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This article is about the concept of Satan. For the concept of "devil", see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil Devil]. For other uses, see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satan_%28disambiguation%29 Satan (disambiguation)].
[[Category:Demon Names]]
'''Satan''' (Hebrew: שָּׂטָן ''satan'', meaning "adversary"<ref name="1906 Jewish Encyclopedia">http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13219-satan "Term used in the Bible with the general connotation of "adversary," being applied (1) to an enemy in war (I Kings v. 18 [A. V. 4]; xi. 14, 23, 25), from which use is developed the concept of a traitor in battle (I Sam. xxix. 4); (2) to an accuser before the judgment-seat (Ps. cix. 6); and (3) to any opponent (II Sam. xix. 23 [A. V. 22]). The word is likewise used to denote an antagonist who puts obstacles in the way, as in Num. xxii. 32, where the angel of God is described as opposing Balaam in the guise of a satan or adversary; so that the concept of Satan as a distinct being was not then known."</ref>) is a term, as well as the name of a figure appearing in the texts of the Abrahamic religions<ref>Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions - Page 290, Wendy Doniger</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=kQFtlva3HaYC&pg=PA347#v=onepage&f=false |title=The Oxford Companion to World Mythology |page=347|first= David Adams |last=Leeming |year=2005 |publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn= 978-0-19-515669-0}}</ref> who brings evil and temptation, and is known as the deceiver that leads humanity astray. Some religious groups teach that he originated as an angel who fell out of favor with God, seducing humanity into the ways of sin, and who now rules over the fallen world. In the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, Satan is primarily an accuser and adversary, a decidedly malevolent entity (a.k.a. the [[devil]]) who possesses demonic qualities.


In Theistic Satanism, Satan is considered a positive force and deity who is either worshipped or revered. In LaVeyan Satanism, Satan is regarded as holding virtuous characteristics.<ref>Contemporary Religious Satanisim: A Critical Reader, Jesper Aagaard Petersen - 2009</ref><ref>Who's ? Right: Mankind, Religions and the End Times - Page 35, Kelly Warman-Stallings - 2012</ref>


Satan (from the Hebrew word for "adversary"), is a term that originates from the Abrahamic faiths, being traditionally applied to an angel.
While Hebrew Ha-Satan is "the accuser" — the one who challenged the religious faith of humans in the books of Job and Zechariah — Abrahamic religious belief systems other than Judaism relate this term to a demon, a rebellious fallen angel, devil, minor god and idolatry, or as an allegory for evil.
'Satan' is שָׂטָן Satan in Standard Hebrew, Śāṭān in Tiberian Hebrew, סטנא Saṭänä in Aramaic, Σατανάς Satanás in Koine Greek, اهریمن Satanás in Persian, شيطان Šayṭān in Arabic, ሳይጣን Sāyṭān in Ge'ez, and Şeytan in Turkish.


==Judaism==
===Hebrew Bible===
The original Hebrew term, ''satan,'' is a noun from a verb meaning primarily to, “obstruct, oppose,” as it is found in Numbers 22:22, 1 Samuel 29:4, Psalms 109:6.<ref>ed. Buttrick, George Arthur; ‘’The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, An illustrated Encyclopedia’’</ref> Ha-Satan is traditionally translated as “the accuser,” or “the adversary.” The definite article “ha-,” English “the," is used to show that this is a title bestowed on a being, versus the name of a being. Thus this being would be referred to as “the satan.”<ref>Crenshaw, James L. ‘’Harper Collins Study Bible’’ (NRSV)</ref>


== Etymology ==
====Thirteen Occurrences====
''Ha-Satan'' with the definite article occurs 13 times in the Masoretic Text, in two books of the Hebrew Bible:
* Job ch.1–2 (10x),<ref>Stephen M. Hooks – 2007 "As in Zechariah 3:1–2 the term here carries the definite article (has'satan="the satan") and functions not as a ... the only place in the Hebrew Bible where the term "Satan" is unquestionably used as a proper name is 1 Chronicles 21:1. "</ref>
* Zechariah 3:1–2 (3x).<ref name="ReferenceA">Coogan, Michael D.; ‘’A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament: The Hebrew Bible in its context’’</ref>


''Satan'' without the definite article is used in 10 instances, of which two are translated ''diabolos'' in the Septuagint and "Satan" in the King James Version:
* 1 Chronicles 21:1, "Satan stood up against Israel" (KJV) or "And there standeth up an adversary against Israel" (Young's Literal Translation)<ref>Rachel Adelman ''The Return of the Repressed: Pirqe De-Rabbi Eliezer'' p65 "However, in the parallel versions of the story in Chronicles, it is Satan (without the definite article),"</ref>
* Psalm 109:6b "and let Satan stand at his right hand" (KJV)<ref>Septuagint 108:6 κατάστησον ἐπ᾽ αὐτὸν ἁμαρτωλόν καὶ διάβολος στήτω ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ</ref> or "let an accuser stand at his right hand." (English Standard Version, etc.)


The Devil as seen in Codex Gigas.
The other eight instances of ''satan'' without the definite article are traditionally translated (in Greek, Latin and English) as "an adversary," etc., and taken to be humans or obedient angels:
The word 'Satan', and the Arabic شيطان "shaitan," may derive from a Northwest Semitic root śṭn, meaning "to be hostile," "to accuse."[1] An alternative explanation is provided by the Hebrew in Job 1:7. When God asks him whence he has come, Satan answers: "From wandering (mi'ŝuṭ) the earth and walking on it" (מִשּׁוּט בָּאָרֶץ, וּמֵהִתְהַלֵּךְ בָּה). The root ŝuṭ signifies wandering on foot or sailing. 'Satan' would thus be "the Wanderer."
* Numbers 22:22,32 "and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him."
* 32 "behold, I went out to withstand thee,"
* 1 Samuel 29:4 The Philistines say: "lest he [David] be an adversary against us"
* 2 Samuel 19:22 King David says: "[you sons of Zeruaiah] should this day be adversaries (plural) unto me?"
* 1 Kings 5:4 Solomon writes to Hiram: "there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent."
* 1 Kings 11:14 "And the LORD stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite"<ref>Ruth R. Brand Adam and Eve p88 – 2005 "Later, however, King Hadad 1 Kings 11:14) and King Rezon (verses 23, ... Numbers 22:22, 23 does not use the definite article but identifies the angel of YHWH as "a satan."</ref>
* 1 Kings 11:23 "And God stirred him up an adversary, Rezon the son of Eliadah"
* 25 "And he [Rezon] was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon"


== In Judaism ==
====Book of Job====
At the beginning of the book, Job is a good person "who revered God and turned away from evil" (Job 1:1), and has therefore been rewarded by God. When the angels present themselves to God, Satan comes as well. God informs Satan about Job's blameless, morally upright character. Between Job 1:9–10 and 2:4–5, Satan points out that God has given Job everything that a man could want, so of course Job would be loyal to God; if all Job has been given, even his health, were to be taken away from him, however, his faith would collapse. God therefore gives Satan permission to test Job.<ref>''HarperCollins Study Bible'' (NRSV)</ref> In the end Job remains faithful and righteous, with by implication Satan shamed in his defeat.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Steinmann|first1=AE|title=The structure and message of the Book of Job|journal=Vetus testamentum}}</ref>


===Second Temple Period===
====Septuagint====
In the Septuagint the Hebrew ''ha-Satan'' in Job and Zechariah is translated by the Greek word ''diabolos'' (slanderer), the same word in the Greek New Testament from which the English word [[devil]] is derived. Where ''satan'' is used of human enemies in the Hebrew Bible, such as Hadad the Edomite and Rezon the Syrian, the word is left untranslated but transliterated in the Greek as ''satan'', a neologism in Greek.<ref>Henry Ansgar Kelly ''Satan: a biography'' 2006 "However, for Hadad and Rezon they left the Hebrew term untranslated and simply said ''satan''.. in the three passages in which a supra-Human satan appears: namely, Numbers, Job, Zechariah</ref> In Zechariah 3 this changes the vision of the conflict over Joshua the High Priest in the Septuagint into a conflict between "Jesus and the devil," identical with the Greek text of Matthew.


