Raphael (/ˈræfiəl/; Hebrew: רָפָאֵל, translit. Rāfāʾēl, lit. ‘It is God who heals’, ‘God Heals’, ‘God, Please Heal’; Ancient Greek: Ραφαήλ, Coptic: ⲣⲁⲫⲁⲏⲗ, Arabic: رفائيل) is an archangel in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Raphael performs all manners of healing according to all Abrahamic religions.
Medieval French rabbi, author and Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) commentator Rashi views Raphael as being one of the three angels that appeared to Abraham in the oak grove of Mamre in the Book of Genesis. Raphael is also mentioned in the Book of Enoch alongside archangels Michael, Gabriel and Uriel.
Raphael is generally associated with the angel mentioned in the Gospel of John as stirring the water at the healing pool of Bethesda. Raphael is also an angel in Mormonism, as he is briefly mentioned in the Doctrine and Covenants.[2] Raphael is also mentioned in the Book of Tobit, which is accepted as canonical by some Catholics, Orthodox, and some Anglo-Catholics. Raphael is a venerated angel within the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran traditions, and he is often given the title “Saint Raphael”.
