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{{Short description|Angel expelled from heaven in Abrahamic religions}}
{{About|fallen angels in the Abrahamic religions}}
{{Redirect|Rebel angels|other uses|Rebel Angels (disambiguation)}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}}
[[File:Fuente del Ángel Caído 2025 Detail.jpg|thumb|''[[Fuente del Ángel Caído|Fountain of the Fallen Angel]]'' (1877), by [[Ricardo Bellver]]. [[Parque del Buen Retiro, Madrid|Retiro Park]], Madrid.]]
'''Fallen angels''' are [[angel]]s who were expelled from [[Heaven]]. The literal term "fallen angel" does not appear in any [[Abrahamic religions|Abrahamic]] [[religious texts]], but is used to describe angels cast out of heaven.<ref name="Azaiez-Reynolds-Tesei-Zafer-nd">{{cite book |last=Crone |first=Patricia |title=The Qur'an Seminar Commentary / Le Qur'an Seminar: A Collaborative Study of 50 Qur'anic Passages / Commentaire collaboratif de 50 passages coraniques |collaboration= |date=2016 |publisher=De Gruyter |isbn=9783110444797 |editor1-last=Azaiez |editor1-first=Mehdi|edition=bilingual |pages=387–390 |language=fr, en  |editor2-last=Reynolds |editor2-first=Gabriel Said |editor3-last=Tesei |editor3-first=Tommaso |editor4-last=Zafer |editor4-first=Hamza M.}}</ref> Such angels are often described as corrupting humanity by teaching forbidden knowledge or by tempting them into [[sin]]. Common motifs for their expulsion are [[lust]], [[pride]], [[envy]], or an attempt to usurp divinity.

The earliest appearance of the concept of fallen angels may be found in [[Canaanite religion|Canaanite beliefs]] about the ''bənē hāʾĔlōhīm'' ("sons of God"), expelled from the [[Pantheon (religion)|divine court]]. ''Hêlêl ben Šāḥar'' is thrown down from heaven for claiming equality with ''ʻElyōn''. Such stories were later collected in the [[Old Testament]] and appear in [[Pseudepigrapha|pseudepigraphic]] [[Apocalyptic literature|Jewish literature]]. The concept of fallen angels derives from the assumption that the "[[sons of God]]" ({{Script/Hebrew|בני האלוהים}}) mentioned in [[Primeval history|Genesis 6:1–4]] or the [[Book of Enoch]] are angels. In the [[Intertestamental period|period immediately preceding the composition of the New Testament]], some groups of [[Second Temple Judaism]] identified these "sons of God" as fallen angels. 
During the late [[Second Temple period]] the [[Nephilim]] were considered to be the monstrous offspring of fallen angels and human women. In such accounts, God sends the [[Genesis flood narrative|Great Deluge]] to purge the world of these creatures; their bodies are destroyed, yet their souls survive, thereafter roaming the earth as [[demon]]s. [[Rabbinic Judaism]] and [[Great Church|early Christian authorities]] after the third century rejected the Enochian writings and the notion of an illicit union between angels and women.

[[Christian theology]] teaches that the sins of fallen angels occur [[Genesis creation narrative|before the beginning of human history]]. Accordingly, fallen angels became identified with those led by [[Lucifer]] in rebellion against God, also equated with demons. The angelic origin of demons was important for Christianity insofar as Christian monotheism holds that evil is a corruption of [[good]]ness rather than an independent ontological principle. Conceptualizing fallen angels as purely spiritual beings, both good and evil angels were envisioned as rational beings without bodily limitations. Thus, [[Western philosophy#Scholasticism|Western Christian]] philosophy also implemented the fall of angels as a [[thought experiment]] about how evil will could occur from within the mind without external influences and explores questions regarding [[morality]].

The [[Quran]] refers to motifs reminiscent of fallen angels in earlier [[Abrahamic religion|Abrahamic writings]]. However, the interpretation of these beings is disputed. Some Muslim exegetes regard [[Iblis|Satan]] (''Iblīs'') to be an angel, while others do not.<ref name="Erdağı">{{cite journal | last=Erdağı | first=Deniz Özkan | title=Evil in Turkish Muslim horror film: the demonic in "Semum" | journal=SN Social Sciences | volume=4 | issue=2 | date=2024-02-01 | issn=2662-9283 | doi=10.1007/s43545-024-00832-w |pages=1–22| doi-access=free }}</ref> According to the viewpoint of [[Ibn Abbas]] (619–687), Iblis was an angel created from fire (''nār as-samūm''), while according to [[Hasan al-Basri|Hasan of Basra]] (642–728), he was the progenitor of the ''[[jinn]]''.<ref>Akbari, Mahtab, and Reza Ashrafzadeh. "A comparative study of the image of the devil in the logic of Attar Attar and the commentary of Abolfotuh Razi." Propósitos y representaciones 9.2 (2021): 100.</ref><ref>Öztürk, Mustafa. "The Tragic Story of Iblis (Satan) in the Qur’an." Journal of Islamic Research 2.2 (2009): 128-144.</ref> [[Harut and Marut]] are a pair of angels mentioned in the Quran who are often said to have fallen to earth due to their negative remarks on humanity.

Fallen angels further appear throughout both [[Christian culture|Christian]] and [[Islamic culture|Islamic]] [[popular culture]], as in [[Dante Alighieri|Dante Alighieri's]] ''[[Divine Comedy]]'' (1308–1320), [[John Milton|John Milton's]] ''[[Paradise Lost]]'', and [[Hasan Karacadağ| Hasan Karacadağ's]] ''[[Semum]]'' (2008).

== Canaanite origin ==
The [[Elohist|Elohist sources]] speak of ''bənē hāʾĔlōhīm'' ("sons of God"), manifestations of the Divine ([[El (deity)|''ʾēl'']]) and part of the heavenly court in the [[Canaanite religion|Canaanite pantheon]].<ref>Russell, Jeffrey Burton. The devil: Perceptions of evil from antiquity to primitive Christianity. Cornell University Press, 1987. p.184</ref> According to [[Book of Genesis|Genesis 6:1–4]] the ''bənē hāʾĔlōhīm'' descended to earth and mated with human women and beget the [[Nephilim]], followed by [[Great Deluge|God sending down a flood]] clean the world from humans.<ref name="Russell, Jeffrey Burton 1987. p. 185">Russell, Jeffrey Burton. The devil: Perceptions of evil from antiquity to primitive Christianity. Cornell University Press, 1987. p. 185</ref>

A passage from the [[Book of Psalms]], although at least five hundred years apart from the passage in Genesis, speaks about a similar heavenly court.<ref name="Russell, Jeffrey Burton 1987. p. 185"/> According to the text, God delivers judgement upon the gods by turning them into mortals.<ref name="Russell, Jeffrey Burton 1987. p. 185"/> Although the text does not imply that the gods fell from heaven, it parallels their descend from immortality to mortality.<ref name="Russell, Jeffrey Burton 1987. p. 185"/> Unlike Genesis, the text is silent about the sins of the gods.<ref name="Russell, Jeffrey Burton 1987. p. 185"/>

As evident from the [[Old Testament]], in later Hebrew tradition, angels became identified with stars. As such, the [[Book of Isaiah]], narrating the fall of a deity in the form of a celestial object, serves as a template for the later belief in fallen angels.<ref>Russell, Jeffrey Burton. The devil: Perceptions of evil from antiquity to primitive Christianity. Cornell University Press, 1987. p. 196</ref> According to the Book of Isaiah, ''Hêlêl ben Šāḥar'', son of ''Šāḥar'', known from the [[Ugaritic]] poem of [[Shahar (god)|Shachar (dawn) and Shalim (dusk)]], claims equality with ʻElyōn and is then thrown down into the abyss as means of punishment.<ref>Russell, Jeffrey Burton. The devil: Perceptions of evil from antiquity to primitive Christianity. Cornell University Press, 1987. p. 197</ref><ref>Bamberger, Bernard J. (2006). ''Fallen angels : soldiers of Satan's realm'' (first paperback ed.). Philadelphia, Pa.: Jewish Publ. Soc. of America. {{ISBN|978-0-8276-0797-2}} p. 9-10</ref>

== Second Temple period ==
{{Main|Second Temple Judaism}}
{{Further|Biblical apocrypha|Development of the Hebrew Bible canon}}
Fallen angels frequently appear in [[Pseudepigrapha|pseudepigraphic]] [[Apocalyptic literature|Jewish apocalyptic]] religious texts dated to the [[Second Temple period]] between 530 BC and 70 AD: in the [[Book of Enoch]], the [[Book of Jubilees]], and the [[Qumran]] ''[[The Book of Giants|Book of Giants]]''. Genesis 6:1–4 serves as the template for the story, but it is unclear if the same myth has existed in the Canaanite period.<ref name=Grabbe>Lester L. Grabbe, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=DO6kT5RPuxgC&q=full-blown+story&pg=PA101 An Introduction to First Century Judaism: Jewish Religion and History in the Second Temple Period]'' (Continuum International Publishing Group 1996 {{ISBN|978-0-567-08506-1}}), p. 101</ref>

Some scholars consider it most likely that the Jewish tradition of fallen angels predates, even in written form, the composition of Gen 6:1–4.<ref>Lester L. Grabbe, ''A History of the Jews and Judaism in the Second Temple Period'' (Continuum 2004 {{ISBN|978-0-567-04352-8}}), p. 344</ref><ref>Matthew Black, ''The Book of Enoch or I Enoch: A New English Edition with Commentary and Textual Notes'' (Brill 1985 {{ISBN|978-90-04-07100-1}}), p. 14</ref>{{efn|Lester L. Grabbe calls the story of the sexual intercourse between angels and women "an old myth in Judaism". Further, he states: "the question of whether the myth is an interpretation of Genesis or whether Genesis represents a brief reflection of the myth is debated."<ref>Grabbe 2004, p. 101</ref>}} In the Book of Enoch, these [[Watcher (angel)|Watchers]] "fell" after they became "enamored" with human women. The [[2 Enoch|Second Book of Enoch]] (''Slavonic Enoch'') refers to the same beings of the (First) Book of Enoch, as ''Grigori'' in the Greek transcription.<ref>Andrei A. Orlov, ''Dark Mirrors: Azazel and Satanael in Early Jewish Demonology'' (SUNY Press 2011 {{ISBN|978-1-4384-3951-8}}), p. 164</ref> Compared to the other Books of Enoch, fallen angels play a less significant role in [[3 Enoch]]. 3 Enoch mentions only three fallen angels called [[Azazel]], Azza and Uzza. Similar to The first Book of Enoch, they taught sorcery on earth, causing corruption.<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. 256</ref> Unlike the first Book of Enoch, there is no mention of the reason for their fall and, according to 3 Enoch 4.6, they also later appear in heaven objecting to the presence of Enoch.