== In the Hebrew Apocrypha ==
====Dead Sea Scrolls and Pseudepigrapha====
The Apocrypha are religious writings which are not generally accepted as scripture by many mainstream sects of Christianity and Judaism. These works usually bore the names of ancient Hebrew worthies in order to establish their validity among the true writers' contemporaries. To reconcile the late appearance of the texts with their claims to primitive antiquity, alleged authors are represented as "shutting up and sealing" (Dan. XII. 4:9) the works until the time of their fulfillment had arrived; as the texts were not meant for their own generations but for far-distant ages (also cited in Assumption of Moses I. 16:17).
In Enochic Judaism, the concept of Satan being an opponent of God and a chief evil figure in among demons, seems to have taken root in Jewish pseudepigrapha during the Second Temple period,<ref name="Jackson,2">{{cite book|last=Jackson|first=David R.|title=Enochic Judaism|year=2004|publisher=T&T Clark International|location=London|isbn=0826470890|pages=2–4}}</ref> particularly in the ''apocalypses''.<ref name="Oxford,651"/>
In the Book of Wisdom, the devil is represented as the being who brought death into the world.[2]
The Book of Enoch contains references to Satariel, thought also to be Sataniel and Satan'el (etymology dating back to Babylonian origins). The similar spellings mirror that of his angelic brethren Michael, Raphael, Uriel and Gabriel, previous to the fall from Heaven.
The 2nd Book of Enoch, also called the Slavonic Book of Enoch, contains references to a Watcher Grigori called Satanael.[3] It is a pseudepigraphic text of an uncertain date and unknown authorship. The text describes Satanael as being the prince of the Grigori who was cast out of heaven[4] and an evil spirit who knew the difference between what was "righteous" and "sinful"[5]. A similar story is found in the book of 1 Enoch; however, in that book, the leader of the Grigori is called Semjâzâ.
In the apocryphal literature, Satan rules over a host of angels.[6] Mastema, who induced God to test Abraham through the sacrifice of Isaac, is identical with Satan in both name and nature.[7]
For the Chasidic Jews of the eighteenth century, Ha-satan was Baal Davar.[8]


== As the "accuser" ==
The Second Book of Enoch, also called the ''Slavonic Book of Enoch'', contains references to a Watcher (Grigori) called Satanael.<ref>2 Enoch 18:3. On this tradition, see A. Orlov, "The Watchers of Satanael: The Fallen Angels Traditions in 2 (Slavonic) Enoch," in: A. Orlov, ''Dark Mirrors: Azazel and Satanael in Early Jewish Demonology'' (Albany: SUNY, 2011)85-106.</ref> It is a pseudepigraphic text of an uncertain date and unknown authorship. The text describes Satanael as being the prince of the Grigori who was cast out of heaven<ref>"And I threw him out from the height with his angels, and he was flying in the air continuously above the bottomless" - 2 Enoch 29:4</ref> and an evil spirit who knew the difference between what was "righteous" and "sinful".<ref>"The devil is the evil spirit of the lower places, as a fugitive he made Sotona from the heavens as his name was Satanail, thus he became different from the angels, but his nature did not change his intelligence as far as his understanding of righteous and sinful things" – 2 Enoch 31:4</ref> A similar story is found in the book of 1 Enoch; however, in that book, the leader of the Grigori is called [[Samyaza|Semjâzâ]].
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.
According to the article on 'Satan' in the Jewish Encyclopedia, Satan's role as the accuser is found
“ 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.' (Job 1:7) 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. (ib. ii. 3-5.) ”
“ 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 cannot 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 (II Sam. 24:1) 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, (I Sam. 16:14; I Kings 22:22; Isa. 45:7; etc) 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. (Stave, Einfluss des Parsismus auf das Judenthum, pp. 253 et seq.) An immediate influence of the Babylonian concept of the 'accuser, persecutor, and oppressor' (Schrader, K. A. T. 3d ed., p. 463) is impossible, since traces of such an influence, if it had existed, would have appeared in the earlier portions of the Bible."[9] ”


== In Christianity ==
In the Book of Wisdom, the devil is represented as the being who brought death into the world.<ref>See [http://books.google.com/books?id=TR0iC8EVUT0C&lpg=PA120&ots=lxUhG5NbYP&dq=satan%20book%20of%20wisdom&pg=PA27#v=onepage&q=devil%20death&f=false The Book of Wisdom: With Introduction and Notes, p. 27, ''Object of the book'', by A. T. S. Goodrick].</ref>
See article in Wikipedia: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil_in_Christianity Devil in Christianity]


In Christianity, terms that are synonymous with 'Satan' include:
Mastema, in the Book of Jubilees, induces God to test Abraham through the sacrifice of Isaac. He is identical to Satan in both name and nature.<ref>Introduction to the Book of Jubilees, ''15. Theology. Some of our Author's Views: Demonology,'' by R.H. Charles.</ref>


The most common English synonym for 'Satan' is 'Devil', which descends from Middle English devel, from Old English dēofol, that in turn represents an early Germanic borrowing of Latin diabolus (also the source of 'diabolical'). This in turn was borrowed from Greek diabolos "slanderer," from diaballein "to slander": dia- "across, through" + ballein "to hurl."[10] In the New Testament, 'Satan' occurs more than thirty times in passages alongside Diabolos (Greek for "the devil"), referring to the same person or thing as Satan.[citation needed]
===Rabbinical Judaism===
In Judaism, Satan is a term used since its earliest biblical contexts, to refer to a ''human opponent''.<ref>Based on the Jewish exegesis of 1 Samuel 29:4 and 1 Kings 5:18 - [http://books.google.com/books?id=hKAaJXvUaUoC&pg=PA651&lpg=PA651&dq=Berlin+Grossman%22misinterpretation+of+is%22&source=bl&ots=d8F76bcDpU&sig=NjFhmaLG71fErwgVMcTV0rT-gDI&hl=en&sa=X&ei=yvwEUMupK8fs2QXJ17yaBQ&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Berlin%20Grossman%22misinterpretation%20of%20is%22&f=false Oxford dictionary of the Jewish religion, 2011, p.651] "Satan is rarely mentioned in tannaitic literature; later, chiefly Babylonian, aggadah enlarges the scope of his influence and activities. Perhaps because of the influential presence of Satan as a name or character in the New Testament and the"</ref> Occasionally, the term has been used to suggest ''evil influence'' opposing human beings as in the Jewish exegesis of the Yetzer hara ("evil inclination" Genesis 6:5). Micaiah's "lying spirit" in 1 Kings 22:22 is sometimes related. Thus, Satan is personified as a character in three different places of the Tenakh, serving as an accuser (Zechariah 3:1-2), a seducer (1 Chronicles 21:1), or as a heavenly persecutor who is "among the sons of God" (Job 2:1). In any case, Satan is always subordinate to the power of God, having a role in the divine plan. Satan is rarely mentioned in Tannaitic literature, but is found in Babylonian aggadah.<ref name="Oxford,651">{{cite book|last=Berlin|first=editor in chief, Adele|title=The Oxford dictionary of the Jewish religion|year=2011|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York|isbn=0199730040|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=hKAaJXvUaUoC&pg=PA651&lpg=PA651&dq=Berlin+Grossman%22misinterpretation+of+is%22&source=bl&ots=d8F76bcDpU&sig=NjFhmaLG71fErwgVMcTV0rT-gDI&hl=en&sa=X&ei=yvwEUMupK8fs2QXJ17yaBQ&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Berlin%20Grossman%22misinterpretation%20of%20is%22&f=false|edition=2nd ed.|page=651}}</ref>


Lucifer is sometimes used in Christian theology to refer to Satan, as a result of identifying the fallen "son of the dawn" of Isaiah 14:12 with the "accuser" of other passages in the Old Testament.
In Medieval Judaism, the Rabbis rejected these Enochic literary works into the Biblical canon, making every attempt to root them out.<ref name="Jackson,2"/> Traditionalists and philosophers in medieval Judaism, adhered to rational theology, rejecting any belief in rebel or fallen angels, and viewing evil as abstract.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bamberger|first=Bernard J.|title=Fallen angels : soldiers of satan's realm|year=2006|publisher=Jewish Publ. Soc. of America|location=Philadelphia, Pa.|isbn=0827607970|edition=1. paperback ed.|page=148,149}}</ref> The Yetzer hara ("evil inclination" Genesis 6:5) is a more common motif for evil in rabbinical texts. Rabbinical scholarship on the Book of Job generally follows the Talmud and Maimonides as identifying the "Adversary" in the prologue of Job as a metaphor.<ref>Robert Eisen Associate Professor of Religious Studies George Washington University ''The Book of Job in Medieval Jewish Philosophy'' 2004 p120 "Moreover, Zerahfiiah gives us insight into the parallel between the Garden of Eden story and the Job story alluded to ... both Satan and Job's wife are metaphors for the evil inclination, a motif Zerahfiiah seems to identify with the imagination."</ref>


Beelzebub (Be'elzebub "Lord of Flies") is originally the name of a Philistine god, but is also used in the New Testament as a synonym for Satan. A corrupted version, "Belzeboub," appears in The Divine Comedy.
In Hasidic Judaism, the Kabbalah presents Satan as an agent of God whose function is to tempt one into sin, then turn around and accuse the sinner on high. The Chasidic Jews of the 18th century associated ha-Satan with ''Baal Davar''.<ref>The Dictionary of Angels" by Gustav Davidson, © 1967</ref>


"The dragon" and "the old serpent" in the Book of Revelation 12:9, 20:2 have also been identified with Satan, as have "the prince of this world" in the Book of John 12:31, 14:30; "the prince of the power of the air" also called Meririm, and "the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" in the Book of Ephesians 2:2; and "the god of this world" in 2 Corinthians 4:4.[citation needed]


