Satan

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For other uses, see Satan (disambiguation).
Gustave Doré's depiction of Satan from John Milton's Paradise Lost.

Satan (Standard Hebrew: שָׂטָן, Satan Tiberian Hebrew Śāṭān; Koine Greek: Σατανάς, Satanás; Aramaic: צטנא, Śaṭanâ; Arabic: شيطان, Shaitan; Ge'ez: ሣሳይጣን, Śāyṭān) is a Abrahamic term which is traditionally applied to an angel, demon, or minor god in many belief systems.

Satan plays various roles in the Tanakh, the Apocrypha and New Testament. In the Tanakh, Satan is an angel whom God uses to test man for various reasons usually dealing with his level of piety. In the Apocrypha and New Testament, the term Satan refers to a preternatural entity, an evil, rebellious demon who is the enemy of God and mankind, and the central embodiment of evil. Satan is also commonly known as the Devil, the "Prince of Darkness," Beelzebub, Belial, Lucifer, and Mephistopheles.

In the Talmud and some Kabbalist works, Satan is sometimes called Samael. In the fields of angelology and demonology these different names sometimes refer to a number of different angels and demons, and there is significant disagreement as to whether any of these entities are actually evil.

In Islam, Iblīs (Arabic إبليس), is the primary devil. He is commonly referred to in the Qur'an as Shaitan. The Islamic view of Satan has both commonalities and differences with Christian and Jewish views.

Etymology and other names

The nominative satan (meaning "adversary" or "accuser"), and the Arabic shaitan, derives from a Northwest Semitic root šṭn, meaning "to be hostile", "to accuse".[1] In the New Testament, Satan is a proper name, and is used to refer to a supernatural entity who appears in several passages.

The most common synonym for Satan, "the Devil", entered Modern English from Middle English devel, from Old English dēofol, from Latin diabolus, from Late Greek diabolos, from Greek, "slanderer", from diaballein, "to slander" : dia-, dia- + ballein, "to hurl"; which ultimately derives from PIE *gwel-(meaning "to throw").[2] In Greek, the term diabolos (Διάβολος, "slanderer"), carries more negative connotations than the Hebrew satan (שָׂטָן, "accuser", "obstructer").[3]

In the Hebrew Bible

Satan is to be better understood as an "accuser" or "adversary" or as an embodiment of "evil." The term is applied both to supernatural and human beings.[4]

Different uses of the word "Satan" in the Tanakh

The Hebrew "Satan Kanom" is a champion is used in the Hebrew Bible with the general connotation of "adversary," being applied to:

  • The serpent who tempted Adam and Eve. This identification comes from the writings of Saint John. [5]
  • An enemy in war and peace [6]
  • An accuser before the judgment-seat [7]
  • An antagonist who puts obstacles in the way, as in Numbers 22:22, where the angel of God is described as opposing Balaam as an adversary.

In the Book of Job, ha-satan("the adversary") is a prosecuting attorney against mankind in the heavenly court of God. Other angels are not mentioned by name. He is known as the accuser and is the angel which questions mankind's loyalty to God. He argues that man is only loyal because God gives them prosperity. He is the one who actually delivers all the ills upon Job to test his faith.

In 1 Chronicles 21:1, Satan incites David to commit the sin of taking a census of Israel. Five hundred years earlier, this same story portrayed Yahweh as the one who incited David to take the census (2 Samuel 24:1). The later story was written after the Hebrews had been in exile in Babylon and had been exposed to Zoroastrianism.

The Strong's Concordance number for the Hebrew word "Satan" is 07853 and 07854[8].

"7853 satan saw-tan' a primitive root; to attack, (figuratively) accuse:--(be an) adversary, resist."

"7854 satan saw-tawn' from 7853; an opponent; especially (with the article prefixed) Satan, the arch-enemy of good:--adversary, Satan, withstand."

This can be used to research the Biblical usage of this word.

