#archangel michael defeats satan

[artthatgivesmefeelings]

Francisque Joseph Duret (French, 1804-1865) Archangel Michael defeats Satan, 1860 Saint-MIchel Fountain, Place Saint-Michel, Paris

[thysia]

Queen Marika the Eternal - Sethkiel

[christliche-kunstwerke]

Der Erzengel Michael besiegt Satan von Guido Reni (oil on canvas)

[myremnantarmy]

𝘒𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘸!

[fraudulentfancammerchant]

if you have a bunch of paintings you don't want to finish you can actually just post them together as some sort of weird collage #arthacks

[fishercatking]

All errors divine,

dragged along the ground,

violins play all around,

by the weathers growing,

I know you’ll get wind

[neil-gaiman]

Hello Mr Neil Gaiman, and Good Evening.

A random thought I came up when talking with my friends. I believe this had been asked before (perhaps way back when s1 came out), but why was the role of the Supreme Archangel given to Gabriel???

Why not Michael? I am a bit of a Bible nerd, so I know that in the Bible canon, it was Michael who defeated Lucifer/Satan... So what did Gabriel do to be above them in the Angel Hierarchy???

Sincerely, me :)

I'm sure Michael agrees with you completely.

[radiansjort]

The Minyards’ and Hemmicks’ Names

I don’t think I’ve seen anyone point this out, but it was one of the first things I noticed when I read the books; Andrew, Aaron, and Nicky all have Biblical/Catholic names. It makes sense because Luther and presumably Tilda are Catholic, but their Biblical names also correspond with who they are as characters.

Andrew: In the Bible, he is one of Jesus’ 12 Apostles. He was brother to Simon Peter, who was Jesus’ closest Appstle. The name Andrew itself means “strong” and “warrior,” and in the books Neil narrates how strong he finds Andrew; we can also see him as a warrior when he protects Nicky especially as well as the other Monsters.

Joseph: There are 2 Josephs in the Bible and both fit Andrew’s character. The first is Joseph the father of Jesus on earth. He was seen as the ultimate protector because he protected the Holy Family and followed God’s call to stay with Mary. He protected Jesus from being killed as an infant by taking him and Mary to Egypt shortly after his birth. Obviously, Andrew is very much a protector. He is very protective of all the Monsters and frequently called a “mom friend” in the fandom. The other Joseph, is Joseph son of Jacob (Israel). He was the favorite son of his 12 brothers, and all of the brothers were jealous. Because of this, they leave him in a ditch and sell him as a slave to the Egyptians. As a slave, he works his way up the ranks to become the Pharaoh’s adviser because he can interpret dreams. Eventually during the famine, his brothers and father come to Egypt in hopes of finding food, and Joseph forgives them for selling him off. There is obviously the similarities of complicated brother relationships which is very much Andrew and Aaron, but I say he also relates to this because Joseph reconciles with his brothers, and post canon Andrew and Aaron begin to reconcile and really have a relationship with one another.

Aaron: In the Bible, Aaron is the brother of Moses and a high priest among the Israelites. He helps them along their journey to the Promised Land. One of the most notable things he does is while Moses is on Mt Sinai, he builds a golden calf for the Israelites to worship. When Moses sees this, he gets so angry and upset that he smashes the Ten Commandments and has to climb the mountain to receive them again. I see this as Aaron (Aaron) and Andrew (Moses) and their early relationship. After their deal is made, Aaron doesn’t understand the significance of this and instead goes against what they agreed to (kind of like—> Aaron and Moses were both priests and dedicated to God and Aaron went against that with the idol) and it almost reflects how Aaron beings to go against their deal.

Michael: Michael the Archangel is the warrior and protector of the Church, and he is the one who directly opposes Satan and defeats him. I see it as pretty fitting, because in the end, who is it that kills Drake?

I find the twins names so very fitting because not only do they relate to their characters, every one of them in the Bible had a brother. (If you count the other Archangels as Michael’s “brothers.”)

Unlike the twins, Nicky’s names are not the names of Biblical figures, but instead of Catholic saints.