The angel Leviathan is described as "that crooked serpent," which is also used to describe Satan in Revelation 12:9. 'Sar ha Olam,' a possible name for Metatron, is described as Satan by Michael, Jehoel and St. Paul.
==Dualism and Zoroastrianism==
Some scholars see contact with religious dualism in Babylon, and early Zoroastrianism in particular, as having influenced Second Temple period Judaism, and consequently early Christianity.<ref>Jeffrey Burton Russell  ''The Devil: Perceptions of Evil from Antiquity to Primitive ...1977  - Page 102 "This conflict between truth and the lie was one of the main sources of Zarathushtra's dualism: the prophet perceived Angra Mainyu, the lord of evil, as the personification of the lie. For Zoroastrians (as for the Egyptians), the lie was the essence ... "</ref><ref>Peter Clark -Zoroastrianism: An Introduction to Ancient Faith 1998 -- Page 152 "There are so many features that Zoroastrianism seems to share with the Judeo-Christian tradition that it would be difficult to ... Historically the first point of contact that we can determine is when the Achaemenian Cyrus conquered Babylon ..539 BC"</ref> Subsequent development of Satan as a "deceiver" has parallels with the evil spirit in Zoroastrianism, known as the Lie, who directs forces of darkness.<ref>{{cite book|last=Winn|first=Shan M.M.|title=Heaven, heroes, and happiness : the Indo-European roots of Western ideology.|year=1995|publisher=University press of America|location=Lanham, Md.|isbn=0819198609|page=203}}</ref>


In mainstream Christianity's understanding of the holy Hebrew scriptures, the Torah, Satan is a synonym for the Devil. For most Christian sects, he is believed to be an angel who rebelled against God— and also the one who spoke through the serpent and seduced Eve into disobeying God's command. His ultimate goal is to lead people away from the love of God — to lead them to fallacies which God opposes. Satan is also identified as the accuser of Job, the tempter in the Gospels, the secret power of lawlessness in 2 Thessalonians 2:7, and the dragon in the Book of Revelation. Before his alleged insurrection, Satan was the highest of all angels and the "brightest in the sky." His pride is considered a reason why he would not bow to God as all other angels did, but sought to rule heaven himself. The popularly held beliefs that Satan was once a prideful angel who eventually rebels against God, however, are barely portrayed in the Bible and are mostly based on traditions (see Lucifer). Moreover, in mainstream Christianity he is called "the ruler of the demons" (Matt. 12:24), "the ruler of the world" and even "the god of this world." (2Cor. 4:4). The Book of Revelation describes how Satan will be cast out of Heaven, down to the earth, having "great anger" and waging war against "those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus". Ultimately, Satan is thrown into the "lake of fire" (Revelation 20:10), not as ruler, but as one among many, being tormented day and night for all eternity.


In other, non-mainstream, Christian beliefs (e.g. the beliefs of the Christadelphians) the word "satan" in the Bible is not regarded as referring to a supernatural, personal being but to any 'adversary' and figuratively refers to human sin and temptation.[11]
==Christianity==
In Christianity, terms that are synonymous with "Satan" include:
* The most common English synonym for "Satan" is "[[Devil]]", which descends from Middle English ''devel,'' from Old English ''dēofol,'' that in turn represents an early Germanic borrowing of Latin ''diabolus'' (also the source of "diabolical"). This in turn was borrowed from Greek ''diabolos'' "slanderer", from ''diaballein'' "to slander": ''dia-'' "across, through" + ''ballein'' "to hurl".<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.bartleby.com/61/94/D0179400.html| title=American Heritage Dictionary: Devil| accessdate=2006-05-31}}</ref> In the New Testament, "Satan" occurs more than 30 times in passages alongside ''Diabolos'' (Greek for "the devil"), referring to the same person or thing as Satan.<ref>Revelation 12:9</ref>
* [[Beelzebub]], meaning "Lord of Flies", is the contemptuous name given in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament to a Philistine god whose original name has been reconstructed as most probably "Ba'al Zabul", meaning "[[Baal]] the Prince".<ref>[http://books.google.com.au/books?id=yCkRz5pfxz0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=dictionary+of+deities+and+demons+in+the+bible&source=bl&ots=aFuwiVr__w&sig=dgryS2h8rvfnVFSI1tdAHwDWl50&hl=en&ei=mP09TdbpGcPBcYit3IUH&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CFwQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=Baalzebub&f=false K. van der Toorn, Bob Becking, Pieter Willem van der Horst, ''Baalzebub'', "Dictionary of deities and demons in the Bible", p.155]</ref>
* Satan is traditionally identified as the serpent who tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit; thus, Satan has often been depicted as a serpent. Justin Martyr, who was born around 100 C.E., was the first to postulate this association. According to Kelly, Justin makes this association "casually", without giving an explanation for his reasoning. In Chapters 45 and 79 of ''Dialogue with Trypho'', Justin identifies Satan and the Serpent, asserting that he tempted humankind for "an unspecified sinful reason" and was cursed as a result.<ref name=":0">Kelly, Harry Ansgar (2007). ''Satan: a Biography''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p.&nbsp;176. ISBN&nbsp;978-0-521-84339-3.</ref> However, after Justin, the idea was promulgated by his student Theophilus, Bishop of Antioch, and somewhat later by Tertullian.<ref>Kelly, Harry Ansgar (2007). ''Satan: a Biography''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p.&nbsp;177. ISBN 978-0-521-84339-3.</ref>
* From the fourth Century [[Lucifer]] is sometimes used in Christian theology to refer to Satan, as a result of identifying the fallen "son of the dawn" of Isaiah 14:12 with the "accuser" of other passages in the Old Testament.
* Other terms identified with Satan include "the prince of this world" in the Book of John 12:31, 14:30; "the prince of the power of the air" also called Meririm, and "the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" in the Book of Ephesians 2:2; and "the god of this world" in 2 Corinthians 4:4.<ref>2 Corinthians 4:4</ref>
* The Book of Revelation twice refers to "the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan" (12:9, 20:2). The Book of Revelation also refers to "the deceiver", from which is derived the common epithet "the great deceiver".<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.mun.ca/rels/restmov/texts/bjohnson/hg1/PNT27-20.HTM|title= The Revelation of John. Chapter XX. The Millennium. |author= B. W. Johnson|date= 1891|work= The People's New Testament|publisher= Memorial University of Newfoundland}}</ref>
In traditional Christian understanding of the holy Hebrew scriptures, the Torah, Satan is a synonym for the [[Devil]]. For most Christians, he is believed to be an angel who rebelled against God—and also the one who spoke through the serpent and seduced Eve into disobeying God's command. His ultimate goal is to lead people away from the love of God—to lead them to fallacies which God opposes. Satan is also identified as the accuser of Job, the tempter in the Gospels, the secret power of lawlessness in 2 Thessalonians 2:7, and the dragon in the Book of Revelation. Before his insurrection, Satan was among the highest of all angels and the "brightest in the sky". His pride is considered a reason why he would not bow to God as all other angels did, but sought to rule heaven himself. The popularly held beliefs that Satan was once an angel who becomes prideful and eventually rebels against God, however, are not portrayed explicitly in the Bible and are mostly based on inference (e.g., Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14:12–17). In mainstream Christianity he is called "the ruler of the demons" (Matthew 12:24), "the ruler of the world" and "the god of this world" (2 Cor. 4:4). The Book of Revelation describes how Satan will be cast out of Heaven, down to the earth, having "great anger" and waging war against "those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus". Ultimately, Satan is thrown into the "lake of fire", not as ruler, but as one among many, being tormented day and night forever and ever.<ref>Revelation 20:10</ref>


== In Islam ==
The early Christian church encountered opposition from pagans such as Celsus who claimed "it is blasphemy...to say that the greatest God...has an adversary who constrains his capacity to do good" and says that Christians "impiously divide the kingdom of God, creating a rebellion in it, as if there were opposing factions within the divine, including one that is hostile to God".<ref>{{cite book|author=Origen|title=Contra Celsum|at=Book 6. Ch 42|url=http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/origen166.html}}
See articles at Wikipedia: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaitan Shaitan] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iblis Iblis]
</ref>
Shaitan (شيطان) is the equivalent of Satan in Islam.


While Shaitan (شيطان, from the root šṭn شطن) is an adjective (meaning "astray" or "distant", sometimes translated as "devil") that can be applied to both man ("al-ins", الإنس) and Jinn, Iblis (pronounced /'ib.liːs/) is the personal name of the Devil who is mentioned in the Qur'anic account of Genesis.[citation needed]
In other Christian beliefs (e.g. the beliefs of the Christadelphians) the word "satan" in the Bible is not regarded as referring to a supernatural, personal being but to any "adversary" and figuratively refers to human sin and temptation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.christadelphia.org/pamphlet/devil.htm |title=Do you Believe in a Devil? }}</ref>


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 has both similarities and differences with Christian and Jewish views.


