Fallen angel Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === 1 Enoch === [[File:P. Chester Beatty XII, leaf 3, verso.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''[[Chester Beatty]] XII'', Greek manuscript of the Book of Enoch, 4th century]] {{See also| Book of Enoch}} According to 1 Enoch 7.2, the Watchers become "enamoured" with human women<ref name="Laurence">{{cite web |url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/bep/bep02.htm |last=Laurence |first=Richard |title=The Book of Enoch the Prophet|year=1883}}</ref> and have intercourse with them. The offspring of these unions, and the knowledge they were giving, corrupt human beings and the earth (1 Enoch 10.11β12).<ref name="Laurence" /> Eminent among these angels are [[Samyaza]] and [[Azazel]]. Like many other fallen angels mentioned in 1 Enoch 8.1β9, Azazel introduces men to "forbidden arts", and it is Azazel who is rebuked by [[Enoch (ancestor of Noah)|Enoch]] himself for illicit instruction, as stated in 1 Enoch 13.1.<ref>Ra'anan S. Boustan, Annette Yoshiko Reed ''Heavenly Realms and Earthly Realities in Late Antique Religions'' Cambridge University Press 2004 {{ISBN|978-1-139-45398-1}} p. 60</ref> According to 1 Enoch 10.6, God sends the archangel [[Raphael (archangel)|Raphael]] to chain Azazel in the desert [[Dudael]] as punishment. Further, Azazel is blamed for the corruption of earth:{{blockquote|1 Enoch 10:12: "All the earth has been corrupted by the effects of the teaching of Azazyel. To him therefore ascribe the whole crime."}} An [[Etiology|etiological]] interpretation of 1 Enoch deals with the origin of evil. By shifting the origin of mankind's sin and their misdeeds to illicit angel instruction, evil is attributed to something supernatural from without. This motif, in 1 Enoch, differs from that of later Jewish and Christian [[theology]]; in the latter evil is something from within.<ref>Annette Yoshiko Reed ''Fallen Angels and the History of Judaism and Christianity: The Reception of Enochic Literature'' Cambridge University Press 2005 {{ISBN|978-0-521-85378-1}} p. 6</ref> According to a [[paradigm]]atic interpretation, 1 Enoch might deal with illicit marriages between priests and women. As evident from [[Book of Leviticus|Leviticus]] 21:1β15, priests were prohibited to marry impure women. Accordingly, the fallen angels in 1 Enoch are the priests counterpart, who defile themselves by marriage. Just like the angels are expelled from heaven, the priests are excluded from their service at the altar. Unlike most other [[Apocalyptic literature|apocalyptic writings]], 1 Enoch reflects a growing dissatisfaction with the priestly establishments in Jerusalem in the 3rd century BC. The paradigmatic interpretation parallels the [[Adam and Eve|Adamic myth]] in regard of the origin of evil: In both cases, transcending one's own limitations inherent in their own nature causes their fall. This contrasts the etiological interpretation, which implies another power besides God, in heaven. The latter solution therefore poorly fits into [[Monotheism|monotheistic]] thought.<ref>SUTER, DAVID. ''Fallen Angel, Fallen Priest: The Problem of Family Purity in 1 Enoch 6β16.'' Hebrew Union College Annual, vol. 50, 1979, pp. 115β135. JSTOR,</ref> Otherwise, the introduction to illicit knowledge might reflect a rejection of foreign [[Hellenistic period|Hellenistic]] culture. Accordingly, the fallen angels represent creatures of [[Greek mythology]], which introduced forbidden arts, used by Hellenistic kings and generals, resulting in oppression of Jews.<ref>George W. E. Nickelsburg. "Apocalyptic and Myth in 1 Enoch 6β11." Journal of Biblical Literature, vol. 96, no. 3, 1977, pp. 383β405</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page