Fallen angel

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In Abrahamic religions fallen angels are angels who were expelled from Heaven. The term "fallen angel" neither appears in the Bible nor in other Abrahamic scriptures, but is used of angels who were cast out of heaven or angels who sinned.

The idea of fallen angels derived from Jewish Enochic pseudepigraphy or the assumption that the "sons of God" (??? ???????) mentioned in Genesis 6:1-4 are angels. Some scholars consider it most likely that the Jewish tradition of fallen angels predates, even in written form, the composition of Gen 6:1-4. In the period immediately preceding the composition of the New Testament, some sects of Judaism, alike many Church Fathers, identified the "sons of God" (??? ???????) of Genesis 6:1-4 as fallen angels. The presence of these traditions, not only in the East but also in the Latin-speaking West, is attested by the polemic of Augustine of Hippo (354-430) against the motif of giants born of the union between fallen angels and human women. Rabbinic Judaism and Christian authorities after the third century onwards, rejected the Enochian writings and the illicit union between angels and women begetting the Nephilim. But while Christianity adhered to the concept of fallen angels, Christianity shifted the origin of their sin towards the beginning of history. Accordingly, fallen angels were merely angels who were led by Satan in rebellion against God and became equalized with demons.

Islam also incorperates the concept of fallen angels. However, alike Rabbinic Judaism, some Islamic scholars rejected the concept of fallen angels, emphasizing the piety of angels by citing certain verses of the Quran. Hasan of Basra not only emphasized verses which speak for absolute obedience of angels, but also reinterpreted verses against this view. Accordingly, he read the term malaikah (angels) in reference to Harut and Marut in 2:102 as malikayn (kings), depicting them as ordinary men and not as angels.

Mention of angels who physically descended (and figuratively "fell") to Mount Hermon is found in the Book of Enoch, which the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church accept as biblical canon; as well as in various pseudepigrapha.

Video Fallen angel

Second Temple period

The concept of fallen angels is mostly found the Book of Enoch, verses 6-9; the Qumran Book of Giants; and perhaps in Genesis 6:1-4. The reference to heavenly beings called "Watchers" originates in Daniel 4, in which there are three mentions, twice in the singular (v. 13, 23), once in the plural (v. 17), of "watchers, holy ones". The Ancient Greek word for watchers is ????????? (egr?goroi, plural of egr?goros), literally translated as "wakeful". In the Book of Enoch these Watchers "fell" after they became "enamored" with human women. The Second Book of Enoch (Slavonic Enoch) refers to the same beings of the (First) Book of Enoch, but in the Greek transcription as Grigori. A number of apocryphal works, including 1 Enoch (10.4), link the fall of angels transgression with the Great Deluge.

1 Enoch

According to 1 Enoch 7.2 the Watchers "enamoured" with human women and had intercourse with them. The offspring of these unions, and the knowledge they were given, corrupted human beings and the earth 1 Enoch 10.11-12. Eminent among these angels are Shemyaza their leader and Azazel. Like many other fallen angels mentioned in 1 Enoch 8.1-9, Azazel introduced men into forbidden arts, but it is Azazel who is rebuked by Enoch himself for illicit instructions as stated in 1 Enoch 13.1. According to 1 Enoch 10.6 God sent the archangel Raphael to chain Azazel in the desert Dudael as punishment. Further Azazel is blamed for the corruption of earth:

1 Enoch 10:12: "All the earth has been corrupted by the effects of the teaching of Azazyel. To him therefore ascribe the whole crime."

Treating theological issues such as the origin of evil as something supernatural, by shifting the sinfullness of mankind and their misdeeds to illicit angel instruction, is an unique motif found in the Book of Enoch and not found in later Jewish- and Christian theology.

2 Enoch

The concept of fallen angels is also found in the Second Book of Enoch.

