Phanuel is one of the four named presences in 1 Enoch 40. The passage associates him with repentance and the hope of those who inherit eternal life. His role belongs to this specific Enochic vision; it should not be treated as a universal list of four archangels.
The four presences in Enoch’s vision
In 1 Enoch 40:1–9, Enoch sees a vast heavenly multitude and four presences on the sides of the Lord of Spirits. Their voices praise and intercede. The fourth voice also keeps accusers from approaching to accuse the people of the earth.
Enoch asks his angelic guide to identify them. The answer names Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, and Phanuel, with distinct descriptions of their work. Phanuel’s description concerns repentance and hope, rather than a task supplied by a modern catalogue.
Phanuel and Uriel
Not every list in 1 Enoch has the same membership or purpose. Chapter 20 names a group of holy angels that includes Uriel, Raphael, Raguel, Michael, Saraqael, Gabriel, and Remiel in Charles’s translation.
The existence of these different lists is a reason to identify the passage, not a reason to assume that Phanuel must be another spelling of Uriel. They appear under different names in the cited texts.
The human Phanuel in Luke
Luke 2:36 calls the prophetess Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. That reference identifies her human father. A shared name does not make him the angel in Enoch’s vision.
The clearest short description of the angel therefore remains the source-based one: Phanuel is the fourth named presence in 1 Enoch 40, associated with repentance and hope.
Explore related entries
Continue with Uriel, Raphael, the A–Z angel name index, or our guide to sources and traditions.