Satan as an accuser

Where Satan does appear in the Bible as a member of God's court, he plays the role of the Accuser, much like a prosecuting attorney for God. The following information has been taken directly from the article on 'Satan' in the Jewish Encyclopaedia:

"Such a view is found, however, in the prologue to the Book of Job, where Satan appears, together with other celestial beings or "sons of God," before the Deity, replying to the inquiry of God as to whence he had come, with the words: "From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it."[9] Both question and answer, as well as the dialogue which follows, characterize Satan as that member of the divine council who watches over human activity, but with the evil purpose of searching out men's sins and appearing as their accuser. He is, therefore, the celestial prosecutor, lawyer who sees only iniquity; for he persists in his evil opinion of Job even after the man of Uz has passed successfully through his first trial by surrendering to the will of God, whereupon Satan demands another test through physical suffering [10].

"Yet it is also evident from the prologue that Satan has no power of independent action, but requires the permission of God, which he may not transgress. He can not be regarded, therefore, as an opponent of the Deity; and the doctrine of monotheism is disturbed by his existence no more than by the presence of other beings before the face of God. This view is also retained in Zech. 3:1-2, where Satan is described as the adversary of the high priest Joshua, and of the people of God whose representative the hierarch is; and he there opposes the "angel of the Lord" who bids him be silent in the name of God.

"In both of these passages Satan is a mere accuser who acts only according to the permission of the Deity; but in I Chron. 21:1 he appears as one who is able to provoke David to destroy Israel. The Chronicler (third century B.C.) regards Satan as an independent agent, a view which is the more striking since the source whence he drew his account[11] speaks of God Himself as the one who moved David against the children of Israel. Since the older conception refers all events, whether good or bad, to God alone [12], it is possible that the Chronicler, and perhaps even Zechariah, were influenced by Zoroastrianism, even though in the case of the prophet Jewish monism strongly opposed Iranian dualism[13]. An immediate influence of the Babylonian concept of the "accuser, persecutor, and oppressor" [14] is impossible, since traces of such an influence, if it had existed, would have appeared in the earlier portions of the Bible."[15]

In Rabbinic literature

Early rabbinic Jewish statements in the Mishnah and Talmud show that Satan played little or no role in Jewish theology. In the course of time, however, Judaism absorbed the popular concepts of Satan, most likely inherited from Zoroastrianism. The later a rabbinic work can be dated the more frequent is the mention therein of Satan and his hosts.[16] The Palestinian Talmud, completed around 400 CE has provenance similar to that of the New Testament and is more reserved in its use of Satan. However large portions of this version of the Talmud in its original form have been lost.

An example is found in Genesis: The serpent who had Eve eat the forbidden fruit. The consensus of the Biblical commentators in classical Judaism is that the serpent of the narrative in Genesis was literally a serpent. They differ regarding what it represented: The evil inclination (Yetzer HaRa), Satan, or the Angel of Death. Others have suggested that the serpent was a phallic symbol. According to the Midrash, before this cunning beast was cursed, it stood erect and was endowed with some faculty of communication.

The normative Jewish concept, however, was and remains that Satan cannot be viewed as an independent agent. In the Babylonian Talmud [17], Rabbi Levi asserts that "everything Satan does is for the sake of heaven." When another rabbi preached a similar idea in his town, it is said that Satan himself came and "kissed his knees."

The Babylonian Talmud[18] also states that the Evil Inclination (Yetzer ha-Ra), the Angel of Death and Satan are identical.

In a midrash[19] Samael, the chief of the satans (a specific order of angel, not a reference to demons), was a mighty prince of angels in heaven. Samael came into the world with woman, that is, with Eve[20], so that he was created and is not eternal. Like all celestial beings, he flies through the air[21], and can assume any form, as of a bird [22], a stag[23], a woman [24], a beggar, or a young man [25]; he is said to skip [26], an allusion to his appearance in the form of a goat.