=== 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]]

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 10.11–12).<ref name="Laurence" /> Eminent among these angels are [[Samyaza]] and [[Azazel]]. Like many other fallen angels mentioned in 1 Enoch 8.1–9, 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]] 21:1–15, 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 6—16.'' Hebrew Union College Annual, vol. 50, 1979, pp. 115–135. 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 6–11." Journal of Biblical Literature, vol. 96, no. 3, 1977, pp. 383–405</ref>

=== 2 Enoch ===
The concept of fallen angels is also in the [[Second Book of Enoch]]. It tells about [[Enoch (ancestor of Noah)|Enoch]]'s ascent through the layers of heaven. During his journey, he encounters fallen angels imprisoned in the [[Seven heavens|2nd heaven]]. At first, he decides to pray for them, but refuses to do so, since he himself as merely human, would not be worthy to pray for angels. In the 5th heaven however, he meets other rebellious angels, here called ''[[Watcher (angel)|Grigori]]'', remaining in grief, not joining the heavenly hosts in song. Enoch tries to cheer them up by telling about his prayers for their fellow angels and thereupon they join the heavenly liturgy.<ref>Annette Yoshiko Reed ''Fallen Angels and the History of Judaism and Christianity: The Reception of Enochic Literature'' Cambridge University Press 2005 {{ISBN|978-1-139-44687-7}} pp. 103–104</ref>

Strikingly, the text refers to the leader of the Grigori as Satanail and not as Azael or Shemyaza, as in the other Books of Enoch.<ref name="Orlov 2012">Andrei Orlov, Gabriele Boccaccini ''New Perspectives on 2 Enoch: No Longer Slavonic Only'' Brill 2012 {{ISBN|978-90-04-23014-9}} pp. 150, 164</ref> But the Grigori are identified with the Watchers of 1 Enoch.<ref name="Orlov,164">{{harvnb|Orlov|2011|p=164}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Anderson|2000|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=1YoUBBVGBGEC&dq=2+enoch+18%3A3&pg=PA46 64]: "In 2 Enoch 18:3... the fall of Satan and his angels is talked of in terms of the Watchers (Grigori) story, and connected with Genesis 6:1–4."}}</ref>

The narration of the Grigori in 2 Enoch 18:1–7, who went down on to earth, married women and "befouled the earth with their deeds", resulting in their confinement under the earth, shows that the author of 2 Enoch knew about the stories in 1 Enoch.<ref name="Orlov 2012" /> The longer [[recension]] of 2 Enoch, chapter 29 refers to angels who were "thrown out from the height" when their leader tried to become equal in rank with the Lord's power (2 Enoch 29:1–4), an idea probably taken from [[Ancient Canaanite religion]] about [[Attar (god)|Attar]], trying to rule the throne of [[Baal]].<ref>Howard Schwartz ''Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism'' Oxford University Press 2006 {{ISBN|978-0-19-532713-7}} p. 108</ref>

=== Jubilees ===
The [[Book of Jubilees]], an ancient Jewish religious work, accepted as canonical by the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Church]] and [[Beta Israel]], refers to the Watchers, who are among the angels created on the first day.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/bep/bep02.htm|title=The Book of Enoch the Prophet: Chapter I-XX|website=www.sacred-texts.com}}</ref><ref>Todd R. Hanneken ''The Subversion of the Apocalypses in the Book of Jubilees'' Society of Biblical Lit {{ISBN|978-1-58983-643-3}} p. 57</ref> However, unlike the (first) Book of Enoch, the Watchers are commanded by God to descend to earth and to instruct humanity.<ref>Todd R. Hanneken ''The Subversion of the Apocalypses in the Book of Jubilees'' Society of Biblical Lit {{ISBN|978-1-58983-643-3}} p. 59</ref><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. 90</ref> It is only after they copulate with human women that they transgress the laws of God.<ref name="ReferenceB">Chad T. Pierce ''Spirits and the Proclamation of Christ: 1 Peter 3:18–22 in Light of Sin and Punishment Traditions in Early Jewish and Christian Literature'' Mohr Siebeck 2011 {{ISBN|978-3-16-150858-5}} p. 112</ref> These illicit unions result in demonic offspring, who battle each other until they die, while the Watchers are bound in the depths of the earth as punishment.<ref>Jeffrey Burton Russell ''The Devil: Perceptions of Evil from Antiquity to Primitive Christianity'' Cornell University Press 1987 {{ISBN|978-0-8014-9409-3}} p. 193</ref> In Jubilees 10:1, another angel called [[Mastema]] appears as the leader of the evil spirits.<ref name="ReferenceB" /> He asks God to spare some of the demons, so he might use their aid to lead humankind into sin. Afterwards, he becomes their leader:<ref name="ReferenceB" /> {{blockquote|Lord, Creator, let some of them remain before me, and let them harken to my voice, and do all that I shall say unto them; for if some of them are not left to me, I shall not be able to execute the power of my will on the sons of men; for these are for corruption and leading astray before my judgment, for great is the wickedness of the sons of men. (10:8)}}

Both the (first) Book of Enoch and the Book of Jubilees include the motif of angels introducing evil to humans. However, unlike the Book of Enoch, the Book of Jubilees does not hold that evil was caused by the fall of angels in the first place, although their introduction to sin is affirmed. Further, while the fallen angels in the Book of Enoch are acting against God's will, the fallen angels and demons in the Book of Jubilees seem to have no power independent from God but only act within his power.<ref>Todd R. Hanneken ''The Subversion of the Apocalypses in the Book of Jubilees'' Society of Biblical Lit {{ISBN|978-1-58983-643-3}} p. 60</ref>

== Rabbinic Judaism ==

=== Early Rabbinic literature ===
{{Main|Rabbinic literature}}

Although the concept of fallen angels developed from Jewish texts written 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>{{Cite web |title=Crone Book of Watchers |url=https://www.hs.ias.edu/files/Crone_Book_of_Watchers.pdf |website=www.hs.ias.edu |access-date=26 January 2019 |archive-date=23 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190923202013/https://www.hs.ias.edu/files/Crone_Book_of_Watchers.pdf |url-status=dead }}</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 ===
{{Main|Kabbalistic texts}}

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/>

== Christianity ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="230">
File:William de Brailes - The Fall of the Rebel Angels (Apocryphal) - Walters W10624R - Full Page.jpg|left|The Fall of the Rebel Angels (Apocryphal) ({{Circa|1250}}), by [[William de Brailes]]. [[God in Christianity|God]] sits on a throne within a [[mandorla]]. The rebelling angels are depicted as falling out of heaven and into a hell, in the shape of a mouth. As they fall, the angels become demons.
File:Paradise Lost 1.jpg|Michael casts out rebel angels. Illustration by [[Gustave Doré]] for [[John Milton]]'s ''[[Paradise Lost]]'' (1866)
File:Paradise_Lost_24.jpg|Angels fighting against fallen angels during the [[War in Heaven]]. Illustration by Gustave Doré for John Milton's ''Paradise Lost'' (1866)
</gallery>

=== Bible ===
{{Main|Old Testament pseudepigrapha}}
{{Further|Development of the Old Testament canon|Development of the New Testament canon}}

[[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] 10:18 refers to "[[Satan]] falling from heaven" and Matthew 25:41 mentions "[[the Devil]] and his angels", who will be thrown into [[Hell in Christianity|Hell]]. All [[Synoptic Gospels]] identify Satan as the leader of demons.<ref name=Martin2010>{{cite journal |last1=Martin |first1=Dale Basil |title=When Did Angels Become Demons? |journal=Journal of Biblical Literature |date=2010 |volume=129 |issue=4 |pages=657–677 |doi=10.2307/25765960 |jstor=25765960 }}</ref> [[Paul the Apostle]] ({{Circa|5|64}} or 67) states in 1 Corinthians 6:3 that there are angels who will be judged, implying the existence of wicked angels.<ref name=Martin2010/> 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 1:6 refer [[Protrepsis and paraenesis|paraenetically]] to angels who have sinned against God and await punishment on [[Judgement Day]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Charles |first1=J. Daryl |title=The Angels under Reserve in 2 Peter and Jude |journal=Bulletin for Biblical Research |date=2005 |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=39–48 |doi=10.2307/26422750 |jstor=26422750 }}</ref> The [[Book of Revelation]], chapter 12, speaks of Satan as the "Great Red Dragon" whose "tail swept a third part of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth".<ref>Revelation 12:4</ref> In verses 7–9, Satan is defeated in the [[War in Heaven]] against [[Michael (archangel)|Michael]] and his angels: "the great dragon was thrown down, that [[Serpent (Bible)|ancient serpent]] who is called [[the Devil]] and [[Satan]], the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth and his angels were thrown down with him".<ref>Revelation 12:9</ref> Nowhere within the [[New Testament]] are fallen angels identified with [[demon]]s,<ref name=Martin2010/> but by combining the references to Satan, demons, and angels, [[Christian theology|early Christian exegetes]] equated fallen angels with demons, for which Satan was regarded as the leader.<ref name=Martin2010/><ref>{{cite book|last=Packer|first=J.I.|title=Concise theology : a guide to historic Christian beliefs|year=2001|publisher=[[Tyndale House]]|location=Carol Stream, Ill.|isbn=978-0-8423-3960-5|chapter=Satan: Fallen angels have a leader|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rXmOrt8mVJkC&pg=PT70}}</ref>

