FALL of ANGELS - JewishEncyclopedia.com

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FALL OF ANGELS:Table of Contents

Woman the Cause of Fall.Later Jewish Tradition.

In Apocalyptic Writings. The conception of fallen angels—angels who, forwilful, rebellious conduct against God, or through weakness undertemptation.thereby forfeiting their angelic dignity, were degraded andcondemned to a life of mischief or shame on earth or in a place ofpunishment—is wide-spread. Indications of this belief, behind whichprobably lies the symbolizing of an astronomical phenomenon, the shootingstars, are met with in Isa. xiv. 12 (comp. Job xxxviii. 31, 32; seeConstellations). But it is in apocalyptic writings that this notion assumescrystallized definiteness and is brought into relations with the theologicalproblem of the origin and nature of evil and sin. That Satan fell from heavenwith the velocity of lightning is a New Testament conception (Luke x. 18;Rev. xii. 7-10). Originally Satan was one of God's angels, Lucifer, who,lusting for worldly power, was degraded. Samael (Yalk., Gen. 25), originallythe chief of the angels around God's throne, becomes the angel of deathand the "chieftain of all the Satans" (Deut. R. xi. ; comp. Matt. xxv. 41).

But it is especially Samḥazai and Azael of whom the fall is narrated. In Targ.Pseudo-Jonathan to Gen. vi. 4 they appear as the "nefilim" (A. V. "giants"),undoubtedly in consequence of an incorrect interpretation of this word as"those that fell from heaven." The story of these two angels is found in briefform in Yalḳ., Gen. 44; it has been published by Jellinek ("B. H." iv. 127;originally in Midrash Abkir; comp. Rashi, Yoma 67b; Geiger, "Was HatMohammed aus dem Judenthume Aufgenommen?" p. 107).

Woman the Cause of Fall.

As in the case of man, so in that of the angels woman was the cause of thelapse. Naamah, the wife of Noah (Gen. R. xxiii. 3), was one of the womenwhose great beauty tempted the angels to sin (Naḥmanides to Gen. iv. 22).As regards Azazel and Samḥazai, mentioned above, it was a young womannamed ("Isṭar," "Esther") that proved fatal to their virtue. These angels,seeing God's grief over the corruption of the sons of men (Gen. vi. 2-7),volunteered to descend to earth for the purpose of proving their contentionthat, as they had foretold at the creation of Adam, the weakness of man (Ps.viii. 5) was alone responsible for his immorality. In their new surroundingsthey themselves yielded to the blandishments of women. Samḥazaiespecially became passionately enamored of Isṭar. She, however, would


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yield to his importunities only on the condition that he tell her the name ofYhwh (see God, Names of), by virtue of which he was éo return to heaven.As soon as she was possessed of the secret, she rose to heaven herself,and God rewarded her constancy by assigning her a place in theconstellation of Kimah. Samḥazai and his companion thereupon took tothemselves wives and begat children (comp. the bene Elohim, Gen. vi. 4).Meṭaṭron soon after sends word to Samḥazai concerning the approachingflood. This announcement of the world's and his own children's impendingdoom brings Samḥazai to repentance, and he suspends himself midwaybetween heaven and earth, in which penitent position he has remained eversince. Azazel, who deals in rich adornments and fine garments for women,continues in his evil ways, seducing men by his fanciful wares (hence thegoat sent to Azazel on the Day of Atonement).

Variants of this story are not rare. According to Pirḳe R. El. xxii., "the angelsthat fell from heaven," seeing the shameless attire of the men and women inCain's family, had intercourse with the women, and in consequence weredeprived of their garment of flaming fire and were clothed in ordinarymaterial of dust. They also lost their angelic strength and stature. Samaelwas the leader of a whole band of rebellious angels (ib. xiii.).

In the Book of Enoch eighteen angels are named (Enoch, vi. 7) as chiefparticipators in the conspiracy to mate with women. Samiaza is the leader,and Azael is one of the number (but see Charles, "Book of Enoch," p. 61,note to vi.-xi.). Azael, however, imparts to men all sorts of useful as well assecret knowledge and the art of beautifying eyes (Enoch, viii. 1; comp. Targ.Pseudo-Jon. to Gen. vi. 4). For other versions of the story or reminiscencesthereof, see Book of Jubilees, v. 1, 6-11; vii. 21, 25; Test. Patr., Reuben, 5,and Naphtali, 31; Josephus, "Ant." i. 3, § 1; Philo, "De Gigantibus."

Later Jewish Tradition.

The later Jewish tradition, shocked at the notion of the angels' fall, insistedupon interpreting the bene Elohim of Gen. vi. 1-4 as referring to men (Gen.R. xxvi.: "sons of judges"; comp. Tryphon in Justin, "Dial. cum Tryph." p.79).The Samaritan version reads ; Onḳelos, . The "Sefer ha-Yashar"("Bereshit," end) ascribes the shameful conduct to magistrates and judges(see Charles, "Book of Jubilees," p. 33, note).

The cabalists give the older view. In the Zohar (iii. 208, ed. Mantua) Aza andAzael fall and are punished by being chained to the mountains of darkness.According to another passage (i. 37), these two rebelled against God andwere hurled from heaven, and they now teach men all kinds of sorcery (forother quotations from cabalistic commentaries on the Pentateuch seeGrünbaum, "Gesammelte Aufsäze zur Sprach- und Sagenkunde," p. 71).

Allusions to these fallen angels occur also in the Koran (sura ii. 96); but their


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names are there given as "Harut" and "Marut." Their fate in Arabic traditionis identical with that of Samḥazai and Azael (Geiger, l.c. p. 109). The refusalto worship Adam (suras ii. 32, vii. 11, xv. 29, xxxviii. 73) brings on the Fall,just as it does in the Midrash Bereshit Rabbati of R. Moses ha-Darshan (seeGrünbaum, l.c. p. 70).

Bibliography:

Grünbaum, Gesammelte Aufsätze zur Sprach- und Sagenkunde, Berlin,1901.

E. G. H.

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Sarah Therese Thomas · Love Seeker at I Love Adonaihttp://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0015_0_14693.htmlReply · · Like · January 22 at 11:02am1

Sarah Therese Thomas · Love Seeker at I Love AdonaiNope- no such thing. In Judaism only human kind have free-will, no other creature has the ability todifferntiate between good and evil and to make a choice on what path to go. An angel when it is sent intothe world always has only ONE job it can do at a time, thus why three angels appear to Abraham, each onehas a specific job to do and one angel could not have done all three jobs. For an excellent discussion onangels, Ramban on the section of the Angels appearing to Abraham is excellent- he also quotes theunderstanding of the Ibn Ezra and Rashi as he disagrees with much of what they state.

The midrash quoted above, is seen as authoritative by some poskim, but most reject it (it is discussed whenthe "nefillim" are mentioned) since it would contradict many other midrashim and learnigs from remesh(allusion) and sod ("secret" - in the modern era more commonly referred to as Kaballah, but the term sod iscommonly used by the rishonim)Source:Ramban- peirush on the Torah, Rambam- Moreh Nevuchim

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071025181334AAYGzaNReply · Like · January 22 at 11:01am

Sarah Therese Thomas · Love Seeker at I Love Adonaihttp://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1055341/jewish/Can-Angels-Sin.htmReply · Like · January 22 at 11:00am

Jan Franko · Founder, CEO at Balearic Retreats Ltdgood to know more.Reply · Like · February 15, 2013 at 12:17am

Bob ZwirnThanksReply · Like · June 3, 2012 at 9:40am


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