Uriel

Uriel

The Light of God

1 Enoch 20:2

“Uriel, one of the holy angels, who is over the world and over Tartarus.”

— 1 Enoch 20:2

2 Esdras 4:1

Then the angel that had been sent to me, whose name was Uriel, answered and said to me, “Your understanding has utterly failed regarding this world, and do you think you can comprehend the way of the Most High?”

— 2 Esdras 4:1 (NRSV)

Uriel (Hebrew: “God is my light” or “Fire of God”) is one of the most prominent angels in Jewish and Christian apocryphal literature, though he does not appear in the Protestant or Catholic biblical canon. His primary appearances are in 1 Enoch, 2 Esdras, and various other intertestamental writings.

In 1 Enoch, Uriel serves as a guide and revealer of cosmic mysteries. He is the angel who warns Noah of the coming flood and who guides Enoch through his heavenly journeys, explaining the movements of celestial bodies and the workings of divine judgment. In 2 Esdras (4 Ezra), he is sent to answer the prophet Ezra’s anguished questions about why God allows Israel to suffer.

Uriel is traditionally associated with wisdom, illumination, and the guardianship of Sheol/Tartarus. The Eastern Orthodox Church venerates him as one of the seven archangels. His name invokes both light and fire — he is the angel who illuminates truth and burns away ignorance.

Further Reading