Homily on the Archangel Michael by Timothy of Alexandria (Ḫǝdār)

1. Hail, hail, hail! A great feast for us today. O my beloved ones, let us rejoice and be glad, and let our hearts be comforted, and let us celebrate on this holy day. 2. And I have seen the great, honorable, mighty, exalted, glorious, and good, blessed, and holy Michael, the chief of the angels, who gave me a sweet word of the Holy Spirit, as David said in the Psalm: "For his angels, he commands them concerning you, that they may guard you on all your paths, and with their hands they will lift you up if you offer a sacrifice." 3. The angel of the Lord commands those who fear him and brings them out. Holy Michael, the chief of the angels! 4. Who is this angel who commands those who fear the Lord and brings out those who believe in him? Is it not holy Michael, the chief of the angels, who on this day asks for them that the Lord may forgive them? 5. And he prays to the Lord, and he sanctifies them, and purifies them, and guides them to the path of life and light. 6. Not only for the righteous, but also for sinners he asks that the Lord may forgive them. 7. And if a man gives one loaf of bread to a poor person, woe to him! For the sake of the Lord Michael, the chief of the angels, and if he gives a vessel of cold water, woe to him! For the sake of him.

And if one names him, and his birth and his offspring in his name, for Michael, woe to them, because of them, holy Michael. And for one who gives in his name to the poor, even a single loaf of bread and a cup of water, woe to him, for ever and ever. 8. And if you wish to know and to understand (1) and to hear the story of Michael, listen: I, your father Timothy, was and went up to Jerusalem to worship the glorious Cross and the tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead. 9. That is what teaches us from the sanctuary of the church and about the one who was buried within it, our Lord. 10. And I entered the house of Mary, the mother of John the Evangelist, the companion; I looked and found a holy book that John the Evangelist, the companion, wrote, and it says, the speech of his book, this is what helps us and strengthens us. 11. And I found what gladdens me, as John the Evangelist and martyr said, and he said: When I entered, while I was in the time of the going of the Lord, and he showed me all the wonders that are within our miracles, many, and he made me ascend and took me and said to me: See, woe to me, the great marvel, very much.

12. And this judgment extends from the lower abyss. And I heard a great noise, like the sound of many waters. And the angel who goes with me said to me, “Tell me, my Lord, what is this deed that I see? I am one who ascends from it, a great smoke that ascends above three hundred from the million that is the side of fire, which they do not reach in three hundred days.” 13. Again, lions of fire and bears of fire come forth from Ḥǝnfuy, which is the land of judgment, and from Ḥǝnsit, which is the place of torment, and from Ḥǝrankos, which is Barbaros. And there are those who do not cool the fire and do not sleep the plants. 14. And myriads upon myriads and thousands upon thousands of sinful souls do not come forth from it, and they do not ascend above the earth, and they descend into the lower part of the abyss of judgment. 15. And the angel who goes with me said to me, “O John, my beloved and beloved of God, see the great judgment that terrifies more than all judgment.” 16. And woe to them, to all the sinners who are cast into this judgment. 17. And this is more severe than all the judgment I have seen, and its breadth is the measure of the whole earth, and its depths are like this. And I will tell you, nothing evil comes forth from it. 18. And I saw above the sinners a heavy and severe punishment of torment that descends, and it is upon those who dwell in it.

19. And the sound of the wrath of God descends upon them, beneath the depths of its abysses, to the measure of three hundred days, while man descends and does not ascend. And all the sinners are bound, their hands and their feet within it, and the path of all sinners is toward it. 20. And I, John, when I saw what would happen to these, I wept a great weeping on account of the judgment of the sinners. 21. And that angel said to me, “O John, beloved of God, do not weep on account of this, for you have today to see the joy from the holy Michael, the chief of the angels, who is enthroned above heaven, his greatness and his glory.” 22. And while he was speaking to me thus, the holy Michael, the chief of the angels, came from heaven where he is enthroned; upon his head a crown of glory, and before him the holy angels and the righteous praise him, and the prophets and apostles, bishops and archbishops, and all the martyrs walk with him, and they wear garments of glory which cannot be gazed upon. 23. And in their hands they hold branches of olive and palm and the wood of the cross, praising and reading before him until he descends to the men of judgment. 24. And when the holy Michael, the chief of the angels, descended and entered within it, the fire and flame that fill it were extinguished, and all the wild beasts that were within the judgment were tamed. And this I saw at that hour.