== Other instances of Satan ==
==Islam==
Although some other faiths may have an evil figure or entity likened to Satan (see Devil), few have a figure actually named 'Satan'.
''Shaitan'' (شيطان) is the equivalent of Satan in Islam. While ''Shaitan'' (شيطان, from the root {{unicode|šṭn شطن}}) is an adjective (meaning "astray" or "distant," sometimes translated as "devil") that can be applied to both man ("al-ins", الإنس) and Jinn, [[Iblis]] (Arabic pronunciation: [ˈibliːs]) is the personal name of the Devil who is mentioned in the Qur'anic account of Genesis.<ref>[http://www.themystica.org/mystica/articles/i/iblis.html Iblis<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> According to the Qur'an, Iblis (the Arabic name used) disobeyed an order from Allah to bow to Adam and as a result was forced out of heaven and given respite until the day of judgment from further punishment.


== In the Bahá'í faith ==
When Allah commanded all of the angels to bow down before Adam (the first Human), Iblis, full of hubris and jealousy, refused to obey God's command (he could do so because he had free will), seeing Adam as being inferior in creation due to his being created from clay as compared to him (created of fire).<ref>[Quran 17:61]; [Quran 2:34]</ref>
In the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahá%27í_Faith Bahá'í Faith], 'Satan' is not regarded as an independent evil power as he is in some faiths, but signifies the "base nature" of humans. `Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'u'lláh's successor, explains: "This lower nature in man is symbolized as Satan -- the evil ego within us, not an evil personality outside."[12]


== In Satanism ==
{{quote|It is We Who created you and gave you shape; then We bade the angels prostrate to Adam, and they prostrate; not so Iblis (Lucifer); He refused to be of those who prostrate."
See articles at Wikipedia : [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanism Satanism] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaVeyan_Satanism LaVeyan Satanism]
:(Allah) said: "What prevented thee from prostrating when I commanded thee?" He said: "I am better than he: Thou didst create me from fire, and him from clay. -Qur'an 7:11–12


Much "Satanic" lore does not originate from actual Satanists, but from Christians. Best-known would be the medieval folklore and theology surrounding demons and witches. A more recent example is the so-called Satanic ritual abuse scare of the 1980s; beginning with the memoir Michelle Remembers – which depicts Satanism as a vast conspiracy of elites with a predilection for child abuse and human sacrifice. This genre regularly describes Satan as actually appearing in person in order to receive worship. Claims of Satanic child-molesting or murder rings are largely unsubstantiated.
It was after this that the title of "Shaitan" was given, which can be roughly translated as "Enemy," "Rebel," "Evil" or "Devil". Shaitan then claims that if the punishment for his act of disobedience is to be delayed until the Day of Judgment, that he will divert many of Adam's own descendants from the straight path during his period of respite.<ref>[Quran 17:62]</ref> God accepts the claims of Iblis and guarantees recompense to Iblis and his followers in the form of Hellfire. In order to test mankind and jinn alike, Allah allowed Iblis to roam the earth to attempt to convert others away from his path.<ref>[Quran 17:63–64]</ref> He was sent to earth along with Adam and Eve, after eventually luring them into eating the fruit from the forbidden tree.<ref>[Quran 7:20–22]</ref>
People claiming to be Satanists – or outsiders claiming to describe Satanism – ascribe a wide variety of beliefs to this movement. These range from the literal worship of a spiritual being (Theistic Satanism); to a kind of subversive ritual performance stressing the mockery of Christian symbols (most notably the Black Mass); to the claimed rediscovery of an ancient but misunderstood religion (e.g. Setianism, which conflates Satan with the Egyptian god Set).
The most prominent and widely known Satanist in recent years was Anton Szandor LaVey, who founded the Church of Satan in 1966. LaVey wrote The Satanic Bible (1969) and other works which remain highly influential (though controversial) among avowed Satanists. LaVey rejects the Black Mass, cruelty to animals, or a literal belief in (or worship of) Satan, instead considering Satan as the human instinct within ourselves, which is what LaVeyan Satanism celebrates. Instead he supports a view of human beings as animals and rejects many social structures that he believes inhibit human instincts.


== In occultism ==
In occult circles, the less well known Azazel (`aza'zel, often translated as "Scapegoat") of Leviticus 16:10 is equated with Satan. Groups like The Daughters of Satan in Stockton A Group by Mery V. Simpson & Jeanetta Erdman Satanists teaching Satanic ways for Satanic Men & Women spells witchcraft the groups that do not bring harm are given fredom speech rites.


== In popular culture ==
==Yazidism==
For a discussion of Satan in fiction and pop culture, see
An alternate name for the main deity in the tentatively Indo-European pantheon of the Yazidi, Malek Taus, is Shaitan.<ref>Drower, E.S. The Peacock Angel. Being Some Account of Votaries of a Secret Cult and their Sanctuaries. London: John Murray, 1941. [http://www.avesta.org/yezidi/peacock.htm]</ref> Rather than Satanic, however, Yazidism is better understood as a remnant of a pre-Islamic Middle Eastern Indo-European religion, and/or a ghulat Sufi movement founded by Shaykh Adi. The connection with Satan, originally made by Muslim outsiders, attracted the interest of 19th century European travelers and esoteric writers.
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satan_in_literature Satan in literature at Wikipedia]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satan_in_popular_culture Satan in popular culture at Wikipedia]


== See also ==
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil Devil]
*[[Lucifer]]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satan_in_popular_culture Satan in popular culture]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbidden_fruit Forbidden fruit]
*[[Baal]]
*[[Beelzebub]]
*[[Enlil]]
*[[Lilith]]
*[[Akuma]]
*[[Samael]]


== Notes ==
==Bahá'í Faith==
1 American Heritage® Dictionary: Semitic roots: sn. Retrieved on 2006-05-31.
In the Bahá'í Faith, ''Satan'' is not regarded as an independent evil power as he is in some faiths, but signifies the ''lower nature'' of humans. `Abdu'l-Bahá explains: "This lower nature in man is symbolized as Satan — the evil ego within us, not an evil personality outside."<ref>{{cite book|author=ʻAbduʾl-Bahá |origyear=1912 |year=1982 |title=The Promulgation of Universal Peace|publisher=Bahá'í Publishing Trust |location=Wilmette, Illinois, USA|isbn=0-87743-172-8 |url=http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/PUP/pup-97.html| pages= 294–295}}</ref><ref name="Psmith">{{cite book | last = Smith | first = Peter | year = 2000 | title = A Concise Encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith | publisher = Oneworld | place = Oxford, UK | isbn=1-85168-184-1 | pages = 135–136, 304}}</ref> All other evil spirits described in various faith traditions such as fallen angels, demons and jinns are also metaphors for the base character traits a human being may acquire and manifest when he turns away from God.<ref name="Psmith112">{{cite book | last = Smith | first = Peter | year = 2008 | title = An Introduction to the Baha'i Faith | publisher = Cambridge University Press | place = Cambridge | isbn=0-521-86251-5 | page = 112}}</ref>
2 "But by the envy of the devil, death came into the world" - Book of Wisdom II. 24
3 2 Enoch 18:3
4 "And I threw him out from the height with his angels, and he was flying in the air continuously above the bottomless" - 2 Enoch 29:4
5 "The devil is the evil spirit of the lower places, as a fugitive he made Sotona from the heavens as his name was Satanail, thus he became different from the angels, but his nature did not change his intelligence as far as his understanding of righteous and sinful things" - 2 Enoch 31:4
6 Martyrdom of Isaiah, 2:2; Vita Adæ et Evæ, 16)
7 Book of Jubilees, xvii. 18
8 The Dictionary of Angels" by Gustav Davidson, © 1967
9 Jewish Encyclopaedia
10 American Heritage® Dictionary: Devil. Retrieved on 2006-05-31.
11 Do you Believe in a Devil?. Retrieved on 2007-05-29.
12 From The Promulgation of Universal Peace p. 470 [1]


== References ==
 
Bamberger, Bernard J. (2006). Fallen Angels: Soldiers of Satan's Realm. Jewish Publication Society of America. ISBN 0-8276-0797-0.  
==Satanism==
Forsyth, Neil (1987). The Old Enemy: Satan & the Combat Myth. Princeton University Press; Reprint edition. ISBN 0-691-01474-4.
Satanic groups have various opinions about Satan, ranging from the conviction that he exists and ought to be worshipped (theistic Satanism), to Anton Szandor LaVey's symbolic interpretation, which emphasizes individual will and pleasure-seeking. In Theistic Satanism, Satan is considered a positive force and deity who is either worshipped or revered.<ref>''Satanism and Demonology'', by Lionel & Patricia Fanthorpe, Dundurn Press, 8 Mar 2011, [http://books.google.com/books?id=vXs7AgAAQBAJ&lpg=PT74&dq=Theistic%20satanism&pg=PT74#v=onepage&q&f=false p. 74, "If, as theistic Satanists believe, the devil is an intelligent, self-aware entity..." "Theistic Satanism then becomes explicable in terms of Lucifer's ambition to be the supreme god and his rebellion against Yahweh. &#91;...&#93; This simplistic, controntational view is modified by other theistic Satanists who do not regard their hero as evil: far from it.  For them he is a freedom fighter..."]</ref> In LaVeyan Satanism, Satan is regarded as holding virtuous characteristics.<ref>Contemporary religious Satanism: a critical anthology - Page 45, Jesper Aagaard Petersen - 2009</ref>
Forsyth, Neil (1987). The Satanic Epic. Princeton University Press; Reprint edition. ISBN 0-691-11339-4.
 
