St. Michael the Archangel: meaning in Orthodoxy, icons, photos

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

Everyone who is familiar with the Holy Scriptures knows that, in addition to the visible and tangible world, there is another, different world of angelic forces - incorporeal spirits, by the command of God called to keep and protect people - the highest creations intended by Him for eternal heavenly glory. According to the Bible, the holy archangel Michael leads the angelic army to fight the progenitor of evil, fulfilling this high destiny by the will of God. Who is he, this our guardian and keeper? And who is his army?

Angel world

First of all, we note that the word "angel" in translation from ancient Greek means "messenger, messenger." The existence of this incorporeal being is equally recognized by the three monotheistic religions - Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Its main task is to proclaim to the people the will of God, hence the name. Traditionally, he is depicted as an anthropomorphic (that is, combining the features of a person and an animal) creature endowed with wings.

According to theological ideas, the angelic world has a complex hierarchy, and each religion has its own hierarchy. Without touching on this vast topic, it follows onlymention that in Christian angelology - the branch of theology dealing with this topic - it is generally accepted that the archangels belong to the eighth of the nine angelic ranks.

The prefix "archi" in ancient Greek means "senior, chief". Thus, it is not difficult to guess that the archangel is none other than the elder angel. In all three monotheistic, or, as they are also commonly called, “Abrahamic” (since they go back to Patriarch Abraham) religions, the most famous and revered is the holy Archangel Michael. In Orthodoxy, he is often referred to as the Archangel Michael, which indicates his dominant position in the Heavenly Host.

Who is Archangel Michael

It is curious that if you parse the expression "Archangel Michael" itself, it turns out that it includes five words: arch, angel, mi, ka, ate. “Arch” and “angel”, as can be seen from the above, mean “senior messenger”, and “mi ka el” from both Hebrew and Hebrew is literally translated by the expression “who is like God”. Summing up, we can conclude that in the view of the three largest world religions, Archangel Michael (or Archangel Michael) is “a senior messenger like God.”

However, it should be noted that in theology there has never been an equal sign between God's greatness and the importance of His servant, even if he dominates the angels. Therefore, such a translation should be considered more correct: “senior messenger endowed with divine powers” or “plenipotentiary messenger of God.”

Archangel Michael in the Bible

Archangel Michael is repeatedly mentioned both in the Book of the Prophet Daniel, which is part of the Old Testament, and in the New Testament texts. For example, the pages of the Apocalypse tell of the battle of the angelic army, led by the Archangel Michael, with the dragon, who pursued the "Woman clothed in the sun", which, according to theologians, meant the Christian church during the period of persecution.

The holy Archangel Michael of God also appears in the letter of the Apostle Jude, which describes his dispute with the devil over the body of the prophet Moses. This episode, by the way, is the only one in canonical texts where Michael is called an archangel. According to researchers, it is borrowed from an earlier Christian apocrypha - a text that is not recognized as canonical, and which, in turn, reproduces a plot from Hebrew literature.

Relentless Judge

The role of Archangel Michael in the struggle between good and evil is reflected in many Christian eschatological writings dealing with issues related to the end of the world, redemption and the afterlife. According to the established religious tradition, he acquired the features of not only the winner of Satan, but also one of the main arbiters of the Last Judgment. It is he who will have to call the souls with a "trumpet voice".

He is also assigned the role of a judge, passing an inexorable sentence on the souls of sinners and opening the gates of eternal bliss to the righteous. This theme is widely reflected in iconography, and thanks to it, the Archangel Michael is considered the patron of the dead. The prayer offered to him contains a request for protection in the fight againstevil and support at the Last Judgment.

It is characteristic that in the literature of the Copts - followers of the ethno-religious community of North Africa, distributed mainly in Egypt - there is a story about how at the Last Judgment Archangel Michael, having called the souls of the dead from the graves, will bitterly cry about the fate of sinners, and Jesus Christ, condescending to his prayers, will forgive them.

The image of the Archangel Michael in the Old Testament apocrypha

As mentioned above, religious literature includes, in addition to texts recognized by the church and considered canonical, a large number of so-called apocrypha - texts that have not received official recognition, but are nonetheless of interest to researchers.

One of them is the Book of Enoch - the most significant apocrypha of the Old Testament. It describes how, at the command of God, the Archangel Michael, in the presence of a host of angels, clothed Enoch, the seventh patriarch of Israel, in robes of the glory of the Lord. This passage emphasizes the significance of the Archangel Michael and the exceptional role that he was assigned to the ancient Jews.

