Who are the archangels in Orthodoxy and what is their purpose?
Not only holy ascetics, but also many other heavenly powers can come to help an Orthodox Christian. All of them serve the Lord and help people in their earthly life. The doctrine of the Heavenly powers is based on the Bible, as well as on the interpretation of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, who was a disciple of the Apostle Paul himself.
The holy apostle was, during his lifetime, ascended to Heaven, where he saw the structure of the Heavenly powers. His student wrote down and systematized this knowledge, and for many centuries the Orthodox Church has adhered to this hierarchy. We know the names of the archangels in Orthodoxy, to whom many prayers are composed.
According to the teachings of Dionysius the Areopagite, archangels are one of the heavenly creatures that belong to the third hierarchy. These are holy evangelists who always appeared at turning points and announced something great and significant.
So, for example, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and announced that she would give birth to Christ. This was a turning point in history, and to this day the Orthodox Church remembers this event on the feast of the Annunciation.
For every believer, the help of the supreme angels can manifest itself in:
- strengthening faith;
- understanding of God's will for man;
- understanding of the Holy Gospel;
- instructions for a pious and God-fearing life.
Confusion often arises in matters of the Heavenly hierarchy, since it is impossible to thoroughly know exactly what forces are next to God. In addition, all heavenly entities are often called by one general word “angels,” meaning not the name of the rank, but service before God.
By the way, the meaning of the word “angel” is a messenger, i.e. all God's beings proclaim God's will.
Interesting! Most celestial beings do not have their own special names, while the archangels are all named. This speaks of their special position on the Heavenly Steps. Source: molitva-info.ru
What is the patron of prayer responsible for?
Archangel Selafiel or, as he is also called due to different versions of translation and transcription, Salafiel is one of the heavenly entities close to God. He is revered as God's prayer book, that is, an archangel who prays to the Lord for people for their spiritual and physical salvation, as well as health.
However, this is not the only reason why Salafiel is called the patron of prayer. All praying people are in his sphere of influence. It is he who listens to prayers and conveys them to God. Only he knows whether everyone who reads the prayer needs a reward or whether the person’s trials are not yet over.
Selafiel also encourages people to pray. It is to him that people owe their thoughts about God and the need to pray.
The translation of the name Selafiel from Hebrew fully corresponds to his occupation - “prayer to God”, “God’s prayer book”, “encouraging prayer”. This name does not appear in the Bible and Gospel. It is only found in the non-canonical Third Book of Ezra.
This source calls him the leader of the people. Salafiel is also mentioned in the revelations of the monk Amadeus of Portugal, which date back to the 15th century. It was after this mention that the cult of veneration of this angel appeared.
This is the history of the appearance of the cult and other archangels in Orthodoxy and Catholicism. Archangel Jehudiel, Barachiel, Uriel, Raphael and even the well-known patrons of humanity Michael and Gabriel are known thanks to Amadeus of Portugal.
Dmitry Rostovsky also played a significant role, who transferred information about the archangels from the monk’s notes to the Lives of the Saints. Thanks to him, they appeared in the Orthodox tradition. In Catholicism, at the moment, these archangels are not revered. According to the Book of Genesis, Shealafiel appeared to Hagar while she was praying in the desert to say that God had heard her.
Saint Innocent of Kherson wrote about Selafiel. According to him, he is the leader of the prayer angels - just as the Archangel Chamuel presides over the army of angels of love. Their main function is the same as that of their leader - to convey to people the importance of turning to God, teaching them to pray and honor the Lord.
The same day of the year is dedicated to Selafiel, on which the memory of all other archangels and ethereal heavenly forces is honored. His day is November 21st. Among the days of the week, Friday corresponds to the archangel of prayer. This means that on this day, appeals to him will be more effective.
Holy image
The name of the Archangel Selaphiel was mentioned back in the 15th century in the revelations of Amadeus of Portugal. There is an opinion that it was then that this angel became revered. At the same time, thanks to Amadeo of Portugal, other supreme angels became known to Orthodoxy: Michael, Jehudiel, Raphael, Uriel, Barachiel and Gabriel.