2 Enoch 29:3 "Here Satanail was hurled from the height together with his angels"--a probable Christian interpolation according to Charlesworth's Old Testament Pseudepigrapha

The text refers to "the Grigori, who with their prince Satanail rejected the Lord of light". The Grigori are identified with the Watchers of 1 Enoch. The Grigori who "went down on to earth from the Lord's throne", married women and "befouled the earth with their deeds", resulting in confinement under earth (2 Enoch 18:1-7) In the longer recension of 2 Enoch, chapter 29 refers to angels who were "thrown out from the height" when their leader tried to become equal in rank with the Lord's power (2 Enoch 29:1-4).

Most sources quote 2 Enoch as stating that those who descended to earth were three, but Andrei A. Orlov, while quoting 2 Enoch as saying that three went down to the earth, remarks in a footnote that some manuscripts put them at 200 or even 200 myriads. In The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha: Apocalypic Literature and Testaments edited by James H. Charlesworth, manuscript J--taken as the best representative of the longer recension--has "and three of them descended" (p. 130); while manuscript A--taken as the best representative of the shorter recension--has "and they descended", which might indicate that all the Grigori descended, or 200 princes of them, or 200 princes and 200 followers, since it follows the phrase that "[t]hese are the Grigori, 200 princes of whom turned aside, 200 walking in their train" (p. 131).

Chapter 29, referring to the second day of creation (before the creation of human beings), says that "one from out the order of angels" or, according to other versions of 2 Enoch, "one of the order of archangels" or "one of the ranks of the archangels" "conceived an impossible thought, to place his throne higher than the clouds above the earth, that he might become equal in rank to [the Lord's] power. And [the Lord] threw him out from the height with his angels, and he was flying in the air continuously above the bottomless." In this chapter, the name "Satanail" is mentioned only in a heading added in a single manuscript, the GIM khlyudov manuscript, which is a representative of the longer recension and was used in the English translation by R. H. Charles.

3 Enoch

3 Enoch mentions only three fallen angels called Azazel, Azza and Uzza. Similar to The first Book of Enoch, they taught sorcery on earth and caused corruption theirin. Unlike the first Book of Enoch, there is no mention of the reason for their fall and, according to 3 Enoch 4.6, they also later appear in heaven objecting the presence of Enoch.

Jubilees

The Book of Jubilees refers to the fall of angels in the Book of Enoch in 1 Jubilees 5.1. However the Book of Jubilees lesser relies on the sin of angels. Actually, the angelic instruction is perceived as good and ordered by God. The angels just transgressed their laws after they multiplied with human women. Like prior in 1 Enoch, the wicked offspring of the fallen angels die by the Great Flood. However the in 1 Jubilees 10.1 introduces another figure called Mastema. Accordingly, Mastema requests God to spare some of the demonic offspring to seduce humankind after the Great Flood. God grants the request and Mastema becomes their leader.

Maps Fallen angel

Rabbinic Judaism

Although the concept of fallen angels developed from early Judaism during the Second Temple period, rabbis from the second century onwards, turned against the Enochian writings, probably as an reaction to prevent fellow Jew from worship and veneration of angels, but also to belittle the angels as a class and emphazising the omnipresence of God. The rabbi Simeon b. Yohai cursed everyone who explained the Sons of God as angels. He states, Sons of God were actually sons of judges or sons of nobles. Evil was no longer attributed to heavenly forces, now it was dealt as an "evil inclination" (yetzer hara) within humans. However in some rabbinic writings, the "evil inclination" is attributed to Samael, who is in charge of several accuser angels, but still subordinative to God.

Kabbalah

Although not fallen, evil angels, such as Samael, who also appeared in reference to the Enochian fallen angels, reappear in Kabbalah. Accordingly, just like angels can be created by virtue, evil angels are formed by harboring evil thoughts or committing acts of wickedness.

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Christianity

Bible

Origen and other Christian writers linked the fallen morning star of Isaiah 14:12 to Jesus' statement in Luke 10:18 that "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven" and to the mention of a fall of Satan in Revelation 12:8-9. In Latin-speaking Christianity, the Latin word "lucifer" as employed in the late 4th-century AD Vulgate to translate ????, gave rise to the name "Lucifer" for the person believed to be referred to in the text. The Book of Revelation tells of "that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world", being thrown down to the Earth together with his angels. further speaks of Satan as a great red dragon whose "tail swept a third part of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth". In verses 7-9, Satan is defeated in the War in Heaven against Michael and his angels: "the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world--he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him". Satan is often seen as the leader of the fallen angels. Both 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 1:6 refer to angels who have sinned against God and await punishment on Judgement Day.

