Saint Michael, revered as one of the principal archangels, holds a significant place in various religions, including Christianity and Islam. In Christianity, he is often depicted as the leader of the heavenly hosts and a warrior who aids the faithful. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, deeply rooted in African history, also holds Saint Michael in high esteem.
He is honored for defeating Devil at God’s command (Rev.12:7-9). His powerful and fastest aid has always been invoked by the Church in time of emergency and unusual danger. He is the guardian of the souls and fighter against evil.
The Universal Significance of Saint Michael
In the Bible and the Qurʾān (as Mīkāl), Michael is depicted as the “great captain,” the leader of the heavenly hosts, and the warrior helping the children of Israel. Early in the history of the Christian church he came to be regarded as the helper of the church’s armies against the heathen and against the attacks of the Devil. He holds the secret of the mighty “word” by the utterance of which God created heaven and earth and was “the angel who spoke [to Moses] at Mount Sinai” (Acts 7:38).
The feast of St. Michael, which originated in Phrygia, is kept on September 29 in the West, where it is also known as Michaelmas. Most Eastern Orthodox churches commemorate St. Michael and the other angels on November 8, and the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church honours him on the 12th of each month. In the Roman Catholic Church the feast of the Appearing (or Apparition) of St. Michael the Archangel is kept on May 8. According to legend, this appearance took place on Mount Gargano, in Apulia, about 492, and the mountain became an important medieval pilgrimage site.
A formal prayer to St. Michael originated with Pope Leo XIII in 1886.
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The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is an indigenous and integral church of Africa. It is one of, if not the oldest church in the world, and is one of the founders of the World Council of Churches. History of the Tewahedo church dates back more than 2,000 years to the Old Testament and the first Ethiopian Christian convert by Phillip the Evangelist is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. It is a Church governed by Apostolic Succession where each primate can be traced back to Christ himself and unique traditions that are deeply engraved in the lives of her followers.
The church, although independent, has maintained her special link with the Egyptian Coptic Church of Alexandria and is a member of the Oriental Orthodox family. It adheres strictly to the doctrine that confesses the One Nature of Our Lord Jesus Christ and thus refused to conform to the teachings of Pope Leo’s Tome at the Council of Chalcedon in A.D. 451. Since the controversy at the council, the church has retained her faith, her ancient traditions and her way of life.
As globalization spreads and people travel from their home land to other parts of the world, Ethiopian Christians are also finding themselves in various parts of the world. The EOTC who has realized the need to reach her faithful followers has made tremendous efforts to increase her presence around the world for the past 50 years.
Ancient Egyptians used to call the place south of their country as “Land of the Cush”. The Seventy Scholars, who lived in the second century B.C. and translated the Holy Bible from Hebrew into Greek, used the term “Ethiopia” to refer to the place that Moses called “Cush”. This term has been mentioned more than 40 times in the Holy Bible.
Orthodox means, in Greek, straight or right. This term was used as part of the name of the church by the bishops and scholars of the church who attended the Council of Nicea (a city near the current Istanbul). The council was summoned because of Arius’ false teachings on the nature of Christ.
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Tewahedo stands for the term incarnation or union, which in other words means oneness, and shows the Son being perfect God- perfect man, but as one entity, which is the basic dogma of the church. This term stands for what is known as “ecclesia” in Greek. It means a congregation or assembly of Christians.
The Archangel St. Michael Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Tokyo
The Archangel St. Michael Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Tokyo was established in 2000 in collaboration with the Ethiopian communities who lived in and around Tokyo. The congregation remained as a Mission until 2010, lacking a priest and a permanent place of worship.
The church provides religious service to faithful Orthodox Christians in Japan according to Ethiopian Orthodox practice. Our mission is to uphold the centuries-old tradition and values of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church; to provide religious services consistent with ancient tradition practice and values of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church; to increase the awareness of Ethiopians in Japan, about the history, cultures, languages, and tradition of the Church and Ethiopia; and to build a vibrant Orthodox community that promotes the teachings of Our Lord to love one another and that does not condone ethnicism, tribalism and racism.
