Journal of the Adventist Theological Society, 13/1 (Spring 2002): 1Ð9. Article copyright © 2002 by William H. Shea. Azazel in the Pseudepigrapha William H. Shea The name ÒAzazelÓ appears in only one biblical passage, Lev 16. There a male goat was selected for Azazel, just as one was selected for Yahweh (vv. 8Ð10). The goat for Yahweh was sacrificed and its blood taken into the sanctu- ary for ministration there (vv. 15Ð19), but the goat for Azazel was not sacrificed. Instead, the symbolic record of sins taken out of the sanctuary was placed upon the head of AzazelÕs goat, and it was taken to the wilderness and released Òto AzazelÓ (v. 22, RSV). By parallelism with the goat selected for Yahweh, the goat selected for Azazel is seen as being selected for another personal being of another type, the antithesis of Yahweh. The fact that this goat was not slain and its blood was not shed indicates that this goat served as part of a removal rite. It did not serve for the forgiveness of sins. Seventh-day Interpreters1 have applied the LordÕs goat to Jesus Christ and seen his death on the cross as the antitype of this goatÕs death, while AzazelÕs goat is taken as symbolizing a demonic figure, i.e., Satan, to whom the responsi- bility for the sin problem is ultimately attributed. The wandering in the wilder- ness of the live goat is then applied to the fate of Satan during the millennium (Rev 20:1Ð3) before he is thrown into the lake of fire at the end of that period (v. 10). Some evangelical writers see both the LordÕs goat and AzazelÕs goat as types of Christ, but others see AzazelÕs goat as a demonic figure. Representing this latter view is the statement, ÒSince verse 8 identifies one goat as Ôfor Ya- 1 F. D. Nichol, ed., The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Washington, D.C.: Review & Herald, 1953), 1: 775; S. H. Horn, ed., The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary (Washington, D.C.: Review & Herald, 1960), 97; A. M. Rodriguez, ÒThe SanctuaryÓ in R. Dederen, ed., Handbook of Seventh-day Adventist Theological. Commentary Reference Series (Hagerstown: Review & Her- ald, 2000), 12:387 1 JOURNAL OF THE ADVENTIST THEOLOGICAL SOCIETY hewhÕ and the other goat as Ôfor Azazel,Õ it is most consistent to consider Azazel a proper name, probably of a demon.Ó2 I Enoch Some of the writers noted previously have noted that the pseudepigraphical work of I Enoch uses the name Azazel for one of the evil angels. In support of the demonic interpretation of Azazel, it may be useful to review the occurrences of this name in this pre-Christian work to see just how that source makes use of this name. There are eight references to Azazel in I Enoch. These references are dis- tributed through two or three of the major sections of this book. Four references occur in The Book of the Watchers, chapters 1Ð10 (8:1; 9:6; 10:4, 8). The Book of EnochÕs Heavenly Journeys, chapters 11Ð36, is sometimes included with The Book of the Watchers and sometimes divided from it. There is one reference to Azazel in this section: 13:1Ð3, These chapters, 1Ð36, are commonly dated to the first half of the second century B.C. on the basis of the finding of fragments from five different manuscripts of this section among the Dead Sea Scrolls.3 Book III ( or II depending on how one divides the text) is known as the Par- ables of Enoch. It includes chapters 37Ð71. There are three references to Azazel in this section: 54:5; 55:5; and 69:3. This section is commonly dated to the last half of the first century B.C.4 These references will be studied in the order in which they occur in I Enoch. 8:1 And Azazel taught men to make swords, and daggers, and shields and breastplates. And he showed them the things after these, and the art of making them: bracelets, and ornaments, and the art of making up the eyes and beautifying the eyelids, and the most precious and choice stones, and all kinds of coloured dyes. And the world was changed. And there was great impiety and much fornication, and they 5 went astray, and all their ways became corrupt. In this passage Azazel belongs to a class of evil angels known as the Watchers, a long list of whom are named in chapter 6. Here Azazel exercises his talent in two directions, towards men and towards women. For the men he has instructed them in the production of weapons of war so that they might fight with each other. The women he has taught to beautify themselves so that they might seduce men. The result of the latter is given as Òmuch fornication.