Samael

Also spelled Smil, Samil, or Samiel.

He’s an archangel in Talmudic & post-Talmudic tradition. He’s a figure who is the accuser or adversary (Satan in the Book of Job), seducer, & destroying angel (in the Book of Exodus).

Although many of his functions resemble the Christian idea of Satan, to the point of being sometimes classified as a fallen angel. He’s not necessarily evil, since his functions also result in good, like destroying sinners.

In Midrashic texts, he’s considered to be a member of the heavenly host, often with grim & destructive duties. 1 of Samael’s most significant roles in Jewish lore is that of the main angel of Death & the head of satans. He appears frequently in the story of the Garden of Eden & engineered the Fall of Adam (& Eve) with a snake in writings, during the Second Temple period. However, the serpent isn’t a form of Samael. But a beast he rode, like a camel.

In a single account, he’s also believed to be the father of Cain. As well as the partner of Lilith.

In early Talmudic & Midrashic literature, he hasn’t yet been associated with Satan. Only in later Midrashim is he given the title “head of satans.”

As a guardian angel & prince of Rome, he’s Israel’s archenemy. By the beginning of Jewish culture in Europe, Samael had been established as a representative of Christianity due to his identification with Rome.

In some Gnostic cosmologies, Samael’s role as a source of evil became identified with the Demiurge, the creator of the material world.

Samael was 1st mentioned during the Second Temple period & immediately after its destruction. He’s 1st mentioned in the Book of Enoch, which is a part of the Jewish apocrypha, along with other rebellious angels. In 1 Enoch, he’s 1 of the Watchers who descended to Earth to have adult spicy time with human women. Although he’s not their leader. Samayaza is their leader. (A post about Samyaza is coming soon. Research on him is ongoing, right now.)

In the Greek Apocalypse of Baruch, he’s the dominant evil figure. Samael plants the actual Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil. He’s then banished & cursed by God. To take revenge, he tempts Adam & Eve into sin by taking the form of the serpent.

He further appears as the embodiment of evil in the Ascension of Isaiah & is called by various names:

• Melkira, “King of evil/wicked.”
• Malkira/Malchira, “Messenger of evil.”
• Belkira, “Lord of the Wall.”
• Bechira, “Elect/Chosen of evil.”

The names Belial & Satan are also applied to him. He gains control of King Manasseh to accuse Isaiah of treason.

In Talmudic & Midrash, Samael’s role as an agent of evil is relatively marginal. From the 5th or 6th century onward, he becomes 1 of the most prominent among the demonic entities. Samael hasn’t been identified with the angel of Death in the Talmud.

In the Exodus Rabbah (the Exodus Midrash), Samael is pictured as the accuser in the heavenly court & tempter to sin, while Michael defends Israel’s actions. Here, Samael is identified with Satan. While “Satan” describes his function as an “accuser,” Samael is considered his real/proper name.

He also fulfills the role of the Angel of Death when he comes to take the body of Moses & is called the leader of Satan.

The title of “satan” is also applied to him in the Midrash Pirkei De-Rabbi Eliezer, where he was the chief of the fallen angels, & a 12-winged seraph. According to the text, Samael opposed the creation of Adam & descended to Earth to tempt him into evil.

Riding the serpent, he convinces Eve to eat the Forbidden Fruit. His role here might be inspired by the Islamic idea of Iblis, who refused to prostrate himself before Adam because he consists of fire & Adam merely of dust. This Midrash also reveals that Samael sired Cain with Eve.

In the smaller Midrash, he’s the ruler of Hell. Several sources (like Yalkut Shimoni) describe him as the guardian angel of Esau, relating him to Rome, the 1 who wrestled with Jacob, the angel who ordered Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, & a patron of Edom. Which makes sense because Esau was the “father” of Edom.

In Kabbalah, Samael is described as the “severity of God.” He is listed as 5 of the archangels of the world of Beri’ah. Among his portions are Esau, the people who inherit the sword & bring war; the goats & se’irim (demons); & the destroyer angel.

