Michael

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Michael

Michael [Heb.,=who is like God?], archangel prominent in Christian, Jewish, and Muslim traditions. In the Bible and early Jewish literature, Michael is one of the angels of God's presence. He is depicted as a warrior-prince leading the celestial armies against wicked forces and as Israel's guardian angel. The intermediary between God and Moses on Mt. Sinai, Michael also confronts the devil over Moses' right of proper burial. In Christian tradition he is the angel with the sword. Michael is venerated in the Roman Catholic and Eastern churches. His feast (jointly with the other archangels) is Michaelmas, Sept. 29; it is the anniversary of the dedication of a Roman basilica to him. On May 8 he is honored for his apparition (492?) on Monte Gargano, Italy. He is supposed to have appeared to Joan of Arc and on the site of Mont-Saint-Michel .

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Michael

A Dictionary of the Bible | 1997 | | Â© A Dictionary of the Bible 1997, originally published by Oxford University Press 1997. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Michael Hebrew for ‘Who is like God?’ According to Dan. 10: 13, 21; 12: 1 he is an angel representing Israel. His role grows in the last centuries BCE and he is named as the chief adversary of the devil in the War Scroll of the Qumran community and in the NT by Jude 9 and Rev. 12: 7. Jacob Epstein has powerfully portrayed their combat in a sculpture on the exterior wall of Coventry Cathedral, but significantly the devil seems still able to swipe with his tail.

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W. R. F. BROWNING. "Michael." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 27 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

W. R. F. BROWNING. "Michael." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (November 27, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Michael.html

W. R. F. BROWNING. "Michael." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved November 27, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Michael.html

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