Azrael: discover the meaning and functions of the angel of death

Azrael is considered the angel of death in Judaism and Islam. Its name comes from the Arabic Azra'il and it means “he whom God helps.” But there is more behind this angel than his name suggests.

Who is the Angel Azrael and what is his role in the different religions?

In Islam as in Judaism, Azrael is considered to be responsible for taking the living to death, for separating the soul from the body and accompany the soul to its final destination. In Islam, Azrael, called Malak al-Maut, does not take the life of those who want it, but only follows the order of God concerning the souls to be taken.

In the Islamic view, Azrael is depicted in a frightening way, with a body full of wings, feet, eyes and tongues.

In Judaism, however, this appearance is shown only to sins.eurs. To the righteous, Azrael presents himself in a welcoming and benevolent manner, do noteur doing no harm, as shown in the picture below.

But is in Christianity, who is Azrael?

Azrael in the Bible

Azrael is not mentioned in the Bible like the angel of death. However, some articles on the subject suggest that Azrael corresponds to the archangel Michael, who is sometimes highlighted in the Bible, particularly in the book of Revelation.

In this book, Michael is described as the angel of war, who fights against the devil to protect God's people. The association between the two angels, however, seems unlikely, since the name Azrael is not mentioned in the Bible and neither the functions of the archangel Michael seem to correspond to those normally attributed to the so-called angel of the dead.

“Batman: Sword of Azrael”: from the spiritual world to fiction

Image: Legion of Heroes

Azrael is also a well-known character in the world of fiction. He first appeared in 1993 in Batman magazine: Azrael's Sword.

In the story, Jean-Paul Valley, after the death of his father (who had also been Azrael), begins to be trained by the Order of Saint Dumas. Because he disagrees with the Order's methods, he joins the Batman group, but instead of remaining as Azrael, he uses a more advanced version of Batman's own outfit to fight crime .

What is happening is that Jean-Paul's behavior is becoming quite violent and those who were his allies must now try to contain it.