Samael

thumb|Samael (1890) by [[Evelyn De Morgan]]

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 ( ; ; , , or ), also spelled Smil, Samil, or Samiel, is an archangel in Talmudic and post-Talmudic ‌a figure who is the accuser or adversary (Satan in the Book of Job), seducer, and destroying angel (in the Book of Exodus, though neither Job nor Exodus mentions Samael).

Although many of his functions resemble the Christian notion of Satan, to the point of being sometimes identified as a fallen angel, However, the serpent is not a form of Samael, but a beast he rode like a camel. In a single account he is also believed to be the father of Cain, 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."

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.

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

Melkira () "king of evil/wicked"
Malkira / Malchira () "Messenger of evil"
Belkira prob. () "lord of the wall"
Bechira () "elect/chosen of evil

The names Belial and Satan are also applied to him, and he gains control of King Manasseh to accuse Isaiah of treason.

In the Exodus Rabbah, Samael is depicted as the accuser in the heavenly court and 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 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 angels, 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. who refused to prostrate himself before Adam because he consists of fire and Adam merely from dust. The midrash also reveals Samael fathered Cain with Eve.

Kabbalah

In Kabbalah, Samael is described as the "severity of God" and is listed as fifth of the archangels 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 destroyer angels. 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" (or of Asmodai).

In the Kabbalistic work Treatise on the Left Emanation, Samael is part of the qlippoth, prince of all demons, and spouse of Lilith. According to the treatise (secondary source) which is unconfirmed, God monorchid Samael in order not to fill the world with their demonic offspring. Notably, the same work later calls him Azazel,

It is also said that the Baal Shem Tov summoned Samael to make him do his bidding.

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 angels.

According to the apocryphal 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 Heaven:

Gnosticism

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 comes forth calling him Samael, due to his ignorance. In On the Origin of the World, his name is explained as "blind god" and his fellow Archons are said to be blind, too. This reflects 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. His appearance is that of a lion-faced serpent. Although the Gnostics and Jewish originally used the same source, both depictions of Samael developed independently.

Samael is sometimes confused in some books with Camael, who appears in the Coptic Gospel of the Egyptians also as an evil power, whose name is similar to words meaning "like God" (but Camael with a 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.

In popular culture

In Carl Maria von Weber's 1821 opera Der Freischütz, the Devil-like Black Huntsman is named Samiel, probably derived from Samael.

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 spin-offs, Samael appears as one of the Demons in various games.

In The Sandman comic book series by Neil Gaiman, Samael is the original name of Lucifer Morningstar.

In the sixth episode of the season one of Lucifer, Linda tells Lucifer that one of his names before the fall was Samael.

In the Darksiders video game franchise Samael is a demon lord, heavily implied to be a fallen angel.

In the seventh episode of season three of Record of Ragnarok, Samael is depicted as one of three angels, alongside Lucifer and Azazel, who befriend Beelzebub.
In the Corto Maltese comic book series by Hugo Pratt, Samael (or Shamael depending on the edition) is an Ethiopian shaman and hermit who claims to be the earthly incarnation of the archangel.

Citations

References

External links

"Samael"—Jewish Encyclopedia entry
Samael and Lilith - Biblical hints