
[[Image:GustaveDoreParadiseLostSatanProfile.jpg|thumb|Gustave Dore depiction of Satan from John Milton Paradise Lost]] Satan (שָׂטָן Standard Hebrew Satan, Latin Sátanas, Tiberian Hebrew Śāṭān; Aramaic language שִׂטְנָא Śiṭnâ: both words mean "Adversary; accuser") is an angel, demon, or minor god in many religions. Satan plays various roles in the Qur'an, the Tanakh, the Apocrypha and the New Testament. In the Hebrew Bible, Satan is an angel that God uses to test man for various reasons usually dealing with his level of piety (i.e. the test of Adam and Eve in Genesis, and the Book of Job). In the Apocrypha and New Testament, Satan is portrayed as an evil, rebellious demon who is the enemy of God and mankind. These two ideals are not necessarily mutually exclusive. In modern Abrahamic religions, Satan is generally viewed as a supernatural entity who is the central embodiment of evil. Satan is also commonly known as the Devil (Latin ''Diábolus''), the "Prince of Darkness," Beelzebub, Belial, Mephistopheles, or Lucifer. In the Talmud and some works of Kabbalah Satan is sometimes called Samael; however most Jewish literature is of the opinion that Samael is a separate angel. 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 is actually evil. In Islam, Satan is known as Iblis إبليس or "Shaytan شيطان", who was the chief of the Jinn until he disobeyed Allah by refusing to prostrate himself before Adam because he refused to accept Man as his superior. Islam describes Satan as a Jinn, an entity made of smokeless fire, and not of the angels made from light. ==Images of Satan== In art and literature, Satan has been depicted in numerous ways throughout history. According to one interpretation of the book of ''Genesis'', Satan is identified as the serpent who convinced Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit; thus, Satan has often been depicted as a serpent. This interpretation goes back at least as far as the time of the writing of the book of Revelation, which specifically identifies Satan as being the serpent (Rev. 20:2). In truth, Genesis makes no direct reference to the serpent having another identity, Satan or any other. It has been postulated by many Biblical scholars that Eden's snake is just a snake, able to speak, reason, and tempt Eve because it serves the explanatory purpose. A popular image of Satan, adopted from the Greek God Pan (mythology), is as a horned, hoofed goat-like monster holding a trident. In modern times, the goat-like image of Satan has been adapted into a more human-looking form of a dark, foreboding man wearing a goatee. Satan has also been depicted as a charming and attractive man, as symbolic of the popular mythology that Satan acquires human souls by appealing to their vanity and presenting them with appealing and attractive temptations. Rarely, Satan has also been depicted as a conniving woman, such as in the movie ''Bedazzled'' (2000). There are also a few images depicting Satan as a beautiful angel, such as in Go Nagai's Devilman. == In the Hebrew Bible == In the Hebrew Bible Satan is better understood as a "trickster" than as an embodiment of "evil." The term is applied both to divine and human beings. === Different uses of the word "Satan" in the Bible === The Hebrew word "Satan" is used in the Hebrew Bible with the general connotation of "adversary," being applied to: * An enemy in war and peace (1 Kings 5:4; 11:14, 23, 25) * An accuser before the judgment-seat (Ps. 109:6) * An antagonist who puts obstacles in the way, as in Num. 22:22, where the angel of God is described as opposing Balaam as an adversary. * As an angel who works to find fault with God, and acts as a prosecuting attorney against mankind (the Book of Job). The Strong's concordance number for the Hebrew word "Satan" is 07854. This can be used to research the Biblical usage of this word. For instance, this page on the 'Blue Letter Bible' website specifies the Hebrew verses it appears in: [http://www.blueletterbible.org/tmp_dir/strongs/1111931176-3134.html Blue Letter Bible Lexicon Results for "Satan"] === Satan as an accuser === Where Satan does appear as an angel, he is clearly a member of God's court and plays the role of the Accuser, much like a prosecuting attorney for God. Such a view is found in the prologue to the Book of Job, where Satan appears, together with other celestial beings, before God, replying to the inquiry of God as to whence he had come, with the words: "From going to and fro on the earth and from walking 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 with the purpose of searching out men's sins and appearing as their accuser. He is, therefore, the celestial prosecutor (a type of lawyer), who sees only iniquity. For example, in Job 2:3-5, after Job passes Satan's first test, Satan requests that Job be tested even further. It is evident from the prologue in Job that Satan has no power of independent action, but requires the permission of God, which he may not transgress. Satan works in opposition to God, though not entirely able to take action without consent. 