Dimitry of Rostov also played a big role in transferring all of Amadeo’s notes into the Lives of the Saints. Innocent of Kherson also wrote about the archangel, he called him the leader of the prayer angels. In Catholicism there is no veneration for these archangels.
The icon of the Archangel Selaphiel is very interesting and unique. In the image, everyone can see the messenger, who tilted his head slightly down and holds his hands as if he were talking to the Lord God. This face speaks of how every person needs to pray.
It is precisely this position in which the archangel is located that is ideal for turning to the holy Heavenly Powers. It is customary to give this icon to children or those who have not yet found themselves in life. This face is capable of developing a person spiritually, strengthening faith in God and his help.
What questions to ask
Salafiel is able to teach every person everything that is necessary to honor God and develop spirituality. If you don't know how and when to pray, ask this archangel to enlighten you. The same applies to conspiracies, but only if we are talking about white magic.
Selafiel is an indispensable assistant for a person who has recently stepped on the path of faith. He will guide you to God and teach you not to make mistakes related to faith and religion. You can contact this archangel with any question about glorifying the Lord with prayers.
In addition, with the help of Salafiel, you can direct your relatives and close people to the true path. Pray for them, in your own words ask the archangel to help their lost souls who cannot find the path to God on their own.
You can pray to Selafiel regularly, on Fridays - this day corresponds to him. It is better to do this in the morning, immediately after waking up, so that the whole day has been tuned to prayers and grace.
You can turn to this archangel with any question about prayer, to strengthen your faith and glorify the Lord. In order to provide at least some help to your loved ones, read the appeal to the holy angel.
Use ordinary words and ask the archangel to help these people. You can pray to him every Friday, and it is best in the morning, as soon as you wake up, so that the day is set up correctly from the very beginning.
If you ask any questions to the archangel, then the answers to them can come in different ways. You may receive an answer from an ordinary person or simply in a dream. They also turn to the image of the holy angel when interest in faith and prayers disappears. Prayer to Selafiel helps:
- protect yourself and your loved ones from diseases;
- protect yourself from sudden death;
- get rid of enemies and unpleasant situations.
This is one of the saints closest to God. His name is translated from Hebrew and means an appeal to the Almighty. He is revered precisely as a divine prayer book, who turns to the Lord for people about their salvation.
But not only for this reason Selafiel is called the patron of prayer, but also because it is he who is close to people, listens to their words and conveys them to the Almighty. Only this archangel knows what reward is necessary for a certain person. Source: interpretation.info
What does Archangel Salafiel help with?
This celestial being has the power to teach every person to honor the Lord, develop their spirituality, and live a righteous life. Someone who does not know how to pray at all can ask a good spirit for help. The angel will help you find your own path to God, avoid mistakes, and not get confused in various spiritual practices and religious directions. You can ask him any questions regarding the glorification of the Almighty and appeals to him.
Selafiel is often approached with requests for health. An angel can teach you how to say healing prayers. Therefore, esotericism considers him the patron of healers, to whom a white magician can turn. But the celestial inhabitant responds only to the requests of people whose thoughts are pure.
Archangel Salafiel will also help guide your loved ones to the true path. To do this, you can contact him in your own words, ask for guidance for lost souls, and help in their salvation. It is better to pray to the celestial being regularly: Friday is considered the ideal day for this, but it is also possible on other days. If you start the morning with prayer, your soul will receive a charge of grace and peace for the whole day.
Icons and other images
On the icons, Archangel Selaphiel is depicted in accordance with his sphere of responsibility. On them you can see God’s messenger praying, with his eyes and face bowed down, and his hands folded in prayer on his chest. Sometimes you can see a rosary in his hands.
- The image of the archangel of prayer shows believers the correct position of the body and hands during prayer - imitate him every time you want to turn to God or the saints. This position, which every icon of Selaphiel demonstrates, is the only one suitable for prayer.