Both Samael & Lilith are major demons in earlier Jewish literature traditions. They don’t appear paired together until the 2nd half of the 13th century, when they’re introduced together. Lilith is a demon created alongside Adam. She wasn’t originally created as a demon. She morphed into a demoness down the road. She was originally created as Adam’s (1st) wife. Lilith then becomes Samael’s bride. With her, Samael created a host of demon kids, including a son, the “Sword of Samael” (or of Asmodai).

In the Kabbalistic work Treatise on the Left Emanation, Samael is part of the qlippoth (Qlippoth is the representation of evil/impure spiritual forces in Jewish mysticism), prince of all demons, & husband of Lilith. The 2 are said to parallel Adam & Eve being emanated together from the Throne of Glory as a counterpart. Asmodeus is also mentioned to be subservient to Samael & married to a young (or alternate), lesser Lilith.

In the Zohar (1 of Kabbalah’s principal works), Samael is described as a leader of the divine forces of destruction, part of the qlippoth. He’s mentioned again as the serpent’s rider. He’s also described as having mated with Eisheth Zenunim (a princess of the qilppoth); Na’amah (She originated from & is often mixed with another Naamah, sister to Tubal-Cain); & Agrat bat Mahlat (a demoness), all being “angels” of sacred prostitution.

It’s also said that the founder of Hasidic Judaism, Baal Shem Tov, summoned Samael to make him do his bidding.

Samael is also pictured as the angel of Death & 1 of the 7 archangels, the ruler over the 5th Heaven (This refers to 1 of the 7 firmaments, or physical layers, located above the open sky.) & commander of 2 million angels, such as the chief of all destroying angels. Think about the angel(s) who destroyed the Egyptians who didn’t have the lamb’s blood on their doorframes (Exodus 11).

In 3 separate Gnostic texts (found in the Nag Hammadi library), Samael is 1 of the 3 names of the Demiurge. He had 2 other names in these texts: Yaldabaoth & Saklas. After Yaldabaoth claims sole divinity for himself, the voice of Sophia (“wisdom,” the personification of wisdom) comes forth calling him Samael, due to his ignorance.

In Hypostasis of the Archons, Samael is the 1st sinner. The First Epistle of John calls the devil a sinner from the beginning. His appearance is that of a lion-faced serpent.

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Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 63:7-9
 
#Isaiah spoke of God having rendered judgment against #Edom by Himself, for none were available to help (Isaiah 63:1-6). 

Isaiah then mentioned the covenant loyalty and praises of YHWH based on all the goodness He has displayed to Israel. 

Psalms 107-109

Psalm 107

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say this – those He redeemed from the hand of the foe, those He gathered from the lands, from East & West, from North & South.

Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. They were hungry & thirsty, & their lives ebbed away. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, & He delivered them from their distress.

He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love & His wonderful deeds for men, for He satisfies the thirsty & fills the hungry with good things.

Some sat in darkness & the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains, for they’d rebelled against the words of God & despised the counsel of the Most High. So He subjected them to bitter labor. They stumbled & there was no one to help.

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, & He saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness & the deepest gloom & broke away their chains. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love & His wonderful deeds for men.

For He breaks down gates of bronze & cuts through bars of iron. Some became fools through their rebellious ways & suffered affliction because of their iniquities. They loathed all food & drew near the gates of death.

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, & He saved them from their distress. He sent forth His word & healed them. He rescued them from their distress. He rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love & His wonderful deeds for men.

Let them sacrifice thank offerings & tell of His works with songs of joy. Others went out on the sea in ships. They were merchants on the mighty waters. They saw the works of the Lord, His wonderful deeds in the deep.

For He spoke & stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves. They mounted up to the Heavens & went down to the depths, in their peril their courage melted away. They reeled & staggered like drunken men.

They were at their wits’ end. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, & he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper, the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, & he guided them to their desired haven.

Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love & His wonderful deeds for men. Let them exalt Him in the assembly of the people & praise Him in the council of the elders. He turned rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground, & fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who lived there.

He turned the desert into pools of water & the parched ground into flowing springs. There He brought the hungry to live, & they founded a city where they could settle. They sowed fields & planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest.

He blessed them, & their numbers greatly increased, & He didn’t let their herds diminish. Then their numbers decreased, & they were humbled by oppression, calamity, & sorrow. He who pours contempt on nobles made them wander in a trackless waste.

But He lifted the needy out of their affliction & increased their families like flocks. The upright see & rejoice, but all the wicked shut their mouths. Whoever is wise, let him heed these things, & consider the great love of the Lord.

Psalm 108

My heart is steadfast, O God. I’ll sing & make music with all my soul. Awake, harp & lyre! I’ll awaken the dawn. I’ll praise you, O Lord, among the nations. I’ll sing of you among the peoples. For great is Your love, higher than the Heavens. Yet Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, & let Your glory be over all the Earth. Save us & help us with Your right hand, that those You love may be delivered. God has spoken from His sanctuary: “In triumph, I’ll parcel out Shechem & measure off the Valley of Succoth.”

“Gilead is Mine, Manasseh is Mine; Ephraim is My helmet, Judah My scepter. Moab is My washbasin, upon Edom I toss My sandal; over Philistia, I shout in triumph.” Who will bring me to the fortified city?

Who will lead me to Edom? Is it not You, O God, You who have rejected us & no longer go out with our armies? Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless. With God we’ll gain the victory & He’ll trample down our enemies.

Psalm 109

O God, whom I praise, don’t remain silent. For wicked & deceitful men have opened their mouths against me. They’ve spoken against me with lying tongues. With words of hatred, they surround me. They attack me without cause.

In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I’m a man of prayer. They repay me evil for good & hatred for my friendship. Appoint an evil man to oppose him. Let an accuser stand at his right hand.

When he’s tried, let him be found guilty, & may his prayers condemn him. May his day be few. May another take his place of leadership. (Check out Acts 1:20.) May he’s children be fatherless & his wife a widow. May his children be wandering beggars. May they be driven from their ruined homes.

May a creditor seize all he has. May strangers plunder the fruits of his labor. May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his fatherless children. May his descendants be cut off, their names blotted out from the next generation.

May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord. May the sin always remain before the Lord, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth. For he never thought of doing a kindness, but hounded to death the poor & the needy & the brokenhearted.

He loved to pronounce a curse – may it come on him. He found no pleasure in blessing – may if be far from him. He wore cursing as his garment. It entered into his body like water, into his bones like oil.

May it be like a cloak wrapped about him, like a belt tied forever around him. May this be the Lord’s payment to my accusers, to those who speak evil of me. But you, O Sovereign Lord, deal well with me for Your name’s sake.

Out of the goodness of Your love, deliver me. For I’m poor & needy, & my heart is wounded within me. I fade away like an evening shadow. I’m shaken off like a locust. My knees give way from fasting.

My body is thin & gaunt. I’m an object of scorn to my accusers. When they see me, they shake their heads. Help me, O Lord my God. Save me in accordance with Your love. Let them know that it’s Your hand.

That you, O Lord, have done it. They may curse, but You’ll bless. When they attack, they’ll put to shame. My accusers will be clothed with disgrace & wrapped in shame as in a cloak. With my mouth, I’ll greatly extol the Lord.

In the great throng, I’ll praise him. For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save his life from those who condemn him.

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#Acts120 #Edom #Ephraim #Gilead #Judah #Manasseh #Moab #Philistia #Psalm107 #Psalm108 #Psalm109 #Shechem #ValleyOfSuccoth

Herod The Great was probably NOT of Idumean Ancestry.
https://solascripturachristianliberty.blogspot.com/2024/04/herod-great-probably-was-not-of-idumean.html

#HerodTheGreat #Idumeans #Idumea #Edom #Cosobarus #Josephus #NicolasOfDamascus