Gentry, Kenneth L. Jr (2002). The Beast of Revelation. American Vision. ISBN 0-915815-41-9.
Among non-Satanists, much modern Satanic folklore does not originate with the beliefs or practices of theistic or LeVeyan Satanists, but a mixture of medieval Christian folk beliefs, political or sociological conspiracy theories, and contemporary urban legends.<ref>''Cinema of the Occult: New Age, Satanism, Wicca, and Spiritualism in Film'', Carrol Lee Fry, Associated University Presse, 2008, [http://books.google.com/books?id=LylaC3ZxSbAC&lpg=PA93&dq=satanic%20lore%20christian%20urban%20legends&pg=PA92#v=onepage&q&f=false p.92-98]</ref><ref name="EncycUrbLeg">''Encyclopedia of Urban Legends, Updated and Expanded Edition'', by Jan Harold Brunvand, ABC-CLIO, 31 Jul 2012 [http://books.google.com/books?id=ubT7rPmPdpoC&lpg=PT555&dq=satanic%20lore%20christian%20urban%20legends&pg=PT694#v=onepage&q&f=false p. 694-695]</ref><ref name="Ellis">Raising the Devil: Satanism, New Religions, and the Media'', by Bill Ellis, University Press of Kentucky [http://books.google.com/books?id=oLcqlypMCe8C&lpg=PA303&dq=satanic%20lore%20christian%20urban%20legends&pg=PA125#v=onepage&q&f=false p.125] In discussing myths about groups accused of Satanism, "...such myths are already pervasive in Western culture, and the development of the modern "Satanic Scare" would be impossible to explain without showing how these myths helped organize concerns and beliefs."  Accusations of Satanism are traced from the witch hunts, to the Illuminati, to the Satanic Ritual Abuse panic in the 1980s, with a distinction made between what modern Satanists believe and what is believed about Satanists.</ref><ref name="SatAm">''Satan in America: The Devil We Know'', by W. Scott Poole, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 16 Nov 2009, [http://books.google.com/books?id=UdppzaWFREgC&lpg=PA42&dq=satan%20physical%20panic&pg=PA42#v=onepage&q&f=false p. 42-43]</ref>  An example is the Satanic ritual abuse scare of the 1980s—beginning with the memoir ''Michelle Remembers''—which depicted Satanism as a vast conspiracy of elites with a predilection for child abuse and human sacrifice.<ref name="EncycUrbLeg" /><ref name="Ellis" />  This genre frequently describes Satan as physically incarnating in order to receive worship.<ref name="SatAm" />
Graves, Kersey (1995). Biography of Satan: Exposing the Origins of the Devil. Book Tree. ISBN 1-885395-11-6.  
 
Pagels, Elaine (1995). The Origin of Satan. Vintage; Reprint edition. ISBN 0-679-72232-7.  
 
Rudwin, Maximilian (1970). The Devil in Legend and Literature. Open Court. ISBN 0-87548-248-1.
==See Also==
Russell, Jeffrey Burton (1977). The Devil: Perceptions of Evil from Antiquity to Primitive Christianity. Cornell University Press; Reprint edition. ISBN 0-8014-9413-3.  
* [[Lucifer]]
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.
 
==Notes==
<references/>
 
 
==References==
* {{cite book| last = Bamberger | first = Bernard J.| title=Fallen Angels: Soldiers of Satan's Realm| publisher=Jewish Publication Society of America| year= 2006| isbn=0-8276-0797-0}}
* Caldwell, William. "The Doctrine of Satan: I. In the Old Testament," ''The Biblical World,'' Vol. 41, No. 1 (Jan., 1913), pp.&nbsp;29–33 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/3142352 in JSTOR]
* Caldwell, William. "The Doctrine of Satan: II. Satan in Extra-Biblical Apocalyptical Literature," ''The Biblical World,'' Vol. 41, No. 2 (Feb., 1913), pp.&nbsp;98–102 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/3142425 in JSTOR]
* Caldwell, William. "The Doctrine of Satan: III. In the New Testament," ''The Biblical World,'' Vol. 41, No. 3 (Mar., 1913), pp.&nbsp;167–172 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/3142755 in JSTOR]
* Coogan, Michael D.; ‘’A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament: The Hebrew Bible in its context’’; Oxford University Press 2009
* Crenshaw, James L. ‘’Harper Collins Study Bible’’Harper Collins, 1989
* Empson, William. ''Milton's God'' (1966)
* {{cite book| last = Forsyth | first = Neil| title=The Old Enemy: Satan & the Combat Myth| publisher=Princeton University Press; Reprint edition| year=1987| isbn=0-691-01474-4}}
* {{cite book| last = Forsyth | first = Neil| title=The Satanic Epic| publisher=Princeton University Press; Reprint edition| year=1987| isbn=0-691-11339-4}}
* {{cite book| last = Gentry | first = Kenneth L. Jr| title=The Beast of Revelation| publisher=American Vision| year=2002| isbn=0-915815-41-9}}
* {{cite book| last = Graves | first = Kersey| title=Biography of Satan: Exposing the Origins of the Devil| publisher=Book Tree| year=1995| isbn=1-885395-11-6}}
* ‘’The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, An illustrated Encyclopedia’’;ed. Buttrick, George Arthur; Abingdon Press 1962
* Jacobs, Joseph, and Ludwig Blau. "Satan," ''The Jewish Encyclopedia'' (1906) [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=270&letter=S&search=Satan#ixzz0UQlw0zPS online] pp 68–71
* Kelly, Henry Ansgar. ''Satan: A Biography.'' (2006). 360 pp. [http://books.google.com/books?id=gPIpQg0lRbMC&pg=PA12&dq=intitle:satan+inauthor:kelly&lr=&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&num=30&as_brr=3#v=onepage&q=&f=false excerpt and text search] ISBN 0-521-60402-8, a study of the Bible and Western literature
* Kent, William. "Devil." ''The Catholic Encyclopedia'' (1908) Vol. 4. [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04764a.htm online older article]
* Osborne, B. A. E. "Peter: Stumbling-Block and Satan," ''Novum Testamentum,'' Vol. 15, Fasc. 3 (Jul., 1973), pp.&nbsp;187–190 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/1560340 in JSTOR] on "Get thee behind me, Satan!"
* {{cite book| last = Pagels | first = Elaine| title=The Origin of Satan| publisher=Vintage; Reprint edition| year=1995| isbn=0-679-72232-7}}
* Rebhorn Wayne A. "The Humanist Tradition and Milton's Satan: The Conservative as Revolutionary," ''Studies in English Literature, 1500–1900,'' Vol. 13, No. 1, The English Renaissance (Winter, 1973), pp.&nbsp;81–93 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/449871 in JSTOR]
* {{cite book| last = Rudwin | first = Maximilian| title=The Devil in Legend and Literature| publisher=Open Court| year=1970| isbn=0-87548-248-1}}
* Russell, Jeffrey Burton. ''The Devil: Perceptions of Evil from Antiquity to Primitive Christianity'' (1987) [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0801494095 excerpt and text search]
* Russell, Jeffrey Burton. ''Satan: The Early Christian Tradition'' (1987) [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0801494133 excerpt and text search]
* Russell, Jeffrey Burton. ''Lucifer: The Devil in the Middle Ages'' (1986) [http://www.amazon.com/dp/080149429X excerpt and text search]
* Russell, Jeffrey Burton. ''Mephistopheles: The Devil in the Modern World'' (1990) [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0801497183 excerpt and text search]
* Russell, Jeffrey Burton. ''The Prince of Darkness: Radical Evil and the Power of Good in History'' (1992) [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0801480566 excerpt and text search]
* Schaff, D. S. "Devil" in ''New Schaff–Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge'' (1911), |Mainline Protestant; vol 3 pp 414–417 [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc03.d.iii.html online]
* Scott, Miriam Van. ''The Encyclopedia of Hell'' (1999) [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0312244428 excerpt and text search] comparative religions; also popular culture
* Wray, T. J. and Gregory Mobley. ''The Birth of Satan: Tracing the Devil's Biblical Roots'' (2005) [http://www.amazon.com/dp/1403969337 excerpt and text search]
 
 
==External Links==
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satan The original source of this article at Wikipedia]
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04764a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia — "Devil"]
*[http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=270&letter=S&search=Satan Jewish Encyclopedia — "Satan"]
*[http://www.secweb.org/index.aspx?action=viewAsset&id=310 The Secular Web — "The Implausibility of Satan"]
*[http://www.sacred-texts.org The Internet Sacred Texts Archive] hosts texts—scriptures, literature and scholarly works—on Satan, Satanism and related religious matters
*[http://www.brotherhoodofsatan.com/pdf/bospsl.pdf The Brotherhood of Satan’s perspective on Satan and Lucifer]

Latest revision as of 09:29, 12 September 2014

Satan (Hebrew: שָּׂטָן satan, meaning "adversary"[1]) is a term, as well as the name of a figure appearing in the texts of the Abrahamic religions[2][3] who brings evil and temptation, and is known as the deceiver that leads humanity astray. Some religious groups teach that he originated as an angel who fell out of favor with God, seducing humanity into the ways of sin, and who now rules over the fallen world. In the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, Satan is primarily an accuser and adversary, a decidedly malevolent entity (a.k.a. the devil) who possesses demonic qualities.

