MICHAEL’S MIRACLE

Saint Michael is the greatest of the angels. The Orthodox Church has two major holidays in his honor. The first, in November, is dedicated to the heavenly ministry of angels. The second, in September, is a thanksgiving for all the miracles performed by Michael in the history of the Church. In Orthodox vocabulary, Michael is called both angel and archangel. For added solemnity, he is also called the Archistrategos - leader of the heavenly angelic forces. This is a direct reference to the Book of Revelation, which tells how “war broke out in heaven” (Revelation 12:7). How can we not remember here the poet and singer Viktor Tsoi, who sang that “war rages between earth and heaven”? The feast of the Miracle of Archangel Michael is the ecclesial expression of gratitude for the Archangel’s help in the earthly life of the human race.

1 On September 19, the Church commemorates the miracle of Archangel Michael at Colossae. This miracle took place around the ancient city of Hierapolis, in the historical region of Phrygia, near the modern Turkish thermal resort of Pamukkale. This celebration in honor of Saint Michael is not just some “half-forgotten holiday,” but a special day in the church calendar. The famous Chudov Monastery in the Moscow Kremlin, “of the Miracle” which unfortunately did not survive to the present day but played a huge role in Russian history, was dedicated to this feast

2 Once upon a time, there was an ancient Christian temple dedicated to Archangel Michael in the vicinity of Hierapolis, built as a vow of gratitude for healing. Pagans, and Phrygia had long been a place of all kinds of cults, including particularly fanatical ones, tried to destroy the shrine and to kill the ministrant who served there, named Archippus, who led an extremely pious life and had acquired the grace of miracle working. After several unsuccessful attempts, through outright violence and vandalism, the pagans redirected the flow of two rivers. But Archangel Michael, in a supernatural vision, struck a hole in the rock with his staff, into which the stream rushed. Another name for this day, “Miracle in Chonai,” refers to the crevice formed by the Angel’s blow. Chonai literally translates from Greek as funnel, crack, or plunging. This event is so important that quite a few Orthodox chapels and churches are dedicated to it. The memory of Saint Archippus, through whose prayers God revealed this sign, is also celebrated on this day. This historical narrative became the basis for the holiday and its name. This is how it is designated in the liturgical calendar.

3 However, its theological meaning is much broader and very important. The fact is that this holiday has a twin holiday. This is the Synaxis of the Heavenly Powers, celebrated in November. In the church calendar, the year begins in September, and November is the third month. The holiday falls on November 21. However, since the Julian calendar is thirteen days behind the Gregorian calendar, it is November 8 in the church calendar. Eight it is a symbol of eternity, biblically designated as the “Eighth Day.” The number three recalls the glory of the Holy Trinity and the threefold “Holy, holy, holy” sung by the Angels. Thus, the date of the celebration of the Synaxis of Heavenly Powers was not chosen by chance. According to Scripture, the angelic forces constantly glorify God before His eternal throne. Their main purpose is to glorify the Holy Trinity. If the November holiday glorifies God for the service of the Angels of the Divine Throne, then the commemoration of the Miracle of Archangel Michael at Colossae is dedicated not to a single event, but to all the earthly help and miracles of the Angel “in time,” in church and secular history.

4 Thus, the prominent nineteenth-century theologian and historian Archbishop Filaret of Chernigov (1805–1866), who was recently canonized by the Russian Church, mentions three “additional” miracles of St. Michael. Two of them took place in Italy, and the third on Mount Athos. In 493, the Archangel indicated the site for the construction of a church near the city of Siponto in Apulia, Italy. The church soon became famous for healing the sick. In 630, the same Archangel not only helped repel the invasion of the Lombards in Siponto, but also, by instilling biblical fear in them, contributed to their conversion to Orthodox Christianity. Another miraculous intervention by St. Michael took place near Mount Athos. Some villains wanted to drown a young man to seize his treasures, but the Archangel did not allow this to happen. A little earlier, in 590, during the plague, Pope Gregory the Great witnessed the appearance of Michael at the top of Hadrian’s Mausoleum. The angel sheathed his sword. The epidemic has stopped. The place of the Archangel’s appearance is the famous Castle of St. Angel in Rome. For this reason, the Mausoleum was given a new name in honor of the Angel. The feast of St. Michael in September brings together various reasons to thanksgiving.