Raphael

Also known as: Angel / Angel serene / Godlike Angel / divine Historian / empyreal minister / ethereal Messenger / heavenly guest / the Angel / the sociable Spirit / winged Hierarch · Family: Heaven · Role: archangel · First appears: Book 5

In Book 5, God sends Raphael to warn Adam about Satan’s deceit and the freedom to disobey, commissioning him to “Converse with Adam.” Raphael explains that Adam’s continued happiness depends on obedience, and Adam calls him a teacher whose words guide his understanding. Eve also welcomes Raphael as a guest.

In Book 6, Raphael fights beside Uriel and defeats Adramelech and Asmadai. By Book 7, Raphael has forewarned Adam through a dire example to beware apostasy. In Book 8, after instructing Adam to obey God and resist temptation, Raphael departs for Heaven; Adam blesses him as a heavenly messenger, saying, “For, while I sit with thee, I seem in Heaven.”