Of the three archangels venerated in Christian tradition, Raphael is the one whose story we know at greatest length and in most detail. Everything we know of him in the Bible comes from a single book, that of Tobit: a tale of travel, marriage and homecoming, in which an angel walks for days beside a young man without revealing who he is. It is one of the most delicate narratives in the whole angelological tradition.
The book and the name
The Book of Tobit belongs to the Catholic and Orthodox canon, while it is not included in the Hebrew Bible and is considered apocryphal in the Protestant tradition. Fragments in Aramaic and Hebrew have been found among the Qumran manuscripts.
The name Rafa'el means «God heals». In the story this name is no mere detail: the whole book is built as a path leading from sorrow to restoration.
The story in brief
The tale interweaves two parallel stories, which are brought together by the angel.
- Tobit, an Israelite deported to Nineveh, a just and generous man, loses his sight after the warm droppings of some sparrows fall into his eyes. Poor and disheartened, he prays to die.
- Sarah, a young woman of Ecbatana in Media, has seen seven husbands die on their very wedding night, killed by the demon Asmodeus. On the same day, she too prays to be delivered.
- The two prayers are heard together, and Raphael is sent to answer both.
- Tobit sends his son Tobias to recover a sum of money left on deposit with a relative in Media. The young man looks for a travelling companion and meets a man who introduces himself as Azariah, a kinsman. He is Raphael, in disguise.
- By the river Tigris a great fish leaps at Tobias. The angel tells him to catch it and keep its heart, liver and gall.
- On reaching Ecbatana, Tobias marries Sarah. Following the angel's instructions, he burns the fish's heart and liver: the smell drives away Asmodeus, whom Raphael pursues and binds in Upper Egypt.
- On the return journey, the fish's gall restores Tobit's sight.
- Only then does the angel reveal himself: «I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who stand ever before the glory of the Lord».
The story also features a dog, which follows Tobias on his departure and his return: a rare detail in the Bible, and one that artists loved to reproduce.
An angel who walks alongside
The most original aspect of the Book of Tobit is the angel's discretion. Raphael does not appear in a dazzling light, does not impose himself, performs no spectacular wonders. He accepts a wage, seemingly eats with his companions, gives practical advice. At the end he explains that he did not really eat: «What you saw was only an appearance».
| Aspect | Michael | Gabriel | Raphael |
|---|---|---|---|
| How he appears | heavenly warrior | radiant messenger | travelling companion in disguise |
| Typical action | fighting | announcing | accompanying and restoring |
| Main source | Daniel, Revelation | Daniel, Luke | Tobit |
Raphael in art
The theme of Tobias and the Angel enjoyed enormous success in fifteenth-century Italian painting, particularly in Florence. The works show a young man walking hand in hand with the angel, a small fish hanging from a string and the dog trotting at their feet. A famous version, now in the National Gallery in London, is attributed to the workshop of Verrocchio. These images were often commissioned by families whose sons were travelling on business: the angel thus became the protector of those who set out.
Raphael in other traditions
In the Book of Enoch Raphael is one of the chief angels and receives the command to bind Azazel, one of the leaders of the rebel angels, and cast him into darkness: an act closely recalling the demon bound in the Book of Tobit. In later tradition he has remained the protector of wayfarers, pilgrims and all who undertake a journey.
The symbol of the journey
In symbolic language the story of Tobias is a small initiatory tale: a young man sets out, crosses a river, confronts a dark force, finds a union and returns bearing what restores sight. The guide is there from the beginning, but is recognised only at the end. It is an image that speaks to anyone who has walked an inner path: often we understand who accompanied us only after we have arrived. Studio Esoterico Cornelio reads exactly this in Raphael: not the angel of miracles, but the angel of the path.
In short
- Raphael, «God heals», appears in the Bible only in the Book of Tobit.
- He accompanies the young Tobias on his journey, introducing himself under the name Azariah.
- The story interweaves Tobit's blindness and the story of Sarah, delivered from the demon Asmodeus.
- Fifteenth-century Italian painting made him the protector of travellers, with the theme of Tobias and the Angel.
- Symbolically he is the angel of the path, the guide who is recognised only on arrival.
