There are thousands and thousands of angels. More than we could ever count.

“But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly.”
Hebrews 12:22

“Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand.”
Revelation 5:11

Although the number of number of angels exceeds human comprehension, there are seven chief angels (archangels) in particular who are known by name. The meaning of their names give us insight into their unique roles and responsibilities.

In the book of Revelation we can find reference to seven archangels:

“And I saw the seven angels who stand before God,”
- Revelation 8:2

The book of Tobit also mentions seven chief angels. The book of Tobit is part of the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament. Tobit was always included in the canon (Bible). Only in recent centuries have certain Protestant denominations removed this book (along with several others) from their canonical list.

In Tobit we find archangel Raphael making a clear, definite statement about seven archangels:

“I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who stand ever ready to enter the presence of the glory of the Lord.”
- Tobit 12:15

Raphael concludes his message with a statement that is extremely important to our proper understanding of angels and our relationship with them:

“The people were overwhelmed with awe; they fell on their faces in terror. But Raphael said, ‘Do not be afraid; peace be with you. Bless God forever. My presence with you was not by any decision of mine, but by the will of God; He is the One Whom you must bless as long as you live, He the One that you must praise. Now bless the Lord on earth and give thanks to God. I am about to return to Him Who sent me from above. Write down all that has happened.’ And he rose in the air. When they stood up again, he was no longer visible. They praised God with hymns; they thanked Him for having performed such wonders.”
- Tobit 12:16-21

This passage follows the same pattern as any other angelic encounter in the scriptures: the holy angels always point beyond themselves, ascribing all honor and praise to God alone.

Along with the books of Tobit and Revelation, there is also mention of the seven chief angels in the book of Enoch, a product of ancient Jewish literature. This book was very familiar to the Jews during the time of Christ. Jude directly quotes the book of Enoch twice in his New Testament epistle (Jude 9 & 14) as if he expects the reader to already be acquainted with its source.

The book of Enoch not only states the number of archangels but also lists them by name.

“And these are the names of the seven holy angels who watch…”
- Enoch 20:1

The seven names Enoch lists have been spelled in a variety of ways over the centuries. These are the most common (English) spelling in the Orthodox Church today: