Michael the Archangel, prince of the heavenly hosts

The name and mission of Michael

The name Michael is of Hebrew origin and means “Who is like God?” (Mîkāʾēl). This rhetorical question is his identity and his mission: Michael is the archangel who proclaims the divine oneness and transcendence in the face of any claim to equality with God. It is no accident that tradition presents him as the leader of the heavenly hosts in the cosmic battle against Satan, the one who wished to be “like God” (cf. Is 14:14). Michael’s name is therefore an implicit theological answer: against the pride of creatures who intend to make themselves equal to the Creator, Michael proclaims the absolute transcendence of God.

Michael in the Old Testament

Michael appears for the first time by name in the Book of Daniel. In Daniel 10:13 he is described as “one of the chief princes” who comes to the aid of the angel sent to Daniel, held back for twenty-one days by the “prince of Persia.” In Daniel 12:1 the eschatological scope of his mission is fully revealed: “At that time Michael shall arise, the great prince, the guardian of your people. It shall be a time of distress such as has never been since the nations came into being.” Michael is thus the eschatological guardian of Israel and, in the Christian interpretation, the defender of the Church in the final battle at the end of time.

Michael in the New Testament and in tradition

The New Testament mentions Michael in two decisive texts. In the Letter of Jude (v. 9), Michael disputes with the devil over the body of Moses, an episode that tradition associates with the apocryphal Assumption of Moses, and he refuses to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, leaving the judgment to the Lord. In Revelation (12:7-9) the cosmic battle reaches its climax: “Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the Dragon. The Dragon and his angels fought back, but they were defeated.” Michael’s victory is not his own; it is the victory of the Lamb, whom Michael serves as captain.

Devotion to Michael runs through the whole history of the Church. The Shrine of Monte Sant’Angelo (Gargano, Italy), where tradition places the apparitions of the archangel in the fifth century, is the oldest Christian shrine in Western Europe dedicated to Michael. The Prayer to Saint Michael, composed by Pope Leo XIII in 1886 after a vision, became one of the most widespread acts of devotion to angelic protection. The liturgical feast of September 29 celebrates Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael together, the three archangels named in Scripture.

Michael, Mary, and the protection of the Church

Mariological tradition frequently associates Michael and Mary in the protection of the Church. In medieval iconography Michael appears as a warrior at the side of the Virgin, and in the liturgy of the traditional Requiem Mass the verse Sed signifer sanctus Michael repraesentet eas in lucem sanctam entrusts to the archangel the task of leading the souls of the faithful into eternal light. This association reveals a profound understanding: Michael and Mary share the same fundamental orientation, the glory of God and the defense of those whom God loves. Both are creatures wholly ordered to the service of God’s saving plan.

Read the teaching of the Church on the angels and their mission in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, The Angels (Vatican.va).

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See our complete guide to Catholic Angelology.