Uriel

Name of an archangel. Of the four chief angels, See MICHAEL, GABRIEL, RAPHAEL, and Uriel, who preside over the four quarters of the globe (Jensen, "Kosmologie der Babylonier," p. 163), and who are frequently grouped together, Uriel is generally, but not invariably, mentioned last, although in this quartet his name is frequently replaced by that of another angel, thus showing the diversity of his nature (e.g., Fanuel, Enoch, 9; Aniel, Stübe, "Jüdisch-Babylonische Zaubertexte," p. 26, Halle, 1895; Nuriel, "Seder Gan 'Eden we-Gehinnom," in Jellinek, "B. H." 3:138). He is likewise one of the seven archangels, being the prince of the angels and of Tartarus (Enoch, 20:2, where his name is given first in the list of the angels). According to Kautzsch ("Apokryphen," 2:250), Lusken ("Michael," p. 36), and others, Uriel is the angel of thunder and earthquake, and is, moreover, the divine messenger who warns the son of Lamech of the end of the world, and bids him hide (Enoch, 10:1-2); he appears in a like capacity in II Esd. , where he propounds three difficult problems to Ezra and instructs him. Of these problems the first was, "Weigh me the weight of the fire," a demand closely connected in concept with the name "Uriel" (

In medieval mysticism Uriel is represented as the source of the heat of the day in winter, and as the princely angel of Sunday, the first day of the week, thus agreeing fully with the explanation of his nature already given. Later authorities, however, brought his name into association with