Uriel (archangel)
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Uriel (אוּרִיאֵל "My light/torch is/of God", Standard Hebrew Uriʾel, Tiberian Hebrew ʾÛrîʾēl) is one of the archangels of post-Exilic Rabbinic tradition, and also of certain Christian traditions.
The angels mentioned in the older books of the Hebrew Bible are without names. Indeed, rabbi Simeon ben Lakish of Tiberias (230-270 CE), asserted that all the specific names for the angels were brought back by the Jews from Babylon, and modern commentators would tend to agree.
Of seven archangels in the angelology of post-Exilic Judaism, only three, Gabriel, Michael and Raphael, are mentioned by name in the scriptures that gradually became accepted as canonical. The four others, however, are named in the 2nd century BCE Book of Enoch (chapter xxi): besides Uriel they are Raguel, Sariel, and Jerahmeel. There they testify on behalf of Humankind during the reign of the Fallen Watchers, the Nephilim; they represent humanity's case for divine intervention, since the Watchers, led by Samyaza, were devouring mankind and all its fruits.
Where a fourth archangel is added to the named three, to represent the four cardinal points, Uriel is generally the fourth (Jewish Encyclopedia). He fulfills this role in Milton's Paradise Lost, where Uriel serves as the eyes of God, but unwittingly steers Satan towards the newly-created earth.
Uriel also appears in the Second Book of Esdras, an apocryphal addition in the tradition of apocalyptic literature made to Esdras, where the prophet Ezra asks God a series of questions, and Uriel is sent by God to instruct him .
In modern, marginally Christian angelology, Uriel is the angel of the sun, commands storms and terror, and is in command of the angelic host. His symbol is the book (for wisdom) and his name can be translated as "The Fire of God". Uriel is a patron of the Arts, and is supposed to have beyond perfect sight.
Stemming from medieval Jewish mystical traditions, Uriel is also the Angel of Sunday (Jewish Encyclopedia), Angel of Poetry, and one of the Holy Sephiroth. He wrestled Jacob on Peniel and lost, told Noah about the upcoming Great Flood, and checked the doors of Egypt for lamb's blood during the plague. He also holds the key to the Pit during the End Times and led Abraham to the West.
Uriel in the Occult
In modern occultism Uriel is associated with the color Green, the direction North, the element Earth. One such group that makes this association is the Golden Dawn.
External links
- Jewish Encyclopedia: (http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=49&letter=U) Uriel
- Judaism FAQs: What about angels, demons, miracles, and the supernatural? (http://www.faqs.org/faqs/judaism/FAQ/06-Jewish-Thought/section-14.html)
- [http://www.publications.villanova.edu/Concept/2003/Sensenig%20Formatted%20Paper.htm Victor Sensenig, "Always the seer is a sayer"}: themes of seeing in Paradise Lost with Milton's use of Uriel.ja:ウリエル