St Michael's Spear (part I)

Introduction

The archangel St Michael is a well known part of catholic tradition. It can therefore be no surprise that quite a lot of churches and sanctuaries are dedicated to him. Yet it probably will be quite surprising that a number of important ones are located on a straight line going from Ireland to Israel. And also that most of them originate from an apparition of this angel; of those there certainly are not many. As St Michael is generally depicted with either a sword or a spear, those are the names given to the line. Most articles go with the sword, but to me 'Spear' seems more appropriate. This writing first considers the background of the 'captain of the angelic host,' then the 7 sanctuaries that are generally considered to constitute the Spear, and finally discusses its significance and context.

Background

Angels are purely spiritual beings that were created before mankind. Holy scripture testifies that God frequently uses them to dispense his providence in this world. Their name, meaning 'messenger', also originates from this. The church fathers distinguish nine orders of these holy spirits: Seraphims, Cherubims and Thrones; Dominions, Principalities and Powers; Virtues, Archangels and (normal) Angels. The division of these nine orders into three hierarchies with three ranks each goes back to St Gregory the Great and the ancient author of "On the Celestial Hierarchy," generally ascribed to St Dionysius the Areopagite. Each order has its characteristic function to glorify some attribute of the Deity: His supreme dominion, power and strength; the cherubims His omniscience, the seraphims His infinite love; the archangels are God's ambassadors in the execution of his greatest designs and the angels He employs in His ordinary dispensations to men. Their numbers are exceeding great, scripture enumerates them by thousands of thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousands; and the book of Job declares "Is there any numbering of his soldiers?"

Of the archangels there are merely seven (Tob 12:15) and only three are mentioned by name: SS Michael, Gabriel & Raphael. St Michael is mentioned three times in the book of Daniel: Dan 10:13-21 describes Daniel's vision of an angel who identifies Michael as the protector of Israelites, and in Dan 12:1 Daniel is informed that Michael will arise during the "time of the end." Further, in the book of Revelation (12:7-9) Michael leads God's armies during the war in heaven where he defeats satan. Finally, in the Epistle of Jude (1:9) Michael is specifically referred to as an archangel when he again confronts satan. Moreover, some church fathers say St Michael is even indicated in other parts of holy scripture: the cherub standing at the gate of paradise "to keep the way of the tree of life" (Gen 3:24), the angel through whom God published the Decalogue to his chosen people, the angel who stood in the way against Balaam (Num 22:22) and the angel who routed the army of Sennacherib (2 Kings 19:35).

The name Michael means "Who is like unto God?" which was his answer to Lucifer's revolt. For this he is given by God to the church  as its special protector, just as he has been to the Hebrews. The idea that Michael was the advocate of the Jews became so prevalent that in spite of the rabbinical prohibition against appealing to angels as intermediaries between God and his people, Michael came to occupy a certain place in the Jewish liturgy. Two prayers were written beseeching him as the prince of mercy to intercede in favor of Israel: one composed by the Byzantine Jew Eliezer ha-Kalir around the year 600, and the other by Judah ben Samuel he-Hasid, a leader of the Chassidei Ash- kenaz in Bavaria around the year 1200. Moreover, many mentionings of an angel in the Jewish scriptures, like at the sacrifice of Isaac, were ascribed to Michael.

Even the Quran mentions Michael, alongside Jibrail (Gabriel), in sura 2:98: "Whoever is an enemy to God, and His angels and His messengers, and Jibrail and Mikhail! Then, God (Himself) is an enemy to the disbelievers."

In the christian tradition Epiphanius of Salamis (c.320–403) claimed in his Coptic-Arabic Hexaemeron that Michael replaced Lucifer in his function after he fell from heaven. Also in the 4th century St Basil the Great's homily (De Angelis) placed St Michael over all the angels. "Archangel" actually means that he heralds other angels.

In the same century sanctuaries to him were built when he was first seen as a healing angel. The earliest and most famous one in the ancient near-east was even associated with healing waters. It was the Michaelion built in the early 4th century by Emperor Constantine at Chalcedon, on the site of an earlier temple called Sosthenion; it is even said that was after an apparition of St Michael to him. It was a magnificent church and in time became a model for hundreds of other churches in eastern christianity; this also spread devotion to the archangel. A painting of the archangel slaying a serpent became a major art piece at the Michaelion after Constantine defeated Licinius close by in 324. This contributed to the standard iconography that developed of the archangel Michael as a warrior saint slaying a dragon.