The [[First Epistle to the Corinthians]] in 11:10, according to the early Church Father [[Tertullian]], references fallen angels; Tertullian taught that protection from the lust of the fallen angels was the reason for the [[Apostle Paul]]'s [[Head covering for Christian women|directive to Christian women to wear a headcovering (veil)]].<ref name="Stewart2022">{{cite book |last1=Stewart |first1=Tyler A. |title=The Origin and Persistence of Evil in Galatians |date=25 February 2022 |publisher=Mohr Siebeck |isbn=978-3-16-159873-9 |page=51 |language=en}}</ref> Tertullian referenced a woman who was touched on the neck by a fallen angel "who found her to be a temptation".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hammerling |first1=Roy |title=A History of Prayer: The First to the Fifteenth Century |date=2 October 2008 |publisher=Brill Academic Publishers |isbn=978-90-04-17122-0 |page=52 |language=en}}</ref>

[[Origen]] and other early Christian writers linked the fallen morning star of [[Isaiah 14]]:12 of the [[Old Testament]] to Jesus' statement in Luke 10:18 that he "saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven", as well as a passage about the fall of Satan in Revelation 12:8–9.<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ldDLYd2AuAsC&pg=PA320 |author= John N. Oswalt |chapter= The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 1–39 |title= The International Commentary on the Old Testament |publisher=Eerdmans |year=1986 |isbn=978-0-8028-2529-2 |page=320 |access-date= 2012-07-03}}</ref> The Latin word ''[[lucifer]]'', as introduced in the late 4th-century AD [[Vulgate]], gave rise to the name for a fallen angel.<ref>Kaufmann Kohler ''Heaven and Hell in Comparative Religion: With Special Reference to Dante's Divine Comedy'' Macmillan original: Princeton University 1923 digitized: 2008 p. 5</ref>

Christian tradition has associated Satan not only with the image of the fallen "morning star" in Isaiah 14:12, but also with the denouncing in Ezekiel 28:11–19 of the [[King of Tyre]], who is spoken of as having been a "[[cherub]]". The [[Church Fathers]] saw these two passages as in some ways parallel, an interpretation also testified in apocryphal and [[Pseudepigrapha|pseudepigraphic]] works.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=smxPS7QRR5MC&dq=Patmore+pseudepigraphic&pg=PA78 Hector M. Patmore, ''Adam, Satan, and the King of Tyre''] (Brill 2012), {{ISBN|978-90-04-20722-6}}, pp. 76–78</ref> However, "no modern evangelical commentary on Isaiah or Ezekiel sees Isaiah 14 or Ezekiel 28 as providing information about the fall of Satan".<ref>Paul Peterson, Ross Cole (editors), [https://books.google.com/books?id=TBFAAwAAQBAJ&dq=Petersen+modern+evangelical+commentary&pg=PA246 ''Hermeneutics, Intertextuality and the Contemporary Meaning of Scripture'' (Avondale Academic Press 2013] {{ISBN|978-1-921817-99-1}}), p. 246.</ref>

=== Early Christianity ===
{{Main|Early Christianity}}
{{Further|Early Christian writings}}

[[Christianity]] originated in [[Christianity in the 1st century|1st-century]] [[Judea (Roman province)|Judea]] from a sect of [[Jewish Apocalypticism|apocalyptic]] [[Jewish Christian]]s within the realm of [[Second Temple Judaism]].<ref name="Wilken 2013"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Ehrman |first=Bart D. |author-link=Bart D. Ehrman |year=2005 |orig-year=2003 |title=Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew |chapter=At Polar Ends of the Spectrum: Early Christian Ebionites and Marcionites |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=URdACxKubDIC&pg=PA95 |location=[[Oxford]] |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |pages=95–112 |doi=10.1017/s0009640700110273 |isbn=978-0-19-518249-1 |lccn=2003053097 |s2cid=152458823 |access-date=20 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Hurtado |first=Larry W. |author-link=Larry Hurtado |year=2005 |chapter=How on Earth Did Jesus Become a God? Approaches to Jesus-Devotion in Earliest Christianity |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xi5xIxgnNgcC&pg=PA13 |title=How on Earth Did Jesus Become a God? Historical Questions about Earliest Devotion to Jesus |location=[[Grand Rapids, Michigan]] and [[Cambridge|Cambridge, UK]] |publisher=[[Wm. B. Eerdmans]] |pages=13–55 |isbn=978-0-8028-2861-3 |access-date=20 July 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Freeman |first=Charles |author-link=Charles Freeman (historian) |year=2010 |title=A New History of Early Christianity |chapter=Breaking Away: The First Christianities |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5_in-6VLgRoC&pg=PA31 |location=[[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]] and [[London]] |publisher=[[Yale University Press]] |pages=31–46 |doi=10.12987/9780300166583 |isbn=978-0-300-12581-8 |jstor=j.ctt1nq44w |lccn=2009012009 |s2cid=170124789 |access-date=20 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author-last=Lietaert Peerbolte |author-first=Bert Jan |year=2013 |chapter=How Antichrist Defeated Death: The Development of Christian Apocalyptic Eschatology in the Early Church |editor1-last=Krans |editor1-first=Jan |editor2-last=Lietaert Peerbolte |editor2-first=L. J. |editor3-last=Smit |editor3-first=Peter-Ben |editor4-last=Zwiep |editor4-first=Arie W. |title=Paul, John, and Apocalyptic Eschatology: Studies in Honour of Martinus C. de Boer |location=[[Leiden]] |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |series=[[Novum Testamentum|Novum Testamentum: Supplements]] |volume=149 |pages=238–255 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MoKxIeOTkqYC&pg=PA238 |doi=10.1163/9789004250369_016 |isbn=978-90-04-25026-0 |issn=0167-9732 |s2cid=191738355 |access-date=13 February 2021}}</ref> The basic tenets of the Jewish religion during this era were [[ethical monotheism]] and the [[Torah]], or the [[Mosaic Law]].<ref name="González 1987">{{cite book |author-last=González |author-first=Justo L. |author-link=Justo L. González |year=1987 |title=A History of Christian Thought |location=[[Nashville, Tennessee]] |publisher=[[Abingdon Press]] |volume=1: From the Beginnings to the Council of Chalcedon |edition=Revised |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_History_of_Christian_Thought_From_the/yMlwT9_KRz4C |page=37 |isbn=0-687-17182-2}}</ref> In this period, the [[Second Temple]] of [[Jerusalem]] was still central to Judaism, but [[synagogue]]s were also established as institutions for [[Jewish prayer|prayer]] and the reading of Jewish sacred texts.<ref name="MacCulloch 2010"/> The [[Development of the Hebrew Bible canon|Hebrew Bible developed]] during the [[Second Temple Period]], as the Jews decided which religious texts were of divine origin; the [[Masoretic Text]], compiled by the [[Masoretes|Jewish scribes and scholars]] of the [[Early Middle Ages]], comprises the [[Biblical Hebrew|Hebrew]] and [[Biblical Aramaic|Aramaic]] 24 books that they considered authoritative.<ref name="Tov 2014">{{cite book |author-last=Tov |author-first=Emanuel |author-link=Emanuel Tov |year=2014 |chapter=The Myth of the Stabilization of the Text of Hebrew Scripture |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YPgxBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA37 |editor1-last=Martín-Contreras |editor1-first=Elvira |editor2-last=Miralles Maciá |editor2-first=Lorena |title=The Text of the Hebrew Bible: From the Rabbis to the Masoretes |location=[[Göttingen]] |publisher=[[Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht]] |series=Journal of Ancient Judaism: Supplements |volume=103 |pages=37–46 |doi=10.13109/9783666550645.37 |isbn=978-3-525-55064-9}}</ref> [[Messiah in Judaism|Jewish messianism]], and the Jewish Messiah concept, has its [[Cultural and historical background of Jesus|roots]] in the [[apocalyptic literature]] produced between the 2nd and 1st centuries BC,<ref name="Davies-Finkelstein">{{cite book |editor1-last=Davies |editor1-first=W. D. |editor1-link=W. D. Davies |editor2-last=Finkelstein |editor2-first=Louis |editor2-link=Louis Finkelstein |year=2003 |origyear=1989 |chapter=The Matrix of Apocalyptic |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pa75TjBSRkwC&pg=PA524 |title=The Cambridge History of Judaism, Volume 2: The Hellenistic Age |location=[[Cambridge]] and [[New York City|New York]] |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |pages=524–533 |isbn=978-0-521-21929-7 |oclc=872998103}}</ref> promising a future "anointed" leader (messiah or king) from the [[Davidic line]] to resurrect the [[Israelites|Israelite]] Kingdom of God, in place of the foreign rulers of the time.<ref name="Wilken 2013">{{cite book |author-last=Wilken |author-first=Robert Louis |year=2013 |title=The First Thousand Years: A Global History of Christianity |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iW1-JImrwQUC |location=[[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]] and [[London]] |publisher=[[Yale University Press]] |pages=6–16 |isbn=978-0-300-11884-1 |jstor=j.ctt32bd7m.5 |lccn=2012021755 |s2cid=160590164}}</ref>

The [[Hellenization|Hellenized]] Greek-speaking [[Jews of Alexandria]] produced a Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible called "the [[Septuagint]]", that included books later identified as the [[Biblical apocrypha|Apocrypha]], while the [[Samaritans]] produced their own edition of the Torah, the [[Samaritan Pentateuch]]; according to the Dutch–Israeli biblical scholar and linguist [[Emanuel Tov]], professor of Bible Studies at the [[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]], both of these ancient editions of the Hebrew Bible differ significantly from the medieval Masoretic Text.<ref name="Tov 2014"/> Currently, all the main non-Protestant ([[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]], [[Eastern Orthodoxy|Eastern Orthodox]], and [[Oriental Orthodoxy|Oriental Orthodox]]) [[Christian denominations]] accept as canonical the [[Deuterocanonical books]], which were excluded from the modern [[Hebrew Bible]] and the [[Protestant Bible]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Andersen |first=Alex |date=Spring 2019 |title=Reconsidering the Roman Catholic Apocrypha |url=https://firescholars.seu.edu/ccplus/3 |journal=Classical Conversations |location=[[Lakeland, Florida]] |publisher=[[Southeastern University (Florida)|Southeastern University]] |volume=3 |pages=1–47 |access-date=15 February 2023}}</ref> The Septuagint was influential on early Christianity as it was the [[Koine Greek|Hellenistic Greek]] translation of the Hebrew Bible primarily used by the [[Christianity in the 1st century|1st-century]] [[Early Christian writers|Christian authors]].<ref name="MacCulloch 2010">{{cite book |author-last=MacCulloch |author-first=Diarmaid |author-link=Diarmaid MacCulloch |year=2010 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Christianity/7x4m20TRYzQC |title=Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years |location=London |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |pages=66–69 |isbn=978-1-101-18999-3}}</ref>

