We featured Angels & Demons for the month of February over at Just Another Paranormal Monday so if you missed all of the amazing author features, posts and research -- here's a recap:
The Seven Archangels:
The word archangel derives from the Greek archángelos, (or arkhangelos), meaning chief angel. So we can conclude that archangels are in charge of other angels and/or cosmic activities. Archangels are, in a way, celestial captains - high-ranking divine officials so to speak.
In medieval Christian angelology, archangels belonged to one of the nine orders of angels. Interestingly, according to this angel hierarchy archangels are one of the lower orders, just slightly above the angels.
How many archangels are there? The answer depends on who you ask. The Roman Catholic Church, for example, only recognizes three archangels: Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. The Coptic Church recognizes Uriel as the fourth archangel. The Coptic tradition also venerates Aniel, Sarathiel and Zadakiel as archangels.
Because Michael is the only archangel mentioned by name in the Bible (in fact, he’s the only angel addressed as "the archangel"), Protestant Christians believe he is the only archangel.
The Eastern Orthodox Church venerates seven archangels: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Barachiel, Jegudiel, and Selaphiel.
The Seven Archangels
The 7 archangels are first mentioned as a group in the Book of Enoch. Here they were listed as Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Raguel, Remiel and Saraqael.
In medieval times, Pseudo-Dionysius would give a new list of the archangels: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Chamuel, Jophiel, and Zadkiel. Metaphysical teachers and New Age mystics also recognize these as being the seven archangels who work on the seven rays.
The Archangels of the Seven Rays
Metaphysical teachings reveal that the cosmos’ activities are supervised by seven directors who work under the auspices of the seven rays. Each ray focuses on specific divine attributes and activities. Each ray also has an angelic director.
These are the seven archangels of the seven rays.
Archangel Michael, known as the First Angel of Heaven, is the angelic director of the Blue Ray. The Blue Ray is the ray of Protection, Faith and the Will of God. It is no wonder that Michael is known as the Divine Protector. Call upon Michael and his angels whenever you need protection of any kind, including both physical and spiritual.
Archangel Jophiel. He is the archangel of the yellow-gold ray of illumination. Jophiel is the archangel to call when you need to learn new things, need inspiration, or need anything that has to do with study and knowledge.
Archangel Chamuel. The beloved Chamuel works under the Pink Ray, which is the ray of divine love. Tolerance and devotion are other attributes of the Pink Ray. You can ask Chamuel and his angels for help with your relationships.
Archangel Gabriel. Best known for announcing Jesus’ birth, Gabriel serves on the White Ray. This is the ray of ascension, beauty, purity and perfection. You can invoke Gabriel whenever you need to establish order and/or bring beauty to any aspect of your life.
Archangel Raphael. Heaven’s healer, Raphael is the angelic director of the Green Ray, which - as you may have guessed - is the ray of healing. It is also the ray of truth, harmony, science, and music. If you are in need of any kind of healing – be it physical, emotional, mental or spiritual, call upon Raphael and his healing angels for assistance.
Archangel Uriel. He is the archangel of the Gold-Ruby Ray, also known as the ray of peace, divine providence, supply, and divine grace. Ask Uriel for help whenever you need peace or supply of any kind.
Archangel Zadkiel. This powerful archangel serves on the Violet Ray. Forgiveness, transmutation, compassion, and freedom are some of the gifts bestowed by this ray. If you need to forgive anybody or anything (even yourself) and have difficulty with the process, ask Zadkiel for his help.
The Watchers & The Daughters of Man:
The Watchers:
In the book of Daniel, the Watchers are obedient angels, in the Book of Enoch they are referred to as fallen angels.
In Daniel 4:13, 17, 23 there are three references made to a the class of "watcher, holy one."
The term is introduced by Nebuchadnezzar who describes how he saw "a watcher, a holy one come down from heaven." The singular verb indicates that "a watcher, a holy one" are two titles for the same being or class of being. Nebuchadnezzar then describes how in his dream the watcher says that Nebuchadnezzar will eat grass and be mad and that this punishment is "by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones" in order that "the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men." After hearing the king's dream Daniel considers for an hour and then responds:
Daniel 4:23
And whereas the king saw a watcher, a holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, "Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field till seven times pass over him.
The term "Watchers," is common in the Book of Enoch found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Book of the Watchers is the name for one section of the book (1 Enoch 6-36). It occurs in the Aramaic fragments in the phrase irin we-qadishin, "Watchers and Holy Ones", known from Aramaic Daniel. The Aramaic irin "watchers" is rendered as "angel" in the Greek and Ethiopian translations, although the usual Aramaic term for angel malakha does not occur in Aramaic Enoch. The dating of this section of 1 Enoch is around 2nd-1st Century BCE.