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. In 1 Chron. 21:1 Satan appears as one who is able to provoke King David to number (or take a census of) Israel. The Chronicler (third century B.C.) regards Satan here as a more independent agent, a view which is at first glance striking since it would seem the source where he drew his account (2 Sam. 24:1) speaks of God Himself as the one who moved David to take the census. But after a more careful survey is taken of the situation, it is apparent that the circumstances were similar to that of Job: Satan is free to issue temptation with God's consent. Although the older conception refers all events, whether good or bad, to God alone (1 Sam. 16:14; 1 Kings 22:22; Isa. 45:7; etc.), it is unlikely that the Chronicler, and perhaps even Zechariah, were influenced by Zoroastrianism, since Jewish monism strongly opposed Iranian dualism, especially in the case of the prophet. == 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, which doubtless forced their way gradually from the lower classes to the most cultured. The later a rabbinic work can be dated the more frequent is the mention therein of Satan and his hosts. 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 inclinaction (Yetzer HaRa), Satan, or the Death (personification)#Angels of death. According to the Midrash, before this cunning beast was cursed, it stood erect and was endowed with some faculty of communication. The Jerusalem Talmud, completed about 450 CE, is more reticent in this regard; and this is the more noteworthy since its provenience is the same as that of the New Testament. The Babylonian Talmud (Bava Bathra 16a) states that the Evil Inclincation (''Yetzer ha-Ra''), the Angel of Death and Satan are identical. In a midrash (Genesis Rabbah 19) Samael, the lord of the satans, was a mighty prince of angels in heaven. Satan came into the world with woman, that is, with Eve (Midrash Yalkut, Genesis 1:23), so that he was created and is not eternal. Like all celestial beings, he flies through the air (Genesis Rabbah 19), and can assume any form, as of a bird (Talmud, Sanhedrin 107a), a stag (''ibid'', 95a), a woman (''ibid'', 81a), a beggar, or a young man (Midrash Tanchuma, Wayera, end); he is said to skip (Talmud Pesachim 112b and Megilla. 11b), in 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" (Talmud Berachot 19a). In times of danger likewise he brings his accusations (Palestinian 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 (Talmud, Shabbat 32a). Satan's knowledge is circumscribed; for when the shofar is blown on New-Year's Day he is "confounded" (Rosh Hashana 16b, Targum Yerushalmi to Numbers 10:10). On the Yom Kippur his power vanishes; for the numerical value of the letters of his name (gematria and Hebrew numerals) is only 364, one day being thus exempt from his influence (Yoma 20a). If Satan does not attain his purpose, as was the case in his temptation of Job, he feels great sorrow (Bava Bathra 16a); and it was a terrible blow to him, as the representative of moral evil, that the Torah, the incarnation of moral good, should be given to Israel. He endeavored to overthrow it, and finally led the people to make the golden calf (Shabbat 89a, Targum Yerushalmi to Exodus 32:1), while the two tables of the Law were bestowed on Moses of necessity without Satan's knowledge (Sanhedrin 26b). One rabbi notes that Satan was an active agent in the fall of man (Midrash Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer 13, beginning), and was the father of Cain (''ibid'', 21), while he was also instrumental in the offering of Isaac (Midrash Tanchuma, Wayera, 22 [ed. Stettin, p. 39a]), in the release of the animal destined by Esau for his father (''ibid'', Toledot, 11), in the theophany at Sinai, in the death of Moses (Deuteronomy Rabbah 13:9), in David's sin with Bath-sheba (Sanhedrin 95a), and in the death of Queen Vashti (Megilla 11a). The decree to destroy all the Jews, which Haman obtained, was written on parchment brought by Satan (Esther Rabba 3:9). When Alexander the Great reproached the Jewish sages with their rebellion, they made the plea that Satan had been too mighty for them (Tamid 32a). == In the Apocrypha == In Wisdom ii. 24 Satan is represented, with reference to Gen. iii., as the father of all lies, who brought death into the world; he is apparently mentioned also in Ecclus. (Sirach) xxi. 27, and the fact that his name does not occur in Daniel is doubtless due merely to chance. Satan was the seducer and the paramour of Eve, and was hurled from heaven together with other angels because of his iniquity (Slavonic Book of Enoch, xxix. 4 et seq.). Since that time he has been called "Satan," although previously he had been termed "Satanel" (ib. xxxi. 3 et seq.). 