- The icon of the Archangel Selafiel can be presented to a child or a person who has recently embarked on the path of spiritual growth. It teaches you to pray, helps in spiritual development, strengthens faith in God and his help to all humanity.
- In general, prayers to Archangel Selafiel can be useful to every believer. They easily resolve any issue related to prayers and communication with divine entities.
If you think that your prayers are not being heard or you don’t know how to pray or what spell to read in a certain situation, contact this archangel. His area of responsibility includes everything related to prayers.
Source: grimuar.ru
Icons of the Archangel Selaphiel
On icons, the angel is often depicted praying: his hands are folded, his face is bowed, his gaze is directed downward. Sometimes the appearance is complemented by rosary beads in the hands. This image tells believers the correct position when turning to the Almighty. It is this positioning of the hands and body that is considered the most correct for calling on the Creator.
An icon of Selafiel or even a photo of it is often given to children and those who have recently converted to faith. A bright spirit will teach you to pray correctly, follow the right path, and support you in moments of doubt.
The angel Salafiel, close to God, helps to heal the soul and body, supports them in difficult times, and suggests a way out of their complicated situations. Appeals to this celestial being can significantly change life for the better.
God's prayer book - Archangel Selafiel or Salafiel: history
Archangel Selaphiel (Salafiel) is God’s prayer book, always praying to God for people and encouraging people to pray, prayer book for the salvation and health of people.
The name Selafiel, translated from Hebrew, means prayer to God, God’s prayer book, encouraging prayer.
It is written about this Archangel in the Third Book of Ezra: “And it came to pass on the second night that Salafiel, the leader of the people, came to me...” (3Ezra 5:16). Archangel Selafiel appeared to Hagar in the desert, when she was praying in deep sorrow. He said to her: “...the Lord has heard your affliction...” (Gen. 16:11).
According to the belief of the Church, the holy Archangel Selaphiel also appeared to Hagar in the desert of Bathsheba, when Abraham expelled her. In the book of Genesis it is narrated as follows: “Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a bottle of water, and gave it to Hagar, placing it on her shoulders, and to the lad, and sent her away.
She went and got lost in the wilderness of Beersheba; and there was no water in the skin, and she left the boy under one bush and went and sat down at a distance, one shot from a bow. For she said: I don’t want to see the boy die. And she sat down at a distance opposite him, and raised a cry and wept; and God heard the voice of the lad from where he was;
How to Summon
Holy Archangel Salafiel, awaken me day and night to the praise of the Divine. And pray to God for me, a sinner. Amen. Oh, great Archangel of God Salafiel, giving prayer to the one praying! Teach me to pray a fervent, humble, contrite, heartfelt, concentrated and tender prayer. Holy Archangel of God Salafiel! You pray to God for believers, beg His goodness for me, a sinner, that the Lord will deliver me from all troubles and sorrows and from illnesses, and from vain death, and from eternal torment, that the Lord will vouchsafe me the Kingdom of Heaven with all the Saints, in forever and ever. Amen.
Source:vgostyahukudesnitsi.blogspot.com
SELAPHIL, ARCHANGEL
Archangel Selaphiel
Selaphiel or Salaphiel (“prayer to God”), archangel.
Celebration in the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael and other ethereal Heavenly Powers.
Mentioned in the Third Book of Ezra (3 Ezra 5, 16).
“And so the Lord gave us a whole face of prayer angels, with their leader Salafiel,” writes Vladyka Innokenty (Borisov) of Kherson, “so that with the pure breath of their lips they would warm our cold hearts to prayer, so that they would admonish us when and how to pray, so that they would lift up our very offerings are to the throne of grace. When you see, brethren, on the icon of the Archangel standing in a prayerful position, with his eyes downcast, with his hands placed with reverence on his chest (chest), then know that this is Salafiel” (Seven Archangels of God, M., 1996, pp.11-12).
The book “Guide to the Writing of Icons” says: “The Holy Archangel Salafiel, a man of prayer, always praying to God for people and inciting people to prayer. He is depicted with his face and eyes bowed (lowered) down, and his hands pressed (folded) with a cross on his chest, as if tenderly praying.”