During the period immediately before the [[Christianity in the 1st century|rise of Christianity]], the intercourse between the Watchers and human women was often seen as the first fall of the angels.<ref>Gregory A. Boyd, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=Hj791_BeAF0C&q=first+fall&pg=PA138 God at War: The Bible & Spiritual Conflict]'', InterVarsity Press 1997 {{ISBN|978-0-8308-1885-3}}, p. 138</ref> Christianity stuck to the Enochian writings at least until the third century.<ref name="Patricia Crone p. 4" /> Many [[Church Father]]s such as [[Irenaeus]], [[Justin Martyr]], [[Clement of Alexandria]], and [[Lactantius]]<ref name="Reed 2005 14, 15">{{harvnb|Reed|2005|pp=14, 15}}</ref><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. 149</ref> accepted the association of the angelic descent to the sons of God passage in Genesis 6:1–4.<ref name="Reed 2005 14, 15" /> However, some [[Christian asceticism|Christian ascetics]], such as [[Origen]] ({{Circa|184|253}} AD),<ref>David L. Bradnick ''Evil, Spirits, and Possession: An Emergentist Theology of the Demonic'' Brill 2017 {{ISBN|978-90-04-35061-8}} p. 30</ref> rejected this interpretation. According to the [[Church Fathers]] who rejected the doctrine by Origen, these angels were guilty of having transgressed the limits of their nature and of desiring to leave their heavenly abode to experience sensual experiences.<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. 163</ref> Irenaeus referred to fallen angels as [[apostates]], who will be punished by an everlasting fire. Justin Martyr ({{Circa|100|165}}) identified pagan deities as fallen angels or their demonic offspring in disguise. Justin also held them responsible for Christian persecution during the first centuries.<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. 162</ref> [[Tertullian]] and Origen also referred to fallen angels as teachers of [[astrology]].<ref>Tim Hegedus ''Early Christianity and Ancient Astrology'' Peter Lang 2007 {{ISBN|978-0-8204-7257-7}} p. 127</ref>

The Babylonian king, who is described as a fallen "morning star" in Isaiah 14:1–17, was probably the first time identified with a fallen angel by Origen.<ref>Jeffrey Burton Russell ''Satan: The Early Christian Tradition'' Cornell University Press 1987 {{ISBN|978-0-8014-9413-0}} p. 130</ref><ref>Philip C. Almond ''The Devil: A New Biography'' I.B.Tauris 2014 {{ISBN|978-0-85773-488-4}} p. 42</ref> This description was interpreted typologically both as an angel and a human king. The image of the fallen morning star or angel was thereby applied to Satan by early Christian writers,<ref>{{harvnb|Charlesworth|2010|p=149}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Schwartz|2004|p=108}}</ref> following the equation of Lucifer to Satan in the pre-Christian century.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/10177-lucifer |title=Lucifer |publisher=Jewish Encyclopedia |access-date=2014-03-11}}</ref>

=== Roman Catholicism ===
{{Main|Christian angelology|Christian demonology}}
{{Further|Classification of demons|List of theological demons|Seven princes of Hell}}
[[File:Detail-Isenheim-Altarpiece-Gruenewald.jpg|thumb|[[Isenheim Altarpiece]] ({{Circa|1512}}-1616), by [[Matthias Grünewald]]. Concert of Angels (detail), with [[Lucifer]] in [[Feather tights|feather costume]] and fallen angels in the background.]]
[[File:Innichen Pfarrkirche St.Michael 3 - Deckenfresco Engelssturz.jpg|thumb|Frescos depicting the fall of the rebelling angels (1760), by Christoph Anton Mayr. Saint Michael Parish Church, [[Innichen]], [[South Tyrol]].]]

The subject of fallen angels is covered in a number of [[catechisms]] of the [[Roman Catholic Church]], including [[George Hay (bishop)|Rev. George Hay's]] in which he answers the question ''What was the sin by which they fell?'': "It was pride, arising from the great beauty and sublime graces which God had bestowed upon them. For, seeing themselves such glorious beings, they fell in love with themselves, and, forgetting the God that made them, wished to be on an equality with their Creator." The consequence of this fall being that, "they were immediately deprived of all their supernatural graces and heavenly beauty: they were changed from glorious angels into hideous devils; they were banished out of heaven, and condemned to the torments of hell, which was prepared to receive them."<ref>{{cite book|chapter=[[s:Works of the Right Rev. Bishop Hay of Edinburgh/Volume 1/Chapter 4|Chapter 4: On The Creation And Fall Of The Angels]]|title=Works of the Right Rev. Bishop Hay of Edinburgh|year=1871|publisher=William Blackwood and Sons|first=Rev. George|last=Hay|author-link=George Hay (bishop)}}</ref>

In terms of the history of fallen angel theology it is thought to be rooted in Enochian literature, which Christians began to reject by the 3rd century. The sons of God came to be identified merely with righteous men, more precisely with descendants of [[Seth]] who had been seduced by women descended from [[Cain]]. The cause of evil was shifted from the [[Supernatural|superior powers]] of angels, to humans themselves, and to the very beginning of history; the expulsion of Satan and his angels on the one hand and the original sin of humans on the other hand.<ref name="Patricia Crone p. 4">Patricia Crone. The Book of Watchers in the Qurān, p. 4</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Reed|2005|p=218}}</ref> However, the Book of Watchers, which identified the sons of God with fallen angels, was not rejected by [[Syriac Christianity|Syriac Christians]] or the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church]].<ref name="Patricia Crone p. 5">Patricia Crone. The Book of Watchers in the Qurān, p. 5</ref> [[Augustine of Hippo]]'s work ''[[Civitas Dei]]'' (5th century) became the major opinion of [[Christian demonology|Western demonology]] and for the [[Catholic Church]].<ref name="ReferenceC">David L Bradnick ''Evil, Spirits, and Possession: An Emergentist Theology of the Demonic'' Brill 2017 {{ISBN|978-90-04-35061-8}} p. 39</ref> He rejected the Enochian writings and stated that the sole origin of fallen angels was the rebellion of Satan.<ref name="Heinz Schreckenberg 1992">Heinz Schreckenberg, Kurt Schubert, ''Jewish Historiography and Iconography in Early and Medieval Christianity'' (Van Gorcum, 1992, {{ISBN|978-90-232-2653-6}}), p. 253</ref><ref name="ReferenceD">David L Bradnick ''Evil, Spirits, and Possession: An Emergentist Theology of the Demonic'' Brill 2017 {{ISBN|978-90-04-35061-8}} p. 42</ref> As a result, fallen angels came to be equated with demons and depicted as non-sexual spiritual entities.<ref name="ReferenceE">Joad Raymond ''Milton's Angels: The Early-Modern Imagination'' OUP Oxford 2010 {{ISBN|978-0-19-956050-9}} p. 77</ref> The exact nature of their spiritual bodies became another topic of dispute during the Middle Ages.<ref name="ReferenceC" /> Augustine based his descriptions of demons on his perception of the [[Ancient Greek|Greek]] ''[[daimon]]''.<ref name="ReferenceC" /> The Daimon was thought to be a spiritual being, composed of ethereal matter, a notion also used for fallen angels by Augustine.<ref name="ReferenceF">David L Bradnick ''Evil, Spirits, and Possession: An Emergentist Theology of the Demonic'' Brill 2017 {{ISBN|978-90-04-35061-8}} p. 40</ref> However, these angels received their ethereal body only after their fall.<ref name="ReferenceF" /> Later scholars tried to explain the details of their spiritual nature, asserting that the ethereal body is a mixture of fire and air, but that they are still composed of material elements. Others denied any physical relation to material elements, depicting the fallen angels as purely spiritual entities.<ref>David L Bradnick ''Evil, Spirits, and Possession: An Emergentist Theology of the Demonic'' Brill 2017 {{ISBN|978-90-04-35061-8}} p. 49</ref> But even those who believed the fallen angels had ethereal bodies did not believe that they could produce any offspring.<ref>Jeffrey Burton Russell ''Satan: The Early Christian Tradition'' Cornell University Press 1987 {{ISBN|978-0-8014-9413-0}} p. 210</ref><ref>David L Bradnick ''Evil, Spirits, and Possession: An Emergentist Theology of the Demonic'' Brill 2017 {{ISBN|978-90-04-35061-8}} p. 45</ref>

