Archangel Jeremiel (from Hebrew his name is translated as “the height of God,” “ascension to God”) is one of the highest angelic beings in Christianity and Judaism.
Information about him is found in the Old Testament, in the 3rd book of Ezra: it tells about his visit to the prophet together with the archangel Uriel, enlightening the righteous with information about the End of the World.
What tasks does the Archangel Jeremiel do, how is he depicted on icons, and when do believers turn to him for help? You will find answers to all these questions in the article below.
Archangel Jeremiel - role in various religious traditions
The name of the archangel comes from the Hebrew language. In meaning, it means “the height of the Lord” or “exaltation to the Lord.” In some texts the name sounds different: Jerahmiel and Ramiel. The Archangel is present in Judaism and Christianity, and he has the title of Archangel.
The Third Book of Ezra, which refers to non-canonical texts, tells about Jeremiel. This source tells about the meeting of the prophet Ezra with two archangels Uriel and Jeremiel, who tell Ezra about the end of the world.
According to Jewish beliefs, the Archangel Jeremiel was one of the creator angels who helped the Lord during the creation of the world.
These angels still care about the fruits of the great creation, providing God with assistance in managing the Universe and the world of people. Many of the archangels, fulfilling God's will, appeared to the prophets to warn them about the consequences of the sinful activities of mankind. In particular, through Jeremiel, God sent revelations to the prophets about a dark future.
The Archangel helped people remember their divine purpose and stop wandering in the dark. The archangel's task is to ensure that the human soul turns back to God. It is no coincidence that the angels of repentance are Jeremiel’s first assistants. These heavenly beings awaken in a person the memory of sins once committed and appeal to his conscience. They are next to a person during prayer and confession, helping to sincerely repent and cleanse the soul of the burden of sins. They also give strength to those who have resolutely abandoned the mistakes of the past and taken the right path.
But the archangel not only shows people what life in sin leads to. He also reveals to people the ways of understanding God and helps them to grasp the taste of eternal life. In the Book of Enoch the archangel is called Ramiel. This name can be translated as "God's thunder." This text calls Ramiel an angel of hope who accompanies the souls of the righteous to the Kingdom of Heaven. Ramiel is also a true believer during his lifetime in order to show them bright pictures of paradise.
Among the mortals who were shown Heaven in all its splendor was the biblical sage and prophet Baruch (Baruch). The Archangel took Baruch with him to heaven, where he showed the different plans of God's kingdom. This journey greatly influenced the prophet’s worldview and strengthened him in faith. In addition, Baruch was sent a vision of the Savior of mankind, who later turned out to be Jesus Christ.
Memorial Days
In the Orthodox tradition, there is no special date for the Archangel Jeremiel. He is honored on November 21, when believers celebrate the Council of the Archangel Michael and other ethereal Heavenly Powers. There are seven archangels in total on the list, and Jeremiel brings up the rear.
Heavenly hierarchy
Before the creation of the world, the Lord created incorporeal entities of angels, the word translated means “messengers” or “messengers”. There are nine ranks in the heavenly hierarchy and this corresponds to the ninth month of November from the month of March, from which the new year used to begin. Therefore, November was chosen for the holiday by the angels (November 8 and 21).
To understand the divine celestial structure, just look at Botticini’s painting “The Assumption”. There are three spheres or triads on it. The first includes seraphim, cherubim, thrones. Seraphim have the highest rank of angels. The prophet Isaiah called them creatures of fire. Seraphim protect humanity and ask for the salvation of souls.
The thrones are the guardians of evolutionary information and are at the feet of God. This is the closest sphere to the Lord. Then there are dominions, powers and authorities. Dominances ensure the functioning of the Universe. The forces perform miracles and give happiness to people. The authorities hold the keys to Satan's cage.
In the lower sphere, which is closest to people, there are angels, archangels and principles. The beginnings have legions of spiritual messengers, they defend religion. Archangels are the leaders of angels and the closest beings to the Lord; they help strengthen faith in humans. Among them, Archangel Jeremiel does just such work.
