The archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael are the only angels named in the Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox canons of Scripture. The book of Enoch, an apocryphal Jewish work from around the second century B.C., contains references to angels called Uriel, Raguel, Sariel, and Jerahmeel. However, the canonicity of Enoch was rejected in the early church.
Let’s examine what the Bible actually says about angels named Uriel:
The Old Testament does not mention an archangel named Uriel
The Old Testament never names an angel called Uriel. The only angels named in the Old Testament canon are Michael and Gabriel.
Michael is described as “one of the chief princes” (Daniel 10:13), “the great prince who has charge of your people” (Daniel 12:1), and “the archangel” who disputed with the devil over the body of Moses (Jude 1:9). He is portrayed as a warrior-protector angel.
Gabriel appears to the prophet Daniel to explain his visions (Daniel 8:16, 9:21), and later brings the announcement of the forthcoming births of John the Baptist and Jesus (Luke 1:19, 26). He serves as a messenger from God.
No angel named Uriel shows up anywhere in the Old Testament text. Even in passages describing God’s heavenly council and angelic host, Uriel is absent (1 Kings 22:19-23; Job 1:6, 2:1; Psalm 82:1, 89:5-7).
The New Testament does not include an archangel named Uriel
The New Testament likewise contains no mention of an Uriel. The only angels named are Michael and Gabriel, again.
In Luke 1, Gabriel brings prophetic announcements. And in Revelation 12:7, Michael leads an angelic army in battle. No Uriel appears in any listing of angels.
The New Testament is also silent about a hierarchy of “archangels” over the rest of the angels. The term “archangel” comes from two Greek words arche (ruler, chief) and angelos (messenger). It is only used twice, for Michael in Jude 1:9 and for an unnamed archangel whose voice will accompany the second coming of Christ in 1 Thessalonians 4:16. No other angels are called archangels.
Post-New Testament Jewish literature features Uriel prominently
So where does this angel named Uriel come from? He is repeatedly mentioned in Jewish apocryphal literature of the intertestamental period, between 200 BC – 100 AD.
The apocryphal Book of Enoch (chapters 9, 10, 20, 27, 33) presents Uriel as one of four chief guardian angels over Sheol, often paired with the archangel Raphael. Uriel is said to warn Noah of the coming flood, to guard the gates of the Garden of Eden with a fiery sword after Adam and Eve’s expulsion, and to fulfill other prominent heavenly assignments.
In 2 Esdras, a Jewish apocalyptic work, Uriel functions almost as a divine redeemer figure who carries Ezra through a revelatory visionary experience. He is sent by God to answer the agonized prayers of Ezra and enlighten him.
In 2 Baruch, Uriel brings Baruch additional prophetic revelation from God, along with Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. He stands with the other archangels before the glory of God.
The book of 2 Maccabees affirms belief in “the glorious angels” Michael and Gabriel, but also oddly refers to the angel Jeremiel praying for the Jews, another apocryphal name.
Uriel appears in later Kabbalistic and occultic writings
Thisnon-canonical Jewish literature formed a basis for later mystical rabbis and occultists to elaborate upon. The Zohar, a foundational work of Kabbalah from the 13th century AD, claims Uriel oversees the world of matter and Tartarus. In 16th century Renaissance magic, Cornelius Agrippa placed Uriel over the earth in his occult hierarchy.
Occultist writing commonly partners four archangels together: Michael over fire, Gabriel over water, Raphael over air, and Uriel over earth. This scheme has no remote basis in Scripture, which never connects angels with classical elements in this fashion. Scripture also never places Raphael or Uriel on par with Michael and Gabriel.
The early church soundly rejected these apocryphal Angelologies
While sometimes reckoned as an archangel today, even by some Christians, Uriel and his apocryphal angelic companions were condemned by the early church. No early church fathers considered these angels authoritative or the extra-biblical texts historically reliable.
Around 90 AD in his letter To the Philippians, Polycarp of Smyrna alluded to the angels Michael and Gabriel as the only angels specified by name in Scripture. Clement of Alexandria, in his Stromata work from the late 2nd to early 3rd century, rejected the Book of Enoch as spurious.
Tertullian, in On The Apparel of Women in the early 3rd century, specifically called out the Book of Enoch and its angelology as heretical. The 4th century Catholic historian Eusebius of Caesarea also rejected Enoch and other apocryphal works in his Ecclesiastical History.
The AHgelology of the major creeds reflects the same. The Nicene Creed refers only to God the Father as “Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible”. No Uriel or other angels besides those in canonical Scripture.
The Council of Rome condemned Uriel and other apocryphal angels
In the mid 4th century, the Council of Laodicea prohibited the reading of apocryphal, non-canonical books in the churches. The apocryphal Uriel was deemed unauthoritative.
Most decisively, a synod convened by Pope Gelasius I in the late 5th century condemned and banned the book of Enoch and other apocryphal works. The apocryphal angels were declared heretical, not to be received by the church.
So while Uriel and others captivated imaginations in the intertestamental and medieval eras, neither Judaism nor mainstream Christianity incorporated these angelic figures. They remained on the fringes.
Uriel receives prominent regard in occultic and new age Angelologies
While the traditional church largely discarded these ideas, Gnostic sects, Jewish mystics, and various occultists treasured and expanded upon these apocryphal Angelologies. Authors like 13th century Byzantine theologian Pseudo-Dionysius and later Gustav Davidson, in his Dictionary of Angels, helped bring back Uriel.
Today Uriel crops up frequently in new age and popular angel literature, paired with Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. But this modern four-archangel scheme has no real basis in the Bible. Only Michael and Gabriel are biblically named as angels.
An archangel named Uriel, overseeing earth or Tartarus, guarding Eden’s gate, or fulfilling other cosmic assignments, is found nowhere in Scripture. He owes his prominence to mystical non-canonical texts and their revival in esoteric systems over the past few centuries.
Angels in Scripture serve the Lord, not the occult
Michael and Gabriel, the faithful angels of the biblical canon, point us to Christ. As agents of revelation, they amplify the redemptive plan of God in Scripture. They are never portrayed as mediators between God and man or ascending masters over spiritual spheres, as later occultic angel depictions would imagine.
Angels in the Bible enact God’s will, carry prophetic messages, minister, and fight spiritual battles under the Lord’s authority. Scripture gives them no other cosmic governance, secret wisdom, or insight.
Beware modern angelologies that rely on extra-biblical texts and ascribe unauthorized occult roles to angels. As 1 Timothy 4:1 warns, doctrines of demons can come through those who “depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons.”
When it comes to angels like Uriel, promoted through apocryphal and mystical texts, Christians should heed the wisdom of church history. Their origins and roles lie outside God’s inspired Word.