Archangel Raguel: meaning, role, and origin
Raguel is the archangel of just order: the figure who sees that everything stays in its place and keeps its course.
- fairness
- order
- vigilance
Raguel at a glance
For you, this figure evokes everyday fairness: setting things right without harshness, taking everyone into account.
- Name
- “God shepherds,” from the Hebrew root for shepherd (meaning debated)
- Named by
- Outside the canon
- Texts
- 1 Enoch 20:4
Archangels are not calculated; Lenain’s 72 angels, however, can be read in your date of birth.
Who is the archangel Raguel?
Raguel appears in no Western Bible. His name comes from the Book of Enoch, an ancient Jewish writing that only the Ethiopian Church reads as Scripture. In chapter 20, he is among the seven holy angels “who watch,” linked to the world of the luminaries; the verse is damaged, and R. H. Charles, its 1912 translator, flags the text as uncertain.
Further on, in chapter 23, Raguel accompanies Enoch and explains to him a fire that runs without rest in the west of the world. The other roles attributed to him, archangel of justice or of harmony, come from modern angelology. In the West, his name was mostly set aside: it was among the angels invoked by the preacher Aldebert, whose writings the Council of Rome of 745 had burned.
Texts that name this archangel
| Text | Role in the text |
|---|---|
| 1 Enoch 20:4 | One of the seven holy angels who watch, linked to the “world of the luminaries” (a corrupt passage according to Charles) |
| 1 Enoch 23:4 | Accompanies Enoch and explains to him the fire of the west that pursues the luminaries of heaven |
According to the traditions
Jewish tradition
Outside the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Enoch, a Jewish text from the last centuries before the common era, places him among the seven holy angels who watch.
Western Churches
Rome pays him no cult; his name appeared in the prayer of Aldebert, condemned in Rome in 745.
Modern angelology
Modern lists make him the archangel of justice and of harmony between beings, a role that no ancient text details.
The name
Raguel is linked to the Hebrew Re’u’el and to the root meaning shepherd, hence the reading “God pastures”; the meaning remains disputed. French translations also spell it Ragouël or Raguël.
How the archangel is depicted
No set ancient iconography.
Good to know
- His name appears among the angels invoked by Aldebert, a Frankish preacher whose writings the Council of Rome of 745 had burned; in Rome, only Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael remain accepted.
The ancient texts say little about Raguel: two verses of the Book of Enoch; his detailed roles come from recent lists.
Archangel Raguel: your questions
Is Raguel in the Bible?
No. His name is read in chapters 20 and 23 of the Book of Enoch, an ancient Jewish text that only the Ethiopian Orthodox Church counts among its Scriptures. Catholic, Protestant, and Greek Orthodox Bibles do not cite it.
Why was Raguel set aside in Rome?
His name was among the angels invoked by Aldebert, a Frankish preacher condemned in the 8th century. The council convened in Rome in 745 had his writings burned; since then, only Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael are venerated by name in the Catholic Church.
What does Raguel do in the Book of Enoch?
In chapter 20, he is counted among the seven holy angels who watch, each with a domain; his touches on the world of the luminaries, in a damaged verse. In chapter 23, he guides Enoch and explains to him a fire that runs without rest in the west.
And what about your own angels?
According to Enoch, Raguel watches over the order of the world; Lenain’s 72 angels, for their part, are read in your birth date.
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