Deicide
Encyclopedia
Deicide is the killing of a god
. The term deicide was coined in the 17th century from medieval Latin
*deicidium, from de-us "god" and -cidium "cutting, killing")
The concept is applied to the Crucifixion of Jesus
specifically, but may be used with to any life-death-rebirth deity
who is killed and then resurrected.
In Christianity, the concept was notably used in the question of guilt associated with a responsibility for the death of Jesus.
accounts of the events leading up to the Crucifixion of Jesus
, commonly called The Passion
. In the Gospel accounts, Jesus is critical of the Pharisees
, and causes a disturbance in the Temple
, and is eventually arrested
and brought before the Sanhedrin
. There he is charged and convicted of blasphemy, and they decided to take him to the Roman prefect Pontius Pilate
, asking him for Jesus' death. Pilate, after some debate, rejects their religious justifications, but accepts the political ones, see INRI, and sentences Jesus to death by crucifixion
.
The historical inquiry
is aided by other sources from antiquity which explain the cultural and political environment in which Jesus lived
. Historical analyses of Jesus' death generally assigned responsibility to either:
The theological question can be understood in the light of other New Testament
writings such as the Letters of Paul.
Theological analyses of who is responsible for Jesus' death have included:
, a capital crime under biblical law, and sought his execution, see Sanhedrin Trial of Jesus
. However, the Judean (Jewish) authorities lacked the authority to have Jesus put to death, according to yet records them asking Jesus
about stoning the adulteress and records them ordering the stoning
of Saint Stephen
and also James the Just
according to Antiquities of the Jews
20.9.1. The Jesus Seminar
's Scholars Version translation notes for John 18:31: "it's illegal for us: The accuracy of this claim is doubtful." However, , and has Jesus predicting how he was to be killed and it was not by stoning. They brought Jesus to Pontius Pilate
, the Roman Governor of Iudaea Province
(the Roman combination of Judea
proper, Samaria
and Idumea), who "consented" to Jesus' execution. According to the Bible, Pontius Pilate ordered Jesus to be flogged. Washing his hands, Pilate said he would not take the blame for Jesus' death. The crowd replied, "His blood be upon us and upon our children
." However, Jesus forgives them all in and those locally responsible in Jerusalem come to repentance
in .
Pilate is portrayed in the Gospel accounts as a reluctant accomplice to Jesus' death. Pilate was cruel against Galileans in and according to Philo
and Josephus
his rule was not peaceful and he was deposed for being excessive against the Samaritans, see Pilate in Jewish literature. Modern scholars note that a Roman Governor such as Pilate would have no problem in executing any leader whose followers posed a potential threat to Roman rule. It has also been suggest that the Gospel accounts may have downplayed the role of the Romans in Jesus' death during a time when Christianity was struggling to gain acceptance in the Roman world.
Pilate was cruel to Galileans and Jesus became aware of this . Jesus was considered by Pilate (and others) to be a Galilean
and he sent him to Herod
. Herod had been upset with Pilate up until then because of his bad treatment of Galileans .
s and liturgy
. The following, for example, is a verse from a hymn written in 1892 for use in the Church of England
to call upon God to convert the Jews to Christianity:
Several theological explanations have been offered. These explanations are not all mutually exclusive. Various Christian denominations have taught that God is ultimately responsible for the death of Jesus, as part of the divine plan of salvation (cf. ).
The Catholic Church and other Protestant denominations' dogmata
suggests that Jesus' death was necessary to take away the collective sin of the human race (see Substitutionary atonement
). The crucifixion is seen as an example of Christ's eternal love for mankind and as a self-sacrifice on the part of God for his children (humanity).
Alternatively, the Gnostic "Gospel of Judas
" discovered in the 1970s contends that Jesus Christ commanded Judas Iscariot
to set in motion the chain of events that would lead to his death.
series involves the deicide of the Greek pantheon.
The video game Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn involves the killing of the god "Ashera".