Indeed, Christian tradition has applied to Satan not only the image of the morning star in Isaiah 14:12, but also the denouncing in Ezekiel 28:11-19 of the king of Tyre, who is spoken of as having been a "cherub". Rabbinic literature saw these two passages as in some ways parallel, even if it perhaps did not associate them with Satan, and the episode of the fall of Satan appears not only in writings of the early Church Fathers and in apocryphal and pseudepigraphic works, but also in rabbinic sources. However, "no modern evangelical commentary on Isaiah or Ezekiel sees Isaiah 14 or Ezekiel 28 as providing information about the fall of Satan".

Early Christianity

During the period immediately before the rise of Christianity, the intercourse between these Watchers and human women was often seen as the first fall of the angels.

Christianity stuck to the Enochian writings at least until the third century. Many Church Fathers such as Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria and Lactantius accepted the application of the angelic descent myth to the "sons of God" passage in Genesis 6:1-4. However some ascetics, such as Origen, already rejected them. These angels were guilty of having transgressed the limits of their nature and of desiring to leave their heavenly abode to experience sensual experiences. Irenaeus referred to fallen angels as apostates, who will be punished by an everlasting fire. Justin Martyr writes:

The wicked angels who will share in Satan's fate are the angels who sinned with the women before the Flood, who, far from being locked away to do further mischief, are on other than the troublesome Principalities and Powers of the Deutero-Pauline apistles and-believe it or not- are also the Gods of the Pagans.

Accordingly, pagan deities were regarded as fallen angels or their demonic offspring in disguise. Justin also hold them responsible for Christian persecution during the first centuries. Tertullian and Origen referred to fallen angels also as teachers of Astrology.

The Fall of Lucifer probably finds its earliest identification with a fallen angel in Origen, based on an interpretation of Isaiah 14:1-17, which describes a king of Babylon as the fallen "morning star" (in Hebrew, ?????). This description was interpreted typologically as an angel in addition to its literal application to a human king: the image of the fallen morning star or angel was thereby applied to Satan in both in Jewish pseudepigrapha and by early Christian writers, following the transfer of Lucifer to Satan in the pre-Christian century.

Catholicism

By the third century onwards, Christians begun to reject the Enochian literature. The sons of God became identified with merely righteous men, more precisely descendants of Seth who had been seduced by women descended from Cain. The cause of evil was shifted from superior powers to humans themselves to the very beginning of history; the expulsion of Satan and his angels on the one hand and the original sin of humans on the other hand. However the Book of Watchers prevailed among Syriac Christians. Augustine of Hippo, whose writings became the major opinion of Western demonology and Medieval Church, rejected the Enochian writings and stated the sole origin of fallen angels was the rebellion of Satan. As a result, fallen angels became equalized with demons; depicted as incorperal entities. They are not guily of carnal desires, but of sins rooted in the spirit and intellect such as pride and envy. Christian scholars tried to explain the reason behind their fall and their extent of free-will. Although angels were free to choose, after once they made their decision, they could not turn back. The Catechism of the Catholic Church speaks of "the fall of the angels" not in spatial terms but as a radical and irrevocable rejection of God and his reign by some angels who, though created as good beings, freely chose evil, their sin being unforgivable because of the irrevocable character of their choice, not because of any defect in the infinite divine mercy. Catholicism rejects Apocatastasis the reconcilement with God, suggested by Origen.

