Amenadiel’s name has been gaining more popularity because he is one of the main characters of the famous series Lucifer, by FOX.

There is no doubt that this series takes inspiration from symbols and characters of the Christian religion, and in this article we will talk about the origin of the figure of Amenadiel, as well as commenting on what other sources, both ancient and modern, he appears in.

Who is Amenadiel?

The term Amenadiel can refer to several people, although the best known is a fictional character that appears in the FOX television series “Lucifer”, created by Tom Kapinos.

However, the name is much older than that series in question, and its origin, according to theologians and experts in the Bible and other sacred Christian texts, refers to an angel considered to be one of God’s cherubim, but who was revealed and became a fallen angel , being expelled from heaven.

The word “Amenadiel” has a confusing etymological origin, probably coming from the ancient Hebrew or Aramaic. It has been suggested that it must mean something like “divine punishment”, relating it to the fact of having lost God’s blessing and having been condemned as a fallen angel.

Although this is the most accepted story, its exact identity and origin is uncertain. Hardly any information exists about this angel, and experts in Christianity have proposed several theories. It has even been raised the possibility that this name is not his real one, or that it was a reinterpretation or bad transliteralization of a previous name.

One of the theories is based on the magic book Steganographia , by Johannes Trithemius (1462-1516), a German monk born in Trittenheim. In the book, Trithemius argues that Amenadiel is an aerial spirit , created as a combination of roles played by the archangels Michael and Gabriel, being both head of God’s army and his messenger. As an aerial spirit, this peculiar religious character exists between the earthly world, that is, the world of the living, and the Christian heaven.

Several medieval texts describe air spirits as angels but of a somewhat ambiguous nature. Not that it is necessarily an evil being, but it is not like an angel in the popular sense. In our collective thinking, we understand that an angel is a heavenly being always benign and protective, however, in these texts, Amenadiel is described as a being that can do both good and evil, as people themselves, so what is between heaven and earth.

But other theories point him further downwards, towards hell, comparing him with Lucifer himself, since similar powers are attributed to the prince of demons . Others go so far as to say that Lucifer and Amenadiel are brothers. Be that as it may, and based on this brief introduction of some theories, it can be seen that there is quite a bit of confusion regarding the role that Amenadiel plays within Christian beliefs and what kind of powers he has.

What does the Bible say?

Although it has its importance, albeit anecdotal, within the Christian world, the Bible says nothing about this character. It may be a bit shocking, since he has been attributed a striking role in his relationship with God and Lucifer, but the truth is that Amenadiel must be a very late invention in the history of the Christian religion.

It appears in a Renaissance book, called “Theurgia-Goetia”, which is based on the aforementioned “Steganographia” by Johannes Trithemius, as well as in the Book of Enoch.

Theurgia-Goetia

Theurgia-Goetia is the second book of The Lesser Key of Solomon (“Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis”), an anonymous 17th century grimoire (book on magic) which is known to be one of the most important texts on demons in Christianity.

In this text, Amenadiel is known as the Great King of the West, commander of 300 grand dukes, 500 minor dukes, 12 hierarchical dukes and a significant number of inferior spirits. Amenadiel is a demon of the day and night, who can be summoned at any time. The best way to do this is to use a crystal ball, or something that reflects, which will allow you to observe its true form.

Book of Enoch

The Book of Enoch is a text that is part of the Bible of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church . As strange as it may seem, during the Middle Ages Ethiopia was a Christian country, whose vision of the faith evolved separately from the European one, and that is why it has some points of difference with Catholicism and the Slavic Orthodox Church.

In the Book of Enoch it is said that Amenadiel is a fallen angel, who, as we were commenting earlier, rebelled against the Father Creator, joining the struggle to create a new kingdom , but without God. After being defeated by the archangel Michael, Amenadiel, who had been a valued heavenly figure, for having betrayed God was sent to hell, along with other angels who were part of the revolt.

Encyclopedia of the Angels

In the Encyclopedia of Angels appears the name of Amnediel , and given the similarity with the name of Amenadiel we can suppose that it is another form with which he is referred to. In this encyclopedia Amnediel is one of the 28 angels who rule the mansions of the moon , and has the power to offer friendship, love and happiness to travelers.

Lucifer by FOX

“Lucifer” is a television series of FOX channel, released in 2016 and created by Tom Kapinos . Its main character is based on the figure of Lucifer from the comics “The Sandman”, by Neil Gaiman. In this television series, Amenadiel is the brother of the main character, as well as one of the fallen angels who has come to earth and become a human being.

Without disemboweling the plot of the series, the main story of the series is that Lucifer, who had been banished, was sent to rule hell for all eternity and became known as Satan, the prince of darkness. But since it is too hot in hell and the suffering of others comes at a time that is boring, Lucifer got tired of ruling that kingdom and decided to flee to Earth, residing in the cinematic Hollywood .

The problem is that hell needed someone to control it, and Amenadiel saw how this escape of his brother implied an imbalance between good and evil, so he sees the need to go in search of Lucifer and convince him to return to hell. He finds out that he owns the “Lux” bar, and sees how he begins to collaborate with homicide detective Chloe Decker. Amenadiel decides to observe his brother closely, and based on that the plot of the series goes on.

Lucifer from DC Comics

Amenadiel also appears in DC Comics comics, specifically in “Lucifer”, based on the comics of “The Sandman”, by Neil Gaiman . In those comics the figure of Lucifer appears as a secondary character, but Mike Carey made a spin-off of 75 numbers where he becomes the main character and the one who gives name to the saga.

In these numbers, Amenadiel is an angel who represents violence, revenge and the totalitarian ideals of the Heavenly Kingdom. Here, unlike in the series, Amenadiel feels a deep hatred for Lucifer, and plans attacks against him. Among these offensives are curses and battles, and he is willing to sacrifice innocents just to carry out his revenge. But Lucifer is intelligent and knows how to counterattack, managing to defeat Amenadiel always.

Bibliographic references:

  • Bane, T. (1969) Encyclopedia of Demons in World Religions and Cultures. United States. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION DATA ISBN 978-0-7864-6360-2