In the comic book series Preacher
, the Saint of Killers commits Deicide when he kills God, having already killed The Devil, all of the Angels, and an untold number of Humans.
The term is used as the title for a series of chapters (399 to 421) released for the Bleach
manga series. "Deicide" was employed in reference to Gin Ichimaru
, who reveals a stronger version of his weapon named Kamishini no Yari or "God-Slaying Spear" during this arc. It was also used in reference to Sōsuke Aizen
's newly acquired godhood and the protagonists' attempts to kill him, and Aizen's own plans to kill the Spirit King.
Deicide is discussed extensively in Terry Pratchett
's Discworld
series. Many of the gods are very human in appearance and nature and most are often ignored or even treated with contempt, making deicide decidedly easy and unsurprising.
In Star Trek
, Klingon
mythology included a tale of deicide in which the Klingons slew their gods, who "brought more trouble than it was worth."
In the web comic Order of the Stick, the titular order is after magic gates that seal in The Snarl, a monster created by conflict between the gods. It slew the Eastern Gods (the Greek Pantheon), and is theorized to be even more potent against deities than mortals. Odin even refers to it as a "deicidal maniac" when the surviving pantheons seal it away.
In the Final Crisis
comic book, the Green Lantern Corps
refer to the assassination of the character Orion
, one of the Gods of New Genesis, as a "Code 10-1-11", Deicide.
Deicide
is an American death metal band formed in 1987. Their lyrics usually deal with themes such as Satanism
and Anti-Christianity.
In the first episode of the seventh season of The CW Television Network
's series Supernatural
, "Meet The New Boss" , Dean Winchester
, Sam Winchester
, and Bobby Singer
work against their former ally and recently mutated angel named Castiel
who is now calling himself God, even shackling Death in their attempt to murder him.
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
. The term deicide was coined in the 17th century from medieval Latin
Medieval Latin
Medieval Latin was the form of Latin used in the Middle Ages, primarily as a medium of scholarly exchange and as the liturgical language of the medieval Roman Catholic Church, but also as a language of science, literature, law, and administration. Despite the clerical origin of many of its authors,...
*deicidium, from de-us "god" and -cidium "cutting, killing")
The concept is applied to the Crucifixion of Jesus
Crucifixion of Jesus
The crucifixion of Jesus and his ensuing death is an event that occurred during the 1st century AD. Jesus, who Christians believe is the Son of God as well as the Messiah, was arrested, tried, and sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged, and finally executed on a cross...
specifically, but may be used with to any life-death-rebirth deity
Life-death-rebirth deity
A dying god, also known as a dying-and-rising or resurrection deity, is a god who dies and is resurrected or reborn, in either a literal or symbolic sense. Male examples include the ancient Near Eastern and Greek deities Baal, Melqart, Adonis, Eshmun, Attis Tammuz, Asclepius, Orpheus, as well as...
who is killed and then resurrected.
In Christianity, the concept was notably used in the question of guilt associated with a responsibility for the death of Jesus.
Historical sources
The primary sources for both inquiries are the GospelGospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
accounts of the events leading up to the Crucifixion of Jesus
Crucifixion of Jesus
The crucifixion of Jesus and his ensuing death is an event that occurred during the 1st century AD. Jesus, who Christians believe is the Son of God as well as the Messiah, was arrested, tried, and sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged, and finally executed on a cross...
, commonly called The Passion
Passion (Christianity)
The Passion is the Christian theological term used for the events and suffering – physical, spiritual, and mental – of Jesus in the hours before and including his trial and execution by crucifixion...
. In the Gospel accounts, Jesus is critical of the Pharisees
Woes of the Pharisees
The Woes of the Pharisees is a list of criticisms by Jesus against Scribes and Pharisees and Lawyers that is present in the Gospel of Luke and Gospel of Matthew...
, and causes a disturbance in the Temple
Jesus and the Money Changers
The narrative of Jesus and the money changers, commonly referred to as the cleansing of the Temple, occurs in all four canonical gospels of the New Testament....