Protestantism

Like Catholisicm, Protestantism continues the concept of fallen angels as merely spiritual entities, however rejects angelology established by Catholicism. Martin Luthers sermons of the angels rather recounts the exploits of the fallen angels, than dealing with an angelic hierarchy. Satan and his fallen angels are responsible for several misfortune in the world, but Luther always emphasized that the power of the good angels exceeds those of the fallen ones. The Italian Protestant theologican Girolamo Zanchi offered further explanations for the reason behind the fall of the angels. Accordingly the angels rebelled then the incarnation of Christ was revealed to them in incomplete form. Nevertheless Protestants are much less concerned with the cause of angelic fall, since it is thought as neither useful nor necessary to know.

Universalism

In 19th-century Universalism, Universalists such as Thomas Allin (1891) claimed that Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and Gregory of Nyssa taught that even the Devil and fallen angels will eventually be saved.

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Islam

The concept of fallen angels is well known in Islam. The Quran tells about the fall of Iblis over several Surahs. Further Surah 2:112 implies a pair of fallen angels intruducing magic to humanity. However, the latter angels did not accompany Iblis. Fallen angels work entirely separate in Quran and Tafsir. According to Umm al-Kitab, Azazel boasts himself to be superior to God until he was thrown into lower celestrial spheres and finally ending up on earth. Nahj al-Balagha, an Islamic collection of sermons, letters, and narrations attributed to Ali, admonishes humans to avoid haughtiness by stating: "Allah, the Glorified One, will not let a human being enter paradise if he does the same thing for which Allah turned an angel from it". According to a hadith mentioned in Al-Tha'alibis Qisas Al-Anbiya, Iblis commands his host of rebel angels and the fiercest jinn, from the lowest layer of hell. In a Shia narrative from Ja'far al-Sadiq, Idris (Enich) met an angel, which the wrath of God fell upon, and his wings and hair were cut off; after Idris prayed for him to God, his wings and hair were restored. In return they become friends and in request the angel took Idris to the Heavens to meet the angel of death. Some recent non-Islamic scholars suggested Uzair who is according to 9:30called a son of God by Jews, originally referred to a fallen angel. While exegetes almost unanimously identified Uzair as Ezra, there is no historical evidence, that Jew called him son of God. Thus, the Quran may not refer to the earthen Ezra, but to the heavenly Ezra, identified with the heavenly Enoch, who in turn became identified with the angel Metatron (also called lesser YHWH) in merkabah mysticism.

Iblis

The Quran repeatedly tells about the fall of Iblis. According to Surah 2:30 the angels objected Gods intention to create a human, because they will cause corruption and shed blood, echoing the account of 1.Enoch and Book of Jubilees after the angels observed men causing unrighteousness. However, after God demonstrated the superiority of Adams knowledge in comparation to the angels, He orders them to prostrate themselves. After the command, only Iblis refused to follow the instruction. When God asked for the reason behind Iblis' refusal he boasted himself being superior to Adam, thereupon God expelled him from heaven. In early Meccan period Iblis appears as a degraded angel. But since he is called a jinni in 18:50 some scholars argue that Iblis was actually not an angel, but an entity apart, stating his abidance among the angels was just a reward for his previous righteousness. Therefore, they rejected the concept of fallen angels and emphasized the nobility of angels by quoting certain Quranic verses like 66:6 and 16:49, dinstinghuishing between infallable angels and jinn capable of sin. However the denotion jinni can not clearly exclude Iblis from being an angel. According to Ibn Abbas, angels who guardianed the Jinan (here: heavens) were called Jinni, alike humans who were from Mecca are called Mecci. Other scholars asserted that a jinni is everyting hidden from human eye, both angels and demons as well as earthly jinn. Therefore, this verse could not exclude Iblis from beeing an angel. In Surah 15:36 God grants Iblis' request to prove the unworthiness of humans. Surah 38:82 also confirms that Iblis' intrigues to lead humans astray are permitted by God's power. However as mentioned in Surah 17:65 Iblis' attempts to mislead His servants are determined to fail. The Quranic episode of Iblis parallels another wicked angel in the earlier Books of Jubilees: Like Iblis, Mastema requests God for permission to tempt humanity and both are limited in their power; not able to deceive God's servants. However Iblis' disobedience did not derived from Enochian writings, but can be traced back to Cave of Treasuress, that probably hold the standart explanation of Proto-orthodox Christianity. Accordingly Satan was banished from heaven after he refused to prostrate himself for Adam. Unlike the major opinion in later Christianity, the idea that Iblis tried to usurp the throne of God is alien to Islam and due to its strict monotheism unthinkable.