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 (Martyrdom of Isaiah, ii. 2; Vita Adæ et Evæ, xvi.). Mastema, who induced God to test Abraham through the sacrifice of Isaac, is identical with Satan in both name and nature (Book of Jubilees, xvii. 18), 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 not infrequently bears the special name 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. ==In the New Testament== Satan figures much more prominently in the New Testament and in Christianity theology generally. In the New Testament, Satan appears as a tempter for Jesus for example (see Matt. 4: 3-9). In John Milton's epic poem ''Paradise Lost'', the theme is further developed—Satan is believed to have been an archangel named Lucifer who turned against God before the creation of man. (Prophesies in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 are thought to be referring metaphorically to Satan, rather than to the king of Babylon. Babylon in Revelation is a symbol for an evil world, one of which Satan would be head in the Tribulational period of the end times.) According to this view, Satan waged war against God, his creator, and was banished from Heaven because of this. The creation story found in the book of Genesis reports that a serpent tempted Adam and Eve to partake of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. In the Jewish tradition, the serpent was always taken to be literally a snake; the story tells us the origin of how the snake lost its legs. Later Christian theologies interpreted this serpent to be Satan, to the point where many Christians are unaware that the actual Hebrew text does not identify the serpent as Satan. In Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Satan is one of humanity's three enemies, along with sin and death. According to most Christian eschatology, Satan will wage a final war against Jesus, before being cast into Hell for "aeonios." (Aeonios, literally translated, means of or pertaining to an age, which is incorrectly translated as "all eternity." It is impossible to apply the meaning of a span of time to eternity since eternity itself is not bounded by time.) The Unification Church teaches that Satan will be restored in the eschatology and become a good angel again (see [http://www.tparents.org/library/unification/books/lcah/0-toc.htm Lucifer, A Criminal Against Humanity]). A few early Church Fathers are known to have prayed for Satan's eventual repentance; it was not generally believed that this would happen. On the other hand, Fundamentalists teach that Jesus returns to earth before the Great Tribulation period to reclaim the righteous dead Old and living to meet Him in the air (known as the Rapture, see 1 Thess 4:17). Most Fundamentalists believe that immediately following this, the Tribulational period will occur as prophesied in the book of Daniel, while others (especially Seventh-Day Adventists) believe that immediately following Jesus' Second Coming, Satan will be bound on this Earth for a thousand years, after which he will be “loosed for a little season” (a short time, see Rev 20:1-3)—this is when the battle of Armageddon (the final confrontation between good and evil) will be waged—and Satan and his followers will be destroyed once and for all, the Earth will be cleansed of all evil and there will be “a new Heaven and a new Earth” where sin will reign no more (see Rev 21:1-4). In various Gnostic sects, Satan was praised as the giver of knowledge, sometimes with references to Lucifer, “the light-bringer.” Some claimed that the being imagined as God by Christianity and Judaism was in fact Satan, as a world as imperfect as ours could not be created by a perfect God. Particularly in the medieval period, Satan was often depicted as having horns and a goat's hindquarters. He has also been depicted as carrying a pitchfork, and with a forked tail. None of these images seem to be based on Biblical materials. Rather, this image is apparently based on pagan horned gods, such as Pan (god) and Dionysus, common to many mythology. Neopaganism allege that this image was chosen specifically to discredit the Horned God of ancient paganism. Christadelphian believe that there is no supernatural being of evil, and that references to Satan or the Devil in the Bible are usually to be understood as either personifications of evil or as particular individuals. ==Devil's Dictionary definition== SATAN, n. One of the Creator's lamentable mistakes, repented in sackcloth and ashes. Being instated as an archangel, Satan made himself multifariously objectionable and was finally expelled from Heaven. Halfway in his descent he paused, bent his head in thought a moment and at last went back. "There is one favor that I should like to ask," said he.
"Name it."
"Man, I understand, is about to be created. He will need laws."
