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. Although he condones the sins of man, he remains one of God's servants. One of Samael's greatest roles in Jewish lore is that of the main angel of death and the head of satans. He is considered in Midrashic texts to be a member of the heavenly host with often grim and destructive duties. Samael ( Hebrew: סַמָּאֵל, Sammāʾēl, "Venom/Poison of God" Arabic: سمسمائيل, Samsama'il or سمائل, Samail alternatively Smal, Smil, Samil, or Samiel) is an archangel in Talmudic and post-Talmudic lore a figure who is the accuser or adversary ( Satan as mentioned in the Book of Job), seducer, and destroyer ( Mashhit as mentioned in the Book of Exodus).Īlthough many of his functions resemble the Christian notion of Satan, to the point of being sometimes identified as a fallen angel, : 257–60 he is not necessarily evil, since his functions are also regarded as resulting in good, such as destroying sinners. Jacob Wrestles with the Angel, Gustave Doré (1855) 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.
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