This book is based on one interpretation of the Sons of God passage in Genesis 6, according to which angels married with human females, giving rise to a race of hybrids known as the Nephilim. The term irin is primarily applied to disobedient Watchers who numbered a total of 200, and of whom their leaders are named, but equally is also applied to the obedient archangels who chain them, such as Raphael (1 Enoch 22:6).
The watchers story in Enoch derives from the sixth chapter Genesis, where the "Origin of the Nephilim" is described and the "Sons of God" who beget them are mentioned:
When men began to multiply on earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw how beautiful the daughters of man were, and so they took for their wives as many of them as they chose. Then the Lord said:
"My spirit shall not remain in man forever, since he is but flesh. His days shall comprise one hundred and twenty years." At that time the Nephilim appeared on earth (as well as later), after the sons of God had intercourse with the daughters of man, who bore them sons. They were the heroes of old, the men of renown.
(Genesis 6:1-4)
Here, the "sons of God" are given no specific name or function; they could represent fallen angels, heavenly beings that mate with human women. The Book of Enoch regards these as the same angels who are referred to as the Benei Ha-Elohim (Eng. Sons of God) in the Book of Genesis. According to this belief, their sins filled the Earth with violence and the world was destroyed as a result of their intervention.
The Names of The Watchers:
Names of 1 Enoch WatchersIn the Book of Enoch, the watchers are angels dispatched to Earth to watch over the humans. They soon begin to lust for human women, and at the prodding of their leader Samyaza, they defect en masse to illicitly instruct and procreate among humanity. The offspring of these unions are the Nephilim, savage giants who pillage the earth and endanger humanity. Samyaza and associates further taught their human charges arts and technologies such as weaponry, cosmetics, mirrors, sorcery, and other techniques that would otherwise be discovered gradually over time by humans, not foisted upon them all at once. Eventually God allows a Great Flood to rid the earth of the Nephilim, but first sends Uriel to warn Noah so as not to eradicate the human race. While Genesis says that the Nephilim remained "on the earth" even after the Great Flood, Jude says that the Watchers themselves are bound "in the valleys of the Earth" until Judgment Day. (See Genesis 6:4 and
Jude 1:6, respectively).
Jude 1:6, respectively).
There are 20 leaders in the Book of Enoch also called 1 Enoch the section that mentions them reads:
“ And these are the names of their leaders: Sêmîazâz, their leader, Arâkîba, Râmêêl, Kôkabîêl, Tâmîêl, Râmîêl, Dânêl, Êzêqêêl, Barâqîjâl, Asâêl, Armârôs, Batârêl, Anânêl, Zaqîêl, Samsâpêêl, Satarêl, Tûrêl, Jômjâêl, Sariêl.
These are their chiefs of tens." - R. H. Charles translation, The Book of the Watchers, Chapter VI. ”
These are the leaders of 200 angels in 1 Enoch that are turned into fallen Angels because they took wives, mated with human women, and taught forbidden knowledge.
Araqiel (also Arakiel, Araqael, Araciel, Arqael, Sarquael, Arkiel, Arkas) taught humans the signs of the earth.
However, in the Sibylline Oracles, Araqiel is referred to not as a fallen angel, or Watcher, but as one of the 5 angels who lead the souls of men to judgement, the other 4 being Ramiel, Uriel, Samiel, and Azazel.
Armaros (also Amaros) in Enoch I taught men the resolving of enchantments.
Azazel taught men to make knives, swords, shields, and how to devise ornaments and cosmetics.
Gadriel taught the art of cosmetics.
Baraqel (Baraqiel) taught men astrology.
Bezaliel mentioned in Enoch I, left out of most translations because of damaged manuscripts and problematic transmission of the text.
Chazaqiel (sometimes Ezeqeel) taught men the signs of the clouds (meteorology).
Kokabiel (also Kakabel, Kochbiel, Kokbiel, Kabaiel, and Kochab),[8] is a high-ranking, holy angel but, in general apocryphal lore and also in Enoch I, he is a fallen Watcher, resident of nether realms, and commands 365,000 surrogate spirits to do his bidding. Among other duties, he instructs his fellows in astrology.
Penemue "taught mankind the art of writing with ink and paper," and taught "the children of men the bitter and the sweet and the secrets of wisdom."
Sariel (also Suriel) taught mankind about the courses of the moon (at one time regarded as forbidden knowledge).
Samyaza (also Shemyazaz, Shamazya, Semiaza, Shemhazi, Semyaza and Amezyarak) is one of the leaders of the fall from heaven.
Shamsiel, once a guardian of Eden, served as one of the 2 chief aides to the archangel Uriel (the other aide being Hasdiel) when Uriel bore his standard into battle, and is the head of 365 legions of angels and also crowns prayers, accompanying them to the 5th heaven. He is referred to as one of the Watchers. He is a fallen angel who teaches the signs of the sun.
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