In some works some rabbis hold that Satan is the incarnation of all evil, and his thoughts are devoted to the destruction of man. In this view, Satan, the impulse to evil and the angel of death are one and the same personality. Satan seizes upon even a single word which may be prejudicial to man; so that "one should not open his mouth unto evil," i.e., "unto Satan"[27]. Likewise, in times of danger, he brings his accusations (Jerusalem Talmud, Shabbat 5b). While he has power over all the works of man (Talmud Berachot 46b), he can not prevail at the same time against two individuals of different nationality; so that Samuel, a noted astronomer, physician and teacher of the Law (died at Nehardea, 247), would start on a journey only when a Gentile traveled with him [28].

Satan's knowledge is not everpresent; for when the shofar is sounded on New-Year's Day he is "confounded" [29]. On the Day of Atonement his power vanishes; for the numerical value of the letters of his name (gematria and Hebrew numerals) is only 359, one day being thus exempt from his influence [30].

One rabbi notes that Satan was an active agent in the fall of man [31], and was the father of Cain [32], while he was also instrumental in the offering of Isaac [33], in the release of the animal destined by Esau for his father [34], in the theophany at Sinai, in the death of Moses [35], in David's sin with Bath-sheba [36], and in the death of Queen Vashti [37]. The decree to destroy all the Jews, which Haman obtained, was written on parchment brought by Satan [38]. When Alexander the Great reproached the Jewish sages with their rebellion, they made the plea that Satan had been too mighty for them [39].

Not all Rabbinic commentators agreed on Satan's spiritual nature. Rabbi Saadia Gaon, an 11th century philosopher and scholar, wrote in his commentary to the Book of Job that Satan was simply a human being who resented Job's righteousness and called upon God to test him. This interpretation rests on a literal reading of the Hebrew word שטן or "adversary", which Saadia claims refers only to the intentions of the individual in question and not to any spiritual or supernatural status.

In the Hebrew Apocrypha

In Wisdom ii. 24 Satan is represented, with reference to Gen. 3, as the father of all lies, who brought death into the world; he is apparently mentioned also in Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 21:27, and the fact that his name does not occur in Daniel is doubtless due merely to chance. Allegedly, Satan was the seducer and the paramour of Eve, and was hurled from heaven together with other angels because of his iniquity [40]. Since that time he has been called "Satan," although previously he had been termed "Satanel" [41].

The doctrine of the fall of Satan, as well as of the fall of the angels, is found also in Babylonia. Satan rules over an entire host of angels [42]. Mastema, who induced God to test Abraham through the sacrifice of Isaac, is identical with Satan in both name and nature [43], and the Asmodeus of the Book of Tobit is likewise to be identified with him, especially in view of his licentiousness. As the lord of satans, he frequently bears the special name of Samael.

It is difficult to identify Satan in any other passages of the Apocrypha, since the originals in which his name occurred have been lost, and the translations employ various equivalents. An "argumentum a silentio" can not, therefore, be adduced as proof that concepts of Satan were not wide-spread; but it must rather be assumed that reference to him and his realm is often implied in the mention of evil spirits.

Satan in Christianity

Main article: Devil in Christianity

In Christianity, the Devil is named Satan, sometimes Lucifer. He is a fallen angel who rebeled against God, and is now the king of Hell. In the Bible, he is identified with the serpent in the Garden of Eden, the Accuser of Job, the tempter of the Gospels, and the dragon in the Book of Revelation. Traditionally, Christians have understood the Devil to be the author of lies and promoter of evil.

Satan in Islam

Main article: Shaitan

Shaitan (شيطان) is the equivalent of Satan in Islam.

"When you read the Qur'ân, seek refuge in God from the rejected Satan". [An-Nahl:98]

While Shaitan(شيطان, from the root šṭn شطن) is an adjective (meaning "astray" or "distant") that can be applied to both man ("al-ins", الإنس) and Jinn, Iblis (pronounced /'ib.liːs/) is the personal name of the Shaitan who is mentioned in the Qur'anic account of Genesis, and whose origin is unclear.

