Archangel Uriel is famous all around the world by the name of the angel of wisdom. He is believed to be the light of the truth of God which is enlightening the darkness of confusion.
The term Uriel means God is my light or the fire of God. Many spellings of archangel Uriel are used in different religious books and online websites like Uzziel, Oriel, AUriel, Urian and Uryan.
Name and Origin
The angels, who are mentioned in the old books of the Hebrew Bible are without the names. Many people have asserted the fact that all the specific names of the different archangels were brought back by the Jews from Babylon.
Out of the seven archangels who are present in the in angelology, only two of them are mentioned by the name in the canonized Jewish scriptures.
Those two tour archangel Michael and archangel Gabriel. In the book of Daniel, the mention of these two archangels is present in detail.
Raphael as featured prominently in the Deuterocanonical book of Tobit, which was initially accepted by both the Jewish and the Christian people but removed from the Jewish library in later antiquity and was also rejected by the protestant reformers in the 16th century.
This particular book is accepted in the form of scripture by the Roman Catholic Church and also by the Eastern Orthodox Church. A fourth archangel is added to the name who is considered to be the representation of the four cardinal joints.
The archangel Auriel is generally considered to be the fourth. This particular archangel is listed as the fourth angel in the Christian Gnostics.
The book of Enoch has clearly distinguished between the two angels. Archangel Auriel means God is my light while Phanuel has the meaning that turns to God.
Talking about the modern angelology, the art in the Loral is identified as a regent of the sun and the flame of the god who presides over the Tartarus and is also considered to be the archangel of salvation.
In the first half of the 11th century, the people who were living in Bulgaria, who was the follower of the duellist Bogoism invoke archangel Auriel in various rituals.
Archangel Auriel is one of the angels of the seven planets and the planet Mars is associated with him. He is also listed in Benjamin Camfield’s A Theological Discourse of Angels, which was published in the year 1678.
Scriptural reference to an angel of presence is found in the Isaiah 63:9:
In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence save them, in his love and in his pity period you need them, and he bares with them and carried them all the days of old.
Symbols of Archangel Oriel
In various literature and art pieces of evidence, archangel Oriel is depicted the majority of the times carrying either a book or a scroll in his hands, both of which are believed to be a symbol of knowledge and wisdom.
Another symbol which is related to Uriel is an open hand holding a flame or the sun which is considered to be a symbolic representation of the truth of the god.
Just like the other archangels, Oriel also has an angelic energy colour associated with itself which is red and is said to be a symbolic representation of himself and also the work which is performed by him.
Some of the people and the sources also attribute the colour yellow or even the golden colour with archangel Oriel.
The people believe in this particular archangel and also turn to him for help at the time of problems and chaos and also for taking important decisions in their life. He is also remembered by the people at the time of resolving conflicts and learning new information.
People also turn to him so that they can remove the toxic and destructive emotions from their minds like anger and anxiety, which will further prevent the people from discerning wisdom or the recognizing of dangerous situations in their life.
Religious Roles
Archangel Oriel has played several religious roles which are mentioned on the online platforms and other religious and literary books.
Some of the Christians, like all those who worship in the Anglican and Eastern Orthodox churches, consider this particular archangel a Saint.
Some people don’t believe that he is the one who serves as the Patron Saint of the sciences and arts because of his ability to inspire and awaken the intellect in the people.
In some of the Catholic traditions followed all around the world, the archangel Oriel also enjoy patronage over the seven sacraments of the church.
For these Catholic people, the archangel is the Patron of confirmation who is constantly guiding the faithful when they reflect on the holy nature of the sacrament of the church.
Archangel Uriel in Popular Culture
Just like the many other figures which are present in the religion of Christianity and Judaism, the archangel Oriel is considered to be a source of inspiration in the popular culture.
John Milton has included this particular archangel in paradise lost. In the paradise lost, this particular angel is seen serving as the eyes of the god while Ralph Waldo Emerson has written a poem about the archangel Oriel which has described him as a young God living in the paradise.
Talking about the recent times, this particular archangel has made several appearances in different books like the ones written by Dean Koontz and Clive Barker and has also been shown in the famous TV series Supernatural.
This archangel has also been shown in the famous video game series Darksiders and also in the Manga comics and roleplaying games.
Mention in Religious Texts
Oriel is not mentioned in the Canonical religious texts from the different religions of the world but he is mentioned broadly and significantly in the major religious apocryphal texts.
The apocryphal texts are believed to be the religious works that were included in some of the early versions of the holy book of Bible but are not considered to be a secondary in importance to the different structures of the old and new testaments in the present scenario.
The book of Enoch, which is considered to be the part of the Christian and the Jewish Apocrypha has described the archangel Auriel as one of the seven archangels who have presided over the world.
The archangel is shown warning the prophet Noah about the upcoming and devastating flood in chapter 10 of Enoch.
In chapters 19 and 21 of Enoch, the archangel Auriel has revealed that the fallen angels who rebelled against the will of the god will be judged and also shows that the Enoch gets a vision where they are found bound until the infinite number of days of their crimes be completed.
In the Jewish and Christian apocryphal text, it is mentioned that God said to archangel for answering a series of questions that were asked by Prophet Ezra.
When the archangel was answering these questions he told him that God had permitted them to him for describing the different signs about the good and the Evil at the work in the world but it would remain difficult for Ezra to understand from his limited human perspective.
It is also written in 2 Esdras 4:10-11:
“You cannot understand the things with which you have grown up; how then can your mind comprehend the way of the Highest? And how can one who is already worn out by the corrupt world understand in corruption?”
When Ezra asks questions about his personal life, such as how long he’ll live, Oriel replies: “Concerning the signs about which you ask me, I can tell you in part; but I was not sent to tell you concerning your life, for I do not know.” (2 Esdras 4:52)
Esotericism and Occult
In the Hermetic Qabalah, name of archangel Uriel is commonly spelt Auriel. He is regarded as the angel of the north and also the element of the earth.
According to the teachings of the modern hermetic order of the Golden Dawn, this particular archangel is considered to be the archangel of the north and also the archangel of the earth and is also believed to be associated with the vegetation of the earth.
In the iconography, this particular archangel is depicted holding the stems of ripened wheat and wearing the robes of citrine, russet, olive and black.
Conclusion
Archangel Uriel is considered to be the angel of wisdom and knowledge. He is believed to be the one who is responsible for guiding the people on the right path in their lives and also remove the element of confusion.
He is the one who has the ability and the power to remove the obstacles and the darkness from the life of the devotees and fill their life and environment with joy and enthusiasm.
People Also Ask (FAQs)
Oriel is considered to be the symbol of what?
Oriel is considered to be the symbol of knowledge and wisdom.
What are the other names which are used for Oriel?
Some other names which are used for referring to Uriel Archangel are Uzziel, Oriel, AUriel, Urian and Uryan.