Another widely known apocrypha is the Qumran Scrolls, a collection of manuscripts discovered in 1947 in the caves of Qumran on the coast of the Dead Sea. This, the earliest biblical text that has come down to us, contains a story about how Archangel Michael, being the leader of light, leads God's army to fight the forces of darkness, led by Belial. The Qumran community, which belonged to the found scrolls,existed in the 2nd century BC, thus it becomes clear how ancient the veneration of the Archangel Michael is in the Middle East.

Archangel Michael in Christian apocryphal texts

But this image is especially often found in Christian apocrypha. In the 4th century, a text was written that became known as the Gospel of Nicodemus. It says, in particular, that after the descent into hell, Jesus Christ entrusted the Archangel Michael with the mission of taking the souls he saved to heaven. In the same period, the apocryphal "Revelation of Paul" appeared. In it, the chief apostle tells how Archangel Michael performs the washing of the souls of the departed before the gates of Heavenly Jerusalem are opened to them.

In the widely known, but not recognized by the church, work of the 10th century, “The Virgin's Passage through Torment,” describes how the Archangel Michael serves as a guide to the Queen of Heaven who descended into hell. Following her, he tells who and for what sins there accepts torment. The fact that the Archangel Michael is destined to sound the trumpet on the last day and cry from the graves to the Last Judgment of the souls of the dead is also evidenced by the Apocryphal Revelation of John the Theologian (not to be confused with its canonical text).

Archangel Michael among ancient Jews and Muslims

As already mentioned, the image of the Archangel Michael is found both in the Jewish tradition and in Islam. Among the ancient Jews, he is known as Mikael, along with other archangels - Gabriel, Oriel and Raphael - guarding the four cardinal points. In the Koran he is called Mikail, and is located on the edge of the sea, overflowing with angels and locatedon the seventh sky. In the view of Muslims, he is endowed with emerald-colored wings.

The image of the Archangel Michael in Orthodoxy

In Orthodoxy, the Archangel (Archangel) Michael is the leader of the Heavenly host, traditionally acts as a guardian of God's law and a fighter against the forces of hell. In this regard, the word “archistratig” is more often used in the name of his rank than attention is focused on his role as a warrior and protector. It is no coincidence that it is he who is considered the patron of the “militant Church”, which unites all the opponents of evil who have remained faithful to God.

Along with this, the Orthodox Church traditionally presents him as the protector of the souls of the departed, to whom God entrusted the souls of Abraham and the Most Holy Theotokos to transfer them to Heaven. But even for the living, Archangel Michael can become an assistant - the prayer offered to him for he alth has extraordinary power. This is explained by the fact that, according to religious beliefs, any illness is sent by evil spirits, and it is with them that Archangel Michael wages a relentless struggle. Having overcome them, he thereby delivers the suffering from their diseases.

There is another tradition in Orthodoxy associated with his name. It is generally accepted that the angel who stood at the gates of paradise with a fiery sword in his hands was precisely the Archangel Michael. The icon, located in the Mikhailo-Arkhangelsk Monastery of Veliky Ustyug and dating from the 17th century, depicts this scene on one of its stamps.

Miracles of Archangel Michael

The sacred tradition keeps many legends about the miracles revealedArchangel Michael. One of them tells how in ancient Phrygia there was a temple dedicated to him, in which the pious sexton Archipus of Herotop served for many years. The pagans who lived in the area harbored hatred towards him and one day, wanting to destroy the righteous man, and at the same time destroy the temple, they connected together the channels of two mountain rivers and directed the resulting stream towards it. And it would be a misfortune, but through the prayer of Archangel Michael, who miraculously appeared, cut the rock with a blow of the rod, and all the water went into the resulting crevice. The Orthodox Church annually celebrates the day of remembrance of this event on September 19.

Another legend says that during the terrible plague that raged in Rome at the end of the VI century, the inhabitants of the city were saved from death only after the figure of the Archangel Michael appeared on top of the mausoleum of Emperor Hadrian, putting his sword in scabbard. In memory of this, on the spot where the city's savior appeared, his statue was erected, and the mausoleum itself was renamed the Castel Sant'Angelo.

The list of such legends can be continued for a very long time. Some of them became a reflection of real events, and some were the fruit of the imagination of early Christian and medieval authors who wished to elevate their beloved saint in this way.