Whenever the Qur'an refers to the creature who refused to prostrate before Adam at the time of the latter's creation, it refers to him as Iblis. The Islamic view of Iblis (English:Lucifer) has both commonalities and differences with Christian and Jewish views.

Satan and Adam and Eve

As per the Qur'an, before the creation of Man, God created the Angels — which had no free will — and the Jinn. Later God created Adam, and ordered all the angels and jinns to bow to him. All the angels did so except Iblis, who was a chief of the Djinn, creatures made of smokeless fire. Iblis was proud and considered himself superior. Iblis argued that he is superior to Adam, who is made of modified clay, while he himself is made of smokeless fire. For this God damned him to Hell for eternity, but gave him respite till the Doomsday at his request. Then and there Iblis swore that he would use his time to lead all men astray to burn in hell.[44]

After their creation, Adam and Hawwa' (حواء, Eve) dwelt in Paradise (الجنة, AlJannah), where God forbade them to go near the cursed tree. "The Satan" (or al-Shaitan in Arabic), tricked Adam and Hawwa' into eating from the tree. God then expelled all of them from Heaven and onto Earth, to wander about, as a punishment. Then Adam sought to repent to God, and God taught him the words by which to do so. God forgave Adam and Hawwa' and told them "Get ye down all from here; and if, as is sure, there comes to you Guidance from me, whosoever follows My guidance, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. [45]." Iblis will try to influence as many of their descendants as he possibly could into sin, so as to be his companions in his final destiny into Hell.

For a more full account of the creation of Adam, the refusal of Iblis to prostrate before him, and a description of the devil in Islam see Iblis.

Satanism

There are historical records of people worshipping Satan, though their authenticity used to be questioned, especially considering the sources. Today, some people identify themselves as Satanists or Luciferians, depending on their specific beliefs. Of these, some claim that Satan is a real being, some view him as a symbol for the animal desires of humans, and some view him as a symbol for the rebellious or independent aspects of humanity. Many that hold this latter view are members of the Church of Satan established in the 1960s by Anton LaVey.

