Texts in Conversation
Tobit identifies Raphael as one of seven angels who stand in front of God, similar to 1 Enoch 9 where angels approach God to present human requests. Both reflect a Second Temple tradition where angels had privileged access to God and served as mediators.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
1 Enoch 9:3
Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
1 Then Michael, Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel looked down from heaven and saw much blood being shed on the earth, and all the lawlessness being committed on the earth. 2 They said to one another: 'The earth, left without inhabitants, cries out, and the voice of their crying reaches the gates of heaven.' 3 'And now to you, the holy ones of heaven, the souls of men plead, saying, "Present our case before the Most High."' 4 They said to the Lord of the ages: 'Lord of lords, God of gods, King of kings, and God of the ages, the throne of Your glory stands through all generations, and Your name is holy and glorious and blessed through all ages! 5 You have created all things, and over all things You have power. All things are open and visible in Your sight, and You see everything, and nothing can hide from You.
Date: 300 BCE – 100 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
Tobit 12:15
Deuterocanon
12 And now, when you did pray and Sarah, I did bring the memorial of your prayer before the glory of the Lord: and when you did bury the dead, likewise. 13 And when you did not delay to rise up, and leave your dinner, but did go and cover the dead, 14 then I was sent to you to try you; and at the same time God did send me also to heal Sarah your daughter-in-law. 15 I am Raphael, one of the seven angels, which stand and enter before the glory of the Lord. 16 And they were both troubled, and fell upon their faces; and they were afraid. 17 And he said to them, Do not be afraid, peace be to you; bless God to all eternity.
Date: 225–175 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... The singular reference to blindness on the part of the angel-shepherds ties them in to the same moral framework as humans. Apparently, beholding the glory of Yahweh is essential for the spiritual health of angels just as it is for humans. The notion that higher angels enjoy an access to the glorious presence of God that lesser angels are denied is found in the “Book of the Watchers” (9:3–4; 14:20–23), (A classic expression of this idea is in Tobit 12:15) but an explicitly moral component to this division does not appear in 1Enoch until the “Parables,” where we are told that the satans are forbidden access ..."
Daniel C. Olson, A New Reading of the Animal Apocalypse of 1 Enoch: “All Nations Shall Be Blessed”, SVTP 24 (Leiden: Brill, 2013), 200.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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