Camael

Camael (also Kamael, Khamuel or Camiel; from the Hebrew 'he who sees God') is, in Jewish, Christian and esoteric angelology, the archangel of strength, courage and divine severity. He is counted among the seven archangels who are before the throne of God and, in various traditions, he is presented as chief of an angelic choir (the Powers or the Potestates) and captain of the celestial hosts. The Kabbalah associates him with the sefira of Gevurah (severity or rigor), which balances Chesed (mercy) in the Tree of Life, and the astrological-magical tradition links him to the planet Mars and martial strength. He thus embodies the just wrath of God: not blind violence, but the power that punishes injustice and defends the cosmic order.

Camael is represented as a warrior archangel, clad in armor and fire, who wields a flaming sword with which he combats the forces of evil and protects the righteous. As lord of Guevurá, he personifies disciplined strength and judgment: tradition attributes to him command of the angels of severity, protection of fighters for just causes and expulsion of evil spirits. In ceremonial magic and Renaissance angelology he is invoked to obtain courage, protection and firmness in the face of adversity. His power is double-edged, for severity without mercy can become destructive; therefore his figure is always understood in balance with the archangel of mercy, his complementary counterpart within the system of the seven.

In the celestial court, Camael shares with Miguel the role of warrior archangel who leads the hosts against the forces of evil, and is placed alongside the great archangels (Gabriel, Rafael, Uriel) in the government of the cosmos. It should be noted that Camael and Chamuel are, in their origin, variants of the same name; modern esoteric tradition has differentiated them into two facets, that of strength (Camael) and that of love (Chamuel). The Catholic Church, which in 2001 restricted the cult to the angels named in Scripture (Miguel, Gabriel and Rafael), does not officially recognize Camael, whose cult survives above all in the Orthodox tradition, the Kabbalah and esotericism. His figure remains very present in angelology, ceremonial magic and popular culture as the archetype of the warrior angel.