Archangel Michael: The Warrior & Prince Of The Archangels: Angels Of Jewish Lore (Part 6)

Michael, the mighty warrior, the chief angel of the Lord, the deliverer of the faithful, the guardian prince of Israel, the angel of repentance, the ruler of the element of fire, the archangel of the covenant, the chief ruling prince of the fourth heaven, he who overthrows mountains. His mystery name is Sabathiel, the angel of the east and of the east wind. It is he who leads souls into eternal light. The golden legend calls him the angel of the planet Mercury, Barats Magus calls him the Lord of Sundays, and the ancient Persians call him Bashtar, the sustainer. He is the conqueror of the prince of Persia, for it was he who defeated Dobil, the guardian angel of Persia. Michael originated from the pantheon of the Chaldeans, who at that time worshipped him as a god. He was then passed into both Jewish and Arabian law, where he became one of the most important angels henceforth. He is an angel of multiple ranks and duties, the chief of the archangels and of the virtues. He is one of the four seraphim who guard the throne of the most high, unceasingly praising his name. In early Muslim law, it is said that the cherubim were formed from the tears Michael shed over the sins of the faithful. They say his wings were the color of green emerald, and had a million faces and mouths, and as many tongues. In the legends of the Jews, he is said to be the angel of insomnia, for it was he who was sent by God to cause the sleeplessness of King Ahasuerus, who, on the advice of the wicked Haman, had decreed the annihilation of all the Jews in the kingdom. In the story of the Egyptians and the Israelites, when the fierce Abazithobod, guardian angel of the Egyptians, led the Egyptian army and their pharaoh to pursue the Israelites, it was Michael, the guardian angel of Israel, who led the children of Israel safely across the Red Sea. The two guardians came face to face, and a great battle ensued between them on that very spot at the Red Sea, unseen by the eyes of mortals. It was a battle which would determine the fate of the two tribes. Michael eventually bested Abazithobod, throwing him and the Egyptian hosts into the Red Sea, trapping Abazithobod under a magical pillar in the deepest part of the sea. And so, the Israelites were saved. In Persian lore and in the Talmud, there is a similar story of a battle between Dobiel, guardian of ancient Persia, and Michael, guardian of Israel. Once upon a time, after Jerusalem had known peace, the children of Israel began to seek more freedom, freedom to choose their own ways. And so, they turned to idolatry and rebelled against their God. Meanwhile, in the heavens, alongside a few other guardian angels of nations, Dobiel accused the Israelites of their sins before the throne of God, showing him how they had renounced him and turned to worshipping other gods. In anger, God used the Babylonians as judgment against the Israelites, inspiring King Nebuchadnezzar II to lay siege on Jerusalem and capture Israel. He turned his back on the children of Israel, leaving them at the mercy of the Babylonians. Michael and Gabriel felt great pity at the wanton destruction and killing of the Israelites. Even though he was the guardian of Israel, Michael could do nothing, for it was the will of the Most High, and going against it would mean going against the Supreme. But Gabriel immediately jumped into action, out of pity, trying to convince the Babylonians to drive the Israelites from Babylon, rather than kill them, an action which was quickly opposed by Dobiel, who engaged Gabriel in a heated duel, emerging victorious. Following his loss, Gabriel was put into temporary disgrace and temporarily dismissed from his duties and positions, duties and positions which were then assumed by Dobiel for the time being. But as soon as Dobiel came into office, he began to exploit the power and authority which had been given to him, for he started aiding the Persian people at the expense of every other nation. This corrupted all other guardian angels of other nations, except Michael, for each one of them began helping their own people at the expense of other nations. Seeing that the heavens had been turned into a place of madness and power-tussle, Michael sought to bring an end to this chaos. He would thwart the plans of Dobiel and defeat him after a fierce battle, throwing him out of the heavens and restoring order to the celestial realm. Gabriel would be reinstated into his former positions, for his dismissal was only temporary, and Dobiel had proved terribly unfit for such a role, abusing the great power which came with it. Michael's battle prowess and general dexterity were never in doubt, for it was he who overthrew Lucifer, the Morning Star, when the latter rebelled. A feat which earned him the title Slayer of the Dragon, as well as all former heavenly positions which the great Lucifer once had. In canonical writings, in the standard texts of the Jews, Michael is said to be the greatest of all the angels. But in non-canonical writings, there is one angel whose battle prowess is said to be greater than Michael's. Who's this angel?