Herein we prove quotations and citations on Angels from the Babylonian Talmud aka Talmud Bavli. The fuller complete result consists of quotations of those sections within the text that refer to Angels, Cherubim, Seraphim, Devil, Satan, demons, serpent and dragon. The point is not to elucidate these references but to provide relevant partial quotations and citations. See my section on Angels here, Cherubim and Seraphim here, Satan here and Demons here.
The Talmud consists of a combination of the Mishnah (oral traditions) put into writing circa 200 AD and the Gemara (the commentary on the Mishnah) put into writing circa 500 AD.
There are many terms used within the Talmud that will surely be unfamiliar to the general public. Yet, this does not diminish from the context of noting wherein references are made to paranormal entities. Two things to note may be that “R.” refers to Rabbi, “b.” to ben which is Hebrew for son and is used within a person’s name and “tractate” refers to section. That which follows is from Michael L. Rodkinson’s 1819 AD translation.
I And also R. Johanan: “The Angels of service do not listen to one’s prayer in the Aramaic tongue, for they know not that language.”
V Thus said the Holy One, blessed be He, to Gabriel: “Go and set the mark (the Hebrew letter Tabh) in ink upon the foreheads of the righteous, that the Angels of destruction have no power over them; and the same mark in blood upon the foreheads of the wicked, that the Angels of destruction may have power over them”…
An objection was raised: One of the teachers said: The Angels (once) said to the Holy One, blessed be He: “Lord of the Universe! Why didst Thou punish Adam with death?” The Lord answered: “Because I gave him a light commandment, and he failed to observe it.” The Angels again said unto Him: “Why did Moses and Aaron die.? Did they not observe all the laws of the Torah?” And He answered [Eccl. ix. 2]: “The same fate befalls the righteous as the wicked.” Hence death is not the result of sin!…
The Tana who related the legend of the Angels holds that Moses and Aaron also died in consequence of original sin…
R. Jehudah said in Samuel’s name…At the time Solomon took in wedlock Pharaoh’s daughter (the Angel) Gabriel came down and planted a cane in the sea…There is yet another [great penitent] in our own time, and he is Ukban b. Ne’hemiah, the Exilarch. “Once while studying,” said R. Joseph, “I dozed off and saw in a dream an Angel stretching out his hands and accepting his (Ukban’s) repentance.”
A footnote after the word “Exilarch” which reads, in part, “The text states: ‘And that is Nathan of Zuzitha and Rashi tried to explain the word Zuzitha ‘with sparks,’ or because the Angel took him by the Zizith (locks) of his head.’”
IX R. Simai lectured: “At that time, when Israel answered to the information of Moses, ‘We will do and we will obey,’ six hundred thousand Angels had furnished to every one of Israel two crowns: one for the answer ‘We will do,’ and one for the answer ‘We will obey.’ Thereafter when Israel sinned (with the Golden Calf) twelve hundred thousand destroying Angels descended and took them away; as it is written [Exodus, xxxiii. 6]: ‘The children of Israel then stripped themselves of their ornaments (they wore) from (the time they were at) Mount Horeb’”…
R. Elazar said: At the time the Israelites said “We will do” and afterward “We will obey” a heavenly voice (Bath-kol) was heard, which said unto them: “Who unfolded unto my children this mystery known only to the Angels?” For it is written [Psalms, ciii. 20]: “Bless the Lord, ye his Angels, mighty in strength, that execute his word, hearkening unto the voice of his word,” and from this we see that only Angels can execute first and then obey…
The Lord answered: “He came to receive the Torah.” Said the Angels again: “Wouldst Thou give a precious thing that Thou hast preserved since nine hundred and seventy-four generations before the creation of the world to a being of flesh and blood?…
Moses then said to the Angels: Were ye in Egypt? Have ye served Pharaoh? Of what use can the Torah be unto you? Further, what is written in the Torah [Ex. xx. 3]: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me”…
Then the Angels confessed and praised the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written [Psalms, viii. 10]: “O Eternal One, our Lord, how excellent is thy name on all the Earth!” but the ending of the verse [ibid. 2], “Thou who hast set thy majesty above the heavens,” is not cited in this verse. Then every one of the Angels befriended Moses and each of them disclosed some mystery to him, as it is written [Psalms, lxviii. 19]: “Thou didst ascend on high, lead away captives, receive gifts among men,” which means that because at first the Angels called Moses one born of a woman (man), they at the close gave him gifts, and even the Angel of Death disclosed a mystery to him, as it is written [Num. xvii. 12 and 13]: “And he put on the incense, and made an atonement for the people. And he stood between the dead and the living.” Now if the Angel of Death had not disclosed unto Moses this mystery, how could he have imparted it to Aaron?
XVI R. Hisda in the name of Mar Uqba said: “He who on the Sabbath recites the prayer commencing with, ‘Thus were finished,’ etc., has the hands of the two Angels who accompany each man laid on his head, and they say to him [Isaiah vi. 7]: ‘And thy iniquity is departed and thy sin is forgiven.’” We have learned in a Boraitha: R. Jose bar Jehudah said: “Two Angels accompany a man on the Sabbath eve on his way home from the house of prayer; one is a good Angel and the other an evil one; and when the man comes home and finds the candles lit, the table set, and his bed made up, the good Angel says: ‘May it be the will of God that the next Sabbath shall be the same,’ and the evil Angel answers ‘Amen’ involuntarily. If, however, the man does not find everything in order, the evil Angel says: ‘Mayst thou find it so on the next Sabbath also,’ and the good Angel answers against his own will: ‘Amen.’”
XXIII Samuel said: The souls of the righteous, of the ordinary men, and of the wicked are given over to the Angel whose name is Domah, who has charge of all souls. The souls of the righteous are given their resting-place soon; the others are not given rest until they come before the divine judgment.
In the next segment, we will consider tractates Erubin and Pesachim.
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