"What, wretch! you his appointed adversary, charged from the dawn of eternity with hatred of his soul -- you ask for the right to make his laws?"
"Pardon; what I have to ask is that he be permitted to make them himself."
It was so ordered. == Jehovah's Witnesses == Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Satan is a real person. Satan was created a perfect spirit creature, but that he became "Satan the Devil" when he acted on his desire to turn Adam and Eve away from worship of Jehovah to himself. The name he carried previously is not mentioned in the Bible. By use of the serpent in the Garden of Eden Satan seduced Eve by implying that God's rulership was selfish and unjust. "Is it really so that God said YOU must not eat from every tree of the garden?" Eve's reply was that only one tree had been prohibited from their use on penalty of death. Satan challenged this: "YOU positively will not die. For God knows that in the very day of YOUR eating from it YOUR eyes are bound to be opened and YOU are bound to be like God, Knowing good and bad." So, Satan's approach was a dual deception: First, that God was withholding good from them and second that he was lying in the process. Eve, having succumbed to this deception, along with Adam, who allowed himself to become complicit in the matter, rejected their Creator and chose Satan as their 'god'. The Bible shows that the majority of their offspring followed them in this course. (e.g. The Flood) Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Satan is still the god of this world, citing references at 2 Cor.4:4; 1 John 5:19; Mt 4:8-11. == Satanists == There are historical records of people worshiping Satan, though their authenticity is sometimes questioned. Today, some people identify themselves as Satanism. Of these, some claim that Satan is a real being, some view him as a symbol for the animal desires of homo sapiens, and some view him as a symbol for the rebellious or independent aspects of humanity. Some Christians believe that most or all other religions are Satanic, that is, influenced by and supported by the power of Satan. == Among polytheists == ===Syncreto-Paganism=== In Pagan/polytheistic religions that have assimilated aspects of Abrahamic mythology into their own pantheons, Satan, Lucifer, and Beelzabub are often seen as distinct and separate beings who perform necessary cosmic functions. In Stregheria, the Lucifer/Satan connection is upheld just as in Christian mythology. The Streghe see Lucifer (the name "Satan" is never used in Stregheria) as a kind and philanthropic deity who chose to disobey the tyrant-god of the Christians by appearing in the form of the serpent to offer knowledge of good and evil to humans (presumably via the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, as this is an allusion to the Genesis myth) in order to expose the Abrahamic God for the evil being he truly was. Stregheria's classical mythology influence is apparent here, as in Greek mythology the serpent was seen as a symbol of wisdom. ===Neopaganism=== Christian tradition has frequently identified paganism religions and witchcraft with the influence of Satan. In the Middle Ages, the Church accused "witches" of consorting and conspiring with Satan. Correspondingly, several conservative Christian writers, such as Jack Chick and James Dobson, have depicted today's neopagan and witchcraft religions as Satanic. However, most neopagan traditions, such as Wicca and Neo-Druidism, do not include a Satan figure in their beliefs. ===New-Age Movement=== Some individuals identifying themselves with the New Age thought process believe that Satan, or Lucifer, was the leader of extraterrestrials who came to Earth and waged a galactic war with another extraterrestrial group led by one now referred to as "God". This is not necessarily the belief of those standing behind that system of thought. Another polytheistic new religious movement, the Process Church, claims that Satan is one of "Three Great Gods" along with Jehovah and Lucifer. == Satan's existence in skeptical thought == Skeptics, influenced by science and rational thinking stemming from the The Enlightenment have come to question whether Satan exists. Their criticisms rest on three main themes: theodicy, naturalism, and mythology. # It is unclear how Satan, in the traditional notion, could defy or defeat an omnipotent opponent. Spinoza argued that it is unclear why an all-powerful good God allows Satan to do evil deeds and go unpunished, and then turns around and punishes humans who are victims of Satan's evil deeds to an eternity of hellfire. # The existence of supernatural beings conflicts with naturalism. It is unclear how Satan, which is supernatural, interacts with the human world. It is unnecessary to explain bad events such as the Black Plague or more modernly, AIDS or September 11, 2001 attacks by appealing to Satan. Furthermore, from a humanist point of view, it is unnecessary to require a supernatural source for human behavior that arises from