Harut and Marut

Harut and Marut is a pair of angels mentioned in 2:102. Although the reason behind their stay on earth is not mentioned in the Quran a narration became canonizied in Islamic tradition. The Quranexegete Tabari attributed this story to Ibn Masud and Ibn Abbas. Briefly summarized, the angels complained about the mischievousness of mankind and made a request to destroy them. Consequently, God offered a test determine whether or not the angels would do better than humans for long, then they are endowed with humanlike urges and Satan would have authority over them. The angels choose two (or in some accounts three) among themselves. However on Earth, these angels entertained and acted upon sexual desires and were guilty of idol worship, whereupon they even killed an innocent witness. For their deeds, they were not allowed to ascend to Heaven again. Probably the names Harut and Marut are of Zoroastrian origin and derived from two Amesha Spentas called Haurvatat and Ameretat Although the Quran gave these fallen angels Iranian names, mufassirs recognized them from the Book of Watchers. In accordance with 3 Enoch, al-Kalbi named three angels, who descendat to earth and even gave him their Pre-Islamic names. He explained, that one of them returned to heaven and the other two changed their names to Harut and Marut. However, like in the story of Iblis, the story of Harut and Marut does not contain any trace of angelic revolt. Rather the stories about fallen angels are related to a rivary between humans and angels. As the Quran affirms, Harut and Marut are send by God and unlike the Enochian watchers, they just instruct humans to witchcraft by God's permission, alike Iblis can just tempt humans by God's permission.

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Literature

• In literature, John Milton's Paradise Lost (7.131-134, etc.), refers to the Devil as being "brighter once amidst the host of Angels, than the sun amidst the stars".

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Footnotes

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Notes

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References

• Anderson, ed. by Gary (2000). Literature on Adam and Eve. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 9004116001. CS1 maint: Extra text: authors list (link)
• Bamberger, Bernard J. (2006). Fallen angels : soldiers of satan's realm (first paperback ed.). Philadelphia, Pa.: Jewish Publ. Soc. of America. ISBN 0827607970. 
• Charlesworth, edited by James H. (2010). The Old Testament pseudepigrapha. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson. ISBN 1598564919. CS1 maint: Extra text: authors list (link)
• Davidson, Gustav (1994). A dictionary of angels: including the fallen angels (1st Free Press pbk. ed.). New York: Free Press. p. 111. ISBN 978-0-02-907052-9. 
• DDD, Karel van der Toorn, Bob Becking, Pieter W. van der Horst, (1998). Dictionary of deities and demons in the Bible (DDD) (2., extensively rev. ed.). Leiden: Brill. ISBN 9004111190. 
• Douglas, James D. with Merrill Chapin Tenney, Moisés Silva (editors) (2011). Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan. ISBN 9780310229834. CS1 maint: Extra text: authors list (link)
• Orlov, Andrei A. (2011). Dark mirrors: Azazel and Satanael in early Jewish demonology. Albany: State University of New York Press. ISBN 1438439512. 
• Platt, Rutherford H. (2004). Forgotten Books of Eden (Reprint ed.). Forgotten Books. p. 239. ISBN 1605060976. 
• Reed, Annette Yoshiko (2005). Fallen angels and the history of Judaism and Christianity : the reception of Enochic literature (1. publ. ed.). Cambridge [u.a.]: Cambridge University Press. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-521-85378-1. 
• Schwartz, Howard (2004). Tree of souls: The mythology of Judaism. New York: Oxford U Pr. ISBN 0195086791. 
• Wright, Archie T. (2004). The origin of evil spirits the reception of Genesis 6.1-4 in early Jewish literature. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck. ISBN 3161486560. 

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Further reading

Source of article : Wikipedia