Introduction
This episode turns to a set of historical and theological questions that arise from Joseph Smith’s revelations, especially those surrounding the angels named in Doctrine and Covenants 128. Among the angels Joseph lists are Michael and Gabriel, both explicitly identified by Joseph as Adam and Noah, respectively. But the third figure, Raphael, is mentioned without explanation. This absence has prompted curiosity from early Latter-day Saints to the present day: Who is Raphael, what dispensation did he preside over, and how does his role in the Restoration reflect the broader doctrine of priesthood keys repeatedly emphasized in recent General Conference teachings?
The Angels of Doctrine and Covenants 128
Doctrine and Covenants 128:21 is one of the most densely packed passages of angelology in all Restoration scripture. Joseph lists Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and “diverse angels” who came to declare “their dispensation, their keys, their rights, their honors, and their glory.” For Michael and Gabriel, Joseph would later explicitly identify them as Adam and Noah. Their identities fit naturally into the framework Joseph taught in Nauvoo, where ancient patriarchs were revealed as resurrected beings holding priesthood authority and participating in the great council of Adam–ondi–Ahman. Raphael, however, is left without an accompanying explanation, creating a genuine historical and theological puzzle.
Raphael in the Book of Tobit
While Joseph Smith never identified Raphael’s mortal identity, the name itself was not unfamiliar to him or to any Protestant reader of the early nineteenth century. The King James Bible of Joseph’s day included the Apocrypha, and within it the Book of Tobit. This narrative introduces Raphael as a heavenly messenger who appears as a mortal guide named Azarias. He accompanies Tobias on a journey, teaches him how to heal his father Tobit’s blindness using the gall of a fish, and protects him from a destructive spirit afflicting a young woman named Sarah. When the events conclude, Raphael reveals himself as one of “the seven holy angels who present the prayers of the saints.” The Raphael of Tobit is thus a healing, guiding, and protective figure. Joseph Smith, familiar with the text, would have recognized the name and its associations even if he did not identify Raphael with any specific mortal prophet.
Raphael in the Book of Enoch
Raphael also appears prominently in the ancient Jewish text known as the Book of Enoch, a work not included in Joseph Smith’s Bible but known in the wider Christian world. The Epistle of Jude appears to quote Enoch directly, showing that early Christians valued it. In Enoch, Raphael stands among the archangels who oversee humanity, restrain wicked spirits, and participate in divine judgments. He is linked to justice, protection, and the governance of spiritual powers. Yet, like Tobit, Enoch does not give Raphael a mortal identity. Raphael remains an exalted being whose stewardship predates mortality itself.
Early Latter-day Saint Speculation
Because Michael and Gabriel correspond so clearly to Adam and Noah, Latter-day Saints naturally wondered whether Raphael might also represent a great patriarch. A few Church leaders, including Elder Bruce R. McConkie, cautiously suggested the possibility that Raphael could be Enoch. The reasoning was straightforward: Enoch presided over a major dispensation, led a city into translation, and fits thematically with the other patriarchal figures connected to keys in the Restoration. Yet this theory remained only a suggestion, never a declaration of doctrine. No revelation confirming Raphael’s mortal identity has been received. Modern Latter-day Saints therefore treat such speculation with interest but not authority.
What Latter-day Saints Can Affirm with Confidence
Despite the lack of a revealed mortal identity, certain facts remain clear. Joseph Smith testified that Raphael ministered in connection with the Restoration. Raphael possessed priesthood authority or keys belonging to an ancient dispensation. His presence signifies continuity between ancient priesthood holders and the latter-day recovery of divine authority. Everything beyond this is informed but inconclusive speculation.
The Broader Doctrinal Significance: Priesthood Keys
The identity of Raphael ultimately matters less than the doctrinal pattern his appearance reinforces, a pattern emphasized repeatedly in recent General Conference messages. The Restoration required the return of priesthood keys held by ancient prophets. These keys govern the ordinances that bind on earth and in heaven, make exaltation possible, and allow temple work for the living and the dead. President Russell M. Nelson has taught that the distinguishing feature of the Church of Jesus Christ is the possession of these keys. Salvation from hell is broadly universal, but exaltation is conditional upon covenants administered only through authorized priesthood ordinances. Angels such as Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael stand as eternal witnesses that dispensations past and present are connected through authority restored to Joseph Smith.
Summary
Joseph Smith identified Michael as Adam and Gabriel as Noah, but did not reveal the mortal identity of Raphael. Ancient texts such as Tobit and Enoch portray Raphael as an angelic figure associated with healing, guidance, protection, and divine oversight, but do not give him a mortal name. Latter-day Saint leaders have occasionally suggested that Raphael could be Enoch, though this remains speculative and unofficial. What the Restoration makes certain is that Raphael ministered to Joseph Smith as a bearer of priesthood keys and that his role supports the broader doctrinal truth that exaltation depends upon covenants and ordinances administered under divine authority.
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Season 4, Episode 16 – The Angel Raphael and Other Ninja Turtles