What problems do people turn to the archangel for?
The main mission of the Archangel Jeremiel is to guide a person on the path of true faith. The angel helps to calm the confusion of the soul, get rid of doubts and torment. If you want to strengthen your own faith, you just need to ask Jeremiel about it.
You can ask an angel not only for yourself, but also for someone close to you who has stumbled or lost his way. There is also such a situation - a loved one has become a victim of constant deception, his consciousness is cleverly manipulated, but he does not notice it. In this case, the archangel will help open a person’s eyes to what is happening and dispel the deception.
There is another case when the help of an angel will be of undoubted benefit. We are talking about mistakes of the past, wrong actions that weigh on the conscience. Of course, you cannot go back to the past and “replay” the situation again. But the believer has such a powerful tool at his disposal as repentance. And here the help of Jeremiel, under whose command the angels of repentance operate, will come in handy. These heavenly messengers will help you realize forgotten sins, and also tell you how to ease your soul.
In the Book of Enoch, the archangel appears as an angel who helps the soul of the righteous to pass the last path - from the earthly world to the heavenly world. Therefore, Jeremiel is often turned to if someone close to him has died. Such prayer is especially important if the deceased was not a believer. In any case, the archangel will take care of the salvation of his soul and ease his suffering.
It is known that the heavenly messenger appeared to the righteous and endowed them with the gift of prophecy. If you are worried about some upcoming event, you can turn to Jeremiel, who will give you the opportunity to look into the future. However, the gift of clairvoyance should not be used for selfish purposes, but for the benefit or salvation of others.
So, the archangel will help if:
- a person wants to rethink his life and see the mistakes of the past;
- the believer wants to strengthen his faith;
- the person is worried about the future and would like to prevent negative events;
- you are concerned about the posthumous fate of a loved one who has passed away;
- if someone wants to gain vision of the subtle world or other supernatural abilities.
What do we know about the servant of God?
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to you! how many times have I wanted to gather your children together, as a bird gathers its chicks under its wings, and you did not want to! Behold, your house is left to you empty” (Luke 23:37-38).
The Prophet Ezra (Ezra) is not the author of the book that is named after her.
The author is a person unknown to us who witnessed the disaster: in 70 AD, the Second Temple of the Jews was destroyed by the soldiers of Emperor Titus during the storming of Jerusalem.
Reflecting on the meaning of the disasters that befell his people, the author turns to the past - to the destruction of the First Temple.
Interesting fact
The First Temple, or Solomon's Temple, was destroyed in 587 BC.
Ezra is a prophet who witnessed the destruction of the First Temple. The author of the book puts his own thoughts into his mouth. Ezra’s experiences are those same “eternal questions”, the answers to which sooner or later every person is forced to seek: where does evil come from in our world and why does the Lord allow it? Is there Divine Justice?
The prophet asks questions about the ways of the Lord, about the fate of the first man Adam and Noah. The Lord sends Archangels to talk with him - first Uriel, and then Jeremiel.
The archangels answer Ezra's questions with visions in which revelation is revealed to him.
“I answered and said: I know, Lord, that the Most High is called merciful, because he has mercy on those who have not yet come into the world, and has mercy on those who live their lives in His law. He is long-suffering, for He shows long-suffering to those who have sinned, as to His creation. He is generous, for He is ready to give according to need, and abounding in mercy, for He multiplies His mercies to those who live now, to those who have lived, and to those who will live.” (3Ezra 7:63-65)
Ezra talks with the Archangels and finds hope in the coming of the Messiah to the world. His words contain analogies with the Revelation of John the Theologian.
“Take your number, O Zion, and shut up those who are clothed in white robes, who have fulfilled the law of the Lord. The number of your desired sons is complete. Ask the power of the Lord that your people, called from the beginning, may be sanctified. I, Ezra, saw on Mount Zion a great multitude that I could not number, and they all glorified the Lord with songs. In the midst of them was a majestic youth, superior to all of them, and he placed crowns on the head of each of them and was even more exalted; I was amazed with surprise. Then I asked the Angel: who are these, my lord?
