Quis ut Deus?

Statue of Archangel Michael slaying Satan represented as a dragon. Quis ut Deus is inscribed on his shield. Main entrance, University of Bonn, Germany.

Quis ut Deus?, a Latin sentence meaning "Who [is] like God?", is a literal translation of the name Michael (Hebrew: מִיכָאֵל‎‎, transliterated Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl).

"Michael" appears as the name of several men in the Old Testament.[1] In the Book of Daniel it is the name of the "prince" of the people of Israel.[2] In the New Testament the name is given to an archangel in the Epistle of Jude 1:9 and, in the Book of Revelation 12:7, to the leader of angels who defeat "the dragon" and his fallen angels, a dragon identified in Revelation 12:9 as "that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world".

The sentence Quis ut Deus? is particularly associated with Archangel Michael.[3][4] In art St. Michael is often represented as an angelic warrior, fully armed with helmet, sword, and shield, as he overcomes Satan, sometimes represented as a dragon and sometimes as a man-like figure. The shield at times bears the inscription: Quis ut Deus,[5] the translation of the archangel's name, but capable also of being seen as his rhetorical and scornful question to Satan.[6]

The Scapular of St. Michael the Archangel also bears this phrase.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Numbers 13:13, 1 Chronicles 5:13-14, 6:40, 7:3, 8:16, 12:20, 27:18, 2 Chronicles 21:2, Ezra 8:8
  2. ↑ Daniel 10:13, 10:21, 12:1
  3. ↑ John Elven, 1854, The book of family crests Henry Washbourne Publisher, page 112
  4. ↑ Ann Ball, 2003 Encyclopedia of Catholic Devotions and Practices ISBN 0-87973-910-X page 520
  5. ↑ Catholic Encyclopedia
  6. ↑ Studies in Revelation by Hampton J. Keathley, 3rd, J. Hampton Keathley III 1997 Biblical Studies Press ISBN 0-7375-0008-5 page 209
  7. ↑ John F. Sullivan, 2009 The Externals of the Catholic Church ISBN 1-113-71408-5 page 202

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