Samael

This article is about the archangel. For other uses, see Samael (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Samuel.
Samael (1890) by Evelyn De Morgan [citation needed]
A relief of the Archangel Samiel in red robe, shown on the left side of the altar at Saint Bartholomew's Church, in Sydenham, London.

Samael (Hebrew: סַמָּאֵל, Sammāʾēl, "Venom/Poison of God";[1] Arabic: سمسمائيل, Samsama'il or سمائل, Samail; alternatively Smal, Smil, Samil, or Samiel)[2][3][4] is an archangel in Talmudic and post-Talmudic tradition; a figure who is the accuser or adversary (Satan in the Book of Job), seducer, and 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,[5][6][7]: 257–60  he is not necessarily evil, since his functions are also regarded as resulting in good, such as destroying sinners.[3]

He is considered in Midrashic 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 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.[5] However, the serpent is not a form of Samael, but a beast he rode like a camel.[8] In a single account he is also believed to be the father of Cain,[6][9] 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."[10]

As guardian angel and prince of Rome, he is the archenemy of Israel. By the beginning of Jewish culture in Europe, Samael had been established as a representative of Christianity due to his identification with Rome.[11][7]: 263 

In some 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.

  1. ^ "Samael" – Jewish Encyclopedia
  2. ^ Davidson, Gustav (1971). "Samael". A Dictionary of Angels, Including the Fallen Angels. New York City: Simon & Schuster. p. 255. ISBN 978-0029070505.
  3. ^ a b Jung, Leo (July 1925). "Fallen Angels in Jewish, Christian and Mohammedan Literature. A Study in Comparative Folk-Lore". The Jewish Quarterly Review. 16 (1). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press: 88. doi:10.2307/1451748. JSTOR 1451748.
  4. ^ Charlesworth, James H., ed. (February 1, 2010). The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha: Apocalyptic Literature and Testaments. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers. p. 658. ISBN 9781598564914.
  5. ^ a b Jewish Virtual Library – Samael
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Patai was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Orlov, Andrei A. (2013). Heavenly Priesthood in the Apocalypse of Abraham. Cambridge, England: University of Cambridge Press. p. 151. ISBN 978-1107470996.
  9. ^ Jewish Encyclopedia – Samael
  10. ^ Yisraeli, O. (2016). Temple Portals: Studies in Aggadah and Midrash in the Zohar. Deutschland: De Gruyter. p. 146
  11. ^ Gross, Abraham (1995). Iberian Jewry from Twilight to Dawn: The World of Rabbi Abraham Saba. Leiden, Netherlands: Brill Publishers. p. 133. ISBN 978-9004100534.