He answered me and said: These are those who have laid aside mortal clothing and put on immortal clothing and confessed the name of God; they are now crowned and receive victory palms. I asked: who is this young man who places crowns on them and hands them palms? He answered me: The Son of God Himself, whom they glorified in this age. And I began to praise them, who stood courageously for the name of the Lord. Then the Angel said to me: Go and tell my people what wonderful works you have seen of the Lord God.” (3Ezra 2:40-48)
Jeremiel - Archangel of prophetic revelations.
He accompanies the souls of those who left the world with faith in the Lord to the heavenly abodes.
Useful materials
Archangel Jeremiel helps the lost see their sins. Special Angels obey and serve him - Angels of repentance.
Jeremiel testifies to the end of the world, when the ranks of Angels will gather on the day of the Last Judgment, but in his words there is hope for God’s mercy.
“Didn’t the souls of the righteous inquire about the same thing in their seclusions, saying: “How long will we hope in this way?” And when is the fruit of our retribution? To this Jeremiel the Archangel answered me: “When the number of the seeds in you is fulfilled, for the Most High has weighed this age in scales, and measured the times with a measure, and numbered the hours by number, and will not move or speed up until the certain measure is fulfilled” ( 3 Rides 4:35-37).
Icon and prayer to the Archangel Jeremiel
Of course, in order for the angel to hear your requests and find out about your problems, you need to turn directly to him with prayer. The canonical prayer is as follows:
O great chieftain and archangel of God Jeremiel, in the host of angels of light You are the ineffable and incomprehensible height of the Lord. By the grace of the Most High God, You have opened the Kingdom of Heaven to believers, and by the grace of the prayers of the Most Pure One, You keep us in the peaceful cover of Your heights.
O most wonderful and wondrous Angel of God, pray to God, the lover of mankind, that through Your angelic intercession He may grant us the indestructible strength of our spirit and body, and may He fill our hearts with the unquenchable light of the faith and love of Christ. Let us sing with a pure heart, glorify and bless the one in the Holy Trinity, the Lord God, our Creator and Savior, the immortal King, the eternal Lord, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, always, now and ever, and to endless and endless ages of ages, amen.
There are no restrictions or special requirements here. The prayer will be heard if you read it sincerely, with all your heart. But time and place are not of fundamental importance. Although a prayer read in an Orthodox church in front of the icon of the archangel will be more effective.
As for the image of Jeremiel on the icons, it corresponds to the traditional appearance of an angel - a young man in light clothes with a halo over his head and wings behind his back. In his hand he holds a candle, a scroll with a prayer inscribed, or scales. The image of the Archangel Jeremiel can be seen in the Church of the Ascension of the Lord in the city of Pavlovsky Posad and in the Church of Pope Leo in the Moscow district of Teply Stan.
Michaelmas Day: folk signs and superstitions
On this day, our ancestors paid special attention to the weather. If there was a thaw, the roads thawed and they were called Mikhailovsky mud. Hence another name for November 21 - Mikhail the Muddy.
There was a popular belief among the people: “If Mikhailo destroyed the path, do not wait for him until the winter St. Nicholas.” That is, until December 19, there will be mud on the road (a period when it is impossible to drive along the road due to mud). If there were frosts on this day, then our ancestors said: “Ikhailo is paving bridges.”
Mikhail's weather was used to judge the coming winter. If you saw frost that day, you had to wait for more snow. If Michaelmas began with fog, they prepared for a thaw.
- Since Mikhail it’s not winter, it’s not freezing.
- Since the day of the Archangel Michael, winter has been forging frosts.
- Since the day of the Archangel Michael, winter has been forging frosts.
- If the weather is clear on Michaelmas, expect a cold and frosty winter.
- If snow fell on Mikhail, this is a good omen for the harvest and health - Mikhail arrived on a white horse.
- It has been winter since Michaelmas and the earth is freezing.
- From Archangel Michael, cattle are driven in for winter feed.
- It’s no wonder that the beer was brewed, but it’s surprising that it wasn’t drunk.
