Sariel (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

& Aramaic: שָׂרִיאֵל ''Śārīʾēl'', "God is my Ruler"; Greek: Σαριηλ ''Sariēl'', cop, ⲥⲟⲩⲣⲓⲏⲗ ''Souriēl'';

Amharic Amharic ( or ; (Amharic: ), ', ) is an Ethiopian Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amharas, and also serves as a lingua franca for all oth ...

: ሰራቁያል ''Säraquyael'', ሰረቃኤል ''Säräqael'') is an

archangel Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the hierarchy of angels. The word ''archangel'' itself is usually associated with the Abrahamic religions, but beings that are very similar to archangels are found in a number of other relig ...

, mainly from

Judaic Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in t ...

tradition. Other possible versions of his name are Suriel, Suriyel (in some Dead Sea Scrolls translations), Seriel, Sauriel, Saraqael, Sarakiel, Suruel, Surufel, and Souriel. In 1 Enoch (20:6), he is said to be "one of the

even Even may refer to: General * Even (given name), a Norwegian male personal name * Even (surname) * Even (people), an ethnic group from Siberia and Russian Far East **Even language, a language spoken by the Evens * Odd and Even, a solitaire game wh ...

holy angels

ho watch Ho (or the transliterations He or Heo) may refer to: People Language and ethnicity * Ho people, an ethnic group of India ** Ho language, a tribal language in India * Hani people, or Ho people, an ethnic group in China, Laos and Vietnam * Hiri M ...

who is set over the spirits, who sin in the spirit".

Origen Origen of Alexandria, ''Ōrigénēs''; Origen's Greek name ''Ōrigénēs'' () probably means "child of Horus" (from , "Horus", and , "born"). ( 185 – 253), also known as Origen Adamantius, was an early Christian scholar, ascetic, and theolo ...

identified Suriel as one of seven angels who are considered primordial powers by the

Ophites The Ophites, also called Ophians (Greek Ὀφιανοί ''Ophianoi'', from ὄφις ''ophis'' "snake"), were a Christian Gnostic sect depicted by Hippolytus of Rome (170–235) in a lost work, the ''Syntagma'' ("arrangement"). It is now thought t ...

. In Gnosticism, Sariel is invoked for his protective powers. He is commemorated in the calendar of the

Coptic Orthodox Church The Coptic Orthodox Church ( cop, Ϯⲉⲕ̀ⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲛ̀ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ⲛ̀ⲟⲣⲑⲟⲇⲟⲝⲟⲥ, translit=Ti.eklyseya en.remenkimi en.orthodoxos, lit=the Egyptian Orthodox Church; ar, الكنيسة القبطي� ...

on 27 Tobi in the Coptic calendar. He is not to be confused with the fallen watcher Sahariel (

& Aramaic: שַׂהֲרִיאֵל ''Śahărīʾēl''; "God is my moon") who bears a similar name. In 1 Enoch (8:1) he is said to have taught humans the course of the moon.

In traditional texts

The fallen watcher Sariel (Sahariel), according to the Book of Enoch, was one of the leaders of angels who lusted after the daughters of men. They descended to the summit of Mount Hermon, in the days of

Jared Jared is a given name of Biblical derivation. Origin In the Book of Genesis, the biblical patriarch Jared (יֶרֶד) was the sixth in the ten pre-flood generations between Adam and Noah; he was the son of Mahalaleel and the father of Enoch, ...

, to acquire wives and lead men astray. Enoch 6 Sariel specifically taught men about the course of the moon. Knibbs' translation of the names of the Book of Enoch says it was Sariel who taught humans the "course of the moon" (the Lunar Calendar). In this same book, the archangel Sariel is one of the holy angels, who is set over the spirits that sin in the spirit, and is one of the angels who look upon the bloodshed on Earth, along with Gabriel,

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

, Raphael and Uriel. In the book of

2 Enoch The Second Book of Enoch (abbreviated as 2 Enoch and also known as Slavonic Enoch, Slavic Enoch or Secrets of Enoch) is a pseudepigraphic text in the apocalyptic genre. It describes the ascent of the patriarch Enoch, ancestor of Noah, through ten ...

