Selaphiel

Selafiel (also Sealtiel or Selaphiel, from the Hebrew 'I have asked God' or 'prayer to God') is one of the seven archangels of the Orthodox Christian tradition, venerated specifically as the archangel of prayer and intercession. His name links him to supplication and prayer, and tradition presents him as the angel who teaches human beings to pray with humility and to raise their prayers before the throne of God. He appears in the angelology derived from texts such as the Book of Enoch and in the list of the seven archangels honored in the Eastern Orthodox Church, where he is invoked as the patron of prayer and the contemplative life. He is considered a mediator between humanity and divinity, in charge of presenting before God the sincere prayers of the faithful.

Orthodox iconography represents Selafiel in an attitude of prayer: with the head inclined, the gaze lowered and the arms crossed over the chest, in a gesture of humility and recollection, which distinguishes him from the other archangels. He is often shown with a censer, symbol of the prayers that ascend toward heaven like the smoke of incense, an image taken from the Psalms and the Apocalypse. Dressed with a tunic and mantle, his figure radiates serenity and sacred silence, and invites introspection and prayer. Unlike the warrior or messenger archangels, Selafiel embodies the contemplative dimension of the angelic: he does not combat nor proclaim, but prays and intercedes, holding before God the supplications of those who address him with a sincere heart.

Within the celestial court, Selafiel collaborates with the other archangels in the mediation between heaven and earth: if Gabriel transmits the messages of God to men, Selafiel elevates the prayers of men to God. The orthodox tradition counts him, together with Miguel, Gabriel, Rafael, Uriel, Jehudiel and Barachiel, among the seven archangels who are before the divine throne, each with his own function; his is prayer. He is invoked as patron of prayer and devotion, and he is associated with the teaching of interior and persevering prayer. His cult is especially alive in the Orthodox and Eastern Churches, where his collected and praying image serves as a model of the attitude with which the believer must direct himself to God.