Archangel tattoo - meaning, sketches, places of application, inspiring photos of works

Who are the archangels?

The answer to this question is not so simple. To understand it, you will need to turn to the Holy Scriptures. The Bible begins with the words: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Of course, the sky here does not mean the firmament familiar from birth, along which clouds and clouds, the sun, moon and stars move, because then light did not yet exist.

“Our Father who art in heaven” is how Christians turn to God in their main prayer. We understand that Heavenly Father is not a grandfather on a cloud, who was depicted in mocking atheistic caricatures, but the Lord of the universe, who created and headed the material and spiritual world - the sky, inhabited by disembodied spirits - angels.

Angels are intelligent, active beings who are directed towards God and are in close communication with Him.

The Old Testament, or more precisely, the book of Job (38:7), reports that angels were created before the visible world: “When the stars were created, all My angels praised Me with a loud voice.”

Selecting a sketch and master

Applying a tattoo with the image of an archangel is a technically complex process that requires not only a certain level of skill and qualifications of the artist, but also careful preparation in developing and selecting a sketch. Good examples of work can be found on the Internet yourself; there are quite a lot of photos and videos on the Internet.

Before contacting this or that artist, it is better to inquire and look through his work, to find out whether he has experience working with tattoos depicting archangels and developing the design of such a tattoo.

Every detail is very important, it will determine how the final work will look. If you decide that a drawing of an archangel should become your life partner, be very careful and responsible when choosing a master. The sketch may be yours, found in any source, but it depends on the work of the master how similar your body drawing will be to real jewelry.

Why are they called that?

On the pages of Holy Scripture there are more than once references to the ranks of angels. An angel announced to the prophet Zechariah about the future birth of a son, an angel strengthened the Savior in the most difficult moments of His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane and served Him during a forty-day fast in the desert, and angels also told the news of the Resurrection to the Myrrh-Bearing Women.

It was precisely because people learned the will of God from them that these creatures received the name messengers. In Hebrew (מלאך “malachim” - messenger) and ancient Greek (ἄγγελος - messenger) - “angel”. Later, all the Heavenly Powers involved in God received the same name. The word “archangel” contains the prefix “archi”, which in Greek (“archi”) means leadership over the angels.

WE RECOMMEND: Strong prayers to Archangel Raphael.

Place matters

The place where the archangel tattoo is applied has a certain meaning; the tattoo is often found on the chest, shoulders, and back. Often compositions with supreme angels are used for sleeves.

However, depending on the place where the drawing with the archangel is applied, it may also have certain symbolism:

• On the chest. A tattoo with an archangel located on the chest can be characterized as a talisman. He seems to protect the heart, acts as the personification of faith and devotion. Sometimes it can indicate loss. A tattoo on the chest looks impressive and symbolic.
• On the back. Thanks to the large “area” of application, the design on the back can really be made majestic and epic, especially the size of the wings.
• On the hand. The most popular area of ​​the body for a tattoo, which can become part of a composition on the sleeve or be applied to the shoulder. Such a tattoo often adorns the bodies of people who speak about their beliefs without hesitation.

Differences between archangels and angels

If we draw an analogy between the heavenly and earthly worlds, then angels can be called ordinary employees, and archangels - seniors. The first ones are close to people - each of us has a personal guardian angel who helps and warns against falls and troubles. Even if a person has sinned, the guardian angel remains with him until death, and after leaving for another world he helps to make the transition to eternity.

The latter reveal prophecies to people and proclaim the will of God.

Example: the main event that turned the course of the earthly history of mankind - the Annunciation - is associated with the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary.

Hierarchy of God's Messengers

In Christianity, there is a treatise “On the Heavenly Hierarchy,” the author of which is considered to be the Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite, the first bishop of Athens and a disciple of the Apostle Paul.