The Feast of St. Michael in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church celebrates the Feast of St. Michael on the 12th of each month. As such, this day (Hidar 12) in the Ethiopian Church is dedicated to “the Exodus of Israel from Egypt ” through the help of the Arch angle Michael as stated in (Ex.
The Exodus is that the Israelites were delivered from bondage of slavery by the Lord God miraculously guiding by the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night during their exodus from Egyptian bondage. Then, Israelites were delivered from bondage of slavery by the Lord God and therefore belong to him through the covenant as stated in (Deuteronomy 26:5-9) “the one who brought you up from the land of Egypt out of the house of bondage”.
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The history of Exodus trace back to Joseph. Joseph was sold by his jealous brothers to a caravan of Ishmaelite (Gen37:3). In the course of time, a great famine occurred, so that persons from other countries came to Egypt to buy food, including Joseph’s brothers. Thus, under Joseph’s patronage Jacob moved into Egypt (Gen.46:1-47). Since then, the Israelites dwelt there and had grown to be a large people; the Egyptian Pharaoh of the time (who didn’t know Joseph ) feared their power.
Thus, the Israelites lived in Egypt for 430 years under the ruthless oppression of Pharaohs’ reign (Exodus 12:40-41) as it was foretold to Abraham in a dream that his descendants would serve as slaves in a foreign land for 400 years (or 4 generations of priests (Genesis 15:12-16). Latter on God heard the lamentation of Israel and allow them to liberate.
It surely was an awesome spectacle as thousands of Hebrews made their way from the land of Egypt toward the Red Sea, with Pharaoh’s army in hot pursuit. By an amazing miracle, the waters parted and the multitude crossed on dry ground. When the Egyptians attempted to follow the Israelites, they were drowned as the walls of waters rushed back into their bed. In commenting upon this event, Moses wrote: “Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.” (Ex.
According to (Exodus 12:37 - 38), during their departure, the Israelites numbered about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children, plus many non-Israelites and livestock. Moses was 80 years old when he led the Israelites out of Egypt around 1446 B.C. The exodus from Egypt was truly a landmark event in Old Testament history. It taught us much about God and his interest in humanity.
As the Exodus in Old Testament was to Israel, the death and resurrection of Christ was to Christians of the New Testament. St. Paul observes that the Hebrews “Brethren … all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (1 Cor. 10:1-4); Rom. 6:3-4, 17; Gal. 3:27).
Michael in Jewish Traditions
According to rabbinic tradition, Michael acted as the advocate of Israel, and sometimes had to fight with the princes of the other nations (Daniel 10:13) and particularly with the angel Samael, Israel's accuser. The rabbis declare that Michael entered into his role of defender at the time of the biblical patriarchs. Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob said he rescued Abraham from the furnace into which he had been thrown by Nimrod (Midrash Genesis Rabbah xliv. 16). Some say he was the "one that had escaped" (Genesis 14:13), who told Abraham that Lot had been taken captive (Midrash Pirke R.
Michael prevented Isaac from sacrifice by his father by substituting a ram in his place.
The Evolution of Devotion to Saint Michael
St. Epiphanius of Salamis (c. 310 - c. 320 - 403) in his Coptic-Arabic Hexaemeron additionally referred to Michael as a replacement of Satan. Byzantine tradition attributed two Bosporus-shore sanctuaries of the Archangel Michael to Constantine. The first at Hestia/Anaplous-plausibly in the area of modern Arnavutköy, about 35 stadia by sea and over 70 by land from Constantinople. The second at Sosthenion, commonly identified with modern İstinye. Sozomen is the earliest witness for the Hestia site, while John Malalas places a Michaelion at Sosthenion and embeds it in a foundation legend that repurposes a pre-existing pagan shrine tied to the Argonauts.
A painting of the Archangel slaying a serpent became a major art piece at the Michaelion after Constantine defeated Licinius near there in 324. In the fourth century, Saint Basil the Great's homily (De Angelis) placed Saint Michael over all the angels. In the sixth century, the growth of devotions to Michael in the Western Church was expressed by the feasts dedicated to him, as recorded in the Leonine Sacramentary. The seventh-century Gelasian Sacramentary included the feast "S. Michaelis Archangeli", as did the eighth-century Gregorian Sacramentary.