normal animal urges like lust, adultery, theft, and lying. # Satan's origins can be fully explained and traced through comparative mythology. == Satan in secular humanist thought == Secular humanists have observed that historically, Christianity has vilified its enemies as being aligned with Satan, and proceeds to persecute their enemies using the most dreadful torture. As a result, many secular humanists not only do not believe that Satan exists, they also hold the view that a belief in Satan is a serious obstacle to human progress, peace, and a just world, and that the belief itself should be eradicated through education and scientific thinking. Others understand the Satan figure to be a metaphor for evil—the personification of a tendency of mankind to ''do evil,'' in contradiction to its moral values, which tend to require a sophisticated process of positive social indoctrination. An educated secular humanist view often sees and appreciates the symbolism of Satan and other religious personifications, but holds some skeptical reservations about the dangers of literal belief, and of the literal believer —whom to secularists tend to appear as under the spell of a dogma, rather than being inspired with the meaning of the symbolism. The view, like the religious view of the secularist, is a perceptual one —not necessarily based in substance. == Satan in entertainment media == Generally when Satan is depicted in movies and TV, he is represented as a red-skinned man with horns on his head, hoofs, tail, and pitchfork, while often times he is represented as a plain human being, and, in rare instances, only his voice is heard. Popular portrayals of Satan include Warner Bros. cartoons (such as ''Satan's Waitin' '' (1954)), William Friedkin's ''The Exorcist'' (1973), Richard Donner's ''The Omen'' (1976), Ridley Scott's ''Legend (movie)'' (1985), End of Days (1999) and Comedy Central's ''South Park''. Al Pacino starred as Satan in the movie ''Devil's Advocate (movie)''. In ''Constantine (movie)'', Satan is portrayed by Peter Stormare as a human. In BBC Radio 4's comedy Old Harry's Game Satan is played by Andy Hamilton. In Roman Polanski's ''Rosemary's Baby'', the main character (played by Mia Farrow) becomes pregnant by Satan and has his child. In ''The Ninth Gate'', the main character (played by Johnny Depp) is involved in finding a missing book with details for summoning Satan. In Marvel Comics, several high-level demons, such as Mephisto, Marduk Kurios, and Satannish, control different aspects of Hell and claim to be the Biblical Satan. Some have theorized that these demons constitute a "composite Satan", while others believe they simply utilize the name of an even more powerful demon to sow fear among their enemies. Including Satan as a personification of evil holds many narrative opportunities. ''South Park'', for example, makes a political point by portraying Satan in an abusive sexual relationship with (the apparently more evil) Saddam Hussein. Others have portrayed a human character's struggles with Satan to mark human foibles and failings in the attempt to live a good life — for example, ''Bedazzled'' (1967, remade 2000) and ''Oh, God! You Devil'' (1984). And in the horror/suspense genre, including Satan provides for a gripping, nearly all powerful foe, as seen in ''The Omen'' trilogy. One intriguing use of Satan in recent horror fiction and film is the evangelical aim of William Peter Blatty in his book and the subsequent film, ''The Exorcist''. He has explained that his goal was to portray the ultimate evil as a way of reminding the world of the need to believe in the ultimate good, God. On the 2004 Insane Clown Posse concept album about Hell, ''The Wraith: Hell's Pit'', Satan is referred to as "The Witch". HIM (disambiguation), a character on the animated series, ''The Powerpuff Girls'', a cheerfully evil, red-skinned, cross-dressing demon, and is a parody of HIM (His Infernal Majesty). Satan has also been immortalized in music. Many rock stars, such as the Rolling Stones, Ozzy Osbourne, Iron Maiden (band) and AC/DC, and even crossover artists such as Terri Gibbs, have recorded songs about Satan. Many of Osbourne's albums (both solo and with his former group, Black Sabbath), for example, have criticized devil worship, although some christian groups have seen it as glorification. The Rolling Stones recorded a song called "Sympathy for the Devil," which was later covered by Guns N' Roses for the movie ''Interview with the Vampire'' which was based on a novel by Anne Rice. Terri Gibbs' crossover song "Somebody's Knockin'" features these lyrics: "... Lord it's the devil. Would you look at him ... he'd have blue eyes and blue jeans". Some listeners have claimed to find satanic messages concealed in other popular music by Backward message. ==Further reading== *Elaine Pagels, 1995. ''The Origin of Satan'', 214pp, ISBN 0679722327 Christian demonsJewish demonsSatanism simple:Devil
