Jubilees and the Samaritan Tradition
This tradition of the fallen angels is characteristic mainly of l Enoch and of
Jubilees. Parts of the "fallen angels" myth are found here and there, but the
full myth occurs only in these two books. In Jubilees it is abbreviated, but it
appears to have much the same contents as that in l Enoch, as far as we can
tell. Although a Satan/devil tradition is widespread in Judaism and later in
Christianity,^15 including the idea that Satan fell from heaven, the "fallen an
gels" myth in these two books takes a particular form.
When we look at the Samaritans, we certainly find angels, but Samaritan
angelology as a whole remains relatively undeveloped compared to other
streams of Judaism.^16 The Samaritan tradition has developed some individual
personal angels with names and specific tasks. But compared to the angelic
tradition of 1 Enoch, it is fairly simple. Particularly important is the discourse
on angels by Abu'l Hasan.^17 There are four named angels (Phanuel, Anusa,
Kabbala, and Nasi) of the good sort. The "Angel of the Presence" (also called
God's Kabod ["Glory"]) is important in various Pentateuchal passages.^18
What is most curious, though, is the near absence of evil angels. Al
though a few names occur, a Satan/devil tradition is not strongly developed
in Samaritan literature. There are references to "sons of Belial," such as we
find in the biblical text, and a reference to Azazel, but these are mainly con
fined to the Day of Atonement. Absent is a "fallen angels" tradition compa
rable in any way to the one in Jubilees and 1 Enoch, which led Macdonald to
write, "No case can be made out for a Samaritan belief in evil angels or de
mons as an integral part of their system of belief."^19 This means that a core
belief of Jubilees has no real parallel in the Samaritan tradition.
Afterlife
Jubilees has one well-known passage about the afterlife:
23 :3oThen the Lord will heal his servants. They will rise and see great
peace. He will expel his enemies. The righteous will see (this), offer
- Cf. L. L. Grabbe, "The Scapegoat Ritual: A Study in Early Jewish Interpretation,"
JSJ 18 (1987): 152-67.
- Macdonald, The Theology, 397-404.
- See the translation of a central passage in Bowman, Samaritan Documents, 248-51.
- J. E. Fossum, The Name of God and the Angel of the Lord: Samaritan and Jewish
Concepts of Intermediation and the Origin of Gnosticism, WUNT 36 (Tubingen: Mohr
Siebeck, 1985), 220-38.
- Macdonald, The Theology, 404.
