Michael (Archangel), wood and metal icon

Michael (archangel) 24x19 0,5kg Michael (Hebrew: מִיכָאֵל, Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; Greek: Μιχαήλ, Mikhaíl; Latin: Michael or Míchaël) is in Jewish and Christian tradition an archangel, and is one of the foremost of the angels. His name is usually pronounced "Who is like God (El)", not, as sometimes stated, "The one who is like God". He is venerated in the Catholic Church on September 29 (Michaelmas), along with the other archangels, especially Gabriel and Raphael. The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates him on November 21 (Disembodied Powers of Heaven). The sources for Michael are Joshua, the Book of Daniel, the Book of Enoch, the Letters of Jude, the Book of Revelation and the 2nd Surah of the Qur'an; these sources are not common to all religions, nor to all communities within those religions. Moreover, traditional sources about Michael exist in all these religions. In several places in the Bible, there is mention of an unnamed angel, sometimes assumed to be Michael. Michael appears to the prophet Daniel as a prince who defends the people of Israel (Book of Daniel 10:21; 12:1). In the Book of Revelation, he fights the devil, who appears in the form of a dragon, and wins a victory (12:7ff). Michael is the only one mentioned in the Bible as an archangel (Jude 1:9). In extra-biblical tradition, Michael is the angel closest to God. He is the protector of heaven and the one who leads the fight against the fallen archangel Lucifer (Satan). In the Coptic Church, Michael is the protector of the Nile. He is often depicted in the Western Church with a drawn sword, often as the protector of the Virgin Mary against a dragon or against Satan. Pope Leo XIII, after receiving a vision of 20th century events, ordered that a special prayer to St. Michael the Archangel be read after all Roman Catholic Masses throughout the world, as a special protection against demonic forces, an order that remained in effect until the Second Vatican Council. Some consider Michael to be a good angel of death, as opposed to Samael, who is an evil angel of death. Various angelologies have interpreted Michael's rank in different ways. Bonaventure believed that Michael was the prince of the seraphim, while Thomas Aquinas considered him the leader of the lowest circle of angels.