Archangel Raphael: meaning, role, and feast day
Raphael is the archangel who accompanies you on the way: the discreet guide of a journey, from departure to its end.
- companionship
- journey
- trust
Raphael at a glance
For you, he evokes the help you accept along the road: letting yourself be accompanied takes nothing away from your own walk.
- Name
- “God has healed”
- Named by
- Catholic 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 Raphael?
Raphael is the companion in the Book of Tobit. There he guides young Tobias on his journey, and reveals who he is only at the end: “one of the seven angels” who stand before God. The Book of Enoch, older and left out of most Bibles, already counted him among the four archangels.
The Book of Tobit belongs to the Catholic and Orthodox Bible; Protestants place it among the apocrypha. From this story comes the image of an angel who walks alongside, present without imposing, who accompanies more than he commands.
Texts that name this archangel
| Text | Role in the text |
|---|---|
| Tobit 12:11–15 | Introduces himself as “one of the seven angels” who stand before God; guides the young Tobias on his journey |
| 1 Enoch 9:1 | One of the four archangels named in the oldest layer of the book (outside the Bible, except in the Ethiopian Church) |
According to the traditions
Western Churches
Celebrated on September 29 with Michael and Gabriel; from 1921 to 1969, the Catholic calendar set aside October 24 for him.
Eastern Churches
Among the Orthodox, he is honored with his peers on November 8; the Coptic Churches keep their own feast days for him.
Jewish tradition
The Book of Enoch names him among the four archangels; the Book of Tobit, which tells of his journey, is not included in the Hebrew Bible.
The name
His Hebrew name, Rafa’el, ends like many angel names in -el, which refers to God; the full meaning of the name appears in the key facts at the top of the page.
How the archangel is depicted
Travel companion of the young Tobias, a scene from the Book of Tobit.
Feast days and places
- September 29 (Catholic Church, with Michael and Gabriel; October 24 in the calendar from 1921 to 1969)
- November 8 (Orthodox Churches, Synaxis of the Archangels)
His name evokes a tradition of care that Versana reports without adopting: nowhere on this site does an angel stand in for a recourse for the body.
Archangel Raphael: your questions
Who is Archangel Raphael?
The traveling companion described in the Book of Tobit: he guides the young traveler, then introduces himself as one of the seven angels who stand before God. He is also one of the four archangels of the Book of Enoch, and one of the three whom the Catholic Church celebrates by name.
Is Raphael in the Bible?
Yes for Catholics and the Orthodox, whose Bible contains the Book of Tobit; no for Protestants, who classify it among the apocrypha. It is the only biblical source that names him.
When is Saint Raphael’s feast day?
September 29, with Michael and Gabriel, in the Catholic Church; some local calendars keep October 24, his feast from 1921 to 1969. The Orthodox celebrate him on November 8, and the Coptic Churches on other dates.
And what about your own angels?
Raphael guides travelers. In Lenain’s list, 72 angels share the moment of your birth.
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