Archangel Michael, Raphael and Gabriel are evangelists bringing great news. They convey to us the will of the Lord and prophecies to strengthen people's faith in God, and also enlighten minds with the light of the Gospel. The Archangels reveal to us the secrets of pious faith. They are assigned to a special service and represent a reflection not only of the entire Trinity, but also of God himself. In the Orthodox Church, Archangel Raphael, Michael and Gabriel are honored on the same day. The heavenly army is a symbol of the main features of our Creator: beauty, intelligence and goodness.
Who are the archangels, their meaning in Orthodoxy
The Orthodox faith is distinguished by a number of traditions that have come down to our times from ancient times. The names of the archangels are found in Holy Scripture, where the structure of the entire system is explained. Even experienced theologians are not always able to decipher biblical writings.
Studying the list of archangels and getting acquainted with their divine purpose, it becomes clear that they are the leaders of the other angels. When painting archangels on icons, artists pay special attention to their image, not losing sight of even minor details. They may turn out to be very important for our descendants. Each of the main angels is endowed with its own attribute - a trumpet, a sword and a spear, which represent a unique symbolism.
In the Orthodox faith there are seven holy angels, whose names are known to almost all Orthodox Christians. Nobody knows what the number 7 means. The Bible states that only God knows this.
Archangels act as protectors of man and set him on the righteous path. Each of them performs specific functions.
The Church honors three archangels who played a significant role in the history of salvation:
- Michael (translated as “Who is like GOD”) - supports a person in the battle with evil and leads the battle with fallen spirits.
- Gabriel (the name translates as “Bol strength”) - brings messages from the Creator to man.
- Raphael (the meaning of the name is “God heals”) - was the guardian of young Tobiah and stands before the Lord.
A true Christian must remember the presence of invisible divine forces and feel the support of their activities. Only true faith gives the right to ask the Almighty and his assistants for help and protection. If a person is not ready to receive spiritual help, then the angels are not able to do this against his will.
Preface
According to the faith of the Orthodox Church, along with our visible world, God also created the invisible world - the angelic world. The angelic world is a spiritual world: it consists of disembodied, rationally free beings who are in unity with God and serve Him.
Even before the fall of man, a division occurred in the angelic world: part of the angels, under the leadership of Satan - initially one of the highest angels - rebelled against God. However, most of the angels, under the leadership of Archangel Michael, did not succumb to temptation and opposed the satanic army. As a result, the rebel angels were cast out of heaven and, due to their fall, became demons - demons. But, despite such damage inflicted on the angelic world, the angels, who remained faithful to their destiny, still remain in the will of God and carry out their service to God and the visible world created by Him - the world of people.
Among the entire host of ethereal Heavenly Powers, the Archangels Michael and Gabriel, to whom this book is dedicated, are most revered. Archangel Michael is the Archangel of the Heavenly Forces, who was the first to begin the fight against fallen spirits, and to this day remains guardian of the visible and invisible world. Archangel Gabriel, the messenger of the Mysteries of God, who has greatly served the salvation of the human race, also continues his ministry.
In honor of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel, many churches and monasteries throughout the Orthodox world were consecrated. Believers come to them asking for prayerful intercession before God, help and protection. Prayers addressed to the Archangels do not go unanswered - there are many examples of their help and intercession.
The presented collection is intended for a wide range of Orthodox readers. It opens with a short story about the heavenly hierarchy. This is followed by texts dedicated to the Archangels Michael and Gabriel, which tell about the ministry of the Archangels and their appearances, about the veneration and iconography of the Archangels. Further in the collection there are stories about the miracles of the Archangels. In addition, the collection includes appendices that include sermons dedicated to the Archangels Michael and Gabriel, a story about churches and monasteries consecrated in honor of the holy Archangels, as well as akathists and prayers to the Archangels.
Anna Markova
Heavenly hierarchy
According to the Holy Tradition and the Holy Scriptures of the Orthodox Church, in addition to the physical, there is a spiritual world inhabited by intelligent beings called angels.
The word "angel" in Greek means messenger
. The Holy Scripture calls them this because God often communicates His will to people through them. What exactly is their life in the spiritual world that they inhabit, and what their activities are, we know almost nothing. They live in conditions completely different from the material world.
