The

angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

Jophiel ( Heb. ''Yōp̄īʾēl'', "God is my beauty"), also called ''Iophiel'', ''Iofiel'', ''Jofiel'', ''Yofiel'', ''Youfiel'', Zophiel ( ''Ṣōp̄īʾēl'', "God is my watchman") and Zuriel ( ''Ṣūrīʾēl'', "God is my rock"), is a non-canonical

archangel Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the hierarchy of angels. The word ''archangel'' itself is usually associated with the Abrahamic religions, but beings that are very similar to archangels are found in a number of other relig ...

of wisdom, understanding, and judgment, art and beauty. She is listed as one of the Seven Archangels in Pseudo-Dionysian teachings. Due to the association with beauty, Jophiel is one of very few angels to be sometimes portrayed as female. However, many angels have no canonical gender, and are most commonly referred to by male pronouns.

Beliefs in religions and ceremonial magic

According to the

pseudepigrapha Pseudepigrapha (also anglicized as "pseudepigraph" or "pseudepigraphs") are falsely attributed works, texts whose claimed author is not the true author, or a work whose real author attributed it to a figure of the past.Bauckham, Richard; "Pseu ...

Revelation of Moses The ''Life of Adam and Eve'', also known in its Greek version as the ''Apocalypse of Moses'' (, ''Apokalypsis Mōuseōs''; Hebrew: ספר אדם וחוה), is a Jewish apocryphal group of writings. It recounts the lives of Adam and Eve from afte ...

, another name for Jophiel is Dina ( Hebrew: דִּינָה ''Dīnā'', "Judgement"). In the text, Jophiel/Dina is described as an angel of the seventh heaven, a

Cabalistic Cabalist or Cabalistic may refer to: *Cabal, a group of people united in some close design together, usually to promote their private views or interests in a church, state, or other community *Christian Kabbalah, an incorporation of Jewish Kabbalah ...

guardian of the Torah (and wisdom itself), who taught 70 languages to souls at the dawn of creation. The

Zohar The ''Zohar'' ( he, , ''Zōhar'', lit. "Splendor" or "Radiance") is a foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah (the five ...

lists her as a Great Angel Chief in charge of 53 legions who superintend

Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...

-readings on the

Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, commanded by God to be kept as a holy day of rest, as G ...

.Davidson, Gustav (1967),
A Dictionary of Angels, Including The Fallen Angels
', Entry: Iofiel, Free Press, p. 320, Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 66-19757, Jophiel is said to be a companion to the angel Metatron. C.E. Clement, in her book ''Angels in Art'', names Jophiel as the teacher of Ham,

Japheth Japheth ( he, יֶפֶת ''Yép̄eṯ'', in pausa ''Yā́p̄eṯ''; el, Ἰάφεθ '; la, Iafeth, Iapheth, Iaphethus, Iapetus) is one of the three sons of Noah in the Book of Genesis, in which he plays a role in the story of Noah's drunk ...

, and Shem. Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa and

Thomas Rudd Thomas Rudd (1583?–1656) was an English military engineer and mathematician. Life The eldest son of Thomas Rudd of Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire, he was born in 1583 or 1584. He served during his earlier years as a military engineer in ...

likewise name Jophiel as the teacher of Shem. In the

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

tradition, Jophiel is recognized as an

. She is often depicted in iconography holding a

flaming sword Flaming sword may refer to: * Flaming sword (mythology), in myth and legend, a sword glowing with flame by some supernatural power * Flaming sword (effect), a sword coated with combustible fuel and set ablaze for various types of performances * '' ...

, such as the stained glasses at St Michael's Church in

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

, St Peter and St John's Church in Kirkley, Holy Trinity Church in

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

and a mural at St. John's Episcopal Church in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. Jophiel is an

Archangel Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the hierarchy of angels. The word ''archangel'' itself is usually associated with the Abrahamic religions, but beings that are very similar to archangels are found in a number of other relig ...

of the Kabbalah (though some systems put

Raziel Raziel, ( ''Rāzīʾēl,'' "God is my Mystery") also known as Gallitsur ( Hebrew: גַּלִּיצוּר ''Gallīṣūr'') is an angel within the teachings of Jewish mysticism (of the Kabbalah of Judaism) who is the "Angel of Secrets" and the "An ...

in her place) and in several listings including that of the early medieval theologian

Pseudo-Dionysus Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (or Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite) was a Greek author, Christian theologian and Neoplatonic philosopher of the late 5th to early 6th century, who wrote a set of works known as the ''Corpus Areopagiticum'' o ...

.Davidson, Gustav (1967),
A Dictionary of Angels, Including The Fallen Angels
', Appendix, Free Press, p. 338, Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 66-19757, The

Calendarium Naturale Magicum Perpetuum The ''Calendarium Naturale Magicum Perpetuum'' is a late renaissance (c.1619-1620) grimoire and esoteric print of calendar engravings. Its full title is ''Magnum Grimorium sive Calendarium Naturale Magicum Perpetuum Profundissimam Rerum Secretiss ...

lists Jophiel as the angel of the Sephira

Chokhmah ''Chokmah'' ( Hebrew: חָכְמָה ) is the Biblical Hebrew word rendered as "wisdom" in English Bible versions (LXX '' sophia'', Vulgate ').''Strong's Concordance'H2451 "from H2449 �ָכַם ''chakam'' "wise" wisdom (in a good sense):—ski ...

