10 interesting facts about the archangel Raphael
1. Raphael means “God heals.” Rafael heals physical, emotional and spiritual problems and is sometimes referred to as the “divine physician.” Raphael is believed to have healed Abraham after his circumcision. Rafael also healed Jacob when he dislocated his hip after fighting an angel.
2. Rafael is generally represented holding a fish. This is the fish Tobias caught while traveling to Media with Raphael. Rafael told him to cut the heart, liver and gall of the fish. Tobías, who did not know that his traveling companion was Rafael, questioned this strange request. The man told him that the smoke made from the heart and liver would exorcise evil spirits and that the gall would restore sight to someone with a white film over their eyes. The trip was a success. Tobias was paid the money owed to him; he found a girlfriend, and Rafael taught him how to use heart and liver smoke to exorcise the demon within his girlfriend. Upon returning home, Raphael showed him how to use gall to restore his father’s sight. Only then did Raphael identify himself.
3. As a result of his journey with Tobias, Rafael became known as the protector of travelers. He has an excellent sense of humor and is a good traveling companion. That is why he is often depicted as a pilgrim, wearing a hat and with a staff and a gourd containing water or medicine.
4. Rafael is both a teacher and a healer. He taught Tobias how to heal his father. It teaches us how to heal ourselves from the self-inflicted wounds that we create through our actions. He also heals the wounds of all humanity and has been called the Guardian Angel of Humanity.
5. According to Jewish legend, Raphael helped Noah gain the knowledge he needed to build his ark. After the flood subsided, he gave Noah a medical book.
6. Raphael helped King Solomon build his great temple. God gave Rafael a special ring to give to Rafael. This ring allowed Solomon to command thousands of demons to help finish the temple. This magical ring contained a pentagram, or five-sided star, on the seal. As a result of this, the pentagram became one of the first medical symbols.
7. It is probable that Raphael was the angel who entered the pool of Bethesda. The first person to enter the water at this famous healing center after the angel had disturbed him was instantly cured of whatever illness he had (John 5: 2-4).
8. Raphael appears in John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost. During the course of a conversation, Adam asked Raphael if the angels had sex. Rafael blushed as he explained that angels enjoy spiritual sex.
9. Raphael (1483-1520), the famous Italian artist, received his name from the archangel and painted it twice. In one of them, Rafael presents the child Tobías to the Virgin Mary, who is holding the baby Jesus in her arms. Tobias holds a small fish.
10. In 1918, an English nurse named Joy Snell wrote a book called The Ministry of Angels. In it he described how he regularly saw Raphael at the head of seriously ill patients. Whenever he saw it, he knew the patient would recover.