Written by Asterion
Translated by Gabriel A.
(Yofiel is considered to be the angel who banished Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. The painting in this image is at the wood Church “Sfinții Arhangheli Mihail și Gavril” in Rogoz, Maramureș Country, Romania. The painting dates to the year 1785. Source)
He can also be found under the names of Yopiel, Jophiel, Iofiel, Joviel, Johphiel or Youfiel. He was most often called Jofiel, but in Hebrew the sound “J” does not exist as we and the Westerners know, the best equivalent of Yod being Y, this being the reason we have adopted this transcript.
In the Christian tradition, Yofiel is mentioned among the seven archangels in the earliest sources, and in the 5th century Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite mentions him in the list of planetary or weekly archangels, alongside Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Chamuel and Zadkiel.
The famous occultist of the Renaissance, Agrippa von Nettehiem, links him to the angelic choir of the cherubim, named “Ophanim” in Hebrew, and with the Star of Hearts, or the Zodiac Wheel, but adds that “Johphiel” is the intelligence of Jupiter’s planetary sphere. Coincidentally or not, the variation of Joviel‘s name is the expression of Jupiter’s nature by excellence, Jove being the old name of Jupiter, as there is an intelligence of the Moon called Luniel or one of Mercury called Mercuriel. The Jesuit scientist Athanasius Kircher mentions Yophiel in the list of the 42 holy angels, each corresponding to a letter of the 42 letters of the name of God, where he bears the title of “Angelus Pulchritudinis,” the “Angel of Beauty.” Contemporaneously with Agrippa, the great initiate and alchemist Paracelsus tells about Yofiel that he is a powerful angelic prince, commander of 53 celestial legions, and that he is a intelligence of Jupiter. He represents the power of Jupiter as the governor of the Aquarius and Pisces signs, although other sources consider it a governor of Saturn together with Tsafkiel. Traditions generally agree that Yofiel, by its nature full of beauty and joy, is a representative of Jupiter in the Archangelical Council, working in close collaboration with Zadkiel and Yehudiel.
In the Jewish tradition, Yophiel appears rather rare, and many things cannot be said about him, but when he appears, he holds a leading place among the archangels, and his role is extremely important. He is one of the heads of the armies of the cherubim, and it is said to be directly subordinated to Metatron, the Prince of Divine Presence. Some texts even call him the cherub that drove the first parents out of the Garden of Eden, being placed on the path that leads to the Tree of Life. Yofiel is sometimes presented as part of the Cherubim order, and sometimes in the Thrones, but one thing is agreed: He is one of the Heavenly Princes who directs and oversees the activity of the seven planetary heavens and seven angelic orders that inhabit them. Also, together with the angel Yefefiah, he is a Prince of the Torah ( The Divine Law). It is said that he was the one who shared the Torah (or the Pentateuch) to Moses, also initiating him into the kabbalistic mysteries. Yofiel is the one who, by tradition, reads Torah in Heavens on Sabbath day, and all the other angels listen to him. He is the patron of those who read the Torah, and by extension, the angel of priests. His name can be found on a number of Kabbalistic amulets, including those for the protection of children. Yofiel is very helpful in defeating demons, being a dreaded opponent to them. It is said that in battle, together with Zadkiel, he is one of the most ardent and skillful commanders. His name also appears in a magical formula meant to protect the man of mazziki (mazzikimi, Jewish minors demons or dark inferior beings that can make man’s life difficult). When the negative presence of a mazzik is felt, it must be said: “Kafzefoni, the king of the Mazzik should obey Yofiel.”
Yofiel is one of the most beneficial beings of the angelic hierarchy. Unlike other archangels, Yofiel helps people often, coming where he is called and inspiring noble feelings. He is a true angelic prince and his beauty goes beyond our notions of representation. His attribute is Beauty, which can be found everywhere. From the incredible beauty of the cosmic landscapes that people soon began to know, in which the gas clouds and the stars intertwine with explosions of lights and colors, to the gentleness of the smallest creatures created by the Father, Yofiel inspires us to see Beauty in all its forms of manifestation.
This is a divine value, and it exists as such in everything, at all times, no matter how strange it may seem. Divine beauty is not the superficial, it is not the shadow that steals the eye, but the very joy and inner happiness we experience when we truly live the beauty of beauty. The lover knows the beauty of his beloved, remains fascinated for hours, even days, years, even though for another, the same woman may seem quite ordinary. The painter who captures a sublime sunset, in which the colors mingle in the sky as he himself can not ever make on a palette, remains also amazed and exalted by the beauty that is given to him, although thousands of people see the same Sunset and remain impassable. The parent can see in his child the whole beauty of the world, above all beings, while another that looks at the same child would not be very impressed. Yofiel inspires all these people, hoping that a break from divine beauty will make them better understand, seek and enjoy what they have. A single blessing of this kind is enough for man to start his own search of beauty. It is enough for a man to see around him the beauty that he had ignored so far. Think about just how much beauty you ignore in one day, if not in a lifetime, and you will amaze. From the azure sky, from the flowers that you have noticed, to all the other encountered beings, they are all expressions of Divine life and beauty. The purpose of the wise is to discover. Yofiel, as an angel of Jupiter, governs wisdom, and what greater wisdom exists in creation other than the joy of eternal beauty? Wise is not the one who seeks Beauty or Perfection, eliminating everything in turn to be disappointed in the end, but he who finds them in its immediate vicinity, in everything that surrounds him.
We can call upon this wonderful archangel of beauty and wisdom with the following prayer:
“By the name of God the Most High EL, I call you, ingeniously and wise archangel Yofiel, to help me see beauty and understand wisdom, Here and Now. Amen!”
Asterion
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