Reflecting on how the hierarchy works in the spiritual world, based on the Holy Scriptures, he divides it into three stages:

• highest: Cherubim and Seraphim;
• middle: Dominance. Powers, Forces;
• lower: Angels, Archangels and Principalities.

No one can know the exact answer to the question of how the heavenly hierarchy works. In lengthy discussions, comparing the texts of the New and Old Testaments, Christian theologians adopted the so-called Areopagite point of view.

Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite

The rank of the holy Archangels is equal to those heavenly Principalities; for their Hierarchy, as I said, is one with the Hierarchy of Angels. But just as there is no Hierarchy that does not have first, middle and last Powers; then the holy rank of Archangels, as the middle one in the last Hierarchy, unites the extreme ranks by its communication with them. For he communicates with the most holy Principalities and holy Angels; - with the first in that he turns through the Principalities to the premium Beginning, conforms to Him as much as possible, and maintains unity between the Angels in accordance with his harmonious, skillful, invisible leadership. It is communicated with the latter by the fact that he, as a rank designated for teaching, receives Divine insights through the first Powers according to the property of the Hierarchy, and transmits them with love to the Angels, and through the Angels informs us to the extent that someone is capable of Divine insights.

Eight Archangels and Their Meanings

Unlike angels, whose number is innumerable, in the Orthodox tradition it is generally accepted that there are only eight archangels. Each of them has a name and its own “area of ​​responsibility”.

archangel Michael

“Michael” literally translates from the Hebrew “who is like God.” It was not for nothing that he received such a name. The Holy Scripture calls him the leader of the Lord's army, therefore he is called the commander-in-chief - the archangel (from the ancient Greek ἀρχιστρατηγός - “commander-in-chief”).

John the Theologian in “Revelation” tells that the Archangel victoriously opposed the proud Dennitsa and other fallen angels.

John the Theologian

And there was a war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought against them, but they could not resist, and there was no longer a place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that ancient serpent, called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world, he was cast out to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

More than once the Old Testament mentions its influence on the fate of God's chosen people. He appeared to Joshua, who led the Israelites during the conquest of the Promised Land, and to the prophet Daniel during the Babylonian captivity.

Covertly, in the form of a pillar of fire, he helped the Israelis get rid of the hordes of Egyptians. With his help, it was possible to free ourselves from the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem during the time of the prophet Isaiah.

Archangel Gabriel

This name is translated as “the power of God.” This character appears several times on the pages of the Bible. It was Gabriel who told the prophet Moses about the creation of the world. From him, righteous Anna learned about the birth of her Daughter in the future. He more than once proclaimed the will of God to the Mother of God herself. In moments of doubt, he strengthened righteous Joseph.

Gospel of Luke, Chapter, verse 28

The angel, coming to Her, said: Rejoice, full of grace! The Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women. She, seeing him, was embarrassed by his words and wondered what kind of greeting this would be. And the Angel said to Her: Do not be afraid, Mary, for You have found favor with God; and behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a Son, and you will call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.

Archangel Raphael

We learn about the Archangel Raphael, a healer and guide, from the “Book of Enoch” and the “Book of Tobit.” In the guise of a young man, he accompanied the righteous Tobiah (son of Tobit), protecting him and helping him in difficult situations. He taught Tobias healing, gave him fish, and delivered Sarah, who later became his wife, from an evil spirit.

It is noteworthy that Raphael, from the pages of Holy Scripture, calls for mercy and justice. From the Hebrew language this name is translated as “healing of God” (from “rapha” רפא - to heal)

Comrade 12:8

A good deed is prayer with fasting and almsgiving and justice. Better is a little with justice than a lot with unrighteousness; It is better to give alms than to collect gold, for alms delivers from death and can cleanse all sin. Those who do alms and deeds of righteousness will live long. Sinners are the enemies of their own lives.

Archangel Uriel

“Light of God” is the literal meaning of this name. It is mentioned in the Third Book of Ezra and the Book of Enoch. He was sent to the priest Ezra to tell him about the mysterious ways of God.

