirits will not die on the day of judgment, and they will not rise again. Then I blessed the Lord of glory and said,
"Blessed be my Lord, the Lord of righteousness, who reigns forever."
Chapter 32
And after these fragrant odors, when I looked north beyond the mountains, I saw seven mountains abounding with choice nard trees, and fragrant trees, and cinnamon, and pepper. From there I went over the tops of all these mountains, far to the east of the earth, and passed the Erythrean Sea and went far from it, and passed by the angel Zothiel. And I came to the Garden of Righteousness, I saw in the distance trees, more numerous than I saw, these trees and huge two trees there, very majestic, beautiful, and glorious, and magnificent, and the tree of knowledge, whose holy fruit is eaten and great wisdom is known. That tree is as tall as a spruce, and its leaves are like (leaves of)
a carob tree: and its fruit is like bunches of grapes, very beautiful: and the fragrance of the tree penetrates afar. Then I said: “How beautiful is the tree, and how attractive is its appearance!” Then Raphael, the holy angel who is with me, answered me and said: “This is the tree of wisdom, from which your father of old (for years)
and your foremother, who were before you, ate, and they knew wisdom, and their eyes were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they were driven out of the garden."
Chapter 40
And after that I saw thousands of thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand, I saw a multitude exceeding the number, thinking who stood before the Lord of Spirits. And on the four sides of the Lord of Spirits I saw four creatures, different from those who do not sleep, and I recognized their names: for the angel who went with me declared their names to me, and showed me all that was hidden. And I heard the voices of those four beings as they sang praises to the Lord of glory. The first voice blesses the Lord of Spirits forever and ever. And the second voice that I heard blesses the Chosen One and the elect who cling to the Lord of Spirits. And I heard a third voice praying and interceding for those who live on earth and praying in the name of the Lord of Spirits. And I heard a fourth voice, driving away demons and forbidding them to appear before the Lord of Spirits in order to accuse those who live on earth. After that, I asked the angel of peace, who went with me, who showed me everything hidden: “Who are these four beings that I saw, and whose words I heard and wrote down?” And he said to me: “The first is Michael, merciful and long-suffering;
and the second, who is placed over all diseases and all wounds of the children of men, is Raphael;
and the third, set over the forces, is Gabriel;
and the fourth, which is determined over repentance for the hope of those who inherit eternal life, his name is Fanuel. And these are the four angels of the Lord of Spirits and the four voices that I heard in those days.
Chapter 54
And I looked and turned to the other side of the earth, and saw there a deep valley with a blazing fire. And they brought kings and mighty ones, and began to throw them into that deep valley. And there my eyes beheld how they made them their tools, iron chains of immeasurable weight. And I asked the angel who went with me, saying:
"For whom are these chains prepared?"
And he said to me: “They are preparing for the host of Azazel, so that they can be taken and driven into the abyss of complete and final damnation, and will cover their jaws with unhewn stones, as the Lord of Spirits commanded. And Michael, and Gabriel, and Raphael, and Phanuel will seize them on that great day, and throw them on that day into a fiery furnace, so that the Lord of Spirits may avenge them for their wickedness, when they submitted to Satan, and led astray the inhabitants of the earth
". And in those days there will be punishment from the Lord of Spirits, and he will open all the storehouses of water that are in the sky above, and the springs that are under the earth. And all the waters will be united with the waters: those that are above in the sky are male (gender), and the waters that are under the earth are female (gender). And they will destroy all who live on earth, and those who live under the ends of heaven. And when they recognize their wickedness, which they committed on earth, then by these (tools)
they will perish.
Chapter 68
And after that, my grandfather Enoch gave me a teaching about all the mysteries in the book of Proverbs given to him, and he put them together for me in the words of the book of Proverbs. On that day, Michael answered Raphael and said, answering: 'The power of the spirit is transmitted and makes me tremble because of the severity of the court of mysteries, the court of angels: who can endure the harsh judgment that is fulfilled, before which they languish?' And again Michael answered, and said to Raphael: “Who is he whose heart is not softened at this and whose government is not disturbed by the word of judgment, (what)
came upon them because of those who brought them out like that?” And it happened when he stood before the Lord of Spirits, he said to Raphael Michael thus:
"I will not accept their part before the eyes of the Lord;
for the Lord of Spirits was angry with them, because they act as if they were the Lord. Therefore, whatever is hidden in them will come forever and ever;
for neither angel nor man will have a part (in this), but only they received the sentence for ever and ever.
Chapter 71
And it happened after this that my spirit was transferred, and it ascended into heaven;
And I saw the holy sons of God. They walked on tongues of fire;
Their garments (and garments)
were white, And their faces shone like snow. And I saw two streams of fire, And the light from that fire shone like a hyacinth, And I fell on my face before the Lord of Spirits. And the angel Michael (one of the archangels)
took my right hand, And lifted me up and led me into all mysteries, And he showed me all the mysteries of righteousness. And he showed me all the secrets of the ends of heaven, And all the dwellings of all the stars, and all the luminaries, And when they come out before the face of the saints. And he transferred my spirit to the sky of heaven, And I saw there, as it were, a building built of crystals, And between those crystals, tongues of living fire. And my spirit saw the belt encircling that house of fire, And on its four sides were streams full of living fire, And they encircled that house. And around were Seraphim, Kruvim and Ophanim: And these are those who do not sleep And guard the throne of His glory. And I saw angels, which cannot be counted, A thousand thousand, and ten thousand times ten thousand, Surrounding that house. And Michael, and Raphael, and Gavriel, and Panuel, And the holy angels, who are above heaven, Entered and left that house. And they went out of that house, And Michael and Gabriel, Raphael and Panuel, And many holy angels without number. And with them is the Head of Days, His Head is white and pure like wool, And His garment is inexpressible. And I fell on my face, And my whole body relaxed, And my spirit was transformed;
And I cried out with a loud voice, ... With a strong spirit, And I blessed, and glorified, and exalted. And the blessings that came out of my mouth were pleasing before the Head of Days. And this Head of days came up with Michael and Gabriel, Raphael and Panuel, thousands and ten thousand angels without number.
[A page is missing describing how the Son of Man, along with the Head of Days, and Enoch asks one of the angels about the Son of Man, who he is.]
And he
[i.e. an angel]
came up to me and greeted me with his voice, and said to me:
"This is the Son of Man, born for righteousness, and righteousness is over him, And the righteousness of the Head of Days does not leave him."
And he said to me:
"He proclaims rest to you in the name of the world to come;
for from this moment rest came from the creation of the world, and so it will be for you forever and ever. And all will walk in his ways, because righteousness will never leave him: With him their habitation shall be, and their heritage with it, And they shall not be separated from it forever and ever. And so shall the fullness of days be with this Son of Man, And the righteous shall have rest and a righteous way In the name of the Lord of Spirits forever and ever."
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