Is there an angel named Raphael in the Bible?
Is There an Angel Named Raphael in the Bible?
A Graduate-Level Baptist Theological Response
(All Scripture quoted in the New King James Version)
No, the inspired canon of Scripture—recognized by Baptist theology as consisting of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments—does not mention any angel named Raphael.
Only two holy angels are explicitly named in the Bible:
Michael – Described as a chief prince and archangel
Daniel 12:1 (NKJV):
“At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people...”Jude 1:9 (NKJV):
“Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil... said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’”Revelation 12:7 (NKJV):
“And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought.”Gabriel – A messenger of God
Luke 1:26 (NKJV):
“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth.”Daniel 9:21 (NKJV):
“Yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning... reached me...”
No other angel is named in the canon of Scripture. Any other names—such as Raphael, Uriel, or Azazel—derive from extra-biblical or apocryphal texts, and not from the inspired Word of God.
Who Is Raphael, and Where Does His Story Come From?
The angel Raphael appears in the Apocryphal Book of Tobit (or Tobias), which is not accepted as canonical by Baptists or by Jewish tradition. Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions include Tobit in their expanded Old Testament canon, but the book was never part of the Hebrew Scriptures, and its inclusion was rejected by the Reformers on the grounds of historical, theological, and doctrinal inconsistency.
In Tobit 12:15, Raphael claims:
“I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels who present the prayers of the saints and enter into the presence of the glory of the Holy One.” (Not NKJV; from the apocryphal text)
In the book, Raphael:
Disguises himself as a man named Azarias
Accompanies a young man named Tobias on a journey
Drives away a demon named Asmodeus
Heals the elder Tobit’s blindness
Because of these actions, Catholic tradition has designated Raphael as the patron saint of travelers, the blind, and physicians.
Biblical Evaluation of Raphael and the Pool of Bethesda
Though Raphael is not found in the biblical canon, it’s possible that his legend influenced folk beliefs in first-century Israel. For example, in John chapter 5, we read about a superstitious belief connected to healing waters:
John 5:3–7 (NKJV):
“In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.
For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first... was made well...
A certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years...
The sick man answered Him, ‘Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool...’”
Some manuscripts omit verse 4 (about the angel stirring the waters), indicating that it may have been a later explanatory gloss based on oral tradition. Regardless, Jesus bypasses the superstition and personally heals the man:
John 5:8–9 (NKJV):
“Jesus said to him, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk.’
And immediately the man was made well...”
The point is clear: It is Jesus Christ—not angels or sacred pools—who heals.
Psalm 103:2–3 (NKJV):
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases.”
Baptist Theological Position on the Apocrypha and Angelic Beings
Baptist theology holds that the Apocrypha is not inspired Scripture. While it may contain historical and cultural insights, it does not carry divine authority and must not be used to establish doctrine.
2 Timothy 3:16–17 (NKJV):
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Regarding angels, the Bible warns against the worship or veneration of angels or allowing them to distract from the sufficiency of Christ:
Colossians 2:18 (NKJV):
“Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels... vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind.”
Conclusion: Who Is Raphael?
From a biblical and Baptist perspective:
Raphael is not a biblical angel.
He appears only in apocryphal literature, not in the Word of God.
Any teachings based on the Book of Tobit should be viewed with caution or rejection.
Jesus Christ alone is our intercessor, healer, and Savior.
1 Timothy 2:5 (NKJV):
“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.”