Prayer to Archangel Selafiel
Oh, great Archangel of God Selafiel! You pray to God for believers, beg His mercy for me, a sinner, that the Lord will deliver me from all troubles and illnesses and from vain death, and that the Lord will vouchsafe me the Kingdom of Heaven with all the saints forever and ever. Amen.
Prayers
Holy Archangel of God Selafiel, give prayer to the one praying, teach me to pray a prayer that is humble, contrite, focused and tender. Oh, great Archangel of God Selafiel, you pray to God for people who believe, beg His Mercy for me, a sinner, that the Lord will deliver me from all troubles and sorrows, and illnesses, and from vain death, and from eternal torment, and the Lord of the Kingdom will vouchsafe me Heavenly with all the Saints forever. Amen.
Answers to questions come in a variety of ways, sometimes in quite unexpected ways. Perhaps you will receive advice from a highly spiritual person, or maybe you will see a prophetic dream. They also pray to Salafiel in cases when interest in faith and prayer begins to fade.
If you don’t know what prayer or conspiracy to read in a given situation, turning to it will help resolve all issues. It can also perform protective functions, protecting against death, illness, enemies and accidents. However, only God can decide what you need - reward or hardship.
There is another, shorter prayer to the Archangel Selathiel. It is read for the same purposes as the previous one:
Holy Archangel Salafiel, awaken me day and night to the praise of the Divine. And pray to God for me, a sinner. Amen.
Prayers to this archangel can be read before reading spiritual literature, on fasting days, as well as before going to church and in moments of weakening faith.
Source:vgostyahukudesnitsi.blogspot.com
Troparion to the Heavenly Orders of the Ethereal
Heavenly armies of the Archangels, / we always pray to you, we are unworthy, / with your prayers protect us / with the blood of your immaterial glory, / keeping us diligently and crying: / from deliver us from troubles, // like the heads of the highest powers.
Translation: Heavenly armies of the Archangels, we, unworthy ones, continually pray to you, that you protect us with your prayers under the roof of the wings of your immaterial glory, preserving us, who fall diligently and cry: “Deliver us from troubles, as the leaders of the Highest Powers!”
Kontakion to the Heavenly Orders of the Ethereal
Archangels of God,/ servants of the Divine glory,/ leaders of angels, and teachers of men,/ ask for what is useful for us, and great mercy,// like the Bodiless Archangels.
Translation: Archangels of God, servants of Divine glory, leaders of angels and mentors of people, ask for what is useful to us and great mercy, as the disembodied Archangels. Source: azbyka.ru
Archangel Selaphiel in other nations and religions
The Prayer to Selathiel serves as the official holy prayer for members of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Folk traditions of the Roman Catholic Church also honor Selathiel as the patron of prayers. In astrology, Selafiel is the angel of the sun, and he works with the archangel Jehudiel to control the movements of the planets.
Archangel Selaphiel is said to help people understand and interpret their dreams, help heal people from addiction, protect children, lead exorcisms on Earth, and control music in heaven, including leading a heavenly choir singing to God.
Source:1000-molitv.ru comments powered by HyperComments
Appeal to Selafiel
When advice about prayers is needed, there is a traditional form of contacting the appropriate archangel:
The answer can come in many ways. Prophetic dreams, words of a priest during a service, stories of highly spiritual acquaintances - all these ordinary things can be a window into the supernatural.
They also turn to Selafiel when they feel the fading of faith, the lack of peace from prayers. They ask for advice in cases where they do not know which prayer is best to use in the current situation.
The legend about the archangel Salafiel says that he can become a person’s guardian, protect him from illness or death. But not all requests of this kind find a response. Only God can decide when and to whom to provide heavenly protection. Perhaps the person has not yet atoned for his sins, has not cleansed his soul.
There is a short version of the address that serves the same purpose. It can be read several times a day: when opening spiritual books, leaving home for church, on days of fasting, in moments of doubt.