==Misc== is it possible that Jesus and Satan are the same conflicted being? no! :: He is, therefore, the celestial prosecutor, who sees only iniquity; for he persists in his evil opinion of Job even after he has passed successfully through his first trial by surrendering to the will of God, whereupon Satan demands another test through physical suffering (Job 2:3-5). : Modified this part of "Satan as an acuser" as "evil" is not a neutral word, and directly contradictions the concept of "Satan as an acuser" of the devine council. User:Indefual 14:28, 2005 Mar 12 (UTC) On Nov 29 2001, Balanone revised the last paragraph from :Satan is worshipped by (so-called) satanists; they disagree however on what Satan is: some claim he is a real being while others believe he is a mere symbol? for the animal desires of humans. to: :It is often supposed that Satan is worshipped by satanists. As discussed in more depth within the article on Satanism, there may be some called satanists who do worship Satan, but that many others do not. Some satanists will claim he is a real being; others view him as a symbol? for the animal desires of humans; still others view him as a symbol for the rebellious or independent aspects of humanity. RK then rewrote this to the paragraph below, asking, "Why accuse Satanists of lying about their beliefs? If they say they worship Satan, then they worship Satan. Calling them liars is NOT a neutral point of view." :Satan is worshipped by Satanists. Some satanists claim Satan is a real being; others view him as a symbol? for the animal desires of humans; still others view him as a symbol for the rebellious or independent aspects of humanity. Would this be a better compromise? :It is often supposed that Satan is worshipped by satanists. As discussed in more depth within the article on Satanism, some of those who call themselves satanists worship Satan, but many others who also call themselves satanists do not. Some satanists will claim he is a real being; others view him as a symbol for the animal desires of humans; still others view him as a symbol for the rebellious or independent aspects of humanity. ----- The current article contains the suggestion that the story of Lucifer falling from heaven is influence of Milton's Paradise Lost. I don't know for certain, but I doubt that this is true. As I understand it, this belief is based on interpretations of (admittedly somewhat obscure) passages in Revelation and Isaiah; interpretations that date back to the early church. Milton, rather than being a source of this story, merely expressed it in poetry. -- User:Simon J Kissane You're correct Simon. Revelation 12:7 - 8 (User:NIV) :''And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.'' -- User:Stephen Gilbert ----- re: "In a few neopagan religions, Satan is merely seen as a symbolic representation of humanity's collectively evil ways. " Not true. Neopaganism teaches that we are naturally good, not evil. There is no concept of hell, satan, or sin. --User:Dmerrill You are comfortable speaking for all neopagans here? ---- There is a need for more discussion hee of past examples of Christians identifying those who reject Christian beliefs, values, and practices as "Satanists" even though those people never claimed to worship Satan. I am not refering to contemporary neo-pagans, but to non-Western societies under European colonial occupation, and non Christians in the early middle ages (I am not refering to Jews but to other Europeans). I have heard from enough sources that this has occured to believe it, but I am no expert and hope that other Wikipedians can fill this out, SR ---- Removed this: "(Interestingly, scientists have discovered that primitive snakes did indeed have legs.)" sure, snakes evolved from lizards around 100M years ago and there were transitional forms. But it is a non-sequitur in this context. User:clasqm ---- I took another stab at the last paragraph. My main objective was to get rid of this phrase, :Satan is thought to be worshipped by Satanists My objection is to the passive voice, which not only (in my personal opinion) sounds pompous, but more importantly is unclear. In this context, it is especially important to specify WHO thinks Satanists worship Satan. I do not knw the historical literature well enough and hopeothers will develop this. But I do know that many accounts of "satanists worshiping Satan" were written by Christian authorities, and it is far, far from certain that the people in question actually identified themselves as Satanists, or whether they were actually worshiping Satan. SR : Of course I don't know which accounts or which Christian authorities you may be referring to, but I think you may be misunderstanding what many Christian writers have called Satan worship. Any form of idolatry, or worship of other gods (such as the Greek or Egyptian pantheons) was often blamed on Satan simply because Satan is known as the father of lies, and the worship of false gods was called the result of Satan's deception. This isn't quite the same as accusing the heathen greeks of directly worshipping