The angelology of Pseudo-Dionysius, which was widely read as of the sixth century, gave Michael a rank in the hierarchy of angels. Later, in the thirteenth century, others such as Bonaventure believed him to be Prince of the Seraphim, the first of the nine angelic orders. According to Thomas Aquinas (Summa Ia.
Saint Michael in Catholic Teachings
Catholics often refer to Michael as “Holy Michael, the Archangel” or “Saint Michael”. He is generally referred to in Christian litanies as “Saint Michael”, as in the Litany of the Saints. The second and third roles of Michael in Catholic teachings deal with death. In his second role, he is the angel of death, carrying the souls of Christians to Heaven. Catholic prayers often refer to this role of Michael. In his fourth role, Saint Michael, the special patron of the Chosen People in the Old Testament, is also Guardian of the Church.
Saint Michael was revered by the military orders of knights during the Middle Ages. The names of villages around the Bay of Biscay reflect that history. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
Eastern Orthodox Devotion
The Eastern Orthodox have always had strong devotions to angels. In Ukraine, the Archangel Michael is the patron saint of the capital city, Kyiv. The place of Michael in the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria is as a saintly intercessor. He is the one who presents to God the prayers of the just, who accompanies the souls of the dead to heaven, who defeats the devil. He is celebrated liturgically on the 12th of each Coptic month. In Alexandria, a church was dedicated to him in the early fourth century on the 12th of the month of Paoni.
Protestant Views
Protestants recognize Michael as an archangel. The Anglican and Methodist traditions recognize four archangels: Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, and Uriel. The controversial Anglican bishop Robert Clayton (d. The Lutheran Churches of St. Michael's Church, Hamburg and St. Michael's Church, Hildesheim are named for Michael.
Like the aforementioned early Christian groups, many Protestant theologians identify a relationship, (e.g. Martin Luther Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg, Andrew Willet Herman Witsius W. L.
Other Religious Perspectives
Seventh-day Adventists believe that "Michael" is but one of the many titles applied to the pre-existent Christ, or Son of God. According to Adventists, such a view does not in any way conflict with the belief in the full deity and eternal preexistence of Jesus Christ, nor does it in the least disparage his person and work. According to Adventist theology, Michael was considered the "eternal Word", and the one by whom all things were created.
Jehovah's Witnesses believe Michael to be another name for Jesus in heaven, in his pre-human and post-resurrection existence. They say the definite article at Jude 9-referring to "Michael the archangel"-identifies Michael as the only archangel. They believe the prominent roles assigned to Michael at Daniel 12:1, Revelation 12:7, Revelation 19:14, and Revelation 16 are identical to Jesus' roles, being the one chosen to lead God's people and as the only one who "stands up", identifying the two as the same spirit being.
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that Michael is Adam, the Ancient of Days (Dan. 7), a prince, and the patriarch of the human family.
In further Islamic literature, Michael is associated with mercy. He asks God for forgiveness for humans and is one of the first angels who obeyed God's orders to bow before Adam. From the tears of Michael, angels of mercy are created as his helpers. Like Gabriel, with whom he is often mentioned together, Michael is also a messenger.
The archangel Michael seems to have never been mentioned publicly by Baha'u'llah, 'Abdu'l-Baha, Shoghi Effendi, or even the Universal House of Justice. Bahá'í publications interpreting the Book of Revelation from the New Testament say Baha'u'llah was a chief prince of Persia foretold as Michael who would win "final victory over the dragon".
Feast Days and Patronage
In the General Roman Calendar, the Anglican Calendar of Saints, and the Lutheran Calendar of Saints, the archangel's feast is celebrated on Michaelmas Day, 29 September. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Saint Michael's principal feast day is 8 November (those that use the Julian calendar celebrate it on what in the Gregorian calendar is now 21 November), honouring him along with the rest of the "Bodiless Powers of Heaven" (i.e.
In the calendar of the Church of England diocese of Truro, 8 May is the feast of St. Michael, Protector of Cornwall. The archangel Michael is one of the three patron saints of Cornwall. The feast of the Appearing of S.
