Raphael The Archangel

One of the seven archangels. The name is not found in the canonical writings, but appears in the OT Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha. In Tobit 12:15, Raphael described himself as “one of the seven holy angels, which present the prayers of the saints.” In Enoch 10:7 he is described as having healed the earth when it was defiled by the fallen angels; this tradition is based on the meaning of the name Raphael, i.e., “God has healed” (Hebrew). Raphael became canonized in both Eastern and Western churches. Since the sixteenth century he has often figured as the patron of travelers.