Archangel Uriel is the angel of abundance, of economic and personal miracles. Believers entrust themselves to him to improve their economic and personal lives.
In this article we are going to discover Who is this archangel, why is he considered the archangel of abundance? and at the end we will leave you a link to another article in case you want to entrust yourself to it so that it improves or brings abundance to some aspect of your life.
Who was Archangel Uriel?
Archangel Uriel according to some religions such as Jewish, Catholic or Coptic He is one of the princes regents of the Seraphim and the Cherubim, one of the ruling angels of the sun and also one of the princes of the Divine Presence and angel of salvation. He is one of those known as the 7 archangels who will come with the arrival of the Apocalypse. The curious thing is that he is an angel whose name does not appear in the Bible but who in the apocryphal texts is mentioned with different names: Uriel, Nuriel, Uyan, Vretil, Suriel... The angel of starlight, in fact, Uriel means "fire/light of God".
At Book of Adam and Eve, Uriel is identified as the angel who stands by the gates of Eden with a flaming sword to prevent the entry of humans to the tree of life. He would also be one of the angels who buried Adam and Abel.
At Book of Enoch Uriel is mentioned on different occasions as the angel of the world and the place of the dead also like the angel of thunder and tremor.
It is also sometimes identified as Ruler of the Sun or flame of God, Archangel of Salvation over Hell.
The 7 Archangels
The archangels we can find them in different religions from the Bible to Hinduism. The so-called 7 Archangels of the Apocalypse are named: Miguel, Jofiel, Chamuel, Gabriel, Rafael, Uriel and Zadkiel. Each one of them represents and is in charge of something specific.
- Archangel Michael: Power, strength and faith. He is the one in charge of providing protection and keeping everything in order and balance.
- Archangel Jophiel: the archangel of wisdom. Who makes sure there is inspiration and concentration.
- Archangel Chamuel: that of love, union and pure relationships. Helps with understanding, patience and tolerance with partners.
- Archangel Gabriel: that of purity, that which gives us communication and clarity to transmit what we want to say to the other.
- Archangel Raphael: that of health and physical and spiritual healing.
- Archangel Uriel: the protagonist of this article, the one who brings prosperity and abundance and gives strength in the face of complications.
- Archangel Zadkiel: that of joy, freedom and diplomacy. It helps us turn negative into positive.
In reality when we talk about the 7 archangels of the apocalypse, the Bible names only three, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, the other four are not named although it is noted that there are seven. In the Apocalypse it is told how the end of time is and reference is made to the seven spirits of God who are before his throne. The rest, including Uriel, would appear more named in the apocryphal texts. Of those other four, it would be precisely Uriel who stands out the most.
Archangel Uriel was revered in ancient times until an episode happened specifically where a certain Adalbert invoked various angels in his prayers, including Uriel, and was condemned by Pope Zechariah in the year 745 during the Council of Rome. From that moment Uriel's name was banned and his images destroyed. Until that moment there was great idolatry towards angels and the Pope intended to make it clear that the teaching of the church was superior to the worship of angels. Hence Only the archangels that the Bible mentioned would be lawful: Michael, Gabriel and Raphael.
Different churches or religions interpret the number of archangels depending on the texts that are valid for them. The Orthodox Church does recognize the seven archangels and sometimes even incorporates an eighth. The Coptic also recognizes the seven. The Anglican recognizes four archangels: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel. The Protestant church only recognizes the three archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael.
At Apocalypse of Peter, Uriel would be the Archangel of Repentance, He would be a being without mercy and he is the one who would have the key that opens Hell at the end of time.
Iconography and iconology
When we talk about iconography and iconology in art, we are referring to those elements, colors, clothing, animals, etc. that accompany the characters represented in some way in one of the arts such as painting. These elements are what tell us who the person represented is. For example, if we find a man crucified with nails in his hands and feet we know that it is going to be Christ. If, on the other hand, we find a man with a beard and some keys in his hand, it would be Saint Peter. Or, if, for example, we have a man with a beard and a lightning bolt in his hand, it is the god Zeus.
In this ingenious and simple way, art has been providing iconography or symbols to the characters that were wanted to be represented so that anyone would know who they were seeing. Actually It is a way for what is represented to reach everyone, whether or not they know how to read.
Iconography of Archangel Uriel
Uriel is usually represented with a androgynous face and body, That is, it does not reveal to us whether it is a woman or a man. With wings representing that he is an angel and accompanied by fire or a flaming sword or a sun representing the fire of God. Many times he also carries a book or papyrus scroll as a symbol of his wisdom and that he is considered a patron of the arts and was described as the spirit of sharpest vision in all of heaven.
He is often represented as the intermediary between man and god. Perhaps one of the most famous representations of him is in Leonardo Da Vinci's "The Virgin of the Rocks."
In this work by Da Vinci we do not see swords or flames next to the Archangel, but what is there is Saint John the Baptist. The apocryphal texts say that Uriel would help in the upbringing of Saint John the Baptist and, therefore, this saint serves to identify the Archangel and is also the reason why the artist decided to introduce him in his work. It is told how he saved Saint John the Baptist from the massacre of babies ordered by Herod. He led the little boy and his mother to Egypt where he would join the baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph. It is precisely that fragment that inspired the Virgin of the Rocks.
As well The representation of archangels in stained glass is very common. decorating the great cathedrals and churches. Stained glass windows that illuminated and illuminate the interior space with a heavenly halo. Sometimes his own name also accompanies it, as we can see in the stained glass window below.
Stained glass window in the Cathedral of Puebla, Zaragoza
Why ask Archangel Uriel for help?
We must go to Archangel Uriel when we find ourselves in a moment of life where the economic part, provisions or good fortune are insufficient and we need them to improve. It is also to him that we must turn when we want to be good with ourselves and, therefore, have abundance within us, abundance understood as joy, peace and confidence. Or we can directly ask him to guide us as he considers our best path to abundance.
To ask for all this we can do it by praying a prayer that we ourselves can create or with a prayer already made. If you want to know a little more about it you can read the following article: Prayer to Archangel Uriel, the one of economic miracles