, and is eventually arrested
Arrest of Jesus
The arrest of Jesus is a pivotal event recorded in the Canonical gospels. The event ultimately leads, in the Gospel accounts, to Jesus' crucifixion...
and brought before the Sanhedrin
Sanhedrin Trial of Jesus
The Sanhedrin trial of Jesus refers to the Canonical Gospel accounts of the trial of Jesus before the Jewish Council, or Sanhedrin, following his arrest and prior to his trial before Pontius Pilate...
. There he is charged and convicted of blasphemy, and they decided to take him to the Roman prefect Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilatus , known in the English-speaking world as Pontius Pilate , was the fifth Prefect of the Roman province of Judaea, from AD 26–36. He is best known as the judge at Jesus' trial and the man who authorized the crucifixion of Jesus...
, asking him for Jesus' death. Pilate, after some debate, rejects their religious justifications, but accepts the political ones, see INRI, and sentences Jesus to death by crucifixion
Crucifixion of Jesus
The crucifixion of Jesus and his ensuing death is an event that occurred during the 1st century AD. Jesus, who Christians believe is the Son of God as well as the Messiah, was arrested, tried, and sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged, and finally executed on a cross...
.
The historical inquiry
Historical method
Historical method comprises the techniques and guidelines by which historians use primary sources and other evidence to research and then to write histories in the form of accounts of the past. The question of the nature, and even the possibility, of a sound historical method is raised in the...
is aided by other sources from antiquity which explain the cultural and political environment in which Jesus lived
Cultural and historical background of Jesus
Most scholars who study the Historical Jesus and Early Christianity believe that the Canonical Gospels and life of Jesus must be viewed as firmly placed within his historical and cultural context, rather than purely in terms of Christian orthodoxy...
. Historical analyses of Jesus' death generally assigned responsibility to either:
- The RomanRoman EmpireThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
-appointed government of the Roman provinceRoman provinceIn Ancient Rome, a province was the basic, and, until the Tetrarchy , largest territorial and administrative unit of the empire's territorial possessions outside of Italy...
of JudaeaJudaea (Roman province)Judaea or Iudaea are terms used by historians to refer to the Roman province that extended over parts of the former regions of the Hasmonean and Herodian kingdoms of Israel...
; - Judean (Jewish) leadership in JerusalemJerusalem in ChristianityFor Christians, Jerusalem's place in the ministry of Jesus and the Apostolic Age gives it great importance, in addition to its place in the Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible.-Jerusalem in the New Testament and early Christianity:...
at the time.
The theological question can be understood in the light of other New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
writings such as the Letters of Paul.
Theological analyses of who is responsible for Jesus' death have included:
- All humanity through their sinfulness;
- Jews (Judeans) in particular through their manipulation of the Roman authorities;
- God, for the benefit of people in general;
- God, for the benefit of the ElectCalvinismCalvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
in particular; - The Roman authorities in JudaeaJudaea (Roman province)Judaea or Iudaea are terms used by historians to refer to the Roman province that extended over parts of the former regions of the Hasmonean and Herodian kingdoms of Israel...
.
Jewish authorities and Roman government
According to the New Testament accounts, the Judean (Jewish) authorities in Jerusalem charged Jesus with blasphemyBlasphemy
Blasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
, a capital crime under biblical law, and sought his execution, see Sanhedrin Trial of Jesus
Sanhedrin Trial of Jesus
The Sanhedrin trial of Jesus refers to the Canonical Gospel accounts of the trial of Jesus before the Jewish Council, or Sanhedrin, following his arrest and prior to his trial before Pontius Pilate...
