Archangel Michael Origin, History and Folklore

Archangel Michael is considered to be the one who protects mankind from dangerous and frightening nightmares. He is famous by the name of Saint Michael the Archangel and also by the name of Saint Michael the Taxiarch.

He is believed to be the one who weighs the souls of the people on the judgment day. Based on the weighing, he categorizes them as either a good soul or bad soul depending on the deeds which the person has done when he or she was alive on the earth.

Michael is the leader of the Gods army against the army of Satan in many books and religious texts.

Legends of Archangel Michael

Michael the Archangel has been a very popular subject in the field of history and art and has been beautifully described by many artists and book writers over the past decades.

The book, “The Watkins Dictionary of Angels”, written by Julia Cress well describes that Michael is a very popular subject in the field of art and is found majorly playing the role of weighing the souls of different people.

On one side of the weighing machine, he could be seen placing the soul of the individual and on the counter side, a feather is being kept by him. This portrayal of Michael is traced back to ancient Egypt time.

Some other famous writers like Roza Giorgi and Stefano Zuffi have written in their book Angels and Demons that:

Rosa Giorgi and Stefano Zuffi write in their book Angels and Demons in Art:

“The iconography of psychostasis, or ‘weighing of souls,’ has roots in the ancient Egyptian world, about a thousand years before the birth of Christ.

According to the Egyptian Book of the Dead, the deceased was subjected to a judgment that consisted of weighing his heart, with a symbol of the goddess of justice, Maat, used as a counterweight.

This funerary art theme was transmitted to the West through Coptic and Cappadocian frescoes, and the function of supervising the weighing, originally a task of Horus and Anubis, passed to the Archangel Michael.”

Folklore of Michael, Description and Feast Days

The folklore of Archangel Michael is spread across various segments. He has been the topic of discussion in various fields of literature.

He has been beautifully depicted in various English poems like the Paradise Lost by John Milton. In this poem, Michael gives the command to the army of angels, who are loyal to God against the rebel forces of Satan.

It is portrayed in the poem that Michael himself wears God’s armor and battles with Satan and deeply wounded his side.

He is also depicted beautifully in various arts and pictures. In Christian art, Archangel is depicted either alone or with some other angels like Gabriel.

These depictions date back to somewhere around the 8th century. The best example is the Stone Caskett at Notre Dame De Mortain church in France.

He is also considered an icon of the Britain school and an angel warrior who is armed with a sword, helmet, and a shield.

Soul Prayer to call Michael Archangel

Whenever we come across and mesmerizing artwork which depicts Archangel Michael weighing the soul of a person.

It gives an inspiration to the viewers to pray for his or her soul and requesting Michael for helping them to live and lead their life faithfully.

People also believe and say that they will be glad that they did this when the judgment day arrives.

Mirabai Starr, who is a wonderful book writer has rightly said in her book Saint Michael the Archangel: Devotion, Prayers and Living Wisdom that:

“…you will gather the souls of the righteous and the wicked, place us on your great scales and weigh our deeds.

If you have been loving and kind, you will take the key from around your neck and open the gates of Paradise, inviting us to live there forever. …

If we have been selfish and cruel, it is you who will banish us. … May I sit lightly in your measuring cup, my angel.”

Book Saint Michael the Archangel

Michael – Symbol of Faith

Images which are available on the internet and which have been retrieved from various sacred texts show that Michael Archangel was the one who weighed the soul of the person on the judgment day, based on the deeds which the person did when he or she was alive.

This is a rich symbolism of the faith of all the devotees and the believers who had trust in Michael that he is the one who chooses between the good or the evil and depending on it, decides the further action.

Zuffi and Giorgi have written about various topics describing the faith and the meaning of the images in which Michael is depicted along with the demons.

They have beautifully described this scenario as:

“The static weighing composition becomes dramatic when the devil appears next to Saint Michael and tries to snatch the soul being weighed.

This weighing scene, initially part of the Last Judgment cycles, became autonomous and one of the most popular images of Saint Michael.

Faith and devotion added variants such as the chalice or the lamb as counterweights on the plate of the scale, both symbols of Christ’s sacrifice for redemption, or a rosary attached to the rod, a symbol of faith in the intercession of the Virgin Mary.”

Archangel Michael Connection with Bible

It is not mentioned in the Bible anywhere that Michael is the one who is responsible for weighing the souls on scales.

But the proverbs 16:11 present in the Bible have poetically described that God has himself judged the attitude of people by the means of the actions which they did by using the image of the scales for providing justice.

It is rightly said in the Bible that the weights which are present in the bag are the work of God and a balance is maintained using the scales which is the call of the Lord.

It is also written in Matthew 16:27 that Jesus Christ has said that all the angels will accompany him when the judgment day comes.

He also said that all the people who have ever lived on the earth will go through the consequences and the rewards according to the deeds and the path which they have chosen during their life span.

These lines are quoted in the Bible as follows:

“For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.”

Bible

The famous book, The Life and Prayer of Saint Michael the Archangel, which was written by Wyatt North describes that the Bible has never stated any argument describing Michael using the scales to weigh people’s souls.

But still, the image of Archangel Michael helping the people choosing the path after their death is famous all around the world.

The book beautifully describes this particular scenario as follows:

“Scripture does not show us, Saint Michael, as Weighed of Souls. This image is derived from his heavenly offices of Advocate of the Dying and Consoler of Souls, believed to have begun in Egyptian and Greek art.

We know it is Saint Michael who accompanies the faithful in their final hour and to their day of judgment, interceding on our behalf before Christ. In doing so he balances the good deeds of our lives against the bad, epitomized by the scales.

It is in this context that his image can be found on dooms painting (representing the Day of Judgment), on countless church walls, and carved over church doorways. …

On occasion, Saint Michael is presented alongside Gabriel [who also plays an important role in Judgment Day], with both of them wearing purple and white tunics.”

Faith not Fear – Response

Michael Archangel has been famous for giving a clear picture and an insight into the nightmare and its true meaning to the person who is suffering from it.

One should be thankful to him for providing clarity about the same. One should question Michael how does God wants the people to respond to the nightmare.

One should not hesitate in asking Michael for providing the individual with the required encouragement and comfort.

This is needed by them to overcome the fear that the nightmare has induced in them and has caused a void in the soul.

It should always be kept in the mind that Michael is very tough and at the same time, is full of love.

He will always be glad by providing the assurance that is needed by the person and tell them that God is always present on their side.

He also delivers the message that good will always be victorious over the evil deeds. It is mentioned that fear is completely the opposite of faith and it is spiritually dangerous for the people.

So it becomes very important for the person to fight against the fear at the time of spiritual attacks.

One should always ask for help and mercy from Michael so that he constantly reminds you about the different reasons that why should a person always believe and trust in God, irrespective of the situation.

Symbolism of Archangel Michael

Archangel Michael is considered to be a symbol of strength and wisdom. He is the one who is the caretaker of the souls after the life span of the individual has ended.

He weighs the soul of the person after his or her death using a scale. He keeps the light feather on one side and the soul of the person on the other side.

He also helps the people in coping up with the terrifying nightmares and helps them to believe more in the reality of the real world.

Conclusion

Archangel Michael is considered to be the weigher of the souls of the people. He does that based on the deeds which the person has done over his life span.

Archangel Michael is also portrayed as the symbol of faith and the one who saves the people from dangerous and horrifying dreams and fights against the army of Satan from God’s side.

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