Editing Samael

{{Short description|Jewish archangel}}
{{About|the archangel}}
{{Distinguish|Samuel}}
[[File:Samael (Angel of Death) Personification.jpg|thumb|''Samael'' (1890) by [[Evelyn De Morgan]]]]
[[File:St Bartholomew's, Sydenham - Sanctuary.jpg|thumb|A relief of the Archangel Samael in red robe, shown on the left side of the altar at Saint Bartholomew's Church, in [[Sydenham, London]].]]

'''Samael''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|æ|m|ə|ˌ|ɛ|l}}; {{langx|he|סַמָּאֵל}}, ''Sammāʾēl'', "Venom of God";<ref>[http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13055-samael "Samael"] – [[Jewish Encyclopedia]]</ref> {{langx|ar|سمسمائيل}}, ''Samsama'il'' or {{langx|ar|سمائل|label=none}}, ''Samail''; alternatively '''Smal''', '''Smil''', '''Samil''', or '''Samiel''')<ref name="Davidson">{{Cite book|chapter=Samael| title=A Dictionary of Angels, Including the Fallen Angels|first=Gustav|last=Davidson|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|location=New York City|date=1971|isbn=978-0029070505|page=255}}</ref><ref name="Fallen Angels">{{Cite journal|first=Leo|last=Jung|author-link=Leo Jung|title=Fallen Angels in Jewish, Christian and Mohammedan Literature. A Study in Comparative Folk-Lore|journal=[[The Jewish Quarterly Review]]|publisher=[[University of Pennsylvania Press]]|location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|volume=16|issue=1|date=July 1925|page=88|doi=10.2307/1451748|jstor=1451748}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha: Apocalyptic Literature and Testaments|editor-first=James H.|editor-last=Charlesworth|editor-link=James H. Charlesworth|publisher=[[Hendrickson Publishers]]|location=Peabody, Massachusetts|date=February 1, 2010|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z8cyt_SM7voC&pg=PA658|page=658|isbn=9781598564914}}</ref> is an [[archangel]] in [[Talmud]]ic and post-Talmudic tradition; a figure who is the accuser or adversary ([[Satan#Judaism|Satan]] in the [[Book of Job]]), [[seducer]], and [[destroying angel (Bible)|destroying angel]] (in the [[Book of Exodus]]).

Although many of his functions resemble the Christian notion of [[Satan]], to the point of being sometimes identified as a [[fallen angel]],<ref name="JVL" /><ref name="Patai" /><ref name=":0" />{{Rp|257–60}} he is not necessarily evil, since his functions are also regarded as resulting in good, such as destroying sinners.<ref name="Fallen Angels" />

He is considered in [[Midrash]]ic texts to be a member of the [[heavenly host]] with often grim and destructive duties. One of Samael's most significant roles in Jewish lore is that of the main [[Personifications of death|angel of death]] and the head of ''satans''. Although he condemns man's sins, he remains one of God's servants. He appears frequently in the story of the [[Garden of Eden]] and engineered the [[fall of Adam and Eve]] with a snake in writings during the [[Second Temple period]].<ref name="JVL">[https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/samael Jewish Virtual Library – Samael]</ref> However, the serpent is not a form of Samael, but a beast he rode like a [[camel]].<ref name="Or">{{Cite book|first=Andrei A.|last=Orlov|title=Heavenly Priesthood in the Apocalypse of Abraham|publisher=[[University of Cambridge Press]]|location=Cambridge, England|date=2013|isbn=978-1107470996|page=151}}</ref> In a single account he is also believed to be the [[Serpent seed|father of]] [[Cain]],<ref name="Patai" /><ref>[http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13055-samael Jewish Encyclopedia – Samael]</ref> as well as the partner of [[Lilith]]. In early Talmudic and Midrashic literature, he has not yet been identified with Satan. Only in later Midrashim is he entitled "head of satans."<ref name="Yisraeli">Yisraeli, O. (2016). Temple Portals: Studies in Aggadah and Midrash in the Zohar. Deutschland: De Gruyter. p. 146</ref>