Satan himself, even if some writers enthusiastically said that the worship of Zeus for instance was actually the worship of Satan. In the Orthodox rite of baptism, which serves as a rite of initiation into the Church, one of the very first parts of the liturgy is to renounce Satan and the world, turning to worship God. This doesn't mean the Orthodox think that every convert is a former Satanist, but that every convert was formerly deceived in some way. I think that the Catholic and many Protestant baptismal services have a similar renunciation of the devil in their services as well, though I'm not certain. At various times, heretics may have been accused of Satanism or similar language used, simply because they were thought to be spreading lies, which may have been thought to have originated with Satan. : Are these the sorts of accounts you were referring to, or were you thinking of something quite different? At any rate, I think the new text could use a tiny bit more precision. user:Wesley :: Wesley, I welcome your help in revising my recent change in order to make it more precise. I only ask that we maintain NPOV. I understand ''why'' Christians might think of non-Christian beliefs and practices as "satan worship." But it is crucial that we distinguish between what one group of outside observers claim, what other outside observers might claim (non-Christians would not identify any form of idolatry such as ancient Greek or Egyptian pantheons as satan worship), and what the people themselves (e.g. ancient Greeks or Egyptians) claim. This is my main concern. ::: I entirely agree that these distinctions should be maintained. user:Wesley ::I do understand the distinction you make. Be that as it may, there is some evidence that medieval witchcraft was not (originally, at least) Satan worship in the eyes of medieval witches, but was nevertheless identified as satan worship by the Church. I also know of examples of Christian missionaries who have identified local religions in South America and Africa as "Satan worship" even though the people in Africa and Suuth America didn't see it that way. ::: I won't dispute either of these examples. Perhaps they should be identified, instead of the vague reference to "Christian authorities"? user:Wesley ::I know there are two other phenomena this article should address: people who worship the devil or Satan but who do not share Christian's understanding of what/who the devil is (I think the article already acknowledges this), and also people today who do worship the same Satan that Christians abhor (I actually do not know if this happens, but the article suggests it does and I think could benefit from more detail). ::: I don't know if there are such people either. I do know there was a professed evangelical Christian, Mike Warnke, who published a once-popular book in the seventies or early eighties called ''Satan Seller'', in which he claimed to have been a Satanist High Priest, described his experiences as such and his later conversion to Christianity. Some time in the late eighties he was exposed as a complete fraud. I think his book and concert sales have dropped off considerably since then. :-/ user:Wesley :: As you say, it could be more precise. But the contribution I recently made comes pretty close to the limits of my own knowledge, SR ---- about the line: "One novel view is that Satan will be restored in the last days and become a good angel again." could someone provide a reference to where this view comes from? User:J.F.Quackenbush :Wesley, thanks for remembering that the "novel view" came from the Unification Church. That was one of my earliest contributions, but it was a bit vague, eh? I've included an external link to [http://www.tparents.org/library/unification/books/lcah/0-toc.htm Lucifer, A Criminal Against Humanity], which includes what UC members generally accept as Satan's confession (I doubt any other church gives it any credence, of course). --User:Ed Poor :: No problem. Thanks for the external link. Just skimmed a couple of sections, and it's certainly interesting. User:Wesley ---- The article provides a Hebrew and a Greek derivation for the word. It is my understanding that the word is Hebrew, it entered Greek ''from'' Hebrew, and is no more a Greek word than it is an English word. Is there any expert on the history of Greek out there who knows more about this? User:Slrubenstein :The Greek forms of ''satan'' and ''satanas'' are merely borrowings from the respective Hebrew and Aramaic words, so I put those forms instead. -- User:Stephen C. Carlson ::isn't the Hebrew word "shaitan", and shouldn't that word be used for the "adversary" concept from the Torah, i.e. in the Book of Job? This concept is VERY different from the idea of Satan in Christianity. See "Origin of Satan" by Elaine Pagels for the whole history of evolution of this concept. No. Shaitan is the Arabic spelling of Satan. شيطان for those of you who can read Arabic. ---Chiramabi == Rachelle == I removed the additional name "Rachelle". I can't find any corroboration for it. I'm very suspicious to see a modern girl's name in the list of appelations of the devil. If I was oversuspicious, please replace. --User:EvanProdromou 00:54, 13 Mar 2004 (UTC) ==History and Development of Satan == Better to begin with the history and development of Satan before you get to depictions of Satan in the movies. Eliminate all passive voice of nonattribution. Get your dates attached to your documents (''ca'' 150 A.D.