Augustine, in his ''Civitas Dei'' describes two cities (''Civitates'') distinct from each other and opposed to each other like light and darkness.<ref name="ReferenceG">Christoph Horn ''Augustinus, De civitate dei'' Oldenbourg Verlag 2010 {{ISBN|978-3-05-005040-9}} p. 158</ref> The ''earthly city'' is caused by the act of rebellion of the fallen angels and is inhabited by wicked men and demons (fallen angels) led by Satan. On the other hand, the ''heavenly city'' is inhabited by righteous men and the angels led by God.<ref name="ReferenceG" /> Although, his [[Ontology|ontological]] division into two different kingdoms shows resemblance of [[Manichaeism|Manichean]] [[dualism (philosophy)|dualism]], Augustine differs in regard of the origin and power of evil. In Augustine works, evil originates from [[Free will in theology|free will]]. Augustine always emphasized the sovereignty of God over the fallen angels.<ref>Neil Forsyth ''The Old Enemy: Satan and the Combat Myth'' Princeton University Press 1989 {{ISBN|978-0-691-01474-6}} p. 405</ref> Accordingly, the inhabitants of the earthly city can only operate within their God-given framework.<ref name="ReferenceD" /> The rebellion of angels is also a result of the God-given freedom of choice. The obedient angels are endowed with [[Grace in Christianity|grace]], giving them a deeper understanding of God's nature and the order of the cosmos. Illuminated by God-given grace, they became incapable of feeling any desire for sin. The other angels, however, are not blessed with grace, thus they remain capable of sin. After these angels decide to sin, they fall from heaven and become demons.<ref>Jeffrey Burton Russell ''Satan: The Early Christian Tradition'' Cornell University Press 1987 {{ISBN|978-0-8014-9413-0}} p. 211</ref> In Augustine's view of angels, they cannot be guilty of carnal desires since they lack flesh, but they can be guilty of sins that are rooted in spirit and intellect such as [[pride]] and [[envy]].<ref>David L Bradnick ''Evil, Spirits, and Possession: An Emergentist Theology of the Demonic'' Brill 2017 {{ISBN|978-90-04-35061-8}} p. 47</ref> However, after they have made their decision to rebel against God, they cannot turn back.<ref>Joad Raymond ''Milton's Angels: The Early-Modern Imagination'' OUP Oxford 2010 {{ISBN|978-0-19-956050-9}} p. 72</ref><ref>David L Bradnick ''Evil, Spirits, and Possession: An Emergentist Theology of the Demonic'' Brill 2017 {{ISBN|978-90-04-35061-8}} p. 44</ref> The [[Catechism of the Catholic Church]] understands the fall of angels as radical and irrevocable rejection of God and his reign by some angels who, though created as good beings, [[free will|freely chose]] evil, their sin being unforgivable because of the irrevocable character of their choice, not because of any defect in infinite divine mercy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P1C.HTM |title=Catechism of the Catholic Church, "The Fall of the Angels" (391–395) |publisher=Vatican.va |access-date=2012-07-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120904224955/https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P1C.HTM |archive-date=2012-09-04 }}</ref> Present-day Catholicism rejects [[Apocatastasis]], the reconciliation with God suggested by the Church Father Origen.<ref>Frank K. Flinn ''Encyclopedia of Catholicism'' Infobase Publishing 2007 {{ISBN|978-0-8160-7565-2}} p. 226</ref>

=== Orthodox Christianity ===

==== Eastern Orthodox Christianity ====
{{Main|Eastern Orthodox theology}}

Like Roman Catholicism, [[Eastern Orthodox Christianity]] shares the basic belief in fallen angels as spiritual beings who rebel against God. Unlike Roman Catholicism, however, there is no established doctrine about the exact nature of fallen angels, but Eastern Orthodox Christianity unanimously agrees that the power of fallen angels is always inferior to God. Therefore, belief in fallen angels can always be assimilated with local lore, as long it does not break basic principles and is in line with the Bible.<ref>Charles Stewart ''Demons and the Devil: Moral Imagination in Modern Greek Culture'' Princeton University Press 2016 {{ISBN|978-1-4008-8439-1}} p. 141</ref> Historically, some Eastern Orthodox theologians even tend to suggest that fallen angels [[Christian universalism|could be rehabilitated]] in the ''[[world to come]]''.<ref>Ernst Benz ''The Eastern Orthodox Church: Its Thought and Life'' Routledge 2017 {{ISBN|978-1-351-30474-0}} p. 52</ref> Fallen angels, just like angels, play a significant role in the spiritual life of believers. As in Roman Catholicism, fallen angels are believed to [[Temptation|tempt]] and incite people into [[Sin in Christianity|sin]], but [[mental illness]] is also linked to the influence of fallen angels.<ref name="ReferenceJ">Sergiĭ Bulgakov ''The Orthodox Church'' St Vladimir's Seminary Press 1988 {{ISBN|978-0-88141-051-8}} p. 128</ref> Those who have reached an advanced degree of [[spirituality]] are even thought to be able to envision them.<ref name="ReferenceJ" /> [[Sacred mysteries#Eastern Christianity|Rituals]] and [[Eastern Orthodox Church#Holy mysteries (sacraments)|sacraments]] performed by [[Priesthood (Eastern Orthodox Church)|Eastern Orthodox priests]] are thought to weaken such demonic influences.<ref>Charles Stewart ''Demons and the Devil: Moral Imagination in Modern Greek Culture'' Princeton University Press 2016 {{ISBN|978-1-4008-8439-1}} p. 147</ref>

==== Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church ====
{{Main|Orthodox Tewahedo biblical canon}}

Unlike most other Christian churches, the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church]] accepts 1 Enoch and the ''Book of Jubilees'' as canonical.<ref>Loren T. Stuckenbruck, Gabriele Boccaccini ''Enoch and the Synoptic Gospels: Reminiscences, Allusions, Intertextuality'' SBL Press 2016 {{ISBN|978-0-88414-118-1}} p. 133</ref> As a result, the Church believes that human sin does not originate in Adam's transgression alone, but also from Satan and other fallen angels. Together with demons, they continue to cause sin and corruption on earth.<ref>James H. Charlesworth ''The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha'' Hendrickson Publishers 2010 {{ISBN|978-1-59856-491-4}} p. 10</ref>

=== Protestantism ===
{{Main|Protestant theology}}
{{Further|Deliverance ministry|Spiritual warfare|Unclean spirit}}
[[File:John Martin 002.jpg|thumb|''Fallen angels in Hell'' ({{Circa|1841}}), by [[John Martin (painter)|John Martin]]]]
[[File:Alexandre_Cabanel_-_Fallen_Angel.jpg|thumb|[[The Fallen Angel (painting)|''The Fallen Angel'']] (1847), by [[Alexandre Cabanel]], depicting [[Lucifer]].]]

Like Roman Catholicism, [[Protestantism]] continues with the concept of fallen angels as spiritual entities unrelated to flesh,<ref name="ReferenceE" /> but it rejects the [[Christian angelology|angelology]] and [[Christian demonology|demonology]] established by the Roman Catholic Church. [[Martin Luther]]'s (1483–1546) ''Sermons of the Angels'' merely recount the exploits of the fallen angels, and does not deal with an angelic hierarchy.<ref>Peter Marshall, Alexandra Walsham ''Angels in the Early Modern World'' Cambridge University Press 2006 {{ISBN|978-0-521-84332-4}} p. 74</ref> Satan and his fallen angels are believed to be responsible for some misfortune in the world, but Luther always believed that the power of the good angels exceeds those of the fallen ones.<ref>Peter Marshall, Alexandra Walsham ''Angels in the Early Modern World'' Cambridge University Press 2006 {{ISBN|978-0-521-84332-4}} p. 76</ref> The Italian Protestant theologian [[Girolamo Zanchi]] (1516{{en dash}}1590) offered further explanations for the reason behind the fall of the angels. According to Zanchi, the angels rebelled when the [[Incarnation (Christianity)|incarnation of Jesus Christ]] as the [[Son of God]] was revealed to them in incomplete form.<ref name="ReferenceE" /> While [[Mainline Protestant]]s are much less concerned with the cause of angelic fall, arguing that it is neither useful nor necessary to know, other Protestant churches do have fallen angels as more of a focus.<ref name="ReferenceE" />

=== Philosophy ===
Monotheism parted from [[Dualism in cosmology|cosmological dualism]] by insisting on the good origin of all things.<ref>Fox-Horton, J. (2021). Free Will and the Rebel Angels in Medieval Philosophy by Tobias Hoffmann. Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft, 16(3), p. 223</ref> This contrasts with alternative views, such as [[Manichaeism]], proposing [[Prince of Darkness (Manichaeism)|absolute evil]] as an entirely separate ontological principle.<ref>Felber, A., Hutter, M., Achenbach, R., Aune, D. E., Lang, B., Sparn, W., Reeg, G., Dan, J., Radtke, B., & Apostolos-Cappadona, D. (2011). Devil. In Religion Past and Present Online. Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/1877-5888_rpp_COM_025084</ref><ref>{{citation |first=Karl |last=Rahner |title=Devil - The Devil |journal=Sacramentum Mundi Online |editor=Karl Rahner, SJ |doi=10.1163/2468-483X_smuo_COM_001082 |year=2016}}</ref> With the proposition that there is only one ultimate principle, Christian philosophy threatened the hypothesis that God can only cause good and needed to explain the origins of moral evil.

Thus, in [[Western philosophy|Western Christian philosophy]] the fall of angels served as a [[thought experiment]] on how moral evil originates. Angels, as purely spiritual beings, were an example on how someone chooses evil despite optimal psychological and cognitive conditions.<ref>Fox-Horton, J. (2021). Free Will and the Rebel Angels in Medieval Philosophy by Tobias Hoffmann. Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft, 16(3), 199.</ref> While according to many theories of [[Ancient Greek philosophy]] hold an intellectualist account of morality (i.e. that evil derives from a impeded intellectual cognition) the sin of angels, who are purely spiritual beings, needed an alterantive explanation.<ref>Fox-Horton, J. (2021). Free Will and the Rebel Angels in Medieval Philosophy by Tobias Hoffmann. Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft, 16(3), p. 3</ref>

The voluntarist account asserts that angels sinned by their own volution.<ref>Fox-Horton, J. (2021). Free Will and the Rebel Angels in Medieval Philosophy by Tobias Hoffmann. Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft, 16(3), p. 5</ref> While the intellectualists need to explain how a spiritual being can suffer from cognitive deficiencies, voluntarists need to explain how beings under the same psychological conditions make different moral choices.