Satan in fiction

Main article: Satan in fiction
  • In The Divine Comedy, Satan is described as an enormous three-headed monster. In his first mouth is Judas Iscariot; in the second, Cassius Longinus and in the third, Marcus Junius Brutus. According to the story, each of them will be chewed by Satan's jaws for eternity. The story depicts Satan as trapped waist-deep in the frozen lakes of hell, relentlessly beating his six enormous wings as he tries to break free from the ice but the icy-cold winds thus generated strengthen even more the ice's hold on him and everyone else in the ninth circle of hell.
  • Satan is the protagonist of John Milton's Paradise Lost, a 17th-century epic poem about the Fall of Man.
  • In the television show South Park, a caricatural of Satan is a recurring character who has had significant homosexual relationships with several doomed souls in Hell, including Saddam Hussein.
  • In the show Retarded Animal Babies, Satan appears in many episodes, sometimes projected as the nice guy, sometimes as the evil guy. He seems to appear out of the ground, with a perticular theme song. He has spikes coming out of everywhere on his body.
  • In the television show Futurama, there is no real devil, but a robot devil. He has a sly voice, and likes to bargain with Bender. He is a gambling robot, and also is talented at playing the fiddle. 'Robot Devil' rarely shows his good side.
  • In Jerry Springer - The Opera, Satan is portrayed as a suave man in a red-suit. Upon taking Jerry Springer down to hell to solve his problems alongside Adam, Eve and the Virgin Mary, he demands an apology from Jesus but is later rebuked by God and Jerry Springer himself.
  • In Go Nagai's manga Devilman, Satan is a beautiful and sensual hermaphrodite angel who is in love with the hero.
  • In Death Metal band Deicide's lyrics, Satan is portrayed as a raw force of free will, diametricaly opposed to the dogma of Christian martyr Jesus Christ.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "American Heritage® Dictionary: Semitic roots: sn". Retrieved 2006-05-31.
  2. ^ "American Heritage® Dictionary: Devil". Retrieved 2006-05-31.
  3. ^ "American Heritage® Dictionary: Devil". Retrieved 2006-05-31.
  4. ^ Baruchi, Amatzia, Amen: an Essay, Trafford Publishing, 2003, ISBN 1553954297, Google Books, p. 23
  5. ^ (Book of Revelation)
  6. ^ 1 Kings 5:4; 11:14, 23, 25
  7. ^ Psalm 109:6
  8. ^ Satan Listings for Strong's Concordance
  9. ^ Job 1:7
  10. ^ ib. ii. 3-5.
  11. ^ II Sam. 24:1
  12. ^ I Sam. 16:14; I Kings 22:22; Isa. 45:7; etc.
  13. ^ Stave, "Einfluss des Parsismus auf das Judenthum," pp. 253 et seq.
  14. ^ Schrader, "K. A. T." 3d ed., p. 463
  15. ^ Jewish Encyclopaedia
  16. ^ Satan in relation to different religions.
  17. ^ Baba Bathra 16a
  18. ^ ibid.
  19. ^ Genesis Rabbah 19
  20. ^ Midrash Yalkut, Genesis 1:23
  21. ^ Genesis Rabbah 19
  22. ^ Talmud, Sanhedrin 107a
  23. ^ ibid, 95a
  24. ^ ibid, 81a
  25. ^ Midrash Tanchuma, Wayera, end
  26. ^ Talmud Pesachim 112b and Megilla. 11b
  27. ^ Talmud Berachot 19a
  28. ^ Talmud, Shabbat 32a
  29. ^ Rosh Hashana 16b, Targum Yerushalmi to Numbers 10:10
  30. ^ Yoma 20a
  31. ^ Midrash Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer 13, beginning
  32. ^ ibid, 21
  33. ^ Midrash Tanchuma, Wayera, 22 [ed. Stettin, p. 39a]
  34. ^ ibid, Toledot, 11
  35. ^ Deuteronomy Rabbah 13:9
  36. ^ Sanhedrin 95a
  37. ^ Megilla 11a
  38. ^ Esther Rabba 3:9
  39. ^ (Tamid 32a)
  40. ^ Slavonic Book of Enoch, 29:4 et seq.
  41. ^ ib. 31:3 et seq.
  42. ^ Martyrdom of Isaiah, 2:2; Vita Adæ et Evæ, 16)
  43. ^ Book of Jubilees, xvii. 18
  44. ^ Iblis swears an oath
  45. ^ Qur'an 2:38

References

  • Pagels, Elaine (1995). The Origin of Satan. Vintage; Reprint edition. ISBN 0-6797-2232-7.
  • Forsyth, Neil (1987). The Old Enemy: Satan & the Combat Myth. Princeton University Press; Reprint edition. ISBN 0-6910-1474-4.
  • Forsyth, Neil (1987). The Satanic Epic. Princeton University Press; Reprint edition. ISBN 0-6911-1339-4.
  • Gentry, Kenneth L. Jr (2002). The Beast of Revelation. American Vision. ISBN 0-9158-1541-9.
  • Graves, Kersey (1995). Biography of Satan: Exposing the Origins of the Devil. Book Tree. ISBN 1-8853-9511-6.
  • Rudwin, Maximilian (1970). The Devil in Legend and Literature. Open Court. ISBN 0-8754-8248-1.
  • Russell, Jeffrey Burton (1977). The Devil: Perceptions of Evil from Antiquity to Primitive Christianity. Cornell University Press; Reprint edition. ISBN 0-8014-9413-3.
  • Russell, Jeffrey Burton (1992). The Prince of Darkness: Radical Evil and the Power of Good in History. Cornell University Press; Reprint edition. ISBN 0-8014-8056-6.
  • Russell, Jeffrey Burton (2005). The Birth of Satan : Tracing the Devil's Biblical Roots. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 1-4039-6933-7.
  • Bamberger, Bernard J. (2006). Fallen Angels: Soldiers of Satan's Realm. Jewish Publication Society of America. ISBN 0-8276-0797-0.
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