Nicholas: St. Nicholas was known for his generosity, as he gave his wealth to the poor. And probably what he’s most known for, he gave gifts to the poor at night inside their shoes. (Which brought about the story of Santa Claus). I think this fits Nicky well, as he gave everything he had to the twins. He gave up living a normal teenage life to instead not go to school and instead work 3 jobs to keep him and the twins all afloat. Also more obvious, St. Nicholas is the patron saint of children and known as the protector of them. That very obviously relates to Nicky as he protects and cares for the twins.

Esteban: The English equivalent of Esteban is “Stephan,” and St. Stephan is known as the first martyr. He is actually mentioned in the bible, but doesn’t appear on page. He refused to denounced the Catholic faith, so he was stoned to death. This is similar to Nicky because Nicky again gave up everything for the twins, and he was the first person to really give everything he had for these two.

[antonio-m]

“Archangel Saint Michael defeating Satan”, c.1635 by Guido Reni (1575–1642). Italian baroque painter. Santa Maria della Concezione church, Rome. oil on canvas

[illustratus]

Archangel Michael defeating Satan

after Guido Reni

[interviewwiththevampireart]

The Archangel Michael defeating Satan (Guido Reni, 1635)

2.08 “And That’s The End of It. Theres Nothing Else”

[artthatgivesmefeelings]

Acisclo Antonio Palomino de Castro y Velasco, (Spanish, 1655-1726) The Archangel Michael Defeating Satan, ca.1692-1705 Detroit Institute of Arts Museum

[beebopboom]

A Case of Missing Weaponry

Probably the thing Archangel Michael is most known for in biblical lore is striking Satan down with a sword/spear (i see them used interchangeably) and yet it seemingly has not been touched on in the show.

Granted it is a story largely in Revelations and we are shown that that is not an entirely truthful book in the show so it might not even be a something that proves to be anything

but I have a theory for you anyway.

Michael has continued to be a mystery in this show with their motivations, their past, and their knowledge all called into question.

and yet another thing we haven’t even gotten a verbal mention of is their weapon - the legendary weapon that stuck Satan down from the Heavens.

With all the mentions of the fall and the Great War it’s an interesting detail to leave out but I was willing to leave it alone for the reason mentioned above.

However,

In @drconstellation future of echos past meta she points out the Michael parallel indeed being the one to take the shot at the Lucifer parallel - which is then later confiscated by police (ok maybe not that exact meta but i couldn’t find the one where you went into detail about it😭)

@youryurigoddess pointing about the Michael statue in the trash mountain is missing its sword

and the scene being depicted within Agnes Nutter’s book

It makes a person start to wonder yknow?

but where could this weapon be if it’s not on Michael’s being? The logical explanation is that it’s just up in Heaven somewhere, I mean it’s not like Michael has a use for it right now anyway.

So up in heaven? Confiscated? Never existed? Misplaced?... Maybe

There is one small offhand comment (you know I love those) in 1941 that threw me down a rabbit hole of what could maybe be Michael's weapon.

When Aziraphale is handing over the books he compares Agnes's book to the Holy Grail but that's not the one I want to focus on rather something mentioned right after,

The Spear of Destiny, or the Holy Lance

This spear is said to be the one that pierced the side of Jesus as he hung on the cross to make sure he was dead

The spear which was said to guarantee victory in battle. (That was until it made its way to Hitler and he lost) 

but probably one of the bigger success stories about this spear is one that actually connects it back to Michael

Emperor Constantine

He was the one to bring Christianity into the Roman Empire and believed in the power of this spear - bringing it into battle with him as his main weapon.

Constantine and his co-emperor Licinius were the ones to sign into law that Christians could worship publicly and have churches

later they fought each other with Constantine coming out victorious near the Michaelion - which caused him to attribute his victory to Archangel Michael

even going as far as comparing Licinius to the serpent that Michael defeated, as described in Revelations. Using the serpent as a symbol for Licinius in money and art

he then continued commissioning statues and art of this event eventually replacing him and Licinius with Michael and Satan, which then lead to it being standard of what Michael is known for - spear and all.