As [[guardian angel]] and prince of [[Ancient Rome|Rome]], he is the archenemy of [[Israelites|Israel]]. By the beginning of [[History of the Jews in Europe|Jewish culture in Europe]], Samael had been established as a representative of [[Christianity]] due to his identification with Rome.<ref>{{Cite book|first=Abraham|last=Gross|title=Iberian Jewry from Twilight to Dawn: The World of Rabbi Abraham Saba|publisher=[[Brill Publishers]]|location=Leiden, Netherlands|date=1995|isbn=978-9004100534|page=133}}</ref><ref name=":0" />{{Rp|263}}

In some [[Gnosticism|Gnostic cosmologies]], Samael's role as a source of evil became identified with the [[Demiurge]], the creator of the material world. Although probably both accounts originate from the same source, the Gnostic development of Samael differs from the Jewish development of Samael, in which Samael is merely an angel and messenger of God.

== Judaism ==
=== Second Temple period and posteriority ===
[[File:Jacob Wrestling with the Angel.jpg|thumb|''Jacob Wrestling with the Angel'', [[Gustave Doré]] (1855)]]
Samael was first mentioned during the [[Second Temple period]] and immediately after its destruction. He is first mentioned in the [[Book of Enoch]], which is a part of the [[Jewish apocrypha]], along with other rebellious angels. In Enoch 1, he is one of the [[Watcher (angel)|Watchers]] who descended to Earth to [[copulate]] with human women, although he is not their leader,<ref name="JVL"/> this being [[Samyaza]].<ref name=Patai/>

In the [[Greek Apocalypse of Baruch]],<ref name=JVL/> he is the dominant evil figure. Samael plants the [[Tree of the knowledge of good and evil]], thereupon he is banished and cursed by God.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|257–60}} To take revenge, he tempts [[Adam and Eve]] into sin by taking the form of the serpent.<ref name=JVL/><ref name=Patai>{{Cite book |first=Raphael |last=Patai |title=Encyclopedia of Jewish Folklore and Traditions |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=London|date=2015 |isbn=978-1317471714 |page=463}}</ref>

He appears further as the embodiment of evil in the ''[[Ascension of Isaiah]]'' and is called by various names:
* ''Melkira'' {{Langx|he|מלך רע}}, "king of evil/wicked"
* ''Malkira'' / ''Malchira'' {{Langx|he|מלאך רע|label=none}}, "Messenger of evil"
* ''Belkira'' prob. {{Langx|he|בעל קיר|label=none}}, "lord of the wall"
* ''Bechira'' {{Langx|he|בחיר רע|label=none}}, "elect/chosen of evil
The names [[Belial]] and [[Satan]] are also applied to him, and he gains control of King [[Manasseh of Judah|Manasseh]] to accuse [[Isaiah]] of treason.<ref name="Patai" />

===Talmudic-Midrashic literature===
In [[Talmud]]ic and [[midrash]], Samael's role as an agent of evil is relatively marginal. However, from the fifth or sixth century onward, he becomes one of the most prominent among the demonic entities.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|257–60}} Samael has not been identified with the angel of death in the Talmud.<ref>Referenzen EVERSON, D. L. A Brief Comparison of Targumic and Midrashic Angelological Traditions. Aramaic Studies, [s. l.], v. 5, n. 1, p. 75–91, 2007. {{doi|10.1163/147783507X231930}}. Acesso em: 30 Jan. 2022.</ref>

In the [[Exodus Rabbah]], Samael is depicted as the accuser in the heavenly court and tempter to sin, while [[Michael (archangel)|Michael]] defends Israel's actions.<ref>{{Cite book |first1=Sara E. |last1=Karesh |first2=Mitchell M. |last2=Hurvitz |title=Encyclopedia of Judaism |publisher=Infobase Publishing |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-816-06982-8 |page=447}}</ref> Here, Samael is identified with [[Satan]]. While ''Satan'' describes his function as an "accuser," Samael is considered his proper name. He also fulfills the role of the Angel of Death when he comes to take the body of [[Moses]] and is called the leader of Satan.