Prior to 1878, the Scapular of St. Michael the Archangel could be worn as part of a Roman Catholic Archconfraternity. Apart from his being a patron of warriors, the sick and the suffering also consider Archangel Michael their patron saint. Based on the legend of his eighth-century apparition at Mont Saint-Michel, France, the Archangel is the patron of mariners in this famous sanctuary. After the evangelisation of Germany, where mountains were often dedicated to pagan gods, Christians placed many mountains under the patronage of the Archangel, and numerous mountain chapels of St.
Similarly, the Sanctuary of St. Michel (San Migel Aralarkoa), the oldest Christian building in Navarre (Spain), lies at the top of a hill on the Aralar Range, and harbours Carolingian remains. St. Michel is an ancient devotion of Navarre and eastern Gipuzkoa, revered by the Basques, shrouded in legend, and held as a champion against paganism and heresy. It came to symbolize the defense of Catholicism, as well as Basque tradition and values during the early twentieth century.
He has been the patron saint of Brussels since the Middle Ages. The city of Arkhangelsk in Russia is named for the Archangel. In Linlithgow, Scotland, St. Michael has been the patron saint of the town since the thirteenth century, with St. Michael's Parish Church being originally constructed in 1134.
An Anglican sisterhood dedicated to Saint Michael under the title of the Community of St Michael and All Angels was founded in 1851. The Congregation of Saint Michael the Archangel (CSMA), also known as the Michaelite Fathers, is a religious order of the Roman Catholic Church founded in 1897.
Saint Michael is the patronus of Italian special forces 9° Reggimento "Col Moschin" and the Italian state police.
Legends and Apparitions
According to Legends of the Jews, archangel Michael was the chief of a band of angels who questioned God's decision to create man on Earth. An 18th-century statue of a triumphant Saint Michael, enshrined as the patron of Bacoor, Cavite, Philippines.
The legend of the apparition of the Archangel at around AD 490 at a secluded hilltop cave on Monte Gargano in Italy gained a following among the Lombards in the immediate period thereafter, and by the eighth century, pilgrims arrived from as far away as England. The Tridentine calendar included a feast of the apparition on 8 May, the date of the 663 victory over the Greek Neapolitans that the Lombards of Manfredonia attributed to Saint Michael. The feast remained in the Roman liturgical calendar until removed in the revision of Pope John XXIII.
According to Roman legends, Archangel Michael appeared with a sword over the mausoleum of Hadrian while a devastating plague persisted in Rome, in apparent answer to the prayers of Pope Gregory I the Great (c. 590-604) that the plague should cease.
A Portuguese Carmelite nun, Antónia d'Astónaco, reported an apparition and private revelation of the Archangel Michael who had told to this devoted Servant of God, in 1751, that he would like to be honored, and God glorified, by the praying of nine special invocations. These nine invocations correspond to invocations to the nine choirs of angels and origins the famous Chaplet of Saint Michael.
From 1961 to 1965, four young schoolgirls had reported several apparitions of the Archangel Michael in the small village of Garabandal, Spain. At Garabandal, the apparitions of the Archangel Michael were mainly reported as announcing the arrivals of the Virgin Mary.
Saint Michael in Literature and Art
In the 1667 English epic poem Paradise Lost by John Milton, Michael commands the army of angels loyal to God against the rebel forces of Satan. In Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's translation of the mid-thirteenth century The Golden Legend, Michael is one of the angels of the seven planets.
In Christian art, Archangel Michael may be depicted alone or with other angels such as Gabriel. Some depictions with Gabriel date back to the eighth century, e.g. Constantine felt that Licinius was an agent of Satan and associated him with the serpent described in the Book of Revelation (12:9). After the victory, Constantine commissioned a depiction of himself and his sons slaying Licinius represented as a serpent a symbolism borrowed from the Christian teachings on the Archangel to whom he attributed the victory.
Michael's icon on the northern deacons' door on the iconostasis of Hajdúdorog. Archangel Michael by Emily Young in the grounds of St Pancras New Church. Plaque inscription: "In memory of the victims of the 7th July 2005 bombings and all victims of violence. St. Michael the Archangel and the Dragon. St.
