Raguel (angel)
Encyclopedia
Raguel is one of the seven archangels
mainly of the Judaic
and Islam
ic traditions. His name's meaning is considered to be "Friend of God".
Raguel is referred to as the archangel of justice, fairness and harmony. In the Book of Enoch
Raguel is one of the seven archangels whose function is to take vengeance on the world of the luminaries who have transgressed God's laws. Raguel brings a course of fire which persecutes all the fallen luminaries. Raguel also shows Enoch The Seven Mountains and in the midst of it- the high mountain which is the throne of God where the Lord of Glory will sit along with the tree of wisdom. Raguel is found in the Revelation of John as the angel of the church in Philadelphia
(Rev 3:7). This angel can also be attributed to the sixth angel (Rev 9:14). Raguel watches over other angels to make sure they are working well together with mortals in a harmonious and orderly fashion according to Divine order (Rev 3:7 - 13) and will. Raguel brings all the other archangels and angels to account for their improper deeds.
Raguel is not mentioned in the canonical writings of the Bible
. His name is listed as one of the seven archangels in the Book of Enoch
. While not mentioned by name in the Bible, interpreters of these texts believe they refer to him in several places. When the patriarch Enoch visited heaven as a mortal, it was Raguel who carried him to and from the mortal world. Most of the Biblical references, however, come from Revelation of John.
Possible historical references to a similar figure from other cultures can be found in Babylonia
n culture as "Rag" (some translations say Ragumu), and in Sumer
ian as "Rig" which means to talk or speech. Thus, these similar characters represented balance in those cultures as well.
by Neil Gaiman
. During his travels through the occult side of the DC Universe
, magician-in-training Timothy Hunter
meets the Spectre
. It is later implied that the Spectre is actually Raguel, an archangel who metes out punishments for God as the Spirit of Vengeance.
Raguel also features prominently in the Neil Gaiman short story
"Murder Mysteries
" which appears in his collection
Smoke and Mirrors. In the audio drama adaptation, Two Plays for Voices
, Raguel is voiced by Brian Dennehy
.
Raguel appears in Issue 7 of Crimson as one of the seven archangels who come to earth to decide the fate of young vampire Alex Elder.
Seven Archangels
The earliest reference to a system of seven archangels as a group appears to be in Enoch I which is not part of the Jewish Canon, where they are named as Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, Uriel, Raguel, Remiel and Saraqael...
mainly of the Judaic
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
and Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic traditions. His name's meaning is considered to be "Friend of God".
Raguel is referred to as the archangel of justice, fairness and harmony. In the Book of Enoch
Book of Enoch
The Book of Enoch is an ancient Jewish religious work, traditionally ascribed to Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah. It is not part of the biblical canon as used by Jews, apart from Beta Israel...
Raguel is one of the seven archangels whose function is to take vengeance on the world of the luminaries who have transgressed God's laws. Raguel brings a course of fire which persecutes all the fallen luminaries. Raguel also shows Enoch The Seven Mountains and in the midst of it- the high mountain which is the throne of God where the Lord of Glory will sit along with the tree of wisdom. Raguel is found in the Revelation of John as the angel of the church in Philadelphia
Alasehir
Alaşehir, in Antiquity and the Middle Ages known as Philadelphia , i.e. " brotherly love" is a town and district of Manisa Province in the Aegean region of Turkey. It is situated in the valley of the Kuzuçay , at the foot of the Bozdağ...
(Rev 3:7). This angel can also be attributed to the sixth angel (Rev 9:14). Raguel watches over other angels to make sure they are working well together with mortals in a harmonious and orderly fashion according to Divine order (Rev 3:7 - 13) and will. Raguel brings all the other archangels and angels to account for their improper deeds.
Raguel is not mentioned in the canonical writings of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. His name is listed as one of the seven archangels in the Book of Enoch
Book of Enoch
The Book of Enoch is an ancient Jewish religious work, traditionally ascribed to Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah. It is not part of the biblical canon as used by Jews, apart from Beta Israel...
. While not mentioned by name in the Bible, interpreters of these texts believe they refer to him in several places. When the patriarch Enoch visited heaven as a mortal, it was Raguel who carried him to and from the mortal world. Most of the Biblical references, however, come from Revelation of John.
Possible historical references to a similar figure from other cultures can be found in Babylonia
Babylonia
Babylonia was an ancient cultural region in central-southern Mesopotamia , with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged as a major power when Hammurabi Babylonia was an ancient cultural region in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq), with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged as...
n culture as "Rag" (some translations say Ragumu), and in Sumer
Sumer
Sumer was a civilization and historical region in southern Mesopotamia, modern Iraq during the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age....
ian as "Rig" which means to talk or speech. Thus, these similar characters represented balance in those cultures as well.
In popular culture
In 1990, Raguel has a cameo in The Books of MagicThe Books of Magic
The Books of Magic is a four-issue English-language comic book mini-series written by Neil Gaiman, published by DC Comics, and later an ongoing series under the imprint Vertigo. Since its original publication, the mini-series has also been published in a single-volume collection under the Vertigo...
by Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
. During his travels through the occult side of the DC Universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
, magician-in-training Timothy Hunter
Timothy Hunter
Timothy Hunter, is a fictional character, a comic book sorcerer published by DC Comics. He first appeared in The Books of Magic vol. 1 #1 , and was created by Neil Gaiman and John Bolton.-Publication history:...
meets the Spectre
Spectre (comics)
The Spectre is a fictional character and superhero who has appeared in numerous comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in a next issue ad in More Fun Comics #51 and received his first story the following month, #52...
. It is later implied that the Spectre is actually Raguel, an archangel who metes out punishments for God as the Spirit of Vengeance.
Raguel also features prominently in the Neil Gaiman short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
"Murder Mysteries
Murder Mysteries
"Murder Mysteries" is a fantasy short story by Neil Gaiman later collected in his collection Smoke and Mirrors. The bulk of the story is an account of the first murder in the history of the universe, before even Cain and Abel, recounted in first-person hardboiled detective fiction style by Raguel,...
" which appears in his collection
Short story collection
A short story collection is a book of short stories by a single author, as distinguished by an anthology of fiction by more than one author. The stories in a collection can share a theme, setting, or characters and sometimes can also include work of poetry. Notable collections include Nine Stories...
Smoke and Mirrors. In the audio drama adaptation, Two Plays for Voices
Two Plays for Voices
Two Plays for Voices is a sound recording of two of Neil Gaiman's short stories, "Snow, Glass, Apples" and "Murder Mysteries"."Snow, Glass, Apples" relates the traditional tale of Snow White from the non-traditional point of view of the Queen. In the story, no character is without their flaws,...
, Raguel is voiced by Brian Dennehy
Brian Dennehy
Brian Mannion Dennehy is an American actor of film, stage and screen.-Early years:Dennehy was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the son of Hannah and Edward Dennehy, who was a wire service editor for the Associated Press; he has two brothers, Michael and Edward. Dennehy is of Irish ancestry and was...
.
Raguel appears in Issue 7 of Crimson as one of the seven archangels who come to earth to decide the fate of young vampire Alex Elder.