The title of ''satan'' is also applied to him in the midrash ''[[Pirkei De-Rabbi Eliezer]]'', where he is the chief of the [[fallen angel]]s,<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|257–60}} and a twelve-winged [[seraph]].<ref>Dulkin, Ryan S. "The Devil Within: A Rabbinic Traditions-History of the Samael Story in 'Pirkei De-Rabbi Eliezer.'" ''Jewish Studies Quarterly'', vol. 21, no. 2, 2014, pp. 153–175., {{JSTOR|24751800}}. Accessed 6 Sept. 2021.</ref> According to the text, Samael opposed the creation of Adam and descended to Earth to tempt him into evil. Riding the serpent, he convinces Eve to eat the forbidden fruit.<ref name=Patai/> His role here might be similar to the [[Islam]]ic idea of [[Iblis]],<ref>{{Cite book |first=David Mevorach |last=Seidenberg |title=Kabbalah and Ecology |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-107-08133-8 |page=65}}</ref> who refused to prostrate himself before Adam because he consists of fire and Adam merely from dust.<ref>{{Cite book |first=Joseph |last=Dan |title=Gershom Scholem and the Mystical Dimension of Jewish History |publisher=NYU Press |year=1987 |isbn=978-0-814-72097-4}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |first=William Irwin |last=Thompson |title=The Time Falling Bodies take to Light: Mythology, sexuality, and the origins of culture |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-312-16062-3 |page=14}}</ref> The midrash also reveals Samael fathered [[Cain]] with Eve.<ref name=Patai/>

In the [[smaller midrashim]], he is the ruler of hell. Several sources, such as ''[[Yalkut Shimoni]]'' (I, 110) describe him as the [[guardian angel]] of [[Esau]] relating him to [[Rome]], the one who [[Jacob wrestling with the angel|wrestled]] with [[Jacob]], the angel who ordered [[Abraham]] to sacrifice [[Isaac]], and a [[Tutelary deity|patron]] of [[Edom]].<ref name="Davidson" /><ref>{{Cite book |first=Howard |last=Schwartz |title=Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |location=Oxford, England|year=2006 |isbn=978-0-195-32713-7 |page=361}}</ref>

===Kabbalah===
In [[Kabbalah]], Samael is described as the "severity of God" and is listed as fifth of the [[archangel]]s of the world of [[Beri'ah]]. Among his portions are Esau, the people who inherit the sword and bring war; the goats and [[se'irim]] (demons); and the [[Destroying angel (Bible)|destroyer angels]].<ref name="Yisraeli" />

Although both Samael and [[Lilith]] are major demons in earlier Jewish traditions, they do not appear paired until the second half of the thirteenth century, when they are introduced together.<ref>{{Cite journal |first=Joseph|last=Dan|date=April 1980 |title=Samael, Lilith, and the concept of evil in early Kabbalah |journal=[[AJS Review]] |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|location=Cambridge, England|volume=5 |pages=17–40 |doi=10.1017/S0364009400000052|s2cid=161672440}}</ref> Lilith is a demon created alongside [[Adam]], originally created for the role [[Eve]] would fill, who then becomes Samael's bride. With her, Samael created a host of demon children, including a son, the "Sword of Samael"<ref name="Guiley2009">{{Cite book |author=Rosemary Ellen Guiley |author-link=Rosemary Ellen Guiley |title=The Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NHosWhaeWDQC&pg=PA222 |year=2009 |publisher=Infobase Publishing |isbn=978-1-4381-3191-7 |pages=222ff}}</ref> (or of [[Asmodai]]).<ref>{{Cite web |website=Liber 777 Notes |url=http://test.thelemistas.org/Apps/get777ColumnNotes/col_8,10 |title=Lilith the younger |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025174401/http://test.thelemistas.org/Apps/get777ColumnNotes/col_8,10 |archive-date=25 October 2014}}</ref>