Worship of the Archangel Michael in Asia Minor and Egypt

His veneration as a healer is typical not only for Russian Orthodoxy. For example, in Asia Minor, on the territory of modern Turkey, from ancient times there were several miraculoussources associated with his name. They have been known since Byzantium, where the Archangel Michael was famous as a great healer. In honor of him, a special temple was even erected, called Michalion.

But the Archangel Michael enjoyed special honor among the Egyptian Copts. The Christians of this country dedicated to him the most precious thing they had - the Nile River. They also adopted from Byzantium the tradition of arranging annual festivities in honor of him, timed to coincide with June 12, the day when the Nile overflowed its banks. For the inhabitants of a country constantly dried up by the sun, the flood of the river was synonymous with life, and it is not surprising that they associated it with a name so dear to them.

Holidays in honor of the Archangel Michael

St. Michael the Archangel is an archangel deeply revered by the Russian Orthodox Church. The day of the celebration of his memory, called the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael and other incorporeal heavenly powers, is celebrated on November 21. Its establishment is connected with the decision of the Council of Laodicea held in 360, at which the doctrine that angels are not the servants of God, but the rulers and creators of the world, was declared heresy.

In the Catholic world, this holiday is also celebrated, but the date of celebrations is September 29th. On this day, many admirers of the saint make pilgrimages to the monastery of St. Michael, built during the Early Middle Ages, located on the island of Mont Saint-Michel, off the coast of Normandy, and also visit the cave church of Monte Gargano, located in Italy. At other times, it is customary for Catholics to read a prayer to St. Michael the Archangel at the end of the Mass.

A bit of history

On the question of the origin of this image, which has become so popular in the three great world religions, researchers do not have a clear answer. It is generally accepted that Michael was already known to the ancient Chaldeans, who inhabited the lower reaches of the Euphrates and the Tigris in the 9th century BC. But since in Christianity he is presented as a saint of a militant church, then, obviously, his roots should be sought in the religion of ancient Persia, where the entire pantheon of gods was divided into representatives of light and darkness, and where they were in a state of constant confrontation.

It should be noted that the Archangel (Archangel) Michael enjoys great honor in Germany, where he is considered the patron of the state. His cult is closely connected with ancient folk beliefs. According to one of them, he appears mainly on the mountain peaks, where the pagan god of the Germanic tribes Odin lived before him. The establishment of the day of his memory, September 29, is also connected with ancient beliefs. This day was once celebrated as a celebration of the completion of the harvest.

He also helped in military affairs. It is known that, starting from the 9th century, all German battle banners were decorated with the image of the Archangel Michael. According to legend, his help decided the outcome of the Battle of Lechfeld, where the Germans opposed the Hungarian nomads who invaded their lands. There is even a tendency in German folk art to identify Archangel Michael with their national hero, the legendary dragon-slayer Siegfried.

The Archangel of God Michael also entered a number ofmystical and occult teachings. His name is often mentioned in texts as being associated with the Holy Spirit, the Logos, and Metatron. In one of these books, known as the Apocalypse of Baruch, Archangel Michael is presented as the keeper of the keys to paradise, which in the Christian tradition is associated with the name of the Apostle Peter.

Plots of icons of the Archangel Michael

In Orthodoxy, the Archangel Michael is always mentioned among the most revered saints. The icon of this defender of God's truth and the fighter against Satan, as a rule, is present in every temple. He is depicted holding a spear in his right hand, and in his left a special sphere-mirror, which is a symbol of foresight given to him by God. You can also see other plot constructions in which Michael the Archangel - the Archangel of God - is presented trampling on a snake. Often on icons in his left hand he holds a date branch, symbolizing victory, and in his right a banner with a scarlet cross.

Variants of the plots of icons, which represent the Archangel Michael, heavenly powers and a host of saints, are very diverse. Often there are images of the Last Judgment, where he is shown as a formidable judge holding scales in his hands. Sometimes he is the escort of the souls of the departed to the Last Judgment. In general, its iconography is as extensive as the plots of the Holy Scriptures and legends in which the Archangel Michael appears. Photos taken from these icons are presented in this article.

Summing up, it should be noted that the significance of the Archangel Michael in Orthodoxy lies primarily in his role as the leader of the angelic armyin the fight against evil forces, as well as the arbiter of the Last Judgment, which opens the doors of paradise to the righteous and casts sinners into hell. He is also our intercessor before God, asking for forgiveness of our sins.