Raphael (archangel)

Raphael is an archangel first mentioned in the Book of Tobit and in 1 Enoch, both estimated to date from between the 3rd and 2nd century BC. In later Jewish tradition, he became identified as one of the three heavenly visitors entertained by Abraham at the Oak of Mamre. He is not named in either the New Testament or the Quran, but later Christian tradition identified him with healing and as the angel who stirred waters in the Pool of Bethesda in John 5:2–4, and in Islam, where his name is Israfil, he is understood to be the unnamed angel of Quran 6:73, standing eternally with a trumpet to his lips, ready to announce the Day of Judgment. In Gnostic tradition, Raphael is represented on the Ophite Diagram. Raphael is an archangel of healing.

Patron saint of travelers; lovers; the youth; finding one's spouse; ordained marriage; mental health; healing; guardian angels; shepherds; pharmacists; druggists; nurses; physicians; illness; eye afflictions; the sick; the blind; against nightmares; Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin; Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa; Archdiocese of Seattle, Washington; Abra de Ilog, Calaca, Batangas, Mindoro Occidental, Philippines; Aloguinsan, Cebu, Philippines, Brazil (As Protective Angel)