However, one of the sections of theological science contains the doctrine of angels and is called angelology (from the Greek αγγελος - “angel” and λογος - “teaching”). It is based on Divine revelation containing information about the spiritual world. Much of this information is contained in the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament. The New Testament also makes frequent reference to angels. In addition, various information about angels is contained in the works of the holy fathers, especially in this regard, the work of Dionysius the Areopagite “On the Heavenly Hierarchy” stands out.
Angels were created before the creation of the material world. By their nature they belong to the invisible world - the Holy Scripture calls them spirits. Angels have no flesh and bones, are not subject to carnal needs, and are not subject to physical and physiological laws. However, among the holy fathers there is no consensus as to whether angels are pure spirits or whether they have a “subtle” - that is, a spiritual body. The opinion about the absolute incorporeality of angels in the Russian Church was defended by St. Theophan the Recluse, who polemicized with St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov), who recognized a certain angelic corporeality. The possibilities of the angelic nature are limited. And although it surpasses human nature in strength and power (see 2 Pet. 2:11) and allows one to perform unusual actions, nevertheless the angels do not comprehend the Divine essence, which only God Himself knows. The redemption of the human race accomplished by the Savior is for them a mystery into which they wish to penetrate (see 1 Pet. 1:12), and the comprehension of this mystery is accomplished by them through the Church (see Eph. 3:9-10). The progress of angels in knowledge occurs simultaneously with their progress in spiritual life. Just like human nature, angelic nature is subject to change; as you know, some of the angels, having turned to evil, fell.
There are countless numbers of angels, as the Holy Scriptures repeatedly testify. Many angelic names, faces and ranks remain unknown to people in their earthly life and can only be revealed to them after their death.
According to the Holy Scriptures, angels are ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation (see Heb. 1:14). They serve God by singing a song, stand before God when He declares His will, appear at the command of God to help a person or to punish him, announce the fate of the people and bring people’s prayers to God. Angels, under the leadership of Archangel Michael, wage tireless spiritual warfare against Satan. And at the end of time they will accompany Christ during His Second Coming. In addition, angels invisibly participate in the liturgical life of the Church.
The heavenly powers constitute the “angelic council.” The basis of the “harmonious” unity of angels is the hierarchical principle. The structure of the “heavenly hierarchy” is described in detail in the work of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite “Heavenly Hierarchy”. According to it, the angelic hierarchy consists of three triads: the first - Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones; the second - Dominance, Strength, Power; third – Principalities, Archangels, Angels.
The work of Dionysius the Areopagite emphasizes the symbolic nature of the hierarchy of the spiritual world, for how many ranks of heavenly beings are, what they are and how the secrets of the hierarchy are carried out among them - only God, the Author of their hierarchy, knows exactly. The triadic structure of the angelic world symbolizes its perfect order and harmony. It indicates that harmony and order in this world are not accidental; at their core they have Divine unity, which itself is expressed through the numerical ratio of the Unity and the Trinity. The Divine Unity is identical to the Trinity, therefore all existing plurality, including the plurality of the angelic world, bears the stamp of both unity and trinity.
The names of the heavenly hierarchy are also symbolic. They denote the god-like properties of the angels included in each triad.
Seraphim - (Heb. “burning, flaming”) - according to the Areopagitics, the angelic rank closest to God. They are the first participants in Divine bliss, the first to be illuminated by the light of Divine glory. Seraphim are distinguished by their fiery love for God. Their purpose is to raise the lower to the higher, to drive out the darkness of sin and generate zeal for the glory of God.
Cherubim (Heb. presumably “chariots”) - for them God is always luminous Wisdom. Cherubim constantly delve into the Divine mind, praise and glorify God in their songs, contemplate the Divine mysteries, and penetrate them with trepidation. Cherubim are the mysterious chariot of the Lord of hosts, on which, as the Holy Scripture repeatedly testifies, the Almighty “sits.”
Thrones are distinguished by their inviolability and immutability in the perception of Divine light; they open themselves to Divine insights. The thrones, especially in front of all ranks of angels, feel and contemplate God as the King of Glory, the King of the entire universe, the King who creates justice and righteousness, the King of kings, as the great, strong and terrible God. The Thrones not only feel and sing of the greatness of God, but they themselves are filled with this greatness and glory and let others feel it, as if pouring into the hearts of people the waves of greatness and glory of the Divine that fill them.
