"The healer of God. He founded the hospitals of the world. He is aware of every type of medical need necessary to aid someone. A powerful healer as he is a warrior."
Raphael, whose name means "God Heals" or "One that heals.", is one of the True Archangels, the highest ranking angels in all of Heaven itself. Not all branches of these religions consider the identification of Raphael to be canonical.
Biography
Saint Raphael is accounted patron of travelers, the blind, happy meetings, lovers, nurses, physicians, medical workers, matchmakers, Christian marriage, and Catholic studies. He is said to be the guardian of the Tree of Life, opposite the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden. He also expounds to Adam the War in Heaven in which Lucifer and the demons fell, and the creation of the Earth.
Raphael first appears disguised in human form as the travelling companion of Tobit's son Tobiah, calling himself "Azarias the son of the great Ananias". During the adventurous course of the journey the archangel's protective influence is shown in many ways including the binding of the demon in the desert of upper Egypt. After the return and the healing of the blindness of Tobit, Azarias makes himself known as "the angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord".
Regarding the healing powers attributed to Raphael, He has a declaration to Tobit as he was sent by the Lord to heal him of his blindness and to deliver Sarah, his daughter-in-law, from the demon of lust and his arch-enemy, Asmodeus, who abducts and kills every man she marries on their wedding night before the marriage can be consummated.
In Christianity, Raphael is generally associated with an unnamed angel mentioned in the Gospel of John, who stirs the water at the healing pool of Bethesda. Raphael is recognized as an angel in the doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, as he is briefly mentioned in the Doctrine and Covenants. Raphael is mentioned in the Book of Tobit, which is accepted as canonical by Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and some Anglicans.
Most of Raphael's exploits take place in the Apocrypha, where he has roles as imprisoner of Azazel, an angel that gets exiled from Heaven for having sex with human females, and guide of Sheol, the Hebrew underworld. Although Raphael is not named in the Bible, theologians believe he was the archangel who healed the infirm at the Bethesda pond described in the Gospels. He is also thought to be one of the three angels who visited the patriarch Abraham and his wife, Sarah, to help with their conception; as well as the angel who healed Abraham’s grandson Jacob’s wrestling injuries and who gave King Solomon his magical ring.
Raphael is the angel responsible for signaling the coming of Judgment Day by blowing the trumpet (namely Sûr) and sending out a "Blast of Truth". According to tradition, the trumpet will be blown two times. The first blow of the trumpet will signal the beginning of Last Day and the second blow will signal the time when all the souls will be gathered for the Last Judgement.
Raphael can be described as serene and apathetic towards others. While aggressive in battle, he is calm when not and has a cool gaze constantly. He generally acts indifferent to most situations he is faced with, and rarely views his opponent as worth his time. However, he has a great sense of duty and honor, and rarely shows signs of panic or distress. He also, despite his seemingly cold exterior, cares for and loves his family deeply. In fact, Raphael was completely different before the War in Heaven in that he was more affectionate, care-free, and gentle. Raphael's relationship with humans, similarly to Michael, is slightly complicated. He does not hate them like Lucifer but does view them as inferior nonetheless, however, this does not mean he is indifferent towards their suffering and will answer their prayers. He will even go so far as to help heal one that is not human such as when he healed Derous after the dragon was at death's door from using the Dragon Install to its fullest potential.
The only time when Raphael loses his cool is when faced with Lucifer. He deeply despises most demons, and hates his brother for the torment he put him and his family through during and after the war. He becomes visibly enraged at the mere words that Lucifer spits and will immediately attack without a second thought. After the invasion of the Grigori along with the Great Evil Beast's release and Pralaya's defeat, Raphael eventually forgave Lucifer and the two brothers reconciled once more.
Even though he is a gifted healer, Raphael is a powerful warrior, nearly equaling Lucifer and Michael in terms of brute strength and power. While being a mighty warrior, Raphael is highly proficient in conventional healing techniques and herbal healing. His knowledge of anatomy is great enough that upon examination of Lucifer's "dead body", he concluded it was not Lucifer or even real.
When Raphael heals a condition, often the cure manifests instantly. When being healed, people feel a gentle buzzing energy as Raphael is healing them; or they see green lights. But for others, Raphael’s healing is very subtle. Raphael can help one reduce or eliminate pain stemming from short-term and chronic conditions. However this is only a result of one asking for his help. In this way, they signal their permission for him to intervene.
Though he is not depicted as a lover of another being, Raphael is in the Lovers Tarot set due to his appearance in the Lovers Tarot Card, and his status of the patron Saint of lovers due to his involvement of uniting Sarah & Tobias in the Book of Tobit and his relationship with Asmodeus.