Archangel

Archangel: According to Scripture verses Tobit 12:15; Revelation 1:4,20; 3:1; 8:2,6; and Isaiah 63:9, the Seven Archangels have been identified by the Church. For centuries, the Archangels have been significant in both the Bible and other Jewish and Christian literature. Some of the archangels in the Bible are well known, while others have been forgotten.

There have been arguments over the centuries about the identical rank of Archangels. Some earlier Christian customs, and some thereafter ones as well, including The Invocation to Saint Michael by Pope Leo XIII, referring to Michael as the Prince of the Celestial Hosts (i.e. the commander of all of the angels in Heaven).

Saint Basil the Great created this debate during the 4th Century in his address De Angelis and others, such as Saint Bonaventure (13th Century), argue that Michael was of the order of the Seraphim.

However, Archangel Michael is the sole angel in Holy Scripture explicitly preached as Archangel (Jude 9), and thus if the Nine Choir Tradition is real he could not be among the ranking of the Seraphim at the top of the hierarchy because the order of the Archangels is at the second to the lower of the ranking. There seems to be a significant problem here but there are two possible ways to rectify this.

The first option is that our existing knowledge of the Nine Choirs might be a little bit unfit.

The second option is that the Nine Choir Tradition is correct and that the Archangels are the eight choir in position.

Whatever the justification might be, it is completely evident that Archangel Michael has always been revered as standing as the most renowned of all of the angels according to Christian and pre-Christian Jewish references.

• According to one custom:
  Michael is the Patron of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist
  Gabriel is the Patron of the Sacrament of Baptism
  Raphael is the Patron of the Sacrament of Reconciliation
  Uriel is the Patron of the Sacrament of Confirmation
  Raguel is the Patron of the Sacrament of Holy Orders
  Zerachiel is the Patron of the Sacrament of Matrimony
  Remiel Patron of the Sacrament of the Blessing of the Sick