-- like that). Use more quotes. There is no satan in paganism, that's a Christian and post-Christian fantasy. Leave the movies and video game images for the end. Forget "Apocrypha:" give books their names and dates. How can you discuss O.T. Satan without dividing your discussion into pre- and post-Exilic notions. What about Persia? "Apocrypha" is a historical development in itself and incompatible with NPOV, right? Get a format here where people who have some hard facts can hang them on something. User:Wetman 02:26, 13 Mar 2004 (UTC) == Dispute over introductory paragraph re origin of Satan. == The first paragraph states regarding Satan: ''In the Hebrew Bible, Satan is an angel that God utilizes to test man for various reasons usually dealing with his level of piety (i.e. the test of Adam and Eve in Genesis, and the Book of Job). In the Apocrypha and New Testament, Satan is portrayed as an evil, rebellious demon who is the enemy of God and mankind.'' From my knowledge of the Bible and various religion's interpretations of such, I would say that statement presented one of several different interpretations of who or what Satan is/represents in the Bible. In addition, the paragraph implies that the Satan of the Old Testament is different to the Satan of the New Testament, which isn't a view many religions share. Perhaps the paragraph could be rewritten to present a more multilateral explanation. --User:ClintonDaniel 06:06, 4 Jan 2005 (UTC) == Revelation 12 and the Hebrew Bible == If Satan is a servant of god, and Michael is also, then why do Micahel and Satan fight each other? Is Revelation 12 the same in the Hebrew Bible? --User:Rebroad 20:38, 7 Jan 2005 (UTC) :The Hebrew Bible is a neutral-ish term for what Christians call the Old Testament, and Jews call the Tanakh. It does not include the Revelation of St. John, which is the final book of the Christian New Testament. --User:Fubar Obfusco 21:24, 7 Jan 2005 (UTC) == Yom Kippur influence of Satan == The page says "On the Day of Atonement his power vanishes; for the numerical value of the letters of his name (gematria and Hebrew numerals) is only 364, one day being thus exempt from his influence (Yoma 20a)." but the Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar and does not have 365 days. What's up with that? == A Satanist vestige? == Why at the ens of the section "Images of Satan" there stands 2Hail Satan" and a Satanist symbol depicted? User:Andres 08:58, 22 Mar 2005 (UTC) : That was a result of Wikipedia:Vandalism and has now been reverted. User:Wipe 14:17, 22 Mar 2005 (UTC) == Satan in Powerpuff Girls == The following piece of text was removed by User:Marcus2 from the section Satan#Satan in entertainment media. His edition summary was: "not relevant or notable enough to the article; please don't revert again". If you have an opinion about this, please add your comments. I feel there should be at least a mention about The Powerpuff Girls, if not a full description. Feel free to reorganize the entertainment section, as it currently is in a poor state. :Cartoon Network's ''The Powerpuff Girls'' mildly depicts Satan as the cheerfully evil, red-skinned, cross-dressing demon simply referred to as "Him".
User:Wipe 18:32, 30 Apr 2005 (UTC)
== origin of satan ==
i would like a discussion about when and why satan was invented.
== Satan's Fall to Earth ==
I (--User:Wasabe3543 16:40, 1 Jun 2005 (UTC)) deleted this section because it contains raving nonsense as follows:
'''Satan's Fall to Earth'''
- Research into spiritual matters using archeological precepts has been enhanced by the availability of powerful internet search engines. Very interesting and profound discoveries which also reveal the existence and physical nature of Satan have been made. These possibilities were previously abandoned or not considered due to its overwhelming nature previous to the advent of the Internet. The more popularly held views of Satan are excluded in favor of a truly literal and biblical method which, abandons the deeply entrenched traditional views reinforced by the media using both spiritual and secular repetition, inculcated into the gullible and unwary youth through the education systems of todays western world and then once again regurgitated through encylopedic policy. In this way the entire world has easily been misled and deceived. The scriptures themselves provide evidence that the entire world will be deceived as a consequence of Satan's "Fall to Earth":
Revelation 12:9
'' 9And the great dragon was cast out, the ancient serpent, he who is called