Who Is the Watcher Order of Angels?
The watchers, also referred to as Grigori, are a superior order of angels who reside in the third or the fifth heaven. Their origins and details are derived from Jewish legend. These watcher angels are said to look like human beings but are much larger.
They are said to never sleep and to remain forever silent. This order of angels is made up of good and bad angels. Mostly known in extant lore are the evil watchers who fell from grace after commingling with human women.
The accounts of the watcher order of angels can be found in several scriptural apocalyptic books. The most known among these books are the Book of Enoch and the Book of Jubilees. A part of this tale was incorporated into a brief passage in the book of Genesis (6:2), where it states that the “sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair and they took to wife such as they chose.”
According to tradition, “sons of God” were understood to indicate angels. However, later on, churchmen rejected the idea that angels could have intercourse with human beings.
Other Groups and Instances of Fallen Angels
The group of fallen angels who fell from grace through commingling with human women are not the only group of fallen angels. According to the studies of contemporary religious leader, Elizabeth Clare Prophet, there were two distinct celestial falls.
The first fall was that of Lucifer and the rebellious angels and the other was the group of angels who copulated with human women. This bit of speculative theology, as well as the full passages from the relevant apocryphal books, is contained in the Prophet’s fascinating Forbidden Mysteries of Enoch: Fallen Angels and the Origins of Evil.
There is a third account of fallen angels according to the legendary War in Heaven. On the second day of creation a tremendous battle took place between two groups of angel beings. The first group was created by God and given the grace to pursue goodness.
The second was equal in strength but was devoid of God’s grace, and thus had the ability to choose sin. Michael, at the helm of the good angels, conquered the sinners from heaven, among them Lucifer, who took him one-third of the legions of angels.
Individual Watcher Angels’ Responsibilities
As indicated in Gustave Davidson’s Dictionary of Angels, individual watchers were responsible for certain activities on earth:
Armaros – taught men the resolving of enchantments
Araquiel (Arakiel) – taught men the signs of the earth
Azazel – taught men to make knives, swords, and shields, and to devise ornaments and cosmetics.
Baraqijal (Baraqel) – taught men Astrology
Ezequiel (Ezekeel) – taught men the knowledge of the clouds
Gadreel – introduced weapons of war
Kobabel (Kawkabel) – taught the science of constellations
Penemue – instructed mankind in writing and taught children the “bitter and sweet, and the secrets of wisdom.”
Sariel– taught men the course of the Moon
Semjaza– taught men enchantments, root-cutting, etc.
Shamshiel – taught men the signs of the Sun
