Raziel
Encyclopedia
Raziel....
") is an archangel
Archangel
An archangel is an angel of high rank. Archangels are found in a number of religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Michael and Gabriel are recognized as archangels in Judaism and by most Christians. Michael is the only archangel specifically named in the Protestant Bible...
within the teachings of Jewish mysticism (of the Kabbalah
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
of Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
) who is the "Keeper of Secrets" and the "Angel of Mysteries". He is associated with the Sephira Chokmah (the second of ten) in Olam Briah
Beri'ah
Beri'ah , or Briyah , is the second of the four celestial worlds in the Tree of Life of the Kabbalah, intermediate between the World of Emanation and the World of Formation , the third world, that of the angels...
, one of the Four Worlds
Four Worlds
The Four Worlds , sometimes counted with a prior stage to make Five Worlds, are the comprehensive categories of spiritual realms in Kabbalah in the descending chain of Existence....
of Kabbalistic theory.
Mysticism and tradition
Various teachings assign Raziel to diverse roles, including that of a CherubCherub
A cherub is a type of spiritual being mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and cited later on in the Christian biblical canons, usually associated with the presence of God...
, a member of the Ophan
Ophan
An Ophan is one of a class of celestial beings called Ophanim described in the Book of Enoch with the Cherubim and Seraphim as never sleeping, but watching the throne of God....
im, and chief of the Erelim.
Raziel, under the alternate name Galizur, ("Revealer of The Rock") is described as the "ruling prince of the 2nd Heaven. He is said to expound "the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
's divine wisdom," and protects the ministering angels from the Hayyoth
Chayot
The Chayot or Hayyoth are a class of Merkabah, or Jewish Mystical Angel, reported in Ezekiel's vision of the Merkabah and its surrounding angels as recorded in the first chapter of the Book of Ezekiel describing Ezekiel's vision by the river Chebar.Chayot are ranked first on Maimonides' Jewish...
, the "holy Creatures" that uphold the universe.
Authorship of Sefer Raziel HaMalach
The famous Sefer Raziel HaMalachSefer Raziel HaMalakh
Sefer Raziel HaMalakh, , is a medieval Kabbalistic grimoire, primarily written in Hebrew and Aramaic, but surviving also in Latin translation, as Liber Razielis Archangeli, in a 13th century manuscript produced under Alfonso X.-Textual history:The book cannot be shown to predate the 13th century,...
("Book of Raziel the Angel") attributed to this figure is said to contain all secret knowledge, and is considered to be a book of magic
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
. He stands close by God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
's throne, and therefore hears and writes down everything that is said and discussed. He purportedly gave the book to Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve were, according to the Genesis creation narratives, the first human couple to inhabit Earth, created by YHWH, the God of the ancient Hebrews...
after they ate from the forbidden Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which resulted in their expulsion from the Garden of Eden
Garden of Eden
The Garden of Eden is in the Bible's Book of Genesis as being the place where the first man, Adam, and his wife, Eve, lived after they were created by God. Literally, the Bible speaks about a garden in Eden...
, so the two could find their way back "home" and better understand their God. Raziel's fellow angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
s were deeply disturbed by this, and as such, stole the book from Adam and threw it into the ocean. God Himself decided not to punish Raziel, but instead retrieved the book by means of the angel Rahab and returned it to Adam and Eve. Bertie considers this story - not attested in the Bible - to be a variant of the story of Prometheus
Prometheus
In Greek mythology, Prometheus is a Titan, the son of Iapetus and Themis, and brother to Atlas, Epimetheus and Menoetius. He was a champion of mankind, known for his wily intelligence, who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals...
in Greek mythology
According to some sources, the book was passed on through the generations to Enoch
Enoch (ancestor of Noah)
Enoch is a figure in the Generations of Adam. Enoch is described as Adam's greatx4 grandson , the son of Jared, the father of Methuselah, and the great-grandfather of Noah...
(believed to have later become the angel Metatron
Metatron
Metatron or Mattatron is the name of an angel in Judaism and some branches of Christian mythology. There are no references to him in the Jewish Tanakh or Christian Scriptures...
