Archangels and their mission

Orthodoxy has its own traditions, which were formed in ancient times. Who are the archangels and what is their purpose can be understood by studying the Holy Scripture, which explains to us how everything is arranged. But, even experienced theologians are not always able to decipher the biblical texts, so let's turn to the basics a bit and try to figure out who the archangels are and what their functions are.

Archangels in Orthodoxy

First, these characters are kind of "leaders" of simple angels . Each archangel has its own name and function. You can see the images of these characters on the icons. Artists often write archangels, paying particular attention to every detail of the image, for example, attributes (spear, sword, trumpet).

The Orthodox faith says that there are seven archangels. Why the amount of these characters is exactly the same, the Bible does not say. In the texts there is only a mention that this is known only to God himself. The main is the archangel Michael. In addition to him, there are also Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Selaphil, Jehudiel and Varahiel.

The holy archangels are called not only to protect a person and to instruct him on the true path. Each character has its own functions, which it does.

Archangels and their mission in Orthodoxy

In order to understand what these characters are doing, let us turn again to the biblical texts. They tell us about the exploits of the archangels, their appearance, and the tasks they perform. Unfortunately, in a number of biblical texts there are certain "inconsistencies" that do not allow us to more fully describe the data of the saints.

1. Michael expresses himself all the works of God. He is portrayed in white robes and with a spear or sword in his hands. According to the texts, it was Michael who first rebelled against Lucifer. Therefore, he is depicted in such a warlike appearance. In addition, on icons, he often tramples a snake or monster, which personifies Lucifer.
2. Gabriel is the messenger of God's destinies. On icons he is depicted with a mirror in his hand, it is a symbol that the saint fully conveys the meaning of what are the deeds and thoughts of the Lord.
3. Raphael is responsible for help and healing. According to the decrees he healed the bride of the righteous Tobias.
4. Uriel illuminates the mind of man. On icons he is depicted with a sword in one hand and with fire in another. It promotes the study of various sciences.
5. Selafil is the supreme minister of prayer .
6. The name Jehudiel in translation means God's praise. He protects a person and encourages those who are worthy of it.
7. Varahiel expresses the blessing of the Lord. He is depicted in pink robes.

Thus, it becomes clear, that each of the archangels of God, is responsible for the fulfillment of certain tasks. If a person wants to ask for help and protection, one should pray to a certain saint. There are special prayers with which you can turn to the archangel.

How correctly to ask the help of the archangel?

In order to ask for protection or anything from the archangels, special prayers should be pronounced. Priests recommend going to church, to find an icon on which is depicted a saint who is in charge of that sphere, help in which it is necessary and put a candle. At the same time, one should say a special prayer, the text of which can be found in the holy books, or ask the priest.

Some people believe that the archangels can only be accessed on a specific day of the week. But this is not so. If it so happens that you need to ask for help, you can read the prayer at any time. This is what the priests say.