Dominions – always directed towards the “Lord of lords”; they are constant in their freedom and are not subject to any power inclinations. They delve into the management of God's creatures, into God's care and providence for everything invisible and visible, small and great.
The Powers are an angelic order endowed with insurmountable courage, which is reflected in all their god-like actions. The forces striving to imitate God do not remain idle from laziness, but steadily look at the highest and all-strengthening Power and, as far as possible, according to their strength, become Her image; they are completely turned to Her as the source of Strength. They tend to communicate Divine power to lower beings.
Powers: The angels belonging to this rank contemplate and glorify God as almighty. Authorities, through the power they have acquired, establish superior spiritual dominion and symbolically demonstrate through their service the nature of true power, which is expressed not in domination, but in love.
The beginnings are turned to the beginningless Beginning. They imprint in themselves, as much as possible, the image of God. They are entrusted with command over the elements of nature, as well as over entire nations. They express the beginningless Beginning in the world order of commanding forces.
Archangels are heavenly teachers. Archangels exercise invisible guidance in the spiritual world, preserve its unity and reveal to people the secrets of God’s economy.
Angels finally conclude all the orders of heaven. Through them, Divine blessed light descends to the earth. Angels are the guardians of people, they guide a person through life, guide, protect the walker so that he does not deviate to the side, they strengthen the exhausted, and raise the falling.
In the Areopagitik system, all three triads are in strict subordination. Therefore, angels occupying a lower position in it can communicate with God and receive gifts of grace from Him only through higher angels. Accordingly, a person can directly communicate only with the last rank of angels of the third triad. The rigidly fixed principle of hierarchical mediation is what is most vulnerable in the heavenly hierarchy of the Areopagitik, since the angelology of the Holy Scriptures does not fit into the hierarchy of Dionysius. For example, Seraphim in the book of the prophet Isaiah is the direct messenger of God. Or, according to the Revelation of John the Theologian, Archangel Michael is called the head of the heavenly army and the leader of all angelic ranks; It is in this capacity that the Church reveres him. However, in the system of Dionysius, the Archangel rank is one of the lowest in the heavenly hierarchy.
Therefore, recognizing the undeniable value of the Areopagitics, the Church teaches that the angelic world is mysterious and incomprehensible.
Saint Archangel Michael
The leader of the heavenly army, under whose feet the defeated devil is depicted. He is the chief archangel in both the New and Old Testaments. In Scripture he is called “the leader of the army.” Mikhail is the main fighter in the fight against the evil that exists in the world. Saint George the Great believed that angels appear to a person when he needs to bring a message, and Archangel Michael - before the manifestation of the power of God.
When the angel Lucifer, who was closest to God, moved away from him, going over to the side of evil along with his comrades-in-arms, Michael called on the remaining supporters of the Lord to fight against the sophisticated. The fallen angels with Lucifer were “banished into the underworld.”
Michael is most often depicted in the guise of a warrior with armor, with a spear in his hand or with a sword. He never stops fighting for the glory of God and for people. In the Old Testament he acts as a defender of the people of Israel, and in the New Testament - of all righteous Christians.
Since ancient times, the Archangel Michael has been loved and revered by believers. He accompanied the souls of the righteous and repentant to heaven, and performed the ritual of washing the souls before they appeared before God. Michael accompanied the Virgin Mary through hell. She was able to witness the torment of the souls of sinners. On the day of the Last Judgment, Michael will pray to God for mercy on all who have sinned. In Byzantium, many were able to be healed at the springs on which temples were erected in honor of Michael. According to Greek legends, when a person dies, the soul follows the archangel. It is Michael who is protected from demons and who escorts souls to the Judgment of God.
Prayers to Saint Archangel Michael
The patron saint of warriors who fought for the good, Saint Archangel Michael, is revered as a protector from evil spirits, visible and invisible forces. It preserves a person's sleep and helps in the fight against sadness.
They turn to Michael, reading prayers:
- About healing.
- When entering a new home.
- When lighting your own home.
- About the protection of the souls of the dead.
An ancient prayer to Archangel Michael protects a believer from the touch of the devil, human evil intentions and flattery. When reading, you feel calm and confident. A prayer is read to Archangel Michael at the beginning of a new day - at midnight. During the day, evil forces will be powerless and will not be able to cause harm. Archangel Michael will avert all troubles and the person asking will feel protected all day long.
