Fallen Angels: Creators of Evil Spirits

Most people have heard of evil spirits and things that “go bump in the night.” Numerous legends of the fallen angels say they occurred as the ones who originally created evil spirits that plague the earth. Pointedly, one of the first texts written concerning fallen angels tells of this happening.

This ancient manuscript plainly states humanity’s position with this evil; however, before these corrupt spirits entered into the world, humans lived in innocence on the Earth and were helped by an angelic group called the “Watchers” or the “Sons of God.” The mentioning of these caring entities concerning their high position on Earth occurs in various sources, such as in the Book of Daniel 4:17. In spite of this, something evil materialized disrupting

this harmony on the planet and, some believe, entered into this destruction through the doorway of people’s sexuality. In numerous apocryphal books, it states a group of angels, again called the Watchers, were either here previously or descended to the earth initiating sex crimes against women. Possibly after Satan’s group was thrown out of Heaven, they corrupted the angels already here, beginning the devastation towards humans on Earth. Some people think there transpired several different groups that became cast out of Heaven. Undoubtedly, there can be no argument that the corruption evolved, for evil exists in the midst of much beauty among us.
The ancient writings of the Dead Sea Scrolls shine an enormous light on the outcome of the distortion instigated by the Watchers. Astoundingly, the scrolls that were found are a treasure house of information, containing a series of over eight hundred manuscripts stored in earthen jars that became hidden for two millennia. Collectively, the papyrus scrolls and scroll fragments include passages from books of the Hebrew Scriptures, as well as texts from apocryphal biblical books and some sectarian writings. The discovery of the texts occurred between 1947 and 1956 in eleven caves in and around the Wadi Qumran, near the ruins of the ancient settlement of Khirbet Qumran, on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea in Israel. Most, perhaps all, of the scrolls seem to have been hidden in the caves during the turmoil of the first Jewish revolt, dating around 150 BC to AD 70.

“To Him Ascribe all Sin”

One of the main apocryphal books is called the Book of Enoch. Hershel Shanks reveals in his book, Understanding the Dead Sea Scrolls, and that the book of Enoch persisted in high regard at the time the development of New Testament transpired and focused directly on the Watchers. The Book of Enoch, a pseudepigrapha work, states one of the Fallen Angel’s most repugnant characters, and a powerful counterpart of Satan, existed as ‘Azazel.’ It claims the whole earth inhabited in corruption through the works taught by Azazel: “to him ascribe all sin.” Among the Dead Sea Scrolls, another book called The Book of Watchers again focuses on Azazel, along with ‘Shemihazah’ as the main leaders of this group. Strikingly, Azazel seems to become the chief link with humanity’s early development of lust, as he encourages promiscuity by the deception of beauty and teaches the art of beautifying the body for sexual recklessness.

Azazel: a Giant Goat Creature

The Jewish Encyclopedia states, “After Satan, for whom he was in some degree a preparation, Azazel enjoys the distinction of being the most mysterious extra-human character in sacred literature.” Researchers attest to the strange circumstances of Azazel’s earliest position. One highly respected researcher of the Dead Sea Scrolls, J.T. Milik (a biblical scholar and Catholic priest), became passionate about the Book of Enoch and accumulated a thorough history of the Enochian writings, including translations of the Aramaic manuscripts. Milik’s four-hundred-page book, The Books of Enoch: Aramaic Fragments of Qumran Cave 4 persists as a great achievement in Enochian research and Milik himself remains certainly one of the chief authorities on the topic. His judgment encompasses years of an all-embracing study and his convictions are highly respected. He theorized perhaps one day the arguments against the Book of Enoch would fade away, due to gaining new evidence of the book’s true legacy. In his research, Milik concedes that the connection between the Watchers and he-goats occurs so intertwining that he forcibly determined:

“Azazel was evidently not a simple he-goat, but a giant who
combined [goat-like] characteristics with those of a man.”

The disturbance of the Fallen Angels in the Dead Sea Scrolls states:
In the days of Jared (mentioned in Gen 5:15), two hundred Watchers descended on Ardis, the summit of Mount Hermon - a mythical location equated with the triple peak of Jebelesh Sheikh (Nine Thousand, Two Hundred feet), placed in the most northern region of ancient Palestine. On this mountain the Watchers swear an oath and bind themselves by mutual imprecations, concerning their corrupt actions as a specific race of divine beings and knowing full well the consequences of their actions toward both themselves and for humanity as a whole. It is a pact commemorated in the name given to the place of their [fall], for in Hebrew the word Hermon, or harem, translates as [curse]. The account of the fallen angels again described in chapters 6 to 8 of the Book of Enoch, VI. 6,

Accordingly, before the unearthing of the Dead Sea Scrolls, little existed regarding the apocryphal Book of Enoch (more precisely, 1 Enoch), occurring merely in an Ethiopic translation.

Now, as many as twenty fragmentary copies survive of the Aramaic original found at Qumran; which gives evidence that Enoch, and perhaps other books for years identified as apocryphal, were once thought of as respected scripture by numerous groups. Within the copies of the Ethiopic Bible, Enoch exists in their canon. Seemingly the curse on the fallen angels on Mount Hermon transpired due to the intense lust toward earthly women. The text in Enoch tells how the Watchers lusted toward

them:

Even in the Bible, Genesis talks of a union with the ‘sons of God.’ And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose (Gen 6:1-2).

In addition, The New Testament treats the corrupt conduct of the Fallen Angels as fact, as stated in the Book of Jude 1:6; which became accepted within Judaism as a reality. Predominantly, the early Church Fathers also supported the Enochian writings. For example, Justin Martyr ascribed all evil to demons, whom he alleged to be the offspring of the angels, who fell through their lust for women; directly referencing the Enochian writings. Another Church Father named Origen (AD 186-255), which occurred as a scholar of Clement, believed that angels could embody as men. Similarly, this belief grew through time, especially among the Church Fathers, who also believed in the embodiment of evil fallen angels/demons and the warfare going on between those of the spiritual

world.
Historically, the Book of Enoch encompassed centuries before the birth of Christ and existed as ‘Holy Scripture’ by various Christians as the earliest literature, such as Tertullian (160-230 AD). A substantial number of well-known Church Fathers reference this enigmatic book, such as the early second-century writings in the Epistle of Barnabus and the second-and third-century Church Fathers like Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria, who all made use of the book. Even though numerous other Church Fathers approved of the Enochian writings, at the same time, the book became controversial concerning statements regarding fallen angels. Such as believing the Nephilim transpired as the offspring of the ‘fallen host;’ which perceptibly originating from the Book of Enoch.
Prevalently, this debate results in various influential theologians determining to ban the Book of Enoch at the Council of Laodicea. In the end, the Council decided that too much emphasis occurred regarding the magnitude of angels; whereby, the teachings became forbidden among the people. Consequently, Enoch and other books became disregarded due to this ruling by the church authorities, later gradually passing out of circulation. Nevertheless, finally the manuscript resurfaced in the 1770s, and became translated into English by Dr. Richard Laurence, a Hebrew professor at Oxford, and first published in 1821. Adding to this evolved the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls; which notably exposed Enoch’s astonishing teachings, sparking a renewed interest in its fascinating accounts.