. However, the Judean (Jewish) authorities lacked the authority to have Jesus put to death, according to yet records them asking Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
about stoning the adulteress and records them ordering the stoning
Stoning
Stoning, or lapidation, is a form of capital punishment whereby a group throws stones at a person until the person dies. No individual among the group can be identified as the one who kills the subject, yet everyone involved plainly bears some degree of moral culpability. This is in contrast to the...
of Saint Stephen
Saint Stephen
Saint Stephen The Protomartyr , the protomartyr of Christianity, is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox Churches....
and also James the Just
James the Just
James , first Bishop of Jerusalem, who died in 62 AD, was an important figure in Early Christianity...
according to Antiquities of the Jews
Antiquities of the Jews
Antiquities of the Jews is a twenty volume historiographical work composed by the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus in the thirteenth year of the reign of Roman emperor Flavius Domitian which was around 93 or 94 AD. Antiquities of the Jews contains an account of history of the Jewish people,...
20.9.1. The Jesus Seminar
Jesus Seminar
The Jesus Seminar is a group of about 150 critical scholars and laymen founded in 1985 by Robert Funk under the auspices of the Westar Institute....
's Scholars Version translation notes for John 18:31: "it's illegal for us: The accuracy of this claim is doubtful." However, , and has Jesus predicting how he was to be killed and it was not by stoning. They brought Jesus to Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilatus , known in the English-speaking world as Pontius Pilate , was the fifth Prefect of the Roman province of Judaea, from AD 26–36. He is best known as the judge at Jesus' trial and the man who authorized the crucifixion of Jesus...
, the Roman Governor of Iudaea Province
Iudaea Province
Judaea or Iudaea are terms used by historians to refer to the Roman province that extended over parts of the former regions of the Hasmonean and Herodian kingdoms of Israel...
(the Roman combination of Judea
Judea
Judea or Judæa was the name of the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel from the 8th century BCE to the 2nd century CE, when Roman Judea was renamed Syria Palaestina following the Jewish Bar Kokhba revolt.-Etymology:The...
proper, Samaria
Samaria
Samaria, or the Shomron is a term used for a mountainous region roughly corresponding to the northern part of the West Bank.- Etymology :...
and Idumea), who "consented" to Jesus' execution. According to the Bible, Pontius Pilate ordered Jesus to be flogged. Washing his hands, Pilate said he would not take the blame for Jesus' death. The crowd replied, "His blood be upon us and upon our children
Blood curse
The blood curse is a New Testament passage from the verse .- Versions of the scriptural quotation :* Ιδων δε ο Πιλατος οτι ουδεν ωφελει αλλα μαλλον θορυβος γινεται, λαβων υδωρ απενιψατο τας χειρας απεναντι του οχλου, λεγων αθωος ειμι απο του αιματος του δικαιου τουτου; υμεις οψεσθε. Και αποκριθεις...
." However, Jesus forgives them all in and those locally responsible in Jerusalem come to repentance
Repentance
Repentance is a change of thought to correct a wrong and gain forgiveness from a person who is wronged. In religious contexts it usually refers to confession to God, ceasing sin against God, and resolving to live according to religious law...
in .
Pilate is portrayed in the Gospel accounts as a reluctant accomplice to Jesus' death. Pilate was cruel against Galileans in and according to Philo
Philo
Philo , known also as Philo of Alexandria , Philo Judaeus, Philo Judaeus of Alexandria, Yedidia, "Philon", and Philo the Jew, was a Hellenistic Jewish Biblical philosopher born in Alexandria....
and Josephus
Josephus
Titus Flavius Josephus , also called Joseph ben Matityahu , was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry who recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the 1st century AD and the First Jewish–Roman War, which resulted in the Destruction of...
his rule was not peaceful and he was deposed for being excessive against the Samaritans, see Pilate in Jewish literature. Modern scholars note that a Roman Governor such as Pilate would have no problem in executing any leader whose followers posed a potential threat to Roman rule. It has also been suggest that the Gospel accounts may have downplayed the role of the Romans in Jesus' death during a time when Christianity was struggling to gain acceptance in the Roman world.
