Archangels are spiritual beings who serve god, by fulfilling certain tasks assigned to them. In most cases, each archangel represent a certain attribute and are welcomed to god’s court. They also have the power above other angels who answer to them. Archangel Uriel is considered as the angel of wisdom. The angel is said to be carrying a flaming sword, that burns with god’s truth. Uriel will slice the darkness cause by lies and illusions with his sword, and light it with god’s truth. The name Uriel means ‘the god is my light’, which I believe perfectly aligns with the role of bringing light of truth, to where there is confusion.
In the Second Book of Esdras, it is mentioned how god tasked archangel Uriel to answer many questions prophet Ezra had. Uriel talk to Ezra through a series of visions. When Ezra was in Babylon, he ask god why he keeps Israelites in misery, if god is just. We can see in the way Uriel answer him that there is rage. Uriel begins by telling Ezra that he is arrogant to think he can understand God’s ways and gives him three impossible tasks to complete if he wish to hear the answer. Ezra admits that he is not able to fulfill them and Uriel points out, that he is arrogant to think he can understand God’s ways, when he can’t even complete the tasks given before him. Uriel tell him that the human mind is not capable of understanding god’s plan and his plan will only bring greater good in the end.
The angel also take part in saving John the Baptist from the Massacre of the Innocents, ordered by King Herod, who attempted to murder the infant Jesus. When Jesus was born, a star, named the Star of Bethlehem, shined brightly. Magi from the East had come to Jerusalem asking for the born king of the Jews. After consulting with the Jewish priests, Herod tells the Magi, that Bethlehem was the prophesied birthplace of the Messiah. Herod set them off on the promise, to tell him the exact location of the new born king when they return. But the Magi’s did not obey his command, so King Herod gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem who were two years old and under. Other than Jesus, john was also below the age of two when the Massacre happened. So Uriel carries John and his mother Elizabeth to join Jesus and his parents and help them to flee from Bethlehem.
In the Apocalypse of Moses, also known as the Life of Adam and Eve, mentions how Uriel teach Eve and Seth to bury the bodies of the dead. It is written, after Adam’s death, a chariot of light with angels carried by eagles, arrive to the place where Adam’s body lies. Uriel tells Seth, to cover the bodies of Adam and Abel in linen clothes and to pour fragrant oil on them. Both bodies are then buried in the place from which God took the clay to create Adam. After the ritual, God calls for Adam and his body gets the ability to answer him from the earth.
When Watchers betray their holy cause and mated with with mortal women, the women gave birth to Nephilim, or otherwise called the Giants. Uriel is one of the angels who was sent by gods to cleanse the world. Other than fathering the Nephilim, the watchers also revealed heavens secrets to mankind. With this knowledge, humans turned against each other and corrupted their souls, while the Nephilim bloodied the earth with blood and destruction. So god decided to wipe out these sinners through a great flood.
It is written in the book of Enoch, that Uriel is responsible for warning Noah about the upcoming great flood. In Enoch chapter 10, verse 1 to 4, it is written: “Then said the Most High, the Holy and Great One spoke, and sent Uriel to the son of Lamech, and said to him. “Go to Noah and tell him in my name 'Hide thyself!' and reveal to him the end that is approaching. that the whole earth will be destroyed, and a deluge is about to come upon the whole earth, and will destroy all that is on it."”Uriel appears before Noah and tells him of the god’s plan. After this revelation, Noah builds an ark using the knowledge in the book, Sefer Raziel HaMalakh written by archangel Raziel himself.
He is often described as an angel who lacks love and compassion, but as a judge who will torment sinful souls. In the end times, it is believed that Uriel holds the key of the Hell Gate. Uriel oversees the punishments for sinners and these punishments are said to be very brutal. He burns sinners in the river of everlasting fire. He hangs those who sinned with words by their tongues over fire. It is believed that all souls that die before the Day of Judgment will reside in Hell in temporal suffering. On the Day of Judgement, where all souls meet their final verdict, he has the task of collecting all the souls before the judgment seat, breaking the bronze gates of Hell.
Apart from his role in hell, many seek the guidance of the archangel, since he represents wisdom. So in some depictions, Uriel could be seen holding a book, or a scroll, which is considered as the scroll of wisdom. He is regarded as the patron saint of the arts and sciences. In addition, every Monday throughout the year is dedicated to the angels. In the Ethiopian Homily on the Archangel Uriel, he is depicted as one of the great archangels. They believe at the time of the Crucifixion of Jesus, Uriel dipped his wing in the blood and water flowing from Christ's, and filled a cup with it. While he’s carrying the cup, the blood from his wings sprinkled all over Ethiopia. In every place where a drop of blood fell, a church was built. So in these traditions Uriel could be seen carrying a chalice filled with the blood of Christ.
Uriel may not be as glamourous and soft hearted as other archangels, but that didn’t stop him from being one of the main archangels in god’s angelic hierarchy. He is often associated with electricity as well. So believers say, that thunderstorms occur due to the influence of Uriel. If you see a sudden spark when praying to archangel Uriel, know that the angel is near you, listening to your prayers. He emits a red aura which highlights his aggressive nature. A sudden appearance of a red light is also a sign of the presence of Uriel.
Archangel Uriel is one of the most interesting spiritual beings. He’s not mentioned to appear before humans as much as other archangels like Michael and Gabriel. We can see through his actions and the way he communicates, that this angel lacks a huge deal of compassion and love towards mankind. Tell me what you think of this story. If you have heard other stories about archangel uriel, please share it in the comments.
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