Archangel Michael: meaning, role, and feast day
Michael is the archangel of righteous struggle: the one who rises against what crushes and protects those entrusted to him.
- protection
- courage
- justice
Michael at a glance
For you, he evokes the courage to say no to what is unjust, without hatred and without losing your calm.
- Name
- “Who is like God?”
- Named by
- In the Bible
- Feast day
- September 29
Archangels are not calculated; Lenain’s 72 angels, however, can be read in your date of birth.
Who is the archangel Michael?
Michael is one of the three archangels the Bible names. The Book of Daniel makes him the great prince who watches over his people; the Epistle of Jude shows him disputing with the devil over the body of Moses; the Book of Revelation describes him driving the dragon out of heaven. From this comes his image as leader of the heavenly armies, taken up throughout the Christian tradition.
In France, his cult has left a visible mark: Mont-Saint-Michel, where Bishop Aubert of Avranches founded a sanctuary in 708 after an instruction received in a dream, according to Norman tradition. Many see in him the strength that stands up to defend rather than to conquer.
Texts that name this archangel
| Text | Role in the text |
|---|---|
| Daniel 10:13–21; 12:1 | Protector of the people, “one of the chief princes”; “the great prince” |
| Jude 9 | Disputes with the devil over the body of Moses; one of the two uses of the word “archangel” in the New Testament |
| Revelation 12:7 | Fights the dragon and casts it out of heaven |
According to the traditions
Western Churches
Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans celebrate him on September 29, with Gabriel and Raphael; he is depicted as a knight striking down the dragon.
Jewish tradition
In the Book of Daniel, he is “one of the chief princes” and the protector of the people of Israel; rabbinic tradition sees him fighting the princes of the other nations.
Eastern Churches
The Orthodox Churches celebrate him on November 8, at the synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the other heavenly powers.
The name
His Hebrew name, Mikha’el, takes the form of a question: “Who is like God?” It is not a title of glory but a reminder of humility, since no one equals God. Lenain gives “like God” among the attributes of Mikael, the 42nd angel, who is not the archangel.
How the archangel is depicted
A winged knight in armor striking down the dragon; often holding scales, those of the weighing of souls.
Feast days and places
- September 29 (Catholic Church, with Gabriel and Raphael; also Anglicans and Lutherans)
- November 8 (Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, Synaxis of the Archangels)
- Mont-Saint-Michel: a sanctuary founded in 708 by Bishop Aubert of Avranches after a command from the archangel received in a dream (Norman tradition).
Not to be confused with Mikael, the 42nd of Lenain’s 72 angels, who bears the same Hebrew name: Mikael.
His warlike image is read as a symbol: the tradition speaks of protection and inner struggle, never of a call to violence.
Archangel Michael: your questions
Who is Archangel Michael?
An archangel named in Scripture: Daniel makes him the protector of the people, and the Epistle of Jude and the Book of Revelation show him facing the devil and the dragon. He is the only angel the New Testament expressly calls “archangel”; the other use of the word, in the First Epistle to the Thessalonians, names no one.
When is Saint Michael’s feast day?
September 29 in the Catholic Church, among Anglicans, and among Lutherans, a feast he shares with Gabriel and Raphael. In the Eastern Churches, Orthodox as well as Catholic, the date kept is November 8, the day of the great liturgical assembly of the archangels.
Is Archangel Michael the same as the angel Mikael of the 72 angels?
No. Mikael is the 42nd angel in Lenain’s list, placed in the choir of Virtues; he bears the same Hebrew name, but the tradition of the 72 angels, which comes from the Kabbalah, is distinct from that of the biblical archangels. Versana presents the two separately to avoid confusion.
And what about your own angels?
Michael is not one of Lenain’s 72 angels: find out which ones are linked to your birth date.
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