25. And then the holy, honored, exalted, and glorious chief of the angels, Michael, Michael, let down his right wing into the abyss of judgment and brought out from there those who have no number, filled from the tip of his right wing, and brought them up above the earth from the judgment of the holy, honored, and praiseworthy chief of the angels, Michael. 26. And he filled twelve thousand of that Garden, the city of Edom. 27. And again the holy Michael, chief of the angels, let down his left wing, mighty, and brought out more than the first. 28. And the Seraphim and Cherubim, fiery ones and righteous ones, who were in the mountains, deserts, and wilderness, who came with him from heaven for the angel, asked him to let down the third wing, which is filled with the mercy of God, upon them. 29. And he brought out a third, which has no number, and there is no one who can count them except the holy, honored, and beloved chief of the angels, Michael, and he asked for mercy for the children of men from God, King of kings and Lord of lords, who dwells upon the Cherubim and Seraphim and upon the four living creatures, filled with eyes. 30. And there is no measure for those who came out from the glorious judgment and from bitter Sheol, the place of suffering and sorrow, and the angels took the righteous and washed them with the water of life, the cleanser of sins, and the eraser of faults and transgressions, and anointed them with holy oil in joy and gladness, and brought them to the holy, blessed, praiseworthy, and glorious Michael, chief of the angels, the zealous one.

31. And then the holy Michael, the chief of the angels, lifted them up and brought them before the Lord of all, and he arrayed the heavenly hosts, and they bowed down to him and gave thanks to him who had saved them through the prayer of the holy Michael, the chief of the angels. 32. And a voice came forth on that day and at that hour from the throne of the Father, saying, "Through the prayer and supplication of the holy Michael, the angel of my counsel, and on account of the holy virgin Mary, my mother, on account of my righteous ones, and on account of all the holy martyrs, together with those who have done the will of my Father, those who were sinners upon the earth shall be saved and shall dwell in eternal life." 33. And then the holy Michael, the chief of the angels, lifted them up and brought them into paradise. 34. And I, John, when I saw all this matter as it came forth from the throne of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, rejoiced on account of the mercy of the Lord; I marvelled and gave thanks to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit on account of the mercy of the holy Michael, the chief of the angels. 35. And that angel said to me, "Know, O John, beloved of God, that today, the day of the feast of the holy Michael, the chief of the angels, is the twelfth of the month of Senē, his first feast, and the twelfth of the month of Ḫǝdār, his second feast.

96. And on that day the Lord of all, who is in heaven, named him because of his humility and his patience, and because he had overcome Satan, the enemy of good, who had rebelled against his Lord. After 42–43. 101. And you who read and interpret, do the work, and do not omit a single letter from the recitation, as if you were to remove one from these names. 102. Read with patience and calmness, so that not a single word of this is omitted, until the hagiography and the homily are read; the holy angels and the righteous stand there on the day of their commemoration and their feast. 103. And when their hagiography and their homily are read, if a word is omitted by the reader, the holy angels, the righteous, the martyrs, the prophets, the apostles, the virgins, and the perfect monks weep because of the one word that was omitted. 104. Do not leave the reader when the reading is finished, for the saints do not depart until their hagiography and their homily are completed, as it is written in the hagiography of Abba Sinoda and in the Eye of Jeremiah the prophet, who dripped tears while reading over one who says this: the reader, when a single word is omitted from his words and from his narrative. 105. And likewise, Ezekiel and Melchias stood much when the reader slept. 106. And you, readers, read with fear and with humility of heart; and if you do not know how to read the books, summon one who knows how to read.

107. And pray for me and for the one who wrote it and caused it to be written, and for the one who read it and translated it, and for the one who heard his words, this book; may the Lord forgive us all together. Prayer against Satan and other enemies. 108. By the prayer of our Lady Mary, the Mother of God, and by the prayer of Saint Michael, the chief of the angels, and by the intercession of Saint Gabriel, the herald of joy and gladness, and by the prayers of the twenty-four priests of heaven, and by the intercession of the four living creatures, and by the prayers of the saints and martyrs and the good spiritual angels, may He have mercy on us and be gracious to all of us, the children of baptism, and may He save us from the snares of Satan. 109. May the blessing of the prayer and the gift of the help of Saint Michael be with us forever and ever. Amen. 110. Ekos Asle Epa Epas Enakemkam Eboka Kirom Lekaf Fe Loke Warnake Gua Absola Asbek Abesaku Ame Awts Eka Epe Kab Reu Arhili Ayon Yabsat Tse. 111. For the one who believes in the prayer and intercession of Saint Michael, the chief of the angels, through the humility and supplication of our Lady Mary, the Mother of God, may He save us and her Son forever and ever.

112. Akaʿ, Kəsbəʾel, Beqa, Ṣeqa, Seqā, ʾAlfa, waʿo, Beṭa, Yawṭa, Yod, ʾAḥyā, Šarāhyāʾel, Šāday, Ṣabāʿot, ʾAdonay, ʿAmmānūʾel, ʾəlmaknun, and these names which our Lord Jesus Christ wrote upon the wings of the holy Michael, the head of the angels. And by these names the devil fell with his armies, having been defeated, the darkness of night likewise; may they cast down my enemies and adversaries for ever and ever. Amen. 114. O my Lord Jesus Christ, living Son of God and incarnate Son of Mary, by this word guard our soul and our body from the abyss, by the intercession of your holy body and your precious blood. 115. By Michael and Gabriel, and by Sərafel and Kərubel, by ʾAfnin and Saqūʾel, by ʿUrāʾel and Rufāʾel and Fānūʾel, and by the prophets and apostles, and by the righteous and martyrs, those whose names are invoked and those whose names are not invoked, may the Lord have mercy on us together. 116. By the covenant of Michael, the angel of your counsel, and Gabriel, the announcer of the incarnation of your Son, forgive my sins and the sins of all your people. 117. For you are the Lord of the living and the dead, for ever and ever. Amen and amen. Let it be, let it be.

