from Collin de Plancy’s Dictionnaire Infernal (Paris,1825). Credit.
There are differing opinions (of old) on whether Azazel and Satan are the same being. So to start off, let me introduce Azazel by what are probably the three most famous passages about him—the first from the Bible, and the second two from 1 Enoch. I present these without comment. Otherwise, I’d be writing a book!:
8 And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for Azazel.[a]9 And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the Lord and use it as a sin offering, 10 but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the Lord to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel.
Leviticus 16:8-10. ESV
8. And the whole earth has been corrupted through the works that were taught by Azazel: to him ascribe all sin.
1 Enoch 10:8. R.H. Charles Translation
1. And Azazel taught men to make swords, and knives, and shields, and breastplates, and made known to them the metals 〈of the earth〉 and the art of working them, and bracelets, and ornaments, and the use of antimony, and the beautifying of the eyelids, and all kinds of costly stones, and all coloring tinctures. 2. And there arose much godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways. Semjaza taught enchantments, and root-cuttings, Armaros the resolving of enchantments, Baraqijal, (taught) astrology, Kokabel the constellations, Ezeqeel the knowledge of the clouds, 〈Araqiel the signs of the earth, Shamsiêl the signs of the sun〉, and Sariel the course of the moon. And as men perished, they cried, and their cry went up to heaven . . .
1 Enoch 8:1-2. R.H. Charles Translation
Are Azazel and Satan the same being?
I don’t think they are, but Origen did.
Origen pegs Azazel as the serpent in the Garden of Eden.
For the serpent–…–having become the cause of man’s expulsion from the divine Paradise, … having deceived the woman by a promise of divinity and of greater blessings; ….Moreover (the goat), which in the book Of Leviticus is sent away (into the wilderness), and which in the Hebrew language is named Azazel, was none other than this;
Origen. Contra Celsus, Book 6. Chapter 43
Meanwhile, however, Irenaeus quotes an unnamed “divine elder and preacher of the truth” as having written about Azazel as an apparent agent of Satan:
“…that divine elder and preacher of the truth [unnamed by Irenaeus] burst forth in verse against thee as follows:-“Marcus, thou former of idols, inspector of portents, Skill’d in consulting the stars, and deep in the black arts of magic, Ever by tricks such as these confirming the doctrines of error, Furnishing signs unto those involved by thee in deception, Wonders of power that is utterly severed from God and apostate, Which Satan, thy true father, enables thee still to accomplish, By means of Azazel, that fallen and yet mighty angel,-Thus making thee the precursor of his own impious actions.”Such are the words of the saintly elder.” Against Heresies. Book 1. Chapter 15:6.
Further, there are several extrabiblical works that mention Satans (note the final s)—which seems to be a reference to multiple beings by way of the name of their leader—-not unlike how we’ll say today that “Biden did such and such”, when we mean more accurately, “The Biden administration did such and such.”
1 Enoch has “satans”, as does The Ascension of Isaiah, and The Book of Adam and Eve—Malan translation (PDF here).
In the RH Charles translation of 1 Enoch, Charles writes a chapter header for Chapter 69 (where Azazel and the others are in a list), and that header reads (emphasis added):
69. The Names and Functions of the (fallen Angels and) Satans: the secret Oath.
So, for what it’s worth, it looks like the scholar Charles considered Azazel as one of “the satans”.
Further, there are multiple mentions in the extrabiblical works of “serpents” and “devils” and “accusers”—many of which are certainly in the same vein as the “satans” language.
I think that the main Satan/Serpent/Devil figure that the Bible seems to focus on rebelled before the curtain rises on Genesis 1. And surely, there were other rebellions afterward. There may even have been at least one before that, too, as it seems that Rahab’s killing may predate the Bible story proper. It’s a bit beyond the immediate scope of this short article, but here are some Rahab references from the Bible. (And there are similarities between this Rahab and the Mesopotamian Tiamat that are worth exploring).
Job 26:12-13. ESV
12 By his power he stilled the sea;
by his understanding he shattered Rahab.
13 By his wind the heavens were made fair;
his hand pierced the fleeing serpent.
Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in days of old, the generations of long ago. Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the dragon?
Isaiah 59:1. ESV
5 Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord,
Psalm 89:5-10. ESV
your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!
6 For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord?
Who among the heavenly beings[b] is like the Lord,
7 a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones,
and awesome above all who are around him?
8 O Lord God of hosts,
who is mighty as you are, O Lord,
with your faithfulness all around you?
9 You rule the raging of the sea;
when its waves rise, you still them.
10 You crushed Rahab like a carcass;
you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