Ó The result of both taken together is that they produced much impiety and corrupted human ways. 2 J. H. Walton, V. H. Matthews and M. W. Chavalas, The IVP Bible Background Commentary (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2000), 131. 3 H.F.D. Sparks, ed., The Apocryphal Old Testament (Oxford: Clarendon, 1984), 174. 4 Ibid., 175. 5 Ibid., 190Ð191. Translation by M. A. Knibb. This is the translation used for the rest of the quotes from passages from I Enoch. 2 SHEA: AZAZEL IN THE PSEUDEPIGRAPHA This work of Azazel is also the work of Satan from the biblical point of view, though the Bible is less explicit. 9:6 See then what Azazel has done, how he has taught all iniquity on the earth and revealed the eternal secrets which were made in heaven. This statement is more comprehensive than the first, though less specific. The preceding case states that Azazel worked in two special ways to corrupt mankind. Here it is stated that he Òtaught all iniquity on the earth.Ó This takes in not just the two aspects of evil taught previously, but includes all others. The reference to the Òsecrets in heavenÓ is not clear, but what is clear is that Azazel was not supposed to reveal them on earth, but he went ahead and did it anyway. 10:4 And further the Lord said to Raphael, Bind Azazel by his hands and feet and throw him into the darkness. And split open the desert which is in Dudael, and throw him there. And throw on him jagged and sharp stones and cover him with darkness and let him stay there for ever, and cover his face that he might not see light, and that on the great day of judgment he may be hurled into the fire. Here the results of the work of Azazel, i.e., the work of Satan, come down upon him. This is his judgment for the works cited earlier in 8:1 and 9:6. This Azazel suffers the same fate as his goat does in Lev 16, but that fate is now elaborated in the antitype. He is cast out into a wilderness or desert, but now that desert splits open to accommodate him to a world of darkness, i.e., the abyss. There he is to be covered up Òfor ever.Ó This is an extrabiblical case where Òfor everÓ does not mean Òfor ever and ever and ever.Ó It simply refers to the time allotted to it. For after this comes the second phase of judgment. He is cast into the fire on the great day of judgment. Thus there are two phases to the judgment of Azazel. First he is cast into the abyss of the split desert, and after that he is thrown into the fire. This provides a close parallel to the fate of Satan during and at the end of the millennium, ac- cording to Rev 20. There he is imprisoned in the abyss at the beginning of the millennium, and at the end of the millennium he is cast into the lake of fire dur- ing the great white throne judgment. I Enoch continues parallel to Revelation in this case, for the next statement, in 10:7, is that the earth, which had been ruined by evil angels, will be restored by God. 10:8 And the whole earth has been ruined by the teaching of the works of Azazel, and against him write down all sin. This statement is an antitypical extension of Lev 16:21, which says Aaron was to confess, over AzazelÕs goat, Òall the iniquities of the people of Israel, all their transgression, all their sins.Ó That case was localized to the people of God, Israel. This case is more comprehensive, as it is not limited to the people of God. Now it is all the sins of the whole earth that are in view, and they are to be writ- ten down, recorded against, the account of Azazel. As the one ultimately respon- 3 JOURNAL OF THE ADVENTIST THEOLOGICAL SOCIETY sible for the whole sin problem, Azazel/SatanÕs fate for this activity is what has been stated earlier: the abyss, followed by the fire. 13:1Ð3 And Enoch went and said to Azazel, You will not have peace. A severe sentence came out against you that you should be bound. And you will have neither rest, nor mercy, nor the granting of any petition because of the wrong that you have taught and because of all the works of blasphemy and wrong and sins which you have shown to the sons of men. In his travels Enoch goes to Azazel and tells him what his fate will be and why.