Spiritual Advice and Guidance Blog: Urantia Book: I am reading Part IV of The Urantia Book. Can you tell me why Jesus is called Michael?

Q; I am reading Part IV of The Urantia Book. Can you tell me why Jesus is called Michael? When I try to tell my Catholic family about Jesus' life & teaching, they are skeptical about the name Michael.

A: Parts I-III of The Urantia Book cover your question in detail, Papers 21 and 33 specifically; also Papers 119 and 120 just prior to the "Times of Michaels's Bestowal" Paper will help you understand these concepts. You can read these Papers on-line beginning here (Paper 21; Paper 33; Paper 119; Paper 120) and can listen to them as you read along from our site.

Jesus had existed as a person for countless ages before being born here but we haven't been given his prior name, Jesus being the English form of the name Joseph and Mary gave their baby. Variations of the name Jesus are what we know him by here on Earth. Michael is not his name, it is a title for an order of celestial beings as it has been coined in the English language. The name Michael is attributed to an archangel in the Bible but that's due to a confusion of the personalities involved.

Perhaps you'd have better success with your family by not discussing Michael and concentrating instead on the similarities between what youâ€™re reading and what your family already knows about Jesus. You'll find out as you go along that it's not just the term Michael that will be a challenge for your family to accept from you. We've all experienced the challenge youâ€™re encountering â€” we want to share the marvelous information we're absorbing but those closest to us either arenâ€™t interested or they think weâ€™re somewhat disturbed...!

Best of luck, and thank you for writing.

Labels: Christ Michael, Jesus, The Urantia Book