), who may have incorporated his own writings into the tome. From Enoch, the archangel Raphael
Raphael (archangel)
Raphael is an archangel of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, who in the Judeo-Christian tradition performs all manners of healing....
gave it to Noah
Noah
Noah was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the tenth and last of the antediluvian Patriarchs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark...
, who used the wisdom within to build Noah's Ark
Noah's Ark
Noah's Ark is a vessel appearing in the Book of Genesis and the Quran . These narratives describe the construction of the ark by Noah at God's command to save himself, his family, and the world's animals from the worldwide deluge of the Great Flood.In the narrative of the ark, God sees the...
. The Book of Raziel was said to have come into the possession of King Solomon
Solomon
Solomon , according to the Book of Kings and the Book of Chronicles, a King of Israel and according to the Talmud one of the 48 prophets, is identified as the son of David, also called Jedidiah in 2 Samuel 12:25, and is described as the third king of the United Monarchy, and the final king before...
, and a number of texts claiming to be this volume have recently appeared.
In fiction
Raziel is mentioned in The Mortal InstrumentsThe Mortal Instruments (series)
The Mortal Instruments is a series of four young adult science fiction and fantasy novels by author Cassandra Clare including City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, and City of Fallen Angels.-Publication history:...
series of novels as having created the Shadowhunters
Nephilim
The Nephilim are the offspring of the "sons of God" and the "daughters of men" in Genesis 6:4, or giants who inhabit Canaan in Numbers 13:33. A similar word with different vowel-sounds is used in Ezekiel 32:27 to refer to dead Philistine warriors....
, by mixing his blood with mortals and having them drink the mixture from a divine cup. This cup, known as the Mortal Cup, is one of three items, collectively known as The Mortal Instruments. The other two are a sword and a mirror.
Also seen in Michele Lang's Lady Lazarus series of urban historical fantasy novels (Tor 2010)
Raziel is also a recurring character in Christopher Moore
Christopher Moore
Christopher Moore is an American writer of comic fantasy. He grew up in Mansfield, Ohio, and attended Ohio State University and Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, California....
's novels, having been featured to a large degree in both Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal is the sixth novel by absurdist author Christopher Moore, published in 2002. In this work the author seeks to fill in the "lost" years of Jesus through the point of view of Jesus' childhood pal, "Levi bar Alphaeus who is called Biff".The...
and is the titular character of The Stupidest Angel
The Stupidest Angel
The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror is the eighth novel by Christopher Moore. Set during Christmas, it brings together several favorite characters from his previous books in the fictional town of Pine Cove, a recurring location in Moore's novels.An unabridged commercial...
, in which his efforts to grant a child's Christmas wish go awry. Raziel, as may be gathered from the latter title, is portrayed as being of limited intellect. As his charge in Lamb implies, Raziel is too dim and his attention span too short to follow most verbal argument to the conclusion, so he can't be tricked with words, and he's too implacable to intentionally shirk his duty, making him the perfect watchman.
Raziel is a central character in Eidos Interactive's Legacy of Kain series of video games, the protagonist of the Soul Reaver story arc. Initially appearing in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, the character was created by a team of storywriters at Crystal Dynamics, notably series director Amy Hennig, and conceptualized by various Crystal Dynamics artists, with his in-game appearance directed and designed by Daniel Cabuco. In all of his English-language appearances, he has been voiced by Michael Bell.
Portrayed as both an anti-hero and tragic hero, Raziel is a soul-devouring vampire-turned-wraith, introduced in Soul Reaver as one of six lieutenants raised to serve series eponym and protagonist, Kain. Upon evolving beyond Kain through growing wings, Raziel is executed for his transgression, but is revived by The Elder God as a reaver of souls, bent on avenging himself by slaying his brothers and former master. Over the course of his journey, his history is revealed in reverse, and his motivations and loyalties gradually shift as he unearths the truth behind his cyclic destiny.
See also
- AngelAngelAngels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
- ArchangelArchangelAn archangel is an angel of high rank. Archangels are found in a number of religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Michael and Gabriel are recognized as archangels in Judaism and by most Christians. Michael is the only archangel specifically named in the Protestant Bible...
- Jewish mysticism
- KabbalahKabbalahKabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
- Sephiroth