Who are the archangels
The word “Angel” is translated from Greek as “messenger” or “messenger”. Accordingly, the Archangel is the senior angel. Angels communicate the will of God to a Christian who finds himself in a difficult situation, protect from evil forces, strengthen faith and help to know God and His will. The Bible does not indicate how many archangels there are; the answer to this question is given by Holy Tradition.
Archangels (modern fresco in Byzantine style)
Saint Archangel Gabriel
According to texts from the Bible, Archangel Gabriel was chosen by God himself to notify man that the son of the Lord had come to earth.
He is considered the patron saint of young married couples wishing to have children. Gabriel is asked to conceive. He protects the woman and the unborn child during pregnancy.
Archangel Gabriel occupies second place in the hierarchy. He patronizes people whose work is related to communication (journalists, psychologists, managers, etc.). An icon with his image is revered by the Orthodox Church. Depicted in rich robes, sometimes with a scepter in his hand and a crown on his head. The date of celebration is celebrated after the Annunciation.
According to legend, Gabriel guarded the Virgin Mary and was sent by God to warn her husband about the king’s plan to destroy all babies. The angel taught the book scripture to the forefather Moses.
Prayers to the patron saint Archangel Gabriel
Gabriel's help is as follows:
- protects from troubles and adversity;
- protects against diseases;
- acts as a guiding star in life;
- heals illnesses and serious illnesses;
- helps overcome infertility and bear a healthy child;
- cleanses from frightening thoughts and bad feelings;
- relieves internal fears and various kinds of phobias.
Prayers to Gabriel help with depression and psychological disorders. You can ask him for love, faith, help in marriage. There is no need to look for separate prayers for each case. You can pray in your own words in front of the image. The main thing is to sincerely believe and Gabriel will definitely bless what was asked for.
Not only a priest can read prayers to Archangel Gabriel. The request will be heard from the lips of a believer. The main thing is to have faith and sincerity. You can read the prayer to Archangel Gabriel at home; it is not necessary to visit a church or temple for these purposes. You need to put the image of the Saint in front of you.
Miracles of Gabriel:
News about the child:
He presented it to Saint Anne. He said that she would give birth to a daughter - the blessed Virgin Mary, who would later become the mother of Jesus Christ.
Prophecies about the coming of the Savior:
Archangel Gabriel appeared to the prophet Daniel and told him about the coming of the Savior.
The Mystery of the Creation of the World:
The biblical character Moses was guarding a flock of sheep at the time when Saint Gabriel appeared to him. It was he who told the prophet the secret of the creation of the world. Then it was his words that Moses wrote down in the book of Genesis.
Saint Archangel Raphael
Translated from Hebrew, the name Raphael is translated as “healer.” The Archangel is in 3rd place after Michael. Heals and reduces both mental and physical pain. They pray to him when problems arise regarding the inner world, feelings and health. Archangel Raphael is prayed for both healing from illnesses and restoration of relationships or correction in any life situation. It is important to correctly convey the problem, because many do not know how to express their own thoughts, directing divine power in the wrong direction.
The Bible says that Archangel Raphael imprisoned the fallen Azazel in the desert at the behest of the Lord. He bore punishment for the craft given to man and for corrupting him. He is assigned to guard the fallen angels, who are among the mortals, like other archangels.
Raphael heals not only the body, but also the soul, and fights evil intent on earth. The Book of Tobit states that he is his son's companion, taking human form. Raphael exorcised the demon and cured blindness.
The Archangel told mortals about the places where souls are before the Last Judgment. It was Raphael who gave the ring to King Solomon, intended to subjugate demons.
Prayers to Archangel Raphael
In the Orthodox Church, Archangel Raphael is:
- assistant to travelers and healers;
- patron of the sick spiritually and physically;
- healer from illnesses and mental wounds.
You can ask Archangel Raphael for help both for yourself and for relatives or spiritually close people. He will appear exactly where they need him, and will help only those who firmly believe in God. If a person does not accept spiritual help, then Uriel needs to pray. They ask Raphael for the health of humans and animals. The angel will help you choose the right path in treatment and prevent death.
Prayers to Archangel Raphael will help you overcome anxiety and worries. With their help, quit destructive tendencies that are harmful to health and restore your spiritual state. Prayers to Archangel Raphael will cleanse your home of dark entities and bad energy.