[[Thomas Aquinas]] (c. 1225 – 7 March 1274), following an intellectualist approach, argued that the mind cannot comprehend all thoughts at once.<ref>Fox-Horton, J. (2021). Free Will and the Rebel Angels in Medieval Philosophy by Tobias Hoffmann. Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft, 16(3), p. 205</ref> As such, angels only consider on whatever they focus on, but if they do not focus on the highest good, they commit evil actions. [[Henry of Ghent]] (c. 1217 – 29 June 1293) asserts that evil volition must precede mistaken consideration. Defective reasoning is described as the result of evil will.<ref>Fox-Horton, J. (2021). Free Will and the Rebel Angels in Medieval Philosophy by Tobias Hoffmann. Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft, 16(3), p. 70</ref>

In the discussion concerning [[theodicy]], the question of how evil can exist simultaneously with the existence of an all-powerful and all-good God, fallen angels are also proposed as an explanation for [[natural evil]]. The theory proposes that fallen angels can influence nature and cause suffering through natural disasters. Combined with the free-will of angels, natural disasters too may result from evil volition.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dunnington |first1=Kent |title=The Problem with the Satan Hypothesis: Natural Evil and Fallen Angel Theodicies |journal=Sophia |date=June 2018 |volume=57 |issue=2 |pages=265–274 |id={{ProQuest|2095439756}} |doi=10.1007/s11841-017-0608-7 }}</ref>

=== Folklore ===
In Christian folklore tales about encounters between men and spirits, the spirits were often explained as fallen angels. They would have been cast out of heaven, damned to roam the world as demons, but were not so evil that they were sentenced to hell, like Lucifer and his devils. Yet they were still not as good to remain in heaven.<ref>Mack, C. K., Mack, D. (1998). A Field Guide to Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels, and Other Subversive Spirits. USA: Arcade Pub. p. xxiii</ref> Therefore, they would live between heaven and hell among humans in liminal spaces.

[[Caesarius of Heisterbach]]'s ({{Circa|1180|1240}}) asserted that not all fallen angels are equally bad. Some fallen angels would be banished for not actively defending God against Lucifer, but since they did not side with the devils, would not be sentenced to hell. They remain loyal to God on earth, do good deeds, and bearing some resemblances to saints, as seen in the ''Dialogus Miraculorum'', in which a knight is guided by a fallen angel to lead him back on the path of piety.<ref name="Newman, Coree 2018">Newman, Coree. "The Good, the Bad and the Unholy: Ambivalent Angels in the Middle Ages." Fairies, Demons, and Nature Spirits: 'Small Gods' at the Margins of Christendom (2018): 103-122.</ref> In another tale, a neutral fallen angel became an assistant of a noble knight. However, when the knight learned that his best assistant was actually a demon, he dismissed him. When the knight wants to pay the demon for his service, the demon asserted that the knight should spend the money on a new bell for the church, instead.<ref name="Newman, Coree 2018"/>

According to [[Brendan the Navigator#The Voyage of Saint Brendan the Abbot|''The Brendan Voyage'']], during the Medieval Age, Brendan meets a group of angels referred to as "wandering spirits". On holy days, they were embodied as white birds, symbols usually used for purity and the holy spirit. In later versions, such as the 15th Century Dutch and German variant, the fallen angels are much more depicted as akin to grotesque demons. Although they would not have supported Lucifer in his evil schemes, they would have been passive and not fighting for good, thus turned into animal-like creatures cast out of heaven.

Such earthly fallen angels were used as a possible origin of [[fairy|fairies]] in Irish and Scandinavian folk-tales. Depending on the place they fell, they will remain as spirits of the specific element, but are usually benevolent and harmless.<ref>Wilde, J. F. E. (1888). Ancient Legends, mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland: With Sketches of the Irish Past. To which is Appended a Chaper on "The Ancient Race of Ireland". USA: Ticknor and Company. p. 89</ref> If such fairies were identified with the Biblical fallen angels, their salvation after Judgement Day was usually denied, since the fallen angels could not return to heaven.<ref>Christiansen, R. Th. (1971). Some Notes on the Fairies and the Fairy Faith. Béaloideas, 39/41, 95–111. {{doi|10.2307/20521348}}</ref> Later [[Protestantism|Protestant thinkers]] increasingly dismissed belief in fairies and neutral angels as part of either fairy-tales or a delusion cast by Satan.<ref>Oldridge, Darren. "Fairies and the Devil in early modern England." The Seventeenth Century 31.1 (2016): 1-15.</ref>

== Islam ==
[[File:Paris BnF, MS Supplément Persan 332 fol 209r Angels watching Iblis not prostrating.jpg|left|thumb|Two angels turn back and see with alarm that [[Iblis|Iblīs]] will not bow down before [[Adam in Islam|ʾĀdam]]. 1388 [[Persian miniature]] from a manuscript of ''ʿAjāʾib al-Makhlūqāt'' ("Wonders of Creation") by al-Ṭūsī Salmānī,  century.]]
Although sometimes denied, fallen angels were widely accepted in Classical [[Islam]].{{efn|"Iblis was one of the angels according to the vast majority of schoalrs – including  Ibn 'Abbas, Ibn Mas'ud, Ibn Jurayj, Ibn al-Musayyab, Qatada, and others; and it is the preferred position of the Shaykh Abu al-Hasan [al-Ashari], Al-Tabari considered it the preponderant one, and it is the apparent meaning of the verse [And when We said unto the angels: ''Prostrate yourselves before Adam, they fell prostrate, all save [Iblis]''. Ibn Abbas said: "His name was 'Azazil and he was among the nobility of the angels; he possessed four wings. Then after that he despaired (ablasa)."<ref>Iqbal, Muzaffar. "Integrated Encyclopedia of the Qur'ān." The center of Islamic Sciences (2013). p. 180</ref>}}{{efn|"Although it is sometimes denied that Iblis was a fallen-angel, this is fully accepted by the classical commentators, e.g., Baydawi, I:51; see also Tabari, 1961 I:83.)<ref>Welch, Alford T. (2008) Studies in Qur'an and Tafsir. Riga, Latvia: Scholars Press. p. 756.</ref>}} The three most famous in Islam being mentioned in the [[Quran]]: Iblis, Harut and Marut.<ref>Iqbal, Muzaffar. "Integrated Encyclopedia of the Qur'ān." The center of Islamic Sciences (2013). p. 180</ref> Objection towards the concept of fallen angels, however, is attested as early as to the influential [[Asceticism#Islam|Islamic ascetic]] [[Hasan of Basra]] (642–728), who denied the possibility of angels sinning.{{efn|"There is no unanimity among scholars when it comes to the sinlessness of angels. The majority, of course, take the view that they are sinless. They start from the Quran and refer to individual verses that speak for it, such as (66: 6 and (21:20). Hasan is counted among as one of the first representatives of this doctrine, but he obviously appears to be one step further than his contemporaries: he did not settle for the verses that speak for it, but tried to reinterpret the verses that speak against it differently." "In der Frage nach der Sündlosigkeit der Engel herrscht keine Einstimmigkeit unter den Gelehrten. Die Mehrheit vertritt freilich, die Ansicht, dass sie sündlos sind. Sie geht vom Koran aus und beruft sich auf einzelne Verse, die dafür sprechen, wie zum Beispiel (66:6 und (21:20). Zu ihnen wird Hasan als einer der ersten Vertreter dieser Lehre gezählt. Er scheint aber offentsichtlich noch einen Schritt weiter mit dieser Frage gekommen zu sein als seine Zeitgenossen. Er begnüngte sich nicht mit den Versen, die dafür sprechen, sondern versuchte, auch die Verse, die gerade dagegen sprechen, anders zu interpretieren."<ref>Omar Hamdan ''Studien zur Kanonisierung des Korantextes: al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrīs Beiträge zur Geschichte des Korans'' Otto Harrassowitz Verlag 2006 {{ISBN|978-3-447-05349-5}} pp. 291–292 (German)</ref>}} 
Interpretations deriving from the [[Companions of the Prophet|companions of Muhammad]], such as [[Ibn Abbas]] (619–687) and [[Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud]] (594–653) on the other hand legitimized the concept of fallible angels.<ref>Mahmoud Ayoub ''The Qur'an and Its Interpreters, Volume 1'' SUNY Press 1984 {{ISBN|978-0-87395-727-4}} p. 74</ref> Most [[Sunnism|Sunni scholars]] adhere to the latter opinion.<ref>Street, Tony. "Medieval Islamic doctrine on the angels: the writings of Fakhr al-Dīh al-Rāzī." Parergon 9.2 (1991): 111-127.</ref>

Opposition to the concept of the fallen angel is mostly found among the [[Qadariyah]] and most [[Mu'tazilites]].<ref>Basharin, Pavel V. (April 1, 2018). "The Problem of Free Will and Predestination in the Light of Satan's Justification in Early Sufism". English Language Notes. 56 (1). Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press: 119–138. doi:10.1215/00138282-4337480. S2CID 165366613.</ref> Many [[Salafism|Salafis]] also agree with this view.<ref>Gauvain, Richard (2013). Salafi Ritual Purity: In the Presence of God. Abingdon, England: Routledge. ISBN 978-0710313560 p. 73</ref> Those who oppose angelic fallibility refer to Surah [[at-Tahrim]] (66:6)<ref>Hoffman, Valerie J. The Essentials of Ibadi Islam. Syracuse University Press, 2012. p. 188</ref> in favor of their position:

<blockquote>
O believers! Protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones, overseen by formidable and severe angels, who never disobey whatever Allah orders—always doing as commanded.
</blockquote>

Those who are in support of the concept of fallen angels (including [[Tabari]], [[Suyuti]], [[Abu al-Barakat al-Nasafi|al-Nasafi]], and al-Māturīdī) refer to ''al-Anbiya'' (21:29) stating that angels would be punished for sins and arguing that, if angels could not sin, they would not be warned to refrain from committing them:<ref>T.C. t.c Istanbul Bilimler Enstitütüsü Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Temel Islam bilimeri Anabilim dali yüksek Lisans Tezi Imam Maturidi'nin Te'vilatu'l-Kur'an'da gaybi Konulara Yaklasimi Elif Erdogan 2501171277 Danisman Prof. Dr. Yaşar Düzenli İstanbul 202</ref><ref>Yüksek Lisans Tezi Imam Maturidi'nin Te'vilatu'l-kur'an'da gaybi konulara İstanbul-2020 2501171277</ref><blockquote>Whoever of them were to say, "I am a god besides Him", they would be rewarded with Hell by Us [...]</blockquote>