In Theistic Satanism, Satan is considered a positive force and deity who is either worshipped or revered. In LaVeyan Satanism, Satan is regarded as holding virtuous characteristics.[4][5]


Judaism

Hebrew Bible

The original Hebrew term, satan, is a noun from a verb meaning primarily to, “obstruct, oppose,” as it is found in Numbers 22:22, 1 Samuel 29:4, Psalms 109:6.[6] Ha-Satan is traditionally translated as “the accuser,” or “the adversary.” The definite article “ha-,” English “the," is used to show that this is a title bestowed on a being, versus the name of a being. Thus this being would be referred to as “the satan.”[7]

Thirteen Occurrences

Ha-Satan with the definite article occurs 13 times in the Masoretic Text, in two books of the Hebrew Bible:

  • Job ch.1–2 (10x),[8]
  • Zechariah 3:1–2 (3x).[9]

Satan without the definite article is used in 10 instances, of which two are translated diabolos in the Septuagint and "Satan" in the King James Version:

  • 1 Chronicles 21:1, "Satan stood up against Israel" (KJV) or "And there standeth up an adversary against Israel" (Young's Literal Translation)[10]
  • Psalm 109:6b "and let Satan stand at his right hand" (KJV)[11] or "let an accuser stand at his right hand." (English Standard Version, etc.)

The other eight instances of satan without the definite article are traditionally translated (in Greek, Latin and English) as "an adversary," etc., and taken to be humans or obedient angels:

  • Numbers 22:22,32 "and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him."
  • 32 "behold, I went out to withstand thee,"
  • 1 Samuel 29:4 The Philistines say: "lest he [David] be an adversary against us"
  • 2 Samuel 19:22 King David says: "[you sons of Zeruaiah] should this day be adversaries (plural) unto me?"
  • 1 Kings 5:4 Solomon writes to Hiram: "there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent."
  • 1 Kings 11:14 "And the LORD stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite"[12]
  • 1 Kings 11:23 "And God stirred him up an adversary, Rezon the son of Eliadah"
  • 25 "And he [Rezon] was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon"

Book of Job

At the beginning of the book, Job is a good person "who revered God and turned away from evil" (Job 1:1), and has therefore been rewarded by God. When the angels present themselves to God, Satan comes as well. God informs Satan about Job's blameless, morally upright character. Between Job 1:9–10 and 2:4–5, Satan points out that God has given Job everything that a man could want, so of course Job would be loyal to God; if all Job has been given, even his health, were to be taken away from him, however, his faith would collapse. God therefore gives Satan permission to test Job.[13] In the end Job remains faithful and righteous, with by implication Satan shamed in his defeat.[14]

Second Temple Period

Septuagint

In the Septuagint the Hebrew ha-Satan in Job and Zechariah is translated by the Greek word diabolos (slanderer), the same word in the Greek New Testament from which the English word devil is derived. Where satan is used of human enemies in the Hebrew Bible, such as Hadad the Edomite and Rezon the Syrian, the word is left untranslated but transliterated in the Greek as satan, a neologism in Greek.[15] In Zechariah 3 this changes the vision of the conflict over Joshua the High Priest in the Septuagint into a conflict between "Jesus and the devil," identical with the Greek text of Matthew.

Dead Sea Scrolls and Pseudepigrapha

In Enochic Judaism, the concept of Satan being an opponent of God and a chief evil figure in among demons, seems to have taken root in Jewish pseudepigrapha during the Second Temple period,[16] particularly in the apocalypses.[17] The Book of Enoch contains references to Satariel, thought also to be Sataniel and Satan'el (etymology dating back to Babylonian origins). The similar spellings mirror that of his angelic brethren Michael, Raphael, Uriel and Gabriel, previous to the fall from Heaven.

The Second Book of Enoch, also called the Slavonic Book of Enoch, contains references to a Watcher (Grigori) called Satanael.[18] It is a pseudepigraphic text of an uncertain date and unknown authorship. The text describes Satanael as being the prince of the Grigori who was cast out of heaven[19] and an evil spirit who knew the difference between what was "righteous" and "sinful".[20] A similar story is found in the book of 1 Enoch; however, in that book, the leader of the Grigori is called Semjâzâ.

In the Book of Wisdom, the devil is represented as the being who brought death into the world.[21]

Mastema, in the Book of Jubilees, induces God to test Abraham through the sacrifice of Isaac. He is identical to Satan in both name and nature.[22]

Rabbinical Judaism

In Judaism, Satan is a term used since its earliest biblical contexts, to refer to a human opponent.[23] Occasionally, the term has been used to suggest evil influence opposing human beings as in the Jewish exegesis of the Yetzer hara ("evil inclination" Genesis 6:5). Micaiah's "lying spirit" in 1 Kings 22:22 is sometimes related. Thus, Satan is personified as a character in three different places of the Tenakh, serving as an accuser (Zechariah 3:1-2), a seducer (1 Chronicles 21:1), or as a heavenly persecutor who is "among the sons of God" (Job 2:1). In any case, Satan is always subordinate to the power of God, having a role in the divine plan. Satan is rarely mentioned in Tannaitic literature, but is found in Babylonian aggadah.[17]

In Medieval Judaism, the Rabbis rejected these Enochic literary works into the Biblical canon, making every attempt to root them out.[16] Traditionalists and philosophers in medieval Judaism, adhered to rational theology, rejecting any belief in rebel or fallen angels, and viewing evil as abstract.[24] The Yetzer hara ("evil inclination" Genesis 6:5) is a more common motif for evil in rabbinical texts. Rabbinical scholarship on the Book of Job generally follows the Talmud and Maimonides as identifying the "Adversary" in the prologue of Job as a metaphor.[25]

In Hasidic Judaism, the Kabbalah presents Satan as an agent of God whose function is to tempt one into sin, then turn around and accuse the sinner on high. The Chasidic Jews of the 18th century associated ha-Satan with Baal Davar.[26]


Dualism and Zoroastrianism

Some scholars see contact with religious dualism in Babylon, and early Zoroastrianism in particular, as having influenced Second Temple period Judaism, and consequently early Christianity.[27][28] Subsequent development of Satan as a "deceiver" has parallels with the evil spirit in Zoroastrianism, known as the Lie, who directs forces of darkness.[29]


Christianity

In Christianity, terms that are synonymous with "Satan" include:

  • The most common English synonym for "Satan" is "Devil", which descends from Middle English devel, from Old English dēofol, that in turn represents an early Germanic borrowing of Latin diabolus (also the source of "diabolical"). This in turn was borrowed from Greek diabolos "slanderer", from diaballein "to slander": dia- "across, through" + ballein "to hurl".[30] In the New Testament, "Satan" occurs more than 30 times in passages alongside Diabolos (Greek for "the devil"), referring to the same person or thing as Satan.[31]
  • Beelzebub, meaning "Lord of Flies", is the contemptuous name given in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament to a Philistine god whose original name has been reconstructed as most probably "Ba'al Zabul", meaning "Baal the Prince".[32]
  • Satan is traditionally identified as the serpent who tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit; thus, Satan has often been depicted as a serpent. Justin Martyr, who was born around 100 C.E., was the first to postulate this association. According to Kelly, Justin makes this association "casually", without giving an explanation for his reasoning. In Chapters 45 and 79 of Dialogue with Trypho, Justin identifies Satan and the Serpent, asserting that he tempted humankind for "an unspecified sinful reason" and was cursed as a result.[33] However, after Justin, the idea was promulgated by his student Theophilus, Bishop of Antioch, and somewhat later by Tertullian.[34]
  • From the fourth Century Lucifer is sometimes used in Christian theology to refer to Satan, as a result of identifying the fallen "son of the dawn" of Isaiah 14:12 with the "accuser" of other passages in the Old Testament.
  • Other terms identified with Satan include "the prince of this world" in the Book of John 12:31, 14:30; "the prince of the power of the air" also called Meririm, and "the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" in the Book of Ephesians 2:2; and "the god of this world" in 2 Corinthians 4:4.[35]
  • The Book of Revelation twice refers to "the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan" (12:9, 20:2). The Book of Revelation also refers to "the deceiver", from which is derived the common epithet "the great deceiver".[36]