In the Kabbalistic work ''[[Treatise on the Left Emanation]]'', Samael is part of the [[qlippoth]], prince of all demons, and spouse of Lilith.<ref name=Patai/> The two are said to parallel Adam and Eve, being emanated together from the Throne of Glory as a counterpart. [[Asmodeus]] is also mentioned to be subservient to Samael and married to a younger or alternate, lesser Lilith.<ref>{{Cite book |first1=Kristen E. |last1=Kvam |first2=Linda S. |last2=Schearing |first3=Valarie H. |last3=Ziegler |title=Eve and Adam: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Readings on Genesis and Gender |publisher=[[Indiana University Press]] |location=Bloomington |date=1999 |isbn=978-0253212719 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/eveadamjewishchr00kris/page/221 221–222] |url=https://archive.org/details/eveadamjewishchr00kris/page/221 }}</ref> According to the treatise (secondary source) which is unconfirmed, God castrated Samael in order not to fill the world with their demonic offspring.<ref name=Patai/>

In the [[Zohar]], one of Kabbalah's principal works, Samael is described as a leader of the divine forces of destruction, part of the qlippoth. He is mentioned again as the serpent's rider,<ref name=Or/> and is described as having mated with [[Eisheth|Eisheth Zenunim]], [[Naamah (demon)|Na'amah]], and [[Agrat bat Mahlat]], all being "angels" of [[sacred prostitution]].<ref>{{Cite web |first=Erika D. |last=Johnson |url=http://www.rosetta.bham.ac.uk/issue5/myth-of-sacred-prostitution-in-antiquity/ |access-date=2012-12-13 |df=dmy-all |title=Myth of sacred prostitution in antiquity |website=rosetta.bham.ac.uk}}</ref> Notably, the same work later calls him [[Azazel]],<ref name=Or/> which might be a case of mistaken identity, as Azazel may be himself in Zoharistic lore a combination of the angels [[Ouza]] and [[Azrael]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://files.kabbalahmedia.info/files/eng_t_ml-sefer-zohar.pdf |title=Sefer-Zohar |language=EN |first=Michael Rav |last=Laitman}}</ref>

It is also said that the [[Baal Shem Tov]] summoned Samael to make him do his bidding.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Tales of the Hasidim |first=Martin |last=Buber |author-link=Martin Buber|publisher=[[Schocken Books]]|location=New York City|date=1947|isbn=978-0-307-83407-2|page=77}}</ref>

===Other traditions===
Samael is also depicted as the angel of death and one of the seven archangels, the ruler over the [[Fifth Heaven]] and commander of two million angels such as the chief of all the [[Destroying angel (Bible)|destroying angel]]s.

According to the apocryphal ''[[Life of Adam and Eve|Gedulat Moshe]]'' (''The Apocalypse of Moses'', "The Ascension of Moses" in ''The [[Legends of the Jews]]'' by [[Louis Ginzberg]]) Samael is also mentioned as being in 7th&nbsp;Heaven:

{{Blockquote|In the last heaven Moses saw two angels, each five hundred [[parasang]]s in height, forged out of chains of black fire and red fire, the angels Af, "Anger", and Hemah, "Wrath", whom God created at the beginning of the world, to execute His will. [[Moses]] was disquieted when he looked upon them, but [[Metatron]] embraced him, and said, "Moses, Moses, thou favorite of God, fear not, and be not terrified," and Moses became calm. There was another angel in the seventh heaven, different in appearance from all the others, and of frightful mien. His height was so great, it would have taken five hundred years to cover a distance equal to it, and from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet he was studded with glaring eyes. "This one," said Metatron, addressing Moses, "is Samael, who takes the soul away from man." "Whither goes he now?" asked Moses, and Metatron replied, "To fetch the soul of [[Job (biblical figure)|Job]] the pious." Thereupon Moses prayed to God in these words, "O may it be Thy will, my God and the God of my fathers, not to let me fall into the hands of this angel."<ref>Ginzberg, Louis, ''[https://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=SPB31RCLKVMV6VL The Legends of the Jews— Volume 2: From Joseph to the Exodus]'', [https://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=8JVRAVUWX4DS9GD The Ascension of Moses], Forgotten Books, April 21, 2018, {{ISBN|978-0265621684}}.</ref>}}