It has been argued, even if fallen angels are considered, they are conceptually different from the fallen angels in Christianity, since they remain at the service of God and do not become God's enemies.<ref>Serdar, Murat. "Hıristiyanlık ve İslâm’da Meleklerin Varlık ve Kısımları." Bilimname 2009.2 (2009).
</ref> It has been stated that "(...) according to Christianity, the devils are fallen angels who renounced their loyalty to God, in Islam it is God who dismissed the fallen angels".<ref name="Erdağı"/> Unlike Christian tradition, fallen angels may return to their former state in the angelic hierarchy, if forgiven.<ref>Schimmel, Annemarie. Mystische Dimensionen des Islam: Die Geschichte des Sufismus. Diederichs, 1992. p. 230 (German)</ref>

Besides the Quran, other Islamic works allude to fallen angels. According to the [[Isma'ilism]] work ''[[Umm al-Kitab (Ismaili book)|Umm al-Kitāb]]'', [[Azazil|ʿAzāzīl]], is the first creation of God. Because God gifted him the ability of creation, he claims divinity and is thrown into lower celestial spheres until he ends up on earth.<ref name="ReferenceA">[[Christoph Auffarth]], Loren T. Stuckenbruck ''The Fall of the Angels'' Brill 2004 {{ISBN|978-90-04-12668-8}} p. 161</ref> In a [[Shia]] narrative attrbitued to [[Ja'far al-Sadiq]] (700 or 702–765), [[Idris (prophet)|Idris]] (Enoch) meets an angel, which the wrath of [[God in Islam|God]] falls upon, and his wings and hair are cut off; after Idris prays for him to God, his wings and hair are restored.<ref>Muham Sakura Dragon ''The Great Tale of Prophet Enoch (Idris) In Islam'' Sakura Dragon SPC {{ISBN|978-1-5199-5237-0}}</ref> In a similar story, a [[cherub]] called ''[[Futrus|Fuṭrus]]'' (فطرس) was cast out from heaven and fell to the earth, but is restored after he touches [[Husayn ibn Ali|al-Husayn's]] cradle.<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1163/9789004406971_021 |chapter=Vision and the Imams |title=In Praise of the Few. Studies in Shiʿi Thought and History |date=2020 |last1=Kohlberg |first1=Etan |last2=Ehteshami |first2=Amin |pages=365–393 |isbn=978-90-04-40696-4 }}</ref>

Some recent non-Islamic scholars suggest [[Uzair]], who is according to Surah 9:30 called a ''son of God'' by Jews, originally referred to a fallen angel.<ref>Steven M. Wasserstrom ''Between Muslim and Jew: The Problem of Symbiosis under Early Islam'' Princeton University Press 2014 {{ISBN|978-1-4008-6413-3}} p. 183</ref> While exegetes almost unanimously identified Uzair as [[Ezra]],{{efn|Nevertheless, a narrative attributed to [[Ibn Hazm]] states that the angel [[Sandalphon]] blamed the Jews for venerating Metatron as "son of God" "10 days each year".<ref>[[Hava Lazarus-Yafeh]] ''Intertwined Worlds: Medieval Islam and Bible Criticism'' Princeton University Press 2004 {{ISBN|978-1-4008-6273-3}} p. 32</ref>}} there is no historical evidence that the Jews called him ''son of God''. Thus, the Quran may refer not to the earthly Ezra, but to the heavenly Ezra, identifying him with the heavenly Enoch, who in turn became identified with the angel [[Metatron]] (also called ''lesser YHWH'') in [[Merkabah mysticism|Merkabah]] mysticism.<ref>Patricia Crone. The Book of Watchers in the Qurān, p. 16</ref>

=== Iblis ===
[[File:Adam honored.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Depiction of [[Iblis]], black-faced and without hair (top-right of the picture). He refuses to prostrate himself with the other angels]]
The Quran repeatedly tells about the fall of ''Iblīs'', whose story is referred to throughout the Quran. ''Iblīs'' refuses to bow before [[Adam in Islam|Adam]], whereupon he is banished from heaven.<ref>Awn, Peter J. (1983). Satan's Tragedy and Redemption: ''Iblīs'' in Sufi Psychology. Numen Book Series. Vol. 44. Leiden and Boston: Brill Publishers. doi:10.1163/9789004378636_003. ISBN 978-90-04-37863-6. p. 18</ref> In Surah 15:36, ''Iblīs'' requests God to tempt humans into sin to prove their unworthiness, and God complies. Surah 38:82 reiterates that ''Iblīs' ''intrigues to lead humans astray are permitted by God's power.<ref name="ReferenceI">Alberdina Houtman, Tamar Kadari, Marcel Poorthuis, Vered Tohar ''Religious Stories in Transformation: Conflict, Revision and Reception'' Brill 2016 {{ISBN|978-90-04-33481-6}} p. 71</ref> However, as mentioned in Surah 17:65, ''Iblīs''' attempts to mislead God's servants are destined to fail.<ref name="ReferenceI" />

The Quranic episode of ''Iblīs'' parallels the wicked angel in the earlier ''Books of Jubilees'': Like ''Iblīs'', [[Mastema]] requests God's permission to tempt humanity, and both are limited in their power, that is, not able to deceive God's servants.<ref>Alberdina Houtman, Tamar Kadari, Marcel Poorthuis, Vered Tohar ''Religious Stories in Transformation: Conflict, Revision and Reception'' Brill 2016 {{ISBN|978-90-04-33481-6}} p. 72</ref> However, the motif of ''Iblīs''' disobedience derives not from the Watcher mythology, but can be traced back to the [[Cave of Treasures]], a work that probably holds the standard explanation in [[Proto-orthodox Christianity]] for the angelic fall of Satan:<ref name="ReferenceH" /> Satan refuses to prostrate himself before Adam, because he is "fire and spirit" and thereupon Satan is banished from heaven.<ref>Paul van Geest, Marcel Poorthuis, Els Rose ''Sanctifying Texts, Transforming Rituals: Encounters in Liturgical Studies'' Brill 2017 {{ISBN|978-90-04-34708-3}} p. 83</ref><ref name="ReferenceH" /> Unlike the majority opinion in later Christianity, the idea that ''Iblīs'' attempts to usurp the throne of God is alien to Islam and due to its strict monotheism unthinkable.<ref>Amira El-Zein ''Islam, Arabs, and Intelligent World of the Jinn'' Syracuse University Press 2009 {{ISBN|978-0-8156-5070-6}} p. 45</ref>

According to a [[Qisas al-Anbiya|narration]] (''Qaṣaṣ'') by [[Ibn Abbas]] (619–687), before the creation of [[Adam in Islam|Adam]], [[Angels in Islam|angels]] (''malāʾikah'') battled with the [[jinn]]. After the jinn were defeated and God ([[Allah]]) announces to create humans as a successor, the angels protest, arguing they cause corruptions as the jinn did before. ''[[Iblis|Iblīs]]'', their leader, views humans as inferior beings, which leads to his refusal mentioned in the Quran.<ref name="Erdağı"/> Those angels who joined ''Iblīs'' became the opponents of mankind.<ref>Fahd, T. (2012). Siḥr. In P. Bearman (ed.), Encyclopaedia of Islam New Edition Online (EI-2 English). Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_7023</ref>{{efn|'''{{sc|translation:}}''' {{in lang|en}}<br />
"The devils are the fallen angels who, along with Iblis, refused to worship Adam by prostrating themselves before him at God's command. They are called shayāṭīn in multiple numbers, and shayṭān Satan in single numbers, to which word a curse or the word redschim, i.e., the one to be stoned, is always added, (...)"<ref name=Nünlist-2015>
{{cite book
 |last=Nünlist |first=Tobias
 |year=2015
 |title=Dämonenglaube im Islam
 |trans-title=Demonic Belief in Islam
 |publisher=Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
 |isbn=978-3-110-33168-4
 |language=de
}}
</ref>{{rp|style=apa|page=9}}<br/>
'''{{sc|original:}}''' {{in lang|de}}<br />
"Die Teufel sind die gefallenen Engel, welche sich mit Iblis weigerten auf Befehl Gottes den Adam, sich vor ihm niederwerfend, zu verehren, sie heissen in der vielfachen Zahl Schejathin, in der einfachen Zahl Scheitan Satan, welchem Wort immer ein Fluch oder das Wort redschim, d.i. der zu Steinigende, beigesetzt wird, (...)."{{rp|style=apa|page=9}}}} The story is used to complement the events in Surah 2:30-34.<ref name="ReferenceH">Alberdina Houtman, Tamar Kadari, Marcel Poorthuis, Vered Tohar ''Religious Stories in Transformation: Conflict, Revision and Reception'' Brill 2016 {{ISBN|978-90-04-33481-6}} p. 66</ref>

=== Harut and Marut ===
[[File:FallenAngelsHarutandMarut.jpg|thumb|upright|The angels [[Harut and Marut]] punished by hanging over the well, without wings and hair ({{Circa|1703}})]]
Harut and Marut are a pair of angels mentioned in Surah 2:102 teaching magic. The names ''Harut'' and ''Marut'' are of [[Zoroastrian]] origin and derived from two [[Amesha Spenta]]s called [[Haurvatat]] and [[Ameretat]].<ref>Patricia Crone. The Book of Watchers in the Qurān, p. 10</ref> Although the Quran gave these fallen angels Iranian names, {{Transliteration|fa|[[mufassir]]s}} recognized them as from the ''Book of Watchers''. In accordance with [[3 Enoch]], [[Hisham ibn al-Kalbi|al-Kalbi]] (737 AD – 819 AD) named three angels descending to earth, and he even gave them their Enochian names. He explained that one of them returned to heaven and the other two changed their names to Harut and Marut.<ref>Patricia Crone. The Book of Watchers in the Qurān, pp. 10–11</ref>