In traditional Christian understanding of the holy Hebrew scriptures, the Torah, Satan is a synonym for the Devil. For most Christians, he is believed to be an angel who rebelled against God—and also the one who spoke through the serpent and seduced Eve into disobeying God's command. His ultimate goal is to lead people away from the love of God—to lead them to fallacies which God opposes. Satan is also identified as the accuser of Job, the tempter in the Gospels, the secret power of lawlessness in 2 Thessalonians 2:7, and the dragon in the Book of Revelation. Before his insurrection, Satan was among the highest of all angels and the "brightest in the sky". His pride is considered a reason why he would not bow to God as all other angels did, but sought to rule heaven himself. The popularly held beliefs that Satan was once an angel who becomes prideful and eventually rebels against God, however, are not portrayed explicitly in the Bible and are mostly based on inference (e.g., Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14:12–17). In mainstream Christianity he is called "the ruler of the demons" (Matthew 12:24), "the ruler of the world" and "the god of this world" (2 Cor. 4:4). The Book of Revelation describes how Satan will be cast out of Heaven, down to the earth, having "great anger" and waging war against "those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus". Ultimately, Satan is thrown into the "lake of fire", not as ruler, but as one among many, being tormented day and night forever and ever.[37]

The early Christian church encountered opposition from pagans such as Celsus who claimed "it is blasphemy...to say that the greatest God...has an adversary who constrains his capacity to do good" and says that Christians "impiously divide the kingdom of God, creating a rebellion in it, as if there were opposing factions within the divine, including one that is hostile to God".[38]

In other Christian beliefs (e.g. the beliefs of the Christadelphians) the word "satan" in the Bible is not regarded as referring to a supernatural, personal being but to any "adversary" and figuratively refers to human sin and temptation.[39]


Islam

Shaitan (شيطان) is the equivalent of Satan in Islam. While Shaitan (شيطان, from the root šṭn شطن) is an adjective (meaning "astray" or "distant," sometimes translated as "devil") that can be applied to both man ("al-ins", الإنس) and Jinn, Iblis (Arabic pronunciation: [ˈibliːs]) is the personal name of the Devil who is mentioned in the Qur'anic account of Genesis.[40] According to the Qur'an, Iblis (the Arabic name used) disobeyed an order from Allah to bow to Adam and as a result was forced out of heaven and given respite until the day of judgment from further punishment.

When Allah commanded all of the angels to bow down before Adam (the first Human), Iblis, full of hubris and jealousy, refused to obey God's command (he could do so because he had free will), seeing Adam as being inferior in creation due to his being created from clay as compared to him (created of fire).[41]

{{quote|It is We Who created you and gave you shape; then We bade the angels prostrate to Adam, and they prostrate; not so Iblis (Lucifer); He refused to be of those who prostrate."

(Allah) said: "What prevented thee from prostrating when I commanded thee?" He said: "I am better than he: Thou didst create me from fire, and him from clay. -Qur'an 7:11–12

It was after this that the title of "Shaitan" was given, which can be roughly translated as "Enemy," "Rebel," "Evil" or "Devil". Shaitan then claims that if the punishment for his act of disobedience is to be delayed until the Day of Judgment, that he will divert many of Adam's own descendants from the straight path during his period of respite.[42] God accepts the claims of Iblis and guarantees recompense to Iblis and his followers in the form of Hellfire. In order to test mankind and jinn alike, Allah allowed Iblis to roam the earth to attempt to convert others away from his path.[43] He was sent to earth along with Adam and Eve, after eventually luring them into eating the fruit from the forbidden tree.[44]


Yazidism

An alternate name for the main deity in the tentatively Indo-European pantheon of the Yazidi, Malek Taus, is Shaitan.[45] Rather than Satanic, however, Yazidism is better understood as a remnant of a pre-Islamic Middle Eastern Indo-European religion, and/or a ghulat Sufi movement founded by Shaykh Adi. The connection with Satan, originally made by Muslim outsiders, attracted the interest of 19th century European travelers and esoteric writers.


Bahá'í Faith

In the Bahá'í Faith, Satan is not regarded as an independent evil power as he is in some faiths, but signifies the lower nature of humans. `Abdu'l-Bahá explains: "This lower nature in man is symbolized as Satan — the evil ego within us, not an evil personality outside."[46][47] All other evil spirits described in various faith traditions such as fallen angels, demons and jinns are also metaphors for the base character traits a human being may acquire and manifest when he turns away from God.[48]


Satanism

Satanic groups have various opinions about Satan, ranging from the conviction that he exists and ought to be worshipped (theistic Satanism), to Anton Szandor LaVey's symbolic interpretation, which emphasizes individual will and pleasure-seeking. In Theistic Satanism, Satan is considered a positive force and deity who is either worshipped or revered.[49] In LaVeyan Satanism, Satan is regarded as holding virtuous characteristics.[50]

Among non-Satanists, much modern Satanic folklore does not originate with the beliefs or practices of theistic or LeVeyan Satanists, but a mixture of medieval Christian folk beliefs, political or sociological conspiracy theories, and contemporary urban legends.[51][52][53][54] An example is the Satanic ritual abuse scare of the 1980s—beginning with the memoir Michelle Remembers—which depicted Satanism as a vast conspiracy of elites with a predilection for child abuse and human sacrifice.[52][53] This genre frequently describes Satan as physically incarnating in order to receive worship.[54]