== Gnosticism ==
<!-- This section is linked from [[The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch]]  -->
[[File:Lion-faced deity.jpg|thumb|right|upright|A lion-faced deity found on a Gnostic gem in [[Bernard de Montfaucon]]'s ''L'antiquité expliquée et représentée en figures'' may be a depiction of the Demiurge, Samael.]]
In the ''[[Apocryphon of John]]'', ''[[On the Origin of the World]]'', and ''[[Hypostasis of the Archons]]'', found in the [[Nag Hammadi library]], ''Samael'' is one of three names of the [[demiurge]], whose other names are ''[[Yaldabaoth]]'' and ''[[Saklas]]''.

After Yaldabaoth claims sole divinity for himself, the voice of [[Sophia (Gnosticism)|Sophia]] comes forth calling him ''Samael'', due to his ignorance.<ref>Gilhus, Ingvild Sælid. 1985. ''The Nature of the Archons: A Study in the Soteriology of a Gnostic Treatise from Nag Hammadi (CGII, 4)''. [[Otto Harrassowitz Verlag]]. {{ISBN|978-3447025188}}. p. 44</ref><ref>Fischer-Mueller, E. Aydeet. 1990. "Yaldabaoth: The Gnostic Female Principle in Its Fallenness." ''[[Novum Testamentum]]'' 32(1):79–95. {{JSTOR|1560677}}.</ref> In ''On the Origin of the World'', his name is explained as "blind god" and his fellow [[Archon (Gnosticism)|Archons]] are said to be blind, too. This reflecting the characteristics of the Christian devil, making people blind, as does the devil in [[2 Corinthians 4]]. Also Samael is the first sinner in the ''Hypostasis of the Archons'' and the [[First Epistle of John]] calls the devil as sinner from the beginning. These characteristics combined with his boasting conflates the Jewish god with the devil.<ref>M. David Litwa ''esiring Divinity: Self-deification in Early Jewish and Christian Mythmaking'' Oxford University Press, 2016  {{ISBN|978-0190467173}} p. 55</ref> His appearance is that of a lion-faced serpent.<ref>Fischer-Mueller, E. Aydeet. “Yaldabaoth: The Gnostic Female Principle in Its Fallenness.” Novum Testamentum, vol. 32, no. 1, 1990, pp. 79–95. {{JSTOR|1560677}}</ref> Although the Gnostics and Jewish originally used the same source, both depictions of Samael developed independently.<ref name=":0">Ivry, Elliot R. Wolfson. [1998] 2013. ''Perspectives on Jewish Thought''. Routledge. {{ISBN|978-1136650123}}.</ref>{{Rp|266}}

Samael is sometimes confused in some books with [[Camael]], who appears in the [[Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit|Coptic Gospel of the Egyptian]]s also as an evil power, whose name is similar to words meaning "like God" (but Camael with a [[waw (letter)|waw]] missing). The name might be explained, because in Jewish traditions, the snake had the form of a camel, before it was banished by God.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|259}}

== Anthroposophy ==
To [[anthroposophist]]s, Samael is known as one of the seven [[archangels]]: [[Saint Gregory]] gives the seven archangels as [[Anael]], [[Gabriel]], [[Michael (archangel)|Michael]], [[Oriphiel]], [[Raphael (archangel)|Raphael]], Samael, and [[Zerachiel]].{{citation needed|date=July 2015}} They are all imagined to have a special assignment to act as a global ''[[zeitgeist]]'' ('time-spirit'), each for periods of about 360&nbsp;years.<ref>Matherne, Bobby. 2003. "[http://www.doyletics.com/arj/tamrev.htm The Archangel Michael, GA#&nbsp;67]" (review). ''A Reader's Journal'' 2. Retrieved on 11&nbsp;October 2014.</ref>

== In popular culture ==

* In ''[[The Wheel of Time]],'' one of the Forsaken is named Sammael, a reference to Samael.