According to church tradition, it was Uriel who was placed at the gates of paradise when, after the Fall, the Progenitors Adam and Eve were expelled from it.

Saint Innocent, Archbishop of Kherson and Tauride

The Fourth Archangel is depicted with a sword turned against the Persians, and in Shuyts with a flame descending to the bottom; and his name is Uriel, that is, the light or fire of God. As an Angel of light, he enlightens the minds of people with the revelation of truths that are useful to them; like the Angel of Divine fire, he inflames hearts with love for God and consumes impure earthly attachments in them. So, this is your Archangel, people who have devoted themselves to science!

Archangel Salafiel

Church tradition says that the Archangel Salafiel appeared to Hagar while she was praying in the desert. This event is described in the 16th chapter of the book of Genesis. In addition, his name appears in the Third Book of Ezra.

“Salafiel” is translated from Hebrew as “prayer to God.” Saint Innocent calls him the leader of the prayer angels.

Saint Innocent, Archbishop of Kherson and Tauride

And so, the Lord, knowing how necessary prayer is for each of us, gave us a whole face of prayerful Angels with their leader Salafiel - so that with the inspiration of their pure lips they warm our cold hearts and encourage them to pray, and instruct us about what, when and how Let us pray that our very offerings may be lifted up to the throne of grace.

Archangels Yehudil and Barachiel

These names are not found in Holy Scripture. According to legend, Yehudil was one of those archangels who helped the Jewish people during their flight from Egypt and their 40-year wandering through the desert on their way to the Promised Land. His service to God is to strengthen the spirit of all who work for God's glory, not without reason his name is translated as “the praise of God.” He is the patron of all who work for the glory of God.

Saint Innocent, Archbishop of Kherson and Tauride

The sixth Archangel has a golden crown in his right hand, and a scourge of three scarlet ropes in his shuitz. This is because the duty of this Archangel with the face of the Angels entrusted to him is to encourage with the reward of eternal blessings and to protect in the name of the Holy Trinity and the power of the Cross of Christ people who work in various types of service for the glory of God, which is why he is called Egudiel, or the praise of God. There are no people among us who bear this name; for this, each of us, young and old, is obliged to live and work for the glory of God; and since he truly works at this, it cannot be that he does not encounter various obstacles.

Through Barachiel (literally “blessing of God”) the Lord sends blessings to pious people for every good deed.

Saint Innocent, Archbishop of Kherson and Tauride

The ministry of this Archangel is diverse: through him the blessing of the household and the improvement of the family is sent; through him the blessing of the fruits of the earth is received; through him one is granted blessed success in purchases and other everyday affairs. But when are they worthy?.. Then, without a doubt, when they want to accept earthly blessings to acquire heavenly and eternal blessings: when, for example, they want to have children in order to raise them in the fear of God; they expect an abundance of the fruits of the earth in order to share them with the poverty that is melting away from famine; They are looking for an increase in income in order to be able to decorate the temple of God, look after the orphan, redeem an innocent debtor, and the like.

Archangel Jeremil

This archangel is reported in the Third Book of Ezra. Here Jeremiel answers the question about the time of the coming century. The answer is: “When the number of deceased righteous people reaches a certain limit.”

According to legend, Jeremiel (“height of God”) is the chief of the angels of repentance, who help people see and realize their sins. It shows a person the prospect of the future.

Third Book of Ezra, Chapter 4, verses 35-37

Didn’t the souls of the righteous ask about the same thing in their retreats, saying: “How long will we hope in this way? And when is the fruit of our retribution? 36 To this Jeremiel the Archangel answered me: “When the number of the seeds in you is fulfilled, for the Most High has weighed this age in scales, 37 and measured the times with a measure, and numbered the hours, and will not advance or speed up until a certain measure is fulfilled.” .

Questions for the priest

Are there days of special veneration of archangels established in Orthodoxy?

