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Barachiel ( Hebrew: בַּרַכְאֵל ''Baraḵʾēl'', "God has blessed") is one of the
A Dictionary of Angels, including the Fallen Angels.
' New York: The Free Press, 1967, In Jewish tradition, he is often associated with blessings, the planet
In
Archangel
Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the hierarchy of angels. The word ''archangel'' itself is usually associated with the Abrahamic religions, but beings that are very similar to archangels are found in a number of other relig ...
s in Judaism
Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in th ...
, as well as Byzantine Catholic and Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism.
Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canonical ...
tradition. He is the Archangel of Blessings.
In the Third Book of Enoch, he is described as one of the angelic princes, with a myriad of some ministering angels attending him. He is described in the Almadel of Solomon as one of the chief angels of the first and fourth chora.Davidson, Gustav. A Dictionary of Angels, including the Fallen Angels.
' New York: The Free Press, 1967, In Jewish tradition, he is often associated with blessings, the planet
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but slightly less than one-thousand ...
and the Sephirah of Chesed
( he, חֶסֶד, also Romanized: ) is a Hebrew word that means 'kindness or love between people', specifically of the devotional piety of people towards God as well as of love or mercy of God towards humanity. It is frequently used in Psalms i ...
.
Iconography
In icon
An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The mos ...
ography Barachiel is sometimes shown holding a white rose
A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...
against the chest, or with rose petals scattered on the clothing particularly the cloak. The scattering of rose petals was to symbolize or represent God's sweet blessings showering down on people. In Roman Catholicism, Barachiel is depicted holding a bread basket or a staff, both of which symbolize the blessings of children that God bestows on parents.
Patronage
Barachiel's responsibilities are as varied as the blessings for which the archangel is named. Barachiel is also the chief of theguardian angel
A guardian angel is a type of angel that is assigned to protect and guide a particular person, group or nation. Belief in tutelary beings can be traced throughout all antiquity. The idea of angels that guard over people played a major role in A ...
s and it is written that Barachiel may be prayed to for all the benefits which the guardian angel is thought to confer if one is not praying to the guardian angel directly, but as an intercession. He is seen as an official saint in Byzantine Catholic and Eastern Orthodox tradition, in particular a patron of family and married life. He is also seen as the angel assigned by God to watch over converts (also called "adopted children of God") to assist them in their lives.
Barachiel is also traditionally associated with the month of February and the Zodiac
The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north or south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. The pa ...
al sign Pisces
Pisces may refer to:
* Pisces, an obsolete (because of land vertebrates) taxonomic superclass including all fish
*Pisces (astrology), an astrological sign
*Pisces (constellation), a constellation
** Pisces Overdensity, an overdensity of stars in t ...
.Sisung, Kelle S., editor. ''Angels A to Z''. New York: Gale Research, Inc. 1996. . He is also sometimes described as being the ruler of the planet Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but slightly less than one-thousand ...
and the zodiacal sign Scorpio.
Biblical texts
The Third Book of Enoch describes Archangel Barachiel as one of the Princes of the Host, who is appointed over the second heaven which is in the height of (Merom) Raqia. He and the other Holy Princes are also said to be accompanied by 496,000 myriads of Ministering Angels.Prayers
A generalprayer
Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deifie ...
to St. Barachiel common in Byzantine Catholic and Orthodox traditions is as follows:
''O Powerful Archangel, St. Barachiel, filled with heaven’s glory and splendor, thou art rightly called God’s benediction. We are God’s children placed under thy protection and care. We are in the world filled with confusion and demonic influences. Come to our aid as we do not know our left and right; how to relate to Jesus on daily bases; how to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit - Spirit of truth. Let the joy of the Lord be our strength. Hear our supplications (name them). Grant that, through thy loving intercession, we may reach our heavenly home one day. Sustain us and protect us from all harm that we may possess for all eternity the peace and happiness that Jesus has prepared for us in Heaven. Present to God the Father all of these petitions, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, together with the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.''
References
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