Interesting (very shortened) story isn’t it?

Now this spear has been passed along all throughout history with many people claiming to have it and different pieces of it displayed throughout the world, so maybe it just was a replica of Michael’s spear just like they did with Aziraphale’s sword - the Romans seem to have a type for their weapons

there is also a very interesting conspiracy that after the Americans found it after ww2 they brought the real one back with them and leaving a replica behind - yknow considering the hints at America having something to do with s3

How Michael’s spear would have ended up lost on Earth I do not know but I do think that this could be interesting if nothing else

either way the lack of talking about it in the show has always had me intrigued

What is up with you Archangel Michael?

[christliche-kunstwerke]

Erzengel Michael besiegte Satan, c.1636 von Guido Reni (Öl auf Leinwand)

[talonabraxas]

The Sword of the Archangel Michael

The Sword of the Archangel Michael represented by both the Eastern and Western traditions. An element of strength and a symbol of healing, it is perhaps the most widely used icon by artists to represent Michael the Archangel.

What does Michael’s sword actually represent?

Michael always presents his sword in such positions that they can suggest a control, a limiting action but never a bloody action on evil. In reality, the sword represents the very sharp and peculiar essence capable of separating good from evil.

The separation and segregation of evil, preventing its spread and the action of corruption on the human being, are the power of Michael’s sword.

During the war in the heavens between the Hosts of Angels led by the Archangel Michael and the rebel angels, Satan was defeated and fell to Earth along with his angels and there was no more room for him in the heavens.

Therefore the evil represented by Satan and his angels has been separated from the kingdom of heaven. And in the relative representations, Michael holds him and looks after him, under the feet of him threatened kept separated by the sword-cross.

Therefore, his is not a fight aimed at destruction, there are no tense faces, the tension of the struggle, violent movements in the representations of him. Michael does not destroy and does not judge, this is the task of the creator, of God.

That’s why he stands with the of him-who as god? -a extreme defender of the divine regency over the cosmos because he places the power of judgment only in the hands of the supreme creator and nothing in creation can be like God.

During the fight for the body of Moses’ Michael turns to Satan, defeated again saying – You judge yourself God. The same Christ attitude of Christ on the cross that says – Father forgive them – and not I forgive you!

Evil is said to be so intrinsic to the human being that a clear separation would cause death. This is why the relationship with Michele can only be reached with a path of awareness towards him. In order to give way to his sword to separate more and more the evil that is in us, preparing us for the coming of Christ in our hearts.

This is the task of Michael’s sword, to separate Good from Evil

Then we can think of asking, of using this sword, a gift of Michael himself, to those who offer themselves with awareness to him by relying on them, to separate us from all that evil that we carry with us.

From a disease, from an evil deed, from the burdens of our conscience, from a negative past existence. If we have become aware of this, Michael will free us by severing these bonds with his sword, enabling us to advance on his path.

There are also representations of Michael with the sword in his left hand, this representation, more than all the others, highlights the female aspect of Michele, I would say that it is almost a point of contact with the representation of the Virgin.

We could say that the feminine traits of these representations combined with a feminine power of the sword as a gift and healing are very close to the essence of the Virgin whose path is united to that of Michael on the path of Christ.

Sometimes the sword is represented handled or made of intertwined branches to symbolize the Caduceus of Mercury, an image also reinforced by the representation of Michael with a winged headdress. In this case the image of Michael is strengthened as herald of Christ as a symbol of union of the energies of heaven and earth.

Another very common representation in all traditions is the flaming sword to represent the most spiritual qualities of Michael, his Christic energy.

Sometimes, rarely, the sword is held by the blade instead of the hilt to represent the healing powers that Michele offers us. Provided you recognize and accept the Christic way represented by the cross formed by the hilt. Which comes in such representations highlighted. we could say that the sword held by the blade actually represents a cross.

[klaxonic]

It’s finally finished!

Inspired by ‘The Archangel Michael Defeating Satan’ by Guido Reni (pictured under the cut.)