he is listed, with the name of Samuil or Sariel, as one of the angels that brought Enoch to heaven. The book of War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness, from the Dead Sea Scrolls, lists the name of ''Sariel'' (שריאל, "''God is my Ruler"'') along with Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel as names to write upon the shields of soldiers in a tower during maneuvers (1QM 9,15). It is used on the shields of the third ''Tower'' (1QM 9,16). The angel ''Suriyel'' is briefly mentioned in the

Conflict of Adam and Eve with Satan The ''Conflict of Adam and Eve with Satan'' (also known as ''The Book of Adam and Eve'') is a 6th-century Christian extracanonical work found in Ge'ez, translated from an Arabic original. It does not form part of the canon of any church. Editi ...

as bearing

Adam and Eve Adam and Eve, according to the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions, were the first man and woman. They are central to the belief that humanity is in essence a single family, with everyone descended from a single pair of original ancestors. ...

from the top of a high mountain to the Cave of Treasures. :"… bring what he had brought, and give it to Adam. And they did so, one by one. 6 And God commanded Suriyel and Salathiel to bear up Adam and Eve, and bring them down from the top of the high mountain, and …" - Bible. O. T. Apocryphal books. English First Book of Adam and Eve. In the

Ladder of Jacob The ''Ladder of Jacob'' (Hebrew: ''Sulam Yaakov'' סולם יעקב) is a pseudepigraphic writing of the Old Testament. It is usually considered to be part of the apocalyptic literature. The text has been preserved only in Slavonic, and it is cl ...

''Sariel'' is dispatched by the Lord to Jacob to explain to him the meaning of the dream about the ladder. The book of

Liber Juratus ''The Sworn Book of Honorius'' ( la, Liber juratus Honorii, also ''Liber sacer'', ''sacratus'' or ''consecratus'') is a medieval grimoire purportedly written by Honorius of Thebes. The Latin word "juratus", which is typically translated to "swor ...

Honorius of Thebes Honorius may refer to: People * Honorius (emperor) (Flavius Honorius Augustus, 384–423), western Roman emperor 395–423 * Honorius of Canterbury (Saint Honorius, died 653), archbishop of Canterbury 627–653 * Honoratus of Amiens (Saint Honor ...

has a number of translations which lists ''Sariell'' as one of "The names of the angels of the eighth month, which is called marquesnan heshvan", and ''Sariel'' as one of "The names of the angels of the tenth month, which is called Tevet". The month of Heshvan marquesnan would make Sariel's ruler Barfiell, or the month of

Tevet Tevet ( he, טֵבֵת, ''Ṭevet''; ; from Akkadian ) is the fourth month of the civil year and the tenth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. It follows Kislev and precedes Shevat. It is a month of 29 days. Tevet usually o ...

would make the ruler

Anael Haniel ( he, חַנִּיאֵל, ''Ḥannīʾēl'', "God is my grace"; cop, ⲁⲛⲁⲛⲓⲏⲗ ''Ananiēl''; ar, عنيائيل, '), also known as Hananel, Anael, Hanael or Aniel, is an angel in Jewish lore and angelology, and is often i ...

. The Lesser Key of Solomon lists the dukes Asteliel and Gediel as commanding Sariel by night. The book ''A Dictionary of Angels'' by Gustav Davidson and ''The Complete Book of Devils and Demons'' by Leonard Ashley list Sariel as a fallen angel. The Greek Magical Papyri represents him as a deity to be called upon in rituals using the "Souriel" variation of his name. The University of Michigan has a section in its library collection devoted to Traditions of Magic in Late Antiquity, Protective Magic, Babylonian Demon Bowls. One clay bowl from Seleucia-on-Tigris dated to the 6th or 7th century CE lists Sariel twice: :"I wrote all of the curses upon a new bowl of clay and I sent back the curses of those who cursed Negray daughter of Denday to their masters until they release and bless in the name of Sariel the angel and Barakiel the angel and in the name of Sariel and Barakiel you release from the curses of those who curse Negray daughter of Denday as a man is freed from the house of bondage and from the house of weapons amen amen selah"

References

External links

University of Michigan Demon Bowls Exhibit 37

Kelsey Museum of Archaeology The Kelsey Museum of Archaeology is a museum of archaeology located on the University of Michigan central campus in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in the United States. The museum is a unit of the University of Michigan's College of Literature, Science, and ...

19504 {{authority control Archangels Coptic Orthodox saints Angels in the Book of Enoch Angels of the Presence