* In the [[Megami Tensei]] videogame franchise and many of its [[Spinoff (media)|spin-offs]], Samael appears as one of the Demons in various games.

==See also==
* [[Azazel]]
* [[List of angels in theology]]

== Citations ==
{{Reflist|25em}}

== References ==
* {{Cite book |last=Bunson |first=Matthew |year=1996 |title=Angels A to Z: A Who's Who of the Heavenly Host |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/angelstozwhoswho00buns |publisher=Three Rivers Press |isbn=0-517-88537-9}}
* {{Cite book |last=Davidson |first=Gustav |date=1971 |chapter=Samael |title=A Dictionary of Angels, Including the Fallen Angels |location=New York |publisher=Simon & Schuster |page=255 |isbn=9780029070505 |oclc=876894462}}

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite book |author=Bamberger, Bernard Jacob |date=15 March 2006 |title=Fallen Angels: Soldiers of Satan's realm |publisher=Jewish Publication Society of America |isbn=0-8276-0797-0}}
* {{Cite book |translator=Charles, R. H. |year=1900 |title=[[The Ascension of Isaiah]] |place=London |publisher=Adam & Charles Black}}
* {{Cite book |author=Cruz, Joan C. |year=1999 |title=Angels and Devils |publisher=Tan Books & Publishers |isbn=0-89555-638-3}}
* {{Cite journal |author=Jung, Leo |year=1925 |title=Fallen Angels in Jewish, Christian, and Mohammedan literature. A study in comparative folk-lore |journal=The Jewish Quarterly Review |series=New Series}} published in four parts:
** {{Cite journal |journal=The Jewish Quarterly Review |series=New Series |volume=15 |issue=4 |date=April 1925 |pages=467–502 |doi=10.2307/1451739 |title=Fallen angels&nbsp;...|jstor=1451739 }}
** {{Cite journal |journal=The Jewish Quarterly Review |series=New Series |volume=16 |issue=1 |date=July 1925 |pages=45–88 |doi=10.2307/1451748 |title=Fallen angels&nbsp;...|jstor=1451748 }}
** {{Cite journal |journal=The Jewish Quarterly Review |series=New Series |volume=16 |issue=2 |date=October 1925 |pages=171–205 |doi=10.2307/1451789 |title=Fallen angels&nbsp;...|jstor=1451789 }}
** {{Cite journal |journal=The Jewish Quarterly Review |series=New Series |volume=16 |issue=3 |date=January 1926 |pages=287–336 |doi=10.2307/1451485 |title=Fallen angels&nbsp;...|jstor=1451485 }}

== External links ==
* [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=106&letter=S "Samael"]—''[[Jewish Encyclopedia]]'' entry
* [http://dafyomireview.com/554 ''Samael and Lilith - Biblical hints'']

{{Angels in Abrahamic Religions}}
{{Satan}}
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[[Category:Angels in the Book of Enoch]]
[[Category:Angels of death]]
[[Category:Angels in Islam]]
[[Category:Archangels in Judaism]]
[[Category:Christianity and Judaism]]
[[Category:Demons in Gnosticism]]
[[Category:Fallen angels]]
[[Category:Garden of Eden]]
[[Category:Gnostic deities]]
[[Category:Individual angels]]
[[Category:Islam and Judaism]]
[[Category:Qlippoth]]
[[Category:Satan]]
[[Category:Watchers (angels)]]