Pilate was cruel to Galileans and Jesus became aware of this . Jesus was considered by Pilate (and others) to be a Galilean
Galilean
Generically, a Galilean is an inhabitant of Galilee. Galileans were also the members of a fanatical sect , followers of Judas of Galilee, who fiercely resented the taxation of the Romans, and whose violence contributed to induce the latter to vow the extermination of the whole race...
and he sent him to Herod
Herod Antipas
Herod Antipater , known by the nickname Antipas, was a 1st-century AD ruler of Galilee and Perea, who bore the title of tetrarch...
. Herod had been upset with Pilate up until then because of his bad treatment of Galileans .
Jesus' death
Until the middle of the 20th century most Christian churches included references to deicide in their hymnHymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
s and liturgy
Liturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
. The following, for example, is a verse from a hymn written in 1892 for use in the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
to call upon God to convert the Jews to Christianity:
- Though the Blood betrayed and spilt,
- On the race entailed a doom,
- Let its virtue cleanse the guilt,
- Melt the hardness, chase the gloom;
- Lift the veil from off their heart,
- Make them Israelites indeed,
- Meet once more for lot and part
- With Thy household's genuine seed.
Several theological explanations have been offered. These explanations are not all mutually exclusive. Various Christian denominations have taught that God is ultimately responsible for the death of Jesus, as part of the divine plan of salvation (cf. ).
The Catholic Church and other Protestant denominations' dogmata
Dogma
Dogma is the established belief or doctrine held by a religion, or a particular group or organization. It is authoritative and not to be disputed, doubted, or diverged from, by the practitioners or believers...
suggests that Jesus' death was necessary to take away the collective sin of the human race (see Substitutionary atonement
Substitutionary atonement
Technically speaking, substitutionary atonement is the name given to a number of Christian models of the atonement that all regard Jesus as dying as a substitute for others, "instead of" them...
). The crucifixion is seen as an example of Christ's eternal love for mankind and as a self-sacrifice on the part of God for his children (humanity).
Alternatively, the Gnostic "Gospel of Judas
Gospel of Judas
The Gospel of Judas is a Gnostic gospel that purportedly documents conversations between the Disciple Judas Iscariot and Jesus Christ.It is believed to have been written by Gnostic followers of Jesus, rather than by Judas himself, and probably dates from no earlier than the 2nd century, since it...
" discovered in the 1970s contends that Jesus Christ commanded Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He is best known for his betrayal of Jesus to the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver.-Etymology:...
to set in motion the chain of events that would lead to his death.
Popular culture
The God of WarGod of War (series)
God of War is a series of action-adventure video games based on Greek mythology.The main trilogy—God of War I, II, & III—in the series were developed by Sony Computer Entertainment's Santa Monica division , with Ready at Dawn Studios developing the PSP and Javaground the mobile phone installment...
series involves the deicide of the Greek pantheon.
The video game Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn involves the killing of the god "Ashera".
In the comic book series Preacher
Preacher (comics)
Preacher is a comic book series created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon, published by the American comic book label Vertigo , with painted covers by Glenn Fabry....
, the Saint of Killers commits Deicide when he kills God, having already killed The Devil, all of the Angels, and an untold number of Humans.
The term is used as the title for a series of chapters (399 to 421) released for the Bleach
Bleach (manga)
is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Noriaki "Tite" Kubo. Bleach follows the adventures of Ichigo Kurosaki after he obtains the powers of a —a death personification similar to the Grim Reaper—from another Soul Reaper, Rukia Kuchiki...
manga series. "Deicide" was employed in reference to Gin Ichimaru
Gin Ichimaru
is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Bleach created by Tite Kubo. He is the captain of the 3rd Division in the Gotei 13 until he betrays Soul Society, and after that becomes a commander in Sōsuke Aizen's arrancar army. Later on, his initial betrayal turns out to be a trick to get...
, who reveals a stronger version of his weapon named Kamishini no Yari or "God-Slaying Spear" during this arc. It was also used in reference to Sōsuke Aizen
Sosuke Aizen
is a fictional character and formerly the main antagonist in the anime and manga series Bleach created by Tite Kubo. He is the captain of the 5th Division when he is first introduced, but later betrays the Soul Society and becomes the series' main antagonist...