Although the Quran does not call this pair of angels ''fallen'' explicitly, the context assumes this to be true.<ref name="Dye, Guillaume 2023"/> The story bears resemblance to the [[Watcher (angel)|Watchers]],<ref name="Dye, Guillaume 2023"/> mentioned in Second Temple traditions and reflects an early Christian belief.<ref name="Dye, Guillaume 2023"/>
Unlike in the Book of Watchers and Christian tradition, the story is not about angelic revolt or original sin, but the struggle of human beings.<ref name="Dye, Guillaume 2023">Dye, Guillaume. Early Islam: the sectarian milieu of late Antiquity?. Éditions de l'Université de Bruxelles, 2023.</ref> Unlike the Watchers, Harut and Marut instruct humans to witchcraft by God's command,<ref>Annette Yoshiko Reed ''Fallen Angels and the Afterlives of Enochic Traditions in Early Islam'' University of Pennsylvania 2015 p. 6</ref> just as ''Iblīs'' tempts humans only by God's permission.<ref>Alberdina Houtman, Tamar Kadari, Marcel Poorthuis, Vered Tohar ''Religious Stories in Transformation: Conflict, Revision and Reception'' Brill 2016 {{ISBN|978-90-04-33481-6}} p. 78</ref>

Those who deny fallen angels argue that Harut and Marut were merely two men, but credited with an angelic status due to their righteousness.<ref>Iqbal, Muzaffar. "Integrated Encyclopedia of the Qur'ān." The center of Islamic Sciences (2013). p. 180</ref> This position found influential support among modern scholars, including al-Nibrawi (d. 1842), [[Muhammad Taqi ad-Din al-Hilali]] (d. 1987), and [[Muhammad Nasib al-Rifa]] (1915–1992) in his abridged commentary of [[Ibn Kathir]].<ref>Iqbal, Muzaffar. "Integrated Encyclopedia of the Qur'ān." The center of Islamic Sciences (2013). p. 180</ref>

== Literature and popular culture ==
[[File:Paradise_Lost_12.jpg|thumb|[[Devil in Christianity|Lucifer]] being expelled from [[Heaven in Christianity|Heaven]], depicting the "Fall of Lucifer". Illustration by [[Gustave Doré]] for [[John Milton]]'s ''[[Paradise Lost]]'' (1866)]]

In the ''[[Divine Comedy]]'' (1308–1320) by [[Dante Alighieri]], fallen angels guard the ''[[Dis (Divine Comedy)|City of Dis]]'' surrounding the lower circles of hell. They mark a transition: while in previous circles, the sinners are condemned for sins they just could not resist, later on, the circles of hell are filled with sinners who deliberately rebel against God, such as fallen angels or [[Heresy in Christianity|Christian heretics]].<ref>Wallace Fowlie ''A Reading of Dante's Inferno'' University of Chicago Press {{ISBN|978-0-226-25888-1}} p. 70</ref>

In [[John Milton]]'s 17th-century epic poem ''[[Paradise Lost]]'', both obedient and fallen angels play an important role. They appear as rational individuals:<ref>Andrew Milner ''Literature, Culture and Society'' Routledge 2017 {{ISBN|978-1-134-94950-2}} chapter 5</ref> their personality is similar to that of humans.<ref name="Biljana Ježik p. 4">Biljana Ježik ''The Fallen Angels in Milton's Paradise Lost'' Osijek, 2014 p. 4</ref> The fallen angels are named after entities from both Christian and [[Pagan]] mythology, such as [[Moloch]], [[Chemosh]], [[Dagon]], [[Belial]], [[Beelzebub]] and Satan himself.<ref>Biljana Ježik ''The Fallen Angels in Milton's Paradise Lost'' Osijek, 2014 p. 2</ref> Following the canonical Christian narrative, Satan convinces other angels to live free from the laws of God, thereupon they are cast out of heaven.<ref name="Biljana Ježik p. 4" /> The epic poem starts with the fallen angels in hell. The first portrayal of God in the book is given by fallen angels, who describe him as a questionable tyrant and blame him for their fall.<ref>Benjamin Myers ''Milton's Theology of Freedom'' Walter de Gruyter 2012 {{ISBN|978-3-11-091937-0}} pp. 54, 59</ref> Outcast from heaven, the fallen angels establish their own kingdom in the depths of hell, with a capital called [[Pandæmonium (Paradise Lost)|Pandæmonium]]. Unlike most earlier Christian representations of hell, it is not the primary place for God to torture the sinners, but the fallen angels' own kingdom. The fallen angels even build a palace, play music and freely debate. Nevertheless, without divine guidance, the fallen angels themselves turn hell into a place of suffering.<ref>Benjamin Myers ''Milton's Theology of Freedom'' Walter de Gruyter 2012 {{ISBN|978-3-11-091937-0}} p. 60</ref>

The idea of fallen angels plays a significant role in the various poems of [[Alfred de Vigny]]. In ''Le Déluge'' (1823),<ref>Henry F. Majewski ''Paradigm & Parody: Images of Creativity in French Romanticism--Vigny, Hugo, Balzac, Gautier, Musset'' University of Virginia Press 1989 {{ISBN|978-0-8139-1177-9}} p. 157</ref> the son of an angel and a mortal woman learns from the stars about the great deluge. He seeks refuge with his beloved on [[Mount Ararat]], hoping that his angelic father will save them. But since he does not appear, they are caught by the flood. ''Éloa'' (1824) is about a female angel created by the tears of Jesus. She hears about a male angel, expelled from heaven, whereupon she seeks to comfort him, but goes to perdition as a consequence.<ref>Bamberger, Bernard J. (2006). ''Fallen angels : soldiers of Satan's realm'' (first paperback ed.). Philadelphia, Pa.: Jewish Publ. Soc. of America. {{ISBN|978-0-8276-0797-2}} p. 4</ref>

The [[Cinema of Turkey|Turkish]] [[horror film]] ''[[Semum]]'' (2008), produced and directed by [[Hasan Karacadağ]], is about a ''[[Shayatin|shayṭān]]'' who has been summoned from hell to torment a woman named Canan. The movie is based on the Ibn Abbas interpretation of the Quran and depicts the devil as a fallen angel who seeks revenge on humans for being abandoned by God (Allah). The devil accepts ''ʿAzāzīl'' as his new deity, who is praised as the ruler of hell and supporting his minions against God's new creation (humans). However, at the end, the movie affirms in accordance with Islamic teachings, that ''ʿAzāzīl'' has no real power but only to seduce people to follow him. When the ''shayṭān'' battles a human priest (Hoca) in hell, it is God who intervenes on behalf of humanity while ''ʿAzāzīl'' has forsaken his servant. By that, the movie further rejects dualism in favor of Islamic ''[[Tawhid|tawḥīd]]'', emphazising that even hell is under God's control.<ref name="Erdağı"/>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Religion|Bible}}
* [[Archon (Gnosticism)|Archon]]
* [[List of angels in theology]]
* [[Meta-historical fall]]
* [[İye]]
* [[Nephilim]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== Citations ==
{{Reflist}}

== References ==
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book|editor-last=Anderson|editor-first=Gary|title=Literature on Adam and Eve|year=2000|publisher=Brill|location=Leiden|isbn=978-90-04-11600-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Bamberger|first=Bernard J.|title=Fallen angels : soldiers of Satan's realm|year=2006|publisher=Jewish Publ. Soc. of America|location=Philadelphia, Pa.|isbn=978-0-8276-0797-2|edition=first paperback}}
* {{cite book|editor-last=Charlesworth|editor-first=James H.|title=The Old Testament pseudepigrapha|year=2010|publisher=Hendrickson|location=Peabody, Mass.|isbn=978-1-59856-491-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Davidson|first=Gustav|author-link=Gustav Davidson|title=A dictionary of angels: including the fallen angels|year=1994|publisher=Free Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-02-907052-9|edition=1st Free Press pbk. |page=111}}
* {{cite book|last=DDD|first=Karel van der Toorn, Bob Becking, Pieter W. van der Horst|title=Dictionary of deities and demons in the Bible (DDD)|year=1998|publisher=Brill|location=Leiden|isbn=978-90-04-11119-6|edition=2., extensively rev. }}
* {{cite book|year=2011 |title=Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary|editor-last1=Douglas|editor-first1=James D.|editor-last2=Merrill|editor-first2=Chapin Tenney|editor-last3=Silva |editor-first3=Moisés|publisher=Zondervan|location=Grand Rapids, Mich.|isbn=978-0-310-22983-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5gg4BifSJH8C }}
* {{cite book|last=Orlov|first=Andrei A.|title=Dark mirrors: Azazel and Satanael in early Jewish demonology|year=2011|publisher=State University of New York Press|location=Albany|isbn=978-1-4384-3951-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Reed|first=Annette Yoshiko|title=Fallen angels and the history of Judaism and Christianity : the reception of Enochic literature|url=https://archive.org/details/fallenangelshist00reed_736|url-access=limited|year=2005|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|location=Cambridge [u.a.]|isbn=978-0-521-85378-1|edition=1. publ.|page=[https://archive.org/details/fallenangelshist00reed_736/page/n16 1]}}
* {{cite book|last=Schwartz|first=Howard|author-link=Howard Schwartz|title=Tree of souls: The mythology of Judaism|year=2004|publisher=Oxford U Pr |location=New York|isbn=978-0-19-508679-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Wright|first=Archie T.|title=The origin of evil spirits the reception of Genesis 6.1–4 in early Jewish literature|year=2004|publisher=Mohr Siebeck|location=Tübingen|isbn=978-3-16-148656-2}}
{{Refend}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book|last=Ashley|first=Leonard R.N.|author-link=Leonard R. N. Ashley|title=The complete book of devils and demons|publisher=[[Skyhorse Pub.]]|location=New York|isbn=978-1-61608-333-5|date=September 2011}}

== External links ==
{{Commons|Fallen angels}}
* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01476d.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: Angels], see section "The Evil Angels"
* [http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=24&letter=F&search=Fallen%20angel Jewish Encyclopedia: Fall of Angels]

{{Christian theology}}
{{Angels in Abrahamic religions}}

[[Category:Fallen angels| ]]
[[Category:Book of Jubilees]]
[[Category:Second Temple period]]
[[Category:Demons in Christianity]]