Suriel
Suriel is the great angel of Beta Israel apocalyptic literature, principally the angel of death. In the Mota Muse (Death of Moses), recited by Beta Israel at funerals, he is 'Suriel the Trumpeter' and 'the Angel of Death,' sent to draw out the soul of Moses; tradition holds that Moses received all his learning from him. In the Te'ezaza Sanbat a great angel exalts the scribe Baruch to the heavenly Jerusalem to behold its thrones, crowns and the rewards and punishments of souls. Sources differ on whether the Sutu'el who guides Baruch is identical with Suriel or a distinct angel, the name Sutu'el appearing to be a variant or corruption. In the Beta Israel angelic hierarchy Suriel stands beside the archangels Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Fanuel.
Domains
- death psychopomp
- revelation teaching
Powers
- retrieves the soul of the dying
- sounds the trumpet of judgement
Epithets
- Surʾel näfaḫi mäläkät — Suriel the TrumpeterEncyclopaedia Aethiopica, ed. S. Uhlig, s.v. 'Motä Muse,' Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2007. (secondary)
- Surʾel malʾakä mot — Suriel, the Angel of DeathWolf Leslau, Falasha Anthology, Yale University Press, 1951, pp. 103–110. (secondary)
Relations
- companion: MuseSuriel is Moses' angelic teacher and the psychopomp who takes his soul.Wolf Leslau, Falasha Anthology, Yale University Press, 1951, pp. 103–110. (secondary)
- companion: BarukAs the guiding angel he raises Baruch to the heavenly Jerusalem.Te'ezaza Sanbat, in Wolf Leslau, Falasha Anthology, Yale University Press, 1951, pp. 3–39. (primary)
Sources
- In Beta Israel writings Suriel is called 'Suriel the Trumpeter' and 'the Angel of Death,' and is sent to retrieve the soul of Moses; Moses is said to have received his knowledge from Suriel.: 'The Death of Moses' (Mota Muse), in Wolf Leslau, Falasha Anthology, Yale University Press, 1951, pp. 103–110. (secondary)
- A great angel (Sutu'el/Suriel) exalts the scribe Baruch heavenward and shows him the heavenly Jerusalem in the Te'ezaza Sanbat.: Te'ezaza Sanbat, in Wolf Leslau, Falasha Anthology, Yale University Press, 1951, pp. 3–39. (primary)