Fallen angel

== Rabbinic Judaism ==

=== Early Rabbinic literature ===
Although the concept of fallen angels developed from Judaism during the Second Temple period, rabbis from the second century onward turned against the Enochian writings, probably in order to prevent fellow Jews from worship and veneration of angels. Thus, while many angels were individualized and sometimes venerated during the Second Temple period, the status of angels was degraded to a class of creatures on the same level of humans, thereby emphasizing the omnipresence of [[God in Judaism|God]]. The 2nd-century rabbi [[Shimon bar Yochai]] cursed everyone who explained the term ''sons of God'' as angels. He stated sons of God were actually sons of judges or sons of nobles. Evil was no longer attributed to heavenly forces, now it was dealt as an "evil inclination" (''[[yetzer hara]]'') within humans.<ref>https://www.hs.ias.edu/files/Crone_Book_of_Watchers.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190923202013/https://www.hs.ias.edu/files/Crone_Book_of_Watchers.pdf |date=2019-09-23 }}: Patricia Crone. The Book of Watchers in the Qurān, p. 6 (from The Qurʾānic Pagans and Related Matters: Collected Studies in Three Volumes, Band 1)</ref> In some [[Midrash]]ic works, the "evil inclination" is attributed to [[Samael]], who is in charge of several [[Destroying angel (Bible)|''satans'']] in order to test humanity.<ref>Geoffrey W. Dennis ''The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic and Mysticism: Second Edition'' Llewellyn Worldwide 2016 {{ISBN|978-0-7387-4814-6}}</ref><ref>Yuri Stoyanov ''The Other God: Dualist Religions from Antiquity to the Cathar Heresy'' Yale University Press 2000 {{ISBN|978-0-300-19014-4}}</ref> Nevertheless, these angels are still subordinate to God; the reacceptance of rebel angels in Midrashic discourse was posterior and probably influenced by the role of fallen angels in Islamic and Christian lore.<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. 266</ref>

=== Post-Talmudic works ===
The idea of rebel angels in Judaism reappears in the [[Aggadah|Aggadic]]-Midrashic work [[Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer]], which shows not one, but two falls of angels. The first one is attributed to Samael, who refuses to worship [[Adam]] and objects to God favoring Adam over the angels, ultimately descending onto Adam and Eve to tempt them into [[sin]]. This seems rooted in the motif of the fall of [[Iblis]] in the [[Quran]] and the fall of [[Satan]] in the [[Cave of Treasures]].<ref name="Ret">Rachel Adelman ''The Return of the Repressed: Pirqe de-Rabbi Eliezer and the Pseudepigrapha'' Brill 2009 {{ISBN|978-90-04-18061-1}} pp. 77–80</ref> The second fall echoes the Enochian narratives. Again, the "sons of God" mentioned in Gen 6:1–4 are depicted as angels. During their fall, their "strength and stature became like the sons of man" and again, they give existence to the giants by intercourse with human women.<ref name="Ret" />

=== Kabbalah ===
Although not strictly speaking ''fallen'', evil angels reappear in [[Kabbalah]]. Some of them are named after angels taken from the Enochian writings, such as Samael.<ref>Adele Berlin; Maxine Grossman, eds. (2011). The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion. Oxford University Press. p. 651. {{ISBN|978-0-19-973004-9}}. Retrieved 2012-07-03</ref> According to the [[Zohar]], just as angels can be created by virtue, evil angels are an incarnation of human vices, which derive from the [[qlippoth]], the representation of impure forces.<ref>Christian D Ginsburg ''The Kabbalah (Routledge Revivals): Its Doctrines, Development, and Literature'' Routledge 2015 {{ISBN|978-1-317-58888-7}} p. 109</ref>

However, the Zohar also recalls a narration of two angels in a fallen state, called [[Ouza|Aza]] and [[Azazel|Azael]]. These angels are cast down from the heaven after mistrusting Adam for his inclination towards sin.<ref name=Lait>Michael Laitman, ''The Zohar''</ref> Once on Earth, they complete the Enochian narrative by teaching magic to humans and producing offspring with them, as well as consorting with [[Lilith]] (hailed as "the sinner"). In the narrative, the Zohar affirms but simultaneously prohibits magical practices.<ref>Aryeh Wineman, ''Mystic Tales from the Zohar'' Princeton University Press {{ISBN|978-0-691-05833-7}} p. 48</ref> As a punishment, God puts the angels in chains, but they still copulate with the demoness [[Naamah (demon)|Naamah]], who gives birth to demons, evil spirits and witches.<ref name=Lait/>