's newly acquired godhood and the protagonists' attempts to kill him, and Aizen's own plans to kill the Spirit King.
Deicide is discussed extensively in Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett
Sir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
's Discworld
Discworld
Discworld is a comic fantasy book series by English author Sir Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat world balanced on the backs of four elephants which, in turn, stand on the back of a giant turtle, Great A'Tuin. The books frequently parody, or at least take inspiration from, J. R. R....
series. Many of the gods are very human in appearance and nature and most are often ignored or even treated with contempt, making deicide decidedly easy and unsurprising.
In Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
, Klingon
Klingon
Klingons are a fictional warrior race in the Star Trek universe.Klingons are recurring villains in the 1960s television show Star Trek: The Original Series, and have appeared in all five spin-off series and eight feature films...
mythology included a tale of deicide in which the Klingons slew their gods, who "brought more trouble than it was worth."
In the web comic Order of the Stick, the titular order is after magic gates that seal in The Snarl, a monster created by conflict between the gods. It slew the Eastern Gods (the Greek Pantheon), and is theorized to be even more potent against deities than mortals. Odin even refers to it as a "deicidal maniac" when the surviving pantheons seal it away.
In the Final Crisis
Final Crisis
Final Crisis is a crossover storyline that appeared in comic books published by DC Comics in 2008, primarily the seven-issue miniseries of the same name written by Grant Morrison. Originally DC announced the project as being illustrated solely by J. G. Jones; artists Carlos Pacheco, Marco Rudy and...
comic book, the Green Lantern Corps
Green Lantern Corps
The Green Lantern Corps is the name of a fictional intergalactic military/police force appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They patrol the farthest reaches of the DC Universe at the behest of the Guardians, a race of immortals residing on the planet Oa...
refer to the assassination of the character Orion
Orion (comics)
Orion is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in New Gods #1 , and was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby.-Jack Kirby Era:...
, one of the Gods of New Genesis, as a "Code 10-1-11", Deicide.
Deicide
Deicide (band)
Deicide is an American death metal band formed in 1987. Their first two albums, Deicide and Legion, are ranked second and third place in best-selling death metal albums of the SoundScan era.-As Amon/Carnage :...
is an American death metal band formed in 1987. Their lyrics usually deal with themes such as Satanism
Satanism
Satanism is a group of religions that is composed of a diverse number of ideological and philosophical beliefs and social phenomena. Their shared feature include symbolic association with, admiration for the character of, and even veneration of Satan or similar rebellious, promethean, and...
and Anti-Christianity.
In the first episode of the seventh season of The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
's series Supernatural
Supernatural (TV series)
Supernatural is an American supernatural and horror television series created by Eric Kripke, which debuted on September 13, 2005 on The WB, and is now part of The CW's lineup. Starring Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, the series follows the brothers as they...
, "Meet The New Boss" , Dean Winchester
Dean Winchester
Dean Winchester is a fictional character from The CW Television Network's Supernatural, portrayed by Jensen Ackles. He hunts demons, spirits and other supernatural creatures with his younger brother Sam.-Background:...
, Sam Winchester
Sam Winchester
Samuel "Sam" Winchester is a fictional character and one of the two main protagonists of The CW Television Network's Supernatural along with his older brother Dean. He is portrayed by Jared Padalecki.-Background:...
, and Bobby Singer
Bobby Singer
Robert "Bobby" Singer is a fictional character in The CW Television Network's drama/horror television series Supernatural portrayed by Jim Beaver. Chosen due to his working relationship with executive producer Robert Singer, Beaver made his initial appearance in the first season finale "Devil's Trap"...
work against their former ally and recently mutated angel named Castiel
Castiel (Supernatural)
Castiel is a fictional character portrayed by Misha Collins on the CW Television Network's American television series Supernatural. An angel, he first appears in the fourth season, and is used to introduce the theme of Christian mythology to the series...
who is now calling himself God, even shackling Death in their attempt to murder him.