Biblical description of angel Raphael

There's a post on Crossed the Tiber blog about allegations by some Protestants that the Catholic bible includes books that are somehow invalid, and that they were added in the 16th century. Here's a passage from a very excellent book that refutes this misperception:

For the Old Testament, the final decision as to which books make up the complete canon, and to which books make up the complete canon, and to which no further books may be added, came only slowly through a long period of time. Nor has it been an easy question to deal with, because Protestants, Jews and Catholics disagree on what should be included. The Jewish canon, later taken over by the Protestants, contains only thirty-nine books, all written in Hebrew or Aramaic languages, and all discussed and accepted by the rabbis, the Jewish religious leaders, in the first century A.D. or shortly after. On the other hand, for the Catholic Bible, the canon contains forty-six books, seven beyond the thirty-nine in Hebrew. These forty-six books were first listed as the canon by local church councils in North Africa in the fourth century: at Hippo in 393, and at Carthage in 397 and 417 A.D. But they were not given solemn approval by the Church until the Council of Trent in April of 1546, although they had been accepted as binding practice from the time of the fourth century decisions. From the book "Reading the Old Testament" by Lawrence Boadt, 1984, Paulist Press, pp 16-17.

One of the books that is included in the Catholic bible but not the Protestant bible is the book of Tobias. From my bible here is an introduction to Tobias: This Book is named after the holy man, whose history is here recorded. Though led into captivity, he distinguished himself by his unwavering faith in God, his observance of the Law, and his heroic charity towards his neighbor. Afflicted with blindness he manifested exemplary patience and extraordinary resignation to the will of God. To reward his virtue, God sent the angel Raphael to restore his sight, for which favor he failed not to thank and glorify god. The Book records much also concerning the virtues of the younger Tobias his son, especially his respect for his parents and the holy dispositions, with which he entered upon marriage.

If you have ever been curious about what angels are really "like" do read the book of Tobias. The angel Raphael in human form accompanies the young Tobias on a quest on behalf of his father over a period of several years. It is toward the end of their journey and return to Tobias' father that Raphael identifies himself as the angel Raphael "one of the seven who stand before the Lord." This is the only book in the bible where the reader is able to "look over the shoulder" of a bona fide angel of God as he moves in human form among humankind and performs God's will. I've often thought with all the curiosity about angels, how sad it is that such a great account is left out of the Protestant bible, and is somewhat little known among Catholics too, though it's there to read. It's a wonderful family story (even the family dog has a moving encounter) and I encourage everyone to read it anew, and to share it with your children as a bible story.