Dear Margaret, dear colleagues,
in mediaeval apocrypha (basically coming from East) the apocryphal text "Apocryphal oratione of St. John Chrysostom how Michael, chieftan of celestial army defeated Satan" is rather popular. I send a brief citation from old Bulgarian version (the original source is Greek):
"Apocryphal oratione of St. John Chrysostom how Michael, chieftan of celestial army defeated Satan" :
After Gabriel
fails to sum up courage to fight with Satan, the Lord forgave Gabriel and again said unto Michael: ‘You were first in the kingdom of Adam, who proceedeth from me, and it is thine today to go down to that vile
antichrist and take from him the heavenly mantle, the crown and the sceptre of angelic orders, which he stole from Me. And
divest him of his beauty and glory so that his servants see who the Father is.”(Bulgarskata literatura i knizhnina prez XIII vek, p.151)
Apocryphal text "The Tiberiad Sea":
And God sent Michael to
Satan. And Michael went but was scorched
by Satan and returned to God and said ‘I did
what You sent me to do but the fire of Satan
fell unto me.’… And Michael came and struck
Satan with the sceptre and threw him down
with all his army. And they fell three days
and three nights like drops of rain. (Stara bulgarska literatura.I. Apokrifi, p.32 )
This image is used by Jonh Milton in Paradise lost. In his interpretation Messiah (Christ) is send by God instead Michael:
Paradise
Lost, Book VI. The Argument:
Raphael continues to relate how Michael and Gabriel were sent forth to battel against Satan
and his Angels. The first Fight describ’d: Satan and his Powers retire under Night: He calls a Councel, invents devilish Engines, which in the second dayes Fight put Michael and his Angels to some disorder; But, they at length pulling
up Mountains overwhelm’d both the force and Machins of Satan: Yet the Tumult not so ending, God on the third day sends Messiah his Son, for whom he had reserv’d the glory of that Victory: Hee in the Power of his Father coming to the place, and causing all his Legions to stand
still on either side, with his Chariot and Thunder driving into the midst of his Enemies, pursues them unable to resist towards the wall of eaven; which opening, they leap down with horrour and confusion into the place of punishment prepar’d for them in the Deep: Messiah returns with
triumph to his
Father.
Best wishes:
Georgi Vasilev, Ph.D., D.Litt.
Professor of European and Medieval Studies
State University of Library Studies and Information Technologies
Bulgaria, Sofia
