Raziel: The Angel of Secrets, Keeper of the Divine Mysteries
William Blake, "The Angel of Revelation" (c. 1803–05, British Museum) — standing with one foot on sea and one on land, the angel of the open book embodies the vision of cosmic knowledge made available to humanity, the central mystery of Raziel's ministry. Among the great angelic intelligences of Jewish mystical tradition, Raziel occupies a position of singular and extraordinary importance: he is the keeper of all divine secrets, the celestial scribe who stands closest to the throne of God and hears the decrees of heaven as they are spoken — and who, in one of the most beautiful and poignant stories in all of angelology, chose to share that knowledge with humanity in its moment of greatest need. His name alone announces everything: Raziel (רָזִיאֵל, Razi'el ) is composed of raz (רָז, secret) and El (אֵל, God): "Secret of God" or "God is my mystery." He is not merely the angel who guards secrets. He is the angel who is the secret — the p...