The veneration of archangels begins in the Church in the 4th century AD, when at the Council of Laodicea the heretical teaching about the worship of angels as rulers and creators of the world was condemned. The ninth month was chosen to establish the day of remembrance. This number symbolizes the nine angelic ranks. The number eight recalls the Council of heavenly powers on the day of the Last Judgment, which will take place on the “eighth day.” The date was set according to the calendar in force at that time in the Roman Empire. In pre-revolutionary Russia, the celebration of the Council of the Archangel Michael of God and all the ethereal heavenly powers fell on November 8th. After the transition to the new style, the holiday is celebrated on November 21.

Only one of them - Gabriel - has additional days of memory associated with those events in which he was directly involved - the Annunciation. The next day, April 8, the Council of the Archangel Gabriel is celebrated.

The second date, July 26, is presumably associated with the consecration of the temple erected in his honor in Constantinople in the 17th century.

How to pray to the archangels correctly in different circumstances?

The “specialization” of archangels is very conditional. It is based on the information that is known about each of them. That's why:

• Archangel Michael is revered as a fighter against evil and various kinds of heresy;
• Archangel Gabriel is asked to help in conceiving a child, in cases of despondency, and also in cases where they want to help a lost soul return to the righteous path;
• the assistant to everyone who has a merciful heart and those who are engaged in healing is Archangel Raphael, travelers also turn to him;
• prayer books are helped by Archangel Salifiel;
• Archangel Yehudil protects those who work for the glory of God; he is the patron saint of kings, judges and leaders in general;
• Archangel Barachiel helps in all everyday needs;
• students and those who have devoted themselves to science come to Archangel Uriel; in times of doubt, loss of faith, it helps to cope with a painful state;
• when preparing for confession, communion, and in internal work on their spiritual state, they pray to the archangel Jeremilo.

In Orthodoxy, an unwritten tradition has developed to prayerfully remember the archangels on all days of the week. In the weekly liturgical circle, the archangels are remembered on Monday, when special chants and prayers are dedicated to them.

Chief Archangel Michael

This is the most important archangel, the leader of the Heavenly Host. His name means “like God.” On icons he is often depicted slaying the devil. This image is associated with the legend of how Satan was cast out of Heaven. When many angels were seduced by pride and followed the Right Hand, Michael gathered all the remaining heavenly beings who were faithful to the Lord and began to sing praises to God. After this, the Hand was overthrown, and the world was forever divided into Divine and Devilish.

The name of the head of the heavenly army appears repeatedly in the book of the Apocalypse (Revelation of John the Theologian). From there we can know that the eternal struggle between good and evil at the end of time will end with the final victory of the Lord, and to help us in this war we have the great intercessor and assistant warrior Michael.

archangel Michael

On the icons we can also see the Heavenly Governor with weapons in his hands (sword and spear), as well as white banners. The latter symbolize crystal purity and loyalty to the Lord God of all heavenly powers that are in subordination. At the end of the spear you can see a cross, which means that the fight against the spirits of evil is in the name of Christ and for the salvation of every believer.

Attention! The Orthodox Church honors a special holiday of the year - the Remembrance of the miracle of Archangel Michael. This day is popularly known as the “Michael Michael’s Miracle.”

Not far from the city of Hierapolis there was a very revered Christian monastery. The pagans decided to flood it so that so many believers would not come there to pray. To do this, they connected the beds of two rivers, and directed the stormy stream towards the temple. At that moment, Archangel Michael appeared and with his rod he made a hole in the mountain, where all the water went, bypassing the monastery. I remember this miracle on September 19 according to the new style.

They pray to the head of the heavenly army for the strengthening of faith, at the entrance to a new house and for the consecration of a new home, for the strengthening of the state and the blessing of earthly authorities.

Read about Saint Archangel Michael:

• Akathist to Archangel Michael
• Icon of St. Archangel Michael
• Prayer to Archangel Michael for health