Christianity, Judaism and Islam share elaborate beliefs about angels–ranking them above humans, but under God. The Archangels enjoy the highest rank of all, with Michael being called “first among equals.”
At the time of Christ, Jewish popular belief included names for a host of angels. The apocryphal book of Enoch names seven angels (Uriel, Raphael, Raguel, Michael, Sarakiel, Gabriel, and Phanuel) all ending in “el,” an abbreviation for the name of God. (In Hebrew, Michael means “Who is like God?” said to be the motto of the Heavenly Hosts as they fought Satan.) In the Bible, he is mentioned more than any other angel: He promises to come to Daniel’s aid; supports Israel during the Babylonian captivity; fights with Satan over the body of Moses; and leads the faithful angels in battle to defeat Lucifer (often depicted as a dragon) and his minions, driving them into Hell.