The archangel Barachiel has many names, such as Saint Barachiel,
Barkiel, Barbiel, Baraqiel, or Barchiel. In ancient Hebrew the
angel's name translates to mean "The Blessings of God". The
angel is heavily honored and recognized by the Eastern Orthodox
church, and partially recognized in Catholicism. The angel's
origins can be traced back to the Third Book of Enoch which is
an Old Testament Apocryphal, where he is claimed to be a prince
amongst angels, and having hundreds of thousands of angelic
subordinates. In this same book he is included within four of
the Seraphim class of angels, and ruler over the second level of
heaven and order of confessors. Barachiel is also mentioned by
name in the Almadel of Solomon, where again he is described as
being an angelic prince of the first and fourth chora. In this
later book, he is briefly mentioned as being the angel who has
complete dominion over the earth's lightening, or thunder bolts.
There has been much academic debate within Christian theological
institutes, as