Azrael, the Angel of Death: From High Priestly Lineage to Lord of Help

Azrael, the Judeo-Christian Angel of Death, originated as a descendant of the powerful priests of the lineage of Aaron. Azrael began his existence in the Jewish mind in Babylon sometime after 597 BCE, where the Jews were held captive from their homeland by King Nebuchadnezzar, who had sacked Jerusalem and taken prisoner as many as 10,000 Jewish high priests and royalty. In Babylon, the angel who became Azrael was called Azra. "Azra" means "help". "El" means "lord", and thus Azrael is the Lord of Help. Azrael came into the world in a troubled time when the Jews needed help, indeed.

The Jews in Babylon were known as the Golah, meaning "the exiled." Azra, the future Azrael, was one of these Golah; actually he was a "bene Golah", or a "son of the exiled" and he was born in Captivity. They remained in captivity in Babylon, in the empire of the Chaldeans, until 537 BCE. King Cyrus of the Persian Empire defeated the Chaldeans in 538 BCE, and he let the Golah go home to their own land. King Cyrus is known as "The Great" because of this magnanimous action. King Artaxerxes of the Persian Empire took a liking to Azra and even granted him some money from the royal coffers to use when he returned to his homeland, which he himself had never seen but in the high laws and culture of which he was well-versed because of his privileged bloodline. Additionally, King Artaxerxes gave Azra the power of Judgment over all the people of Israel. This decree of Artaxerxes was taken as a decree from God himself, and thus Azra became very powerful among the Jews.