118. In the name of God, Trinity, from whom there is no cessation for eternity, who brought forth and for every creature its creator, for the sky without pillar its supporter, and for the earth above the abyss its stabilizer, for the sun and the moon which he created so that they might give light, and for the clouds which he created each in its own function. 119. For it is he who spoke and they came to be, and it is he who commanded and they were created. And he established them for the world and for eternity, a command and he gave them, and they do not pass away. 120. In each its time and in each its season, so that they might be rulers by day and by night, according to the ordinance he himself established from among angels and men, full of his praise which does not cease and which cannot be diminished, the abundance of his sanctity. 121. His praise from him and his glorification from him, the darkness of barbarians which does not cover from his light, and the depth of the seas which he measures with his hand while he is in the heights of the firmament, which cannot be told by the tongue of man, his glorification, and his likeness cannot be depicted, which is hidden from man, the fire of his divinity, and from his creation which cannot be for a herald to tell the beginning of his existence, and which cannot be forgotten from the heart of man and from the thought of angels, the depth of his wisdom. 122. To him is glory, praise, and honor for the abundance of his divinity for eternity, Amen.

123. Let us begin with the help of God Most High, through the writing of his miracles and his power, for the glorious image Michael, the commander of the host of the angels, the vigilant ones who are exalted in the fire of the burning furnace of his glory and his majesty. May he save us from the evil time, as he has immersed us in the sea of sin, a ford for all of us, the children of baptism, for ever and ever, amen. 124. The great one is God, glorious and exceedingly high above all creation, whom the mind of man cannot comprehend, and the eyes cannot endure the sight of the creator of all that has a soul, by the word of wisdom. 125. As David said in the Psalm: Great is God and abundant is his praise. And again he said: Great is God and great is his power, and there is no end to his wisdom. And again David said: Exceedingly great is your work, O Lord, and you have done all things with wisdom. 126. And again he said: He who gives spirit to his angels and fire to those who serve him. 127. Further, he said: The angel of God appears to those who fear him and saves them. 128. He who has done all things and created all things, God, the God of the mighty, who is clothed in light as a garment, king from before the world. 129. Great and wondrous is the skill of his wisdom, who created the angels from fire and wind, one that is not seen and one that is not touched, as they serve him and praise his holy name at all times, now and always, and for ever and ever, amen.

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God. This is the homily which Abba Timothy, Archbishop of Alexandria, composed, which is read on the day of the feast of the great, glorious, and holy commander of the angels, Michael, on the tenth and the second of the month of Ḫǝdār. It reveals the power, the miracle, and the glory which the Lord gave him above all the holy angels. May his prayer and blessing be with us forever and ever. Amen. Aulogoson, aulogoson, aulogoson. Great is the feast for us today, O my beloved ones, that we may rejoice and be glad, and our heart may be delighted, and we may celebrate on this holy day. And I have seen the great, glorious, mighty, exalted, noble, good, blessed, and holy Michael, the commander of the angels. He gave me a sweet word of the Holy Spirit, as David said in the Psalm: "For to his angels he gives command concerning you, that they may guard you on all your paths and raise you up with their hands, if you offer a sacrifice.

All of them, for your wisdom, and again David said, "Great is your work, O Lord, and you have done everything with wisdom." And again he said, "He who gives his spirit to his angels, and to those who serve him, a flame of fire." Again he said, "The angel of the Lord will be merciful, driving away those who fear him and saving them." He who created everything and fashioned everything, the Lord God of the mighty, who is clothed with light as with a garment, who from before the world was king. Great is he, and marvelous is the skill of his wisdom, exceedingly. He who created the angels from fire and wind, one invisible and one intangible, so that they might serve him and praise his holy name at all times, now and forever, for eternity. Amen. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God.

Homily and Discourse of the Holy Abba Timothy, Archbishop of Alexandria, to be read on the Feast of the Holy Michael, Chief of the Angels, on the 12th of Ḫǝdār. Arfatael, Azzatael, Ḥǝznanael, Mirmel, the name of God, Jesus Christ, the First Word, Son of God, Living One, and Son of Mary, the Incarnate One, who removes from us the power of the demons, who subdues the forces of the unclean spirits, and who shows us God, the great glory which He gave to the Holy Michael from among all the holy angels. May the blessing of his help be with his servant forever. Amen. And do not cast [us] into an evil pit, that we may not become a snare for the destruction of those who have no faith and are not baptized. But I entrust [this] through the faith of the Angel of Mercy, Light. O Holy Michael, Chief of the Angels, be without affliction of body and soul for the scribe of this homily and for the one who caused it to be written. Amen and amen, may it be for you.