, as do the

Key of Solomon The ''Key of Solomon'' ( la, Clavicula Salomonis; he, מפתח שלמה []) (Also known as "The Greater Key of Solomon") is a pseudepigraphical grimoire (also known as a book of spells) attributed to Solomon, King Solomon. It probably dates ba ...

variant "The Veritable Clavicles of Solomon," and the Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses, both latter works derived from the ''Calendarium''. Agrippa attributes Jophiel to

Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius of about nine and a half times that of Earth. It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth; h ...

, while

Paracelsus Paracelsus (; ; 1493 – 24 September 1541), born Theophrastus von Hohenheim (full name Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim), was a Swiss physician, alchemist, lay theologian, and philosopher of the German Renaissance. He w ...

assigns her to Jupiter. Rudd attributes the

Zodiac The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north or south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic, the Sun path, apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. ...

to Jophiel along with the

Sephira Sephira also known as Sephira - The Irish Rock Violinists are an Irish band consisting of sisters Joyce and Ruth O'Leary, who both play the violin and provide vocals. They released their debut album ''Believe'' in 2006. Its style is classic ...

Binah instead of

Zaphkiel Zaphkiel ( he, צַפְקִיאֵל ''Ṣafqīʾēl''), also written as Tzaphqiel, Tzaphkiel, Zafkiel, Zafchial, Zaphchial, Zaphiel, or Zelel, is an archangel. He is sometimes equated with Jophiel/Zophiel, but other times considered to be a diff ...

. Athanasius Kircher names Jophiel as , "angel of beauty". According to Robert Ambelain, Jophiel is in charge of the

Cherub A cherub (; plural cherubim; he, כְּרוּב ''kərūḇ'', pl. ''kərūḇīm'', likely borrowed from a derived form of akk, 𒅗𒊏𒁍 ''karabu'' "to bless" such as ''karibu'', "one who blesses", a name for the lamassu) is one of the u ...

im, particularly the Shemhamphorasch angels Haziel, Aladiah, Lauviah, Hahaiah, Iezalel, Mehahel, Hariel, and Hakamiah.

In literature

''Angels of Love and Light'' describes her as "the Archangel of Paradise and the Patron of Artists and Illumination. She teaches the outer consciousness the Power of Light within oneself. She is also described as "the Yellow Ray of Wisdom, Illumination, and Constancy", and lists her ''Archeia'' as Christine also says

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...

, in his poem

Paradise Lost ''Paradise Lost'' is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The first version, published in 1667, consists of ten books with over ten thousand lines of verse (poetry), verse. A second edition fo ...

, mentions that Zophiel is "of cherubim the swiftest wing" (''Paradise Lost'' VI, 535). Zophiel is the subject of a poem by Maria Gowen Brooks.

Gallery

File:Set of Archangels - Jophiel.jpg, The

cherub A cherub (; plural cherubim; he, כְּרוּב ''kərūḇ'', pl. ''kərūḇīm'', likely borrowed from a derived form of akk, 𒅗𒊏𒁍 ''karabu'' "to bless" such as ''karibu'', "one who blesses", a name for the lamassu) is one of the u ...

Jophiel, engraving by

Crispijn van de Passe Crispijn van de Passe the Elder, or de Passe (c. 1564, Arnemuiden – buried 6 March 1637, Utrecht) was a Dutch publisher and engraver and founder of a dynasty of engravers comparable to the Wierix family and the Sadelers, though mostly at a ...

, ca. 1590–1637.

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

, London. File:Archangel Jophiel stands tall outside of Mundelein Center.jpg, Archangel Jophiel, statue at the entrance of

Mundelein College Mundelein College was the last private, independent, Roman Catholic women's college in Illinois. Located on the edge of the Rogers Park and Edgewater neighborhoods on the far north side of Chicago, Illinois, Mundelein College was founded and adm ...

Skyscraper, Chicago, Illinois. File:Christ Enthroned in the Heavenly Jerusalem, St Paul's.jpg, Mosaic in the semi-dome of St Paul's Within the Walls in Rome, depicting ''Christ Enthroned in the Heavenly Jerusalem'' with the five archangels, from left:

Uriel Uriel or Auriel ( he, אוּרִיאֵל ''ʾŪrīʾēl'', " El/God is my flame"; el, Οὐριήλ ''Oúriēl''; cop, ⲟⲩⲣⲓⲏⲗ ''Ouriēl''; it, Uriele; Geʽez and Amharic: or ) is the name of one of the archangels who is mentio ...

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...

Gabriel In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብር� ...

, Chemuel, and Zophiel (holding the moon). File:Seven Archangels, St Michael and All Angels', Warden.jpg, The seven archangels, Jophiel is in the centre holding in her right hand a flaming sword, and in her left hand a sceptre. Stained-glass window at

St Michael and All Angels Church St Michael and All Angels Church may refer to: Africa * St Michael and All Angels Church, Blantyre Malawi * St. Michael and All Angels' Anglican Church, Weltevreden Park, Johannesburg, South Africa America * Cathedral Church of Saint Michael and ...

, Warden, Northumberland.

Beliefs in religions and ceremonial magic

In literature

Gallery

See also

Notes

References

Further reading