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Faiths of Man : A Cyclopædia of Religions · 1906 · p. 563
such shrines are found weapons of stone, knives and arrows of obsidian (a material found in Asia Minor also, and used in Krete), with terra-cotta heads, masks, and beads, representing grotesque deities: or such a mysterious object as the candelero (“ candlestick ”), with rows of holes in a square stone. ' The Spaniards ruled Mexico till 1810, when revolution broke out. In 1823 a Republic was established: in 1863 the unhappy Archduke Maximilian was made emperor, and, abandoned by France, was executed in 1867. For the third time, Juarez became president, and Mexico is still a Republic, with a mixed population of some 2 million Europe ans, 4 million American Indians, and 5 million mixed tribes. Michael. The Christian soldier angel (see Dan. x, 13, 21; xii, 1). First regards the usual etymology as doubtful. [Hebrew Mi-ki-al “who is like God?” the name, if unpointed, is merely M-i-k-a-l, and may signify “he who strikes for God,”—Ep.] He is one of four angels, with Raphael (“the highne of God”), Suriel («God’s command”), and Uriel (“God's light”). He fought with Satan for the body of Moses (Jude 9), and is ever warring with the dragon (Rev. xii. 7). Moslems rank him with Israfil and Jibrail, He was the patron saint of France after St Denys failed to overcome St George (see Denys), for “ by the power of St Michael,” did Charles V, in 1425, overcome those who had seized the Abbey of St Denys in 1419, The shrines of St Michael are usually on steep rocks, as at St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall, at Mont St Michel opposite it on the French coast, and at St Malo. He is symbolised as a lion, and like St George he tramples on a serpent and dragon, being always in full armour. He was pursued asa bull to the cave of Monte Gargano, but the arrows of the pursuers flew back to the archers, who fell trembling on their knees, and after three days (early in May) the arch-angel appeared to a bishop by night, and commanded the erection of a shrine. This miracle dates about 492 to 536 a.c. As the sun in the cave is connected with autumn, so St Michael is worshiped in the end of September, when the goose is his victim at Michael-ma , The feast was appointed in 813 a.c. by the Council of Mentz, and in England by Ethelred III in 1000 a.c. From Monday till Wednesday all must then go barefoot to church, on pain of being flogged. According to the annals of Eutychius the bishop, about 900 A.c., Alexander, Patriarch of Alexandria, was unable to stop the worship of Serapis in Egypt, till he substituted that of St Michael, and induced the Egyptians to destroy their older idol. 563
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