Another important sanctuary related to an apparition of St Michael is mentioned in the 5th–7th-century Greek Menæa and is located at Chone, the ancient Colossæ in Phrygia. The church was frequently visited by a holy man, named Archippus, who was violently persecuted by the pagans. One day Archippus was at his devotions in his favorite St Michael's and his enemies resolved to destroy both him and the church. Close by ran a brook which flowed into the river Lycus: this they blocked, so immediately flooding the ground around the church. The archangel Michael suddenly appeared holding a rod in his hand: the water immediately receded and flowed into a deep gulf near Colossæ where the Lycus empties itself and disappears. The date of this apparition is not certain. The orthodox church celebrates this miracle on september 6.

There is a similar pious legend from the same area that probably relates to the same event: John the apostle was preaching nearby and foretold the appearance of Michael at Cheretopa near Lake Salda where a healing spring appeared soon after the apostle left; in gratitude for the healing of his daughter, one pilgrim built a church on the site. Local pagans, jealous of the healing power of the spring and the church, attempted to drown the church by redirecting the river, but the archangel "in the likeness of a column of fire" split the bedrock to open up a new bed for the stream, directing the flow away from the church.

Another early apparition showed the protection of St Michael over the church in Rome: St Gregory the Great (c.590–604) saw him in the air over the mausoleum of Hadrian while a devastating plague persisted in Rome. In apparent answer to the Pope's prayers the archangel sheathed his sword to signal the cessation of the pestilence. In honor of the occasion the pope called the mausoleum "Castel San'Angelo" (Castle of the Holy Angel) by which it is still known.

A feast was also dedicated to him already in the 6th century as recorded in the Leonine Sacramentary. Over time his role became more one of a protector and the leader of the army of God against the forces of evil. He is viewed as the angelic model for the virtues of the spiritual warrior, with the conflict against evil at times viewed as the battle within. For example Guido Reni's Michael (in Santa Maria della Concezione church, Rome from 1636) tramples satan. A mosaic of the same painting decorates St Michael's altar in St Peter's Basilica.

St Michael became the patron saint of the Holy Roman Empire after the victorious Battle of Lechfeld against the Hungarians in 955 and still is the patron saint of modern Germany and other German-speaking regions formerly covered by the realm. The military orders of knights during the Middle Ages revered St Michael as well. This can also be seen in the names of villages around the Bay of Biscay. In late medieval christianity, Michael, together with St George, became the patron saint more generally of chivalry and is now also considered the patron saint of police officers, paramedics, the military, spiritual warfare, dying people, grocers, soldiers, fencing, banking and artists. A further patronage is the Congregation of Saint Michael the Archangel (CSMA), also known as the Michaelite Fathers, a religious order founded in 1897. Prior to 1878 an archconfraternity existed that exclusively wore the scapular of St Michael the archangel. This holy scapular still remains as one of the 18 approved by the Church.

Personal devotion can further be expressed by the traditional prayer to him: St Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen

And also through the chaplet of St Michael consisting of nine salutations, one for each choir of angels (it seems there are some additional prayers too but those are left out for conciseness):

1. By the intercession of St Michael and the celestial choir of Seraphim may the Lord make us worthy to burn with the fire of perfect charity. Amen

2. By the intercession of St Michael and the celestial choir of Cherubim may the Lord grant us the grace to leave the ways of sin and run in the paths of christian perfection. Amen

3. By the intercession of St Michael and the celestial choir of Thrones may the Lord infuse into our hearts a true and sincere spirit of humility. Amen

4. By the intercession of St Michael and the celestial choir of Dominations may the Lord give us grace to govern our senses and overcome any unruly passions. Amen

5. By the intercession of St Michael and the celestial choir of Virtues may the Lord preserve us from evil and falling into temptation. Amen

6. By the intercession of St Michael and the celestial choir of Powers may the Lord protect our souls against the snares and temptations of the devil. Amen

7. By the intercession of St Michael and the celestial choir of Principalities may God fill our souls with a true spirit of obedience. Amen

8. By the intercession of St Michael and the celestial choir of Archangels may the Lord give us perseverance in faith and in all good works in order that we may attain the glory of Heaven. Amen

9. By the intercession of St Michael and the celestial choir of Angels may the Lord grant us to be protected by them in this mortal life and conducted in the life to come to Heaven. Amen

This chaplet goes back to a Portuguese carmelite nun, Antónia d'Astónaco who received it during an apparition of the archangel Michael in 1751. This private revelation and chaplet were approved by pope Pius IX in 1851.

The catholic Church specially honours St Michael (with the other archangels) on september 29th.