See Also


Notes

  1. ↑ http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13219-satan "Term used in the Bible with the general connotation of "adversary," being applied (1) to an enemy in war (I Kings v. 18 [A. V. 4]; xi. 14, 23, 25), from which use is developed the concept of a traitor in battle (I Sam. xxix. 4); (2) to an accuser before the judgment-seat (Ps. cix. 6); and (3) to any opponent (II Sam. xix. 23 [A. V. 22]). The word is likewise used to denote an antagonist who puts obstacles in the way, as in Num. xxii. 32, where the angel of God is described as opposing Balaam in the guise of a satan or adversary; so that the concept of Satan as a distinct being was not then known."
  2. ↑ Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions - Page 290, Wendy Doniger
  3. ↑ Leeming, David Adams (2005). The Oxford Companion to World Mythology. Oxford University Press.
  4. ↑ Contemporary Religious Satanisim: A Critical Reader, Jesper Aagaard Petersen - 2009
  5. ↑ Who's ? Right: Mankind, Religions and the End Times - Page 35, Kelly Warman-Stallings - 2012
  6. ↑ ed. Buttrick, George Arthur; ‘’The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, An illustrated Encyclopedia’’
  7. ↑ Crenshaw, James L. ‘’Harper Collins Study Bible’’ (NRSV)
  8. ↑ Stephen M. Hooks – 2007 "As in Zechariah 3:1–2 the term here carries the definite article (has'satan="the satan") and functions not as a ... the only place in the Hebrew Bible where the term "Satan" is unquestionably used as a proper name is 1 Chronicles 21:1. "
  9. ↑ Coogan, Michael D.; ‘’A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament: The Hebrew Bible in its context’’
  10. ↑ Rachel Adelman The Return of the Repressed: Pirqe De-Rabbi Eliezer p65 "However, in the parallel versions of the story in Chronicles, it is Satan (without the definite article),"
  11. ↑ Septuagint 108:6 κατάστησον ἐπ᾽ αὐτὸν ἁμαρτωλόν καὶ διάβολος στήτω ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ
  12. ↑ Ruth R. Brand Adam and Eve p88 – 2005 "Later, however, King Hadad 1 Kings 11:14) and King Rezon (verses 23, ... Numbers 22:22, 23 does not use the definite article but identifies the angel of YHWH as "a satan."
  13. ↑ HarperCollins Study Bible (NRSV)
  14. ↑ "The structure and message of the Book of Job". Vetus testamentum. 
  15. ↑ Henry Ansgar Kelly Satan: a biography 2006 "However, for Hadad and Rezon they left the Hebrew term untranslated and simply said satan.. in the three passages in which a supra-Human satan appears: namely, Numbers, Job, Zechariah
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Jackson, David R. (2004). Enochic Judaism, 2–4, London: T&T Clark International.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Berlin, editor in chief, Adele (2011). The Oxford dictionary of the Jewish religion, 2nd ed., New York: Oxford University Press.
  18. ↑ 2 Enoch 18:3. On this tradition, see A. Orlov, "The Watchers of Satanael: The Fallen Angels Traditions in 2 (Slavonic) Enoch," in: A. Orlov, Dark Mirrors: Azazel and Satanael in Early Jewish Demonology (Albany: SUNY, 2011)85-106.
  19. ↑ "And I threw him out from the height with his angels, and he was flying in the air continuously above the bottomless" - 2 Enoch 29:4
  20. ↑ "The devil is the evil spirit of the lower places, as a fugitive he made Sotona from the heavens as his name was Satanail, thus he became different from the angels, but his nature did not change his intelligence as far as his understanding of righteous and sinful things" – 2 Enoch 31:4
  21. ↑ See The Book of Wisdom: With Introduction and Notes, p. 27, Object of the book, by A. T. S. Goodrick.
  22. ↑ Introduction to the Book of Jubilees, 15. Theology. Some of our Author's Views: Demonology, by R.H. Charles.
  23. ↑ Based on the Jewish exegesis of 1 Samuel 29:4 and 1 Kings 5:18 - Oxford dictionary of the Jewish religion, 2011, p.651 "Satan is rarely mentioned in tannaitic literature; later, chiefly Babylonian, aggadah enlarges the scope of his influence and activities. Perhaps because of the influential presence of Satan as a name or character in the New Testament and the"
  24. ↑ Bamberger, Bernard J. (2006). Fallen angels : soldiers of satan's realm, 1. paperback ed., Philadelphia, Pa.: Jewish Publ. Soc. of America.
  25. ↑ Robert Eisen Associate Professor of Religious Studies George Washington University The Book of Job in Medieval Jewish Philosophy 2004 p120 "Moreover, Zerahfiiah gives us insight into the parallel between the Garden of Eden story and the Job story alluded to ... both Satan and Job's wife are metaphors for the evil inclination, a motif Zerahfiiah seems to identify with the imagination."
  26. ↑ The Dictionary of Angels" by Gustav Davidson, © 1967
  27. ↑ Jeffrey Burton Russell The Devil: Perceptions of Evil from Antiquity to Primitive ...1977 - Page 102 "This conflict between truth and the lie was one of the main sources of Zarathushtra's dualism: the prophet perceived Angra Mainyu, the lord of evil, as the personification of the lie. For Zoroastrians (as for the Egyptians), the lie was the essence ... "
  28. ↑ Peter Clark -Zoroastrianism: An Introduction to Ancient Faith 1998 -- Page 152 "There are so many features that Zoroastrianism seems to share with the Judeo-Christian tradition that it would be difficult to ... Historically the first point of contact that we can determine is when the Achaemenian Cyrus conquered Babylon ..539 BC"
  29. ↑ Winn, Shan M.M. (1995). Heaven, heroes, and happiness : the Indo-European roots of Western ideology.. Lanham, Md.: University press of America.
  30. ↑ "American Heritage Dictionary: Devil". http://www.bartleby.com/61/94/D0179400.html. Retrieved 2006-05-31. 
  31. ↑ Revelation 12:9
  32. ↑ K. van der Toorn, Bob Becking, Pieter Willem van der Horst, Baalzebub, "Dictionary of deities and demons in the Bible", p.155
  33. ↑ Kelly, Harry Ansgar (2007). Satan: a Biography. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 176. ISBN 978-0-521-84339-3.
  34. ↑ Kelly, Harry Ansgar (2007). Satan: a Biography. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 177. ISBN 978-0-521-84339-3.
  35. ↑ 2 Corinthians 4:4
  36. ↑ B. W. Johnson (1891). "The Revelation of John. Chapter XX. The Millennium.". The People's New Testament. Memorial University of Newfoundland. http://www.mun.ca/rels/restmov/texts/bjohnson/hg1/PNT27-20.HTM. 
  37. ↑ Revelation 20:10
  38. ↑ Origen. Contra Celsum.
  39. ↑ "Do you Believe in a Devil?". http://www.christadelphia.org/pamphlet/devil.htm. 
  40. ↑ Iblis
  41. ↑ [Quran 17:61]; [Quran 2:34]
  42. ↑ [Quran 17:62]
  43. ↑ [Quran 17:63–64]
  44. ↑ [Quran 7:20–22]
  45. ↑ Drower, E.S. The Peacock Angel. Being Some Account of Votaries of a Secret Cult and their Sanctuaries. London: John Murray, 1941. [1]
  46. ↑ ʻAbduʾl-Bahá [1912] (1982). The Promulgation of Universal Peace, 294–295, Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust.
  47. ↑ Smith, Peter (2000). A Concise Encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith, 135–136, 304, Oneworld.
  48. ↑ Smith, Peter (2008). An Introduction to the Baha'i Faith. Cambridge University Press.
  49. ↑ Satanism and Demonology, by Lionel & Patricia Fanthorpe, Dundurn Press, 8 Mar 2011, p. 74, "If, as theistic Satanists believe, the devil is an intelligent, self-aware entity..." "Theistic Satanism then becomes explicable in terms of Lucifer's ambition to be the supreme god and his rebellion against Yahweh. [...] This simplistic, controntational view is modified by other theistic Satanists who do not regard their hero as evil: far from it. For them he is a freedom fighter..."
  50. ↑ Contemporary religious Satanism: a critical anthology - Page 45, Jesper Aagaard Petersen - 2009
  51. ↑ Cinema of the Occult: New Age, Satanism, Wicca, and Spiritualism in Film, Carrol Lee Fry, Associated University Presse, 2008, p.92-98
  52. ↑ 52.0 52.1 Encyclopedia of Urban Legends, Updated and Expanded Edition, by Jan Harold Brunvand, ABC-CLIO, 31 Jul 2012 p. 694-695
  53. ↑ 53.0 53.1 Raising the Devil: Satanism, New Religions, and the Media, by Bill Ellis, University Press of Kentucky p.125 In discussing myths about groups accused of Satanism, "...such myths are already pervasive in Western culture, and the development of the modern "Satanic Scare" would be impossible to explain without showing how these myths helped organize concerns and beliefs." Accusations of Satanism are traced from the witch hunts, to the Illuminati, to the Satanic Ritual Abuse panic in the 1980s, with a distinction made between what modern Satanists believe and what is believed about Satanists.
  54. ↑ 54.0 54.1 Satan in America: The Devil We Know, by W. Scott Poole, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 16 Nov 2009, p. 42-43


References

  • Bamberger, Bernard J. (2006). Fallen Angels: Soldiers of Satan's Realm. Jewish Publication Society of America.
  • Caldwell, William. "The Doctrine of Satan: I. In the Old Testament," The Biblical World, Vol. 41, No. 1 (Jan., 1913), pp. 29–33 in JSTOR
  • Caldwell, William. "The Doctrine of Satan: II. Satan in Extra-Biblical Apocalyptical Literature," The Biblical World, Vol. 41, No. 2 (Feb., 1913), pp. 98–102 in JSTOR
  • Caldwell, William. "The Doctrine of Satan: III. In the New Testament," The Biblical World, Vol. 41, No. 3 (Mar., 1913), pp. 167–172 in JSTOR
  • Coogan, Michael D.; ‘’A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament: The Hebrew Bible in its context’’; Oxford University Press 2009
  • Crenshaw, James L. ‘’Harper Collins Study Bible’’Harper Collins, 1989
  • Empson, William. Milton's God (1966)
  • Forsyth, Neil (1987). The Old Enemy: Satan & the Combat Myth. Princeton University Press; Reprint edition.
  • Forsyth, Neil (1987). The Satanic Epic. Princeton University Press; Reprint edition.
  • Gentry, Kenneth L. Jr (2002). The Beast of Revelation. American Vision.
  • Graves, Kersey (1995). Biography of Satan: Exposing the Origins of the Devil. Book Tree.
  • ‘’The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, An illustrated Encyclopedia’’;ed. Buttrick, George Arthur; Abingdon Press 1962
  • Jacobs, Joseph, and Ludwig Blau. "Satan," The Jewish Encyclopedia (1906) online pp 68–71
  • Kelly, Henry Ansgar. Satan: A Biography. (2006). 360 pp. excerpt and text search ISBN 0-521-60402-8, a study of the Bible and Western literature
  • Kent, William. "Devil." The Catholic Encyclopedia (1908) Vol. 4. online older article
  • Osborne, B. A. E. "Peter: Stumbling-Block and Satan," Novum Testamentum, Vol. 15, Fasc. 3 (Jul., 1973), pp. 187–190 in JSTOR on "Get thee behind me, Satan!"
  • Pagels, Elaine (1995). The Origin of Satan. Vintage; Reprint edition.
  • Rebhorn Wayne A. "The Humanist Tradition and Milton's Satan: The Conservative as Revolutionary," Studies in English Literature, 1500–1900, Vol. 13, No. 1, The English Renaissance (Winter, 1973), pp. 81–93 in JSTOR
  • Rudwin, Maximilian (1970). The Devil in Legend and Literature. Open Court.
  • Russell, Jeffrey Burton. The Devil: Perceptions of Evil from Antiquity to Primitive Christianity (1987) excerpt and text search
  • Russell, Jeffrey Burton. Satan: The Early Christian Tradition (1987) excerpt and text search
  • Russell, Jeffrey Burton. Lucifer: The Devil in the Middle Ages (1986) excerpt and text search
  • Russell, Jeffrey Burton. Mephistopheles: The Devil in the Modern World (1990) excerpt and text search
  • Russell, Jeffrey Burton. The Prince of Darkness: Radical Evil and the Power of Good in History (1992) excerpt and text search
  • Schaff, D. S. "Devil" in New Schaff–Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge (1911), |Mainline Protestant; vol 3 pp 414–417 online
  • Scott, Miriam Van. The Encyclopedia of Hell (1999) excerpt and text search comparative religions; also popular culture
  • Wray, T. J. and Gregory Mobley. The Birth of Satan: Tracing the Devil's Biblical Roots (2005) excerpt and text search


External Links

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