Raguel (archangel)

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This article is about the archangel Raguel. For other uses, see Raguel (name).

Raguel (Raguil, Rasuil, Rufael, Suryan, Akrasiel) is one of the 7 archangels mainly of the Judaic and Islamic traditions. His name's meaning is considered to be "Friend of God".

Raguel is referred to as the archangel of justice, fairness and harmony. 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. He brings all the other archangels and angels to account for their improper deeds (like Matthew 18:10), and he issues the punishment for angels who have transgressed (Daniel 7:10). He is of the order of principalities and needs to be vigilant. Because of his actions against other angels, some mortals have misinterpreted his role and nature, believing him to be a demon, but Raguel is benign and only seeks to keep heaven pure of corruption as a manifestation of the divine will, which means he is in constant counsel with the lawful and good deities he serves.

Raguel is not mentioned in the canonical writings of the Bible. His name is listed as one of the seven archangels in the pseudographical 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.

One of his believed duties in the Final Judgement is to marshal the angels of snow and ice in Ephesus (see the letter to the church at Ephesus in Rev 2:1 - 7), and because of this it is presumed that he is for mortals an Angel of cold and not of fire.

Raguel is identified with the angel of the 5th Seal (Rev 6:9 - 11). Raguel is also assumed to be the fifth angel mentioned in the prophecy of Rev 9:1 who opens the pit. Raguel is also sometimes identified with the angel of Revelations 9:11 who is called in Hebrew "Abaddon" or in Greek "Apollyon," though many others associate this angel with the devil or Azazel. In the Final Judgement, it is Raguel who delivers bad voices, mortals, or angels to the Archangel Michael (compare Luke 12:5) and his warriors of light (Rev 12:7 - 9).

Possible historical references to a similar figure from other cultures can be found in Babylonian culture as "Rag" (some translations say Ragumu), and in Sumerian as "Rig" which means to talk or speech. Thus, these similar characters represented balance in those cultures as well.

[edit] In popular culture

In Neil Gaiman's short story "Murder Mysteries", Raguel, in his capacity as angel of justice and vengeance, is assigned by Angel Lucifer to investigate the first ever murder. Further, in Gaiman's comic book exploration of magic within the DC Universe entitled "Books of Magic", Raguel is the angelic name of the entity/superhero being known as the Spectre. The angel Raguel as the Spectre embodies the wrath of God which chooses a human host through which it can bring justice to the plane of man. In Gaiman's comic book epic The Sandman, Lucifer mentions that had he not rebelled against God, Raguel might have.
In Trinity Blood, a novel by Yoshida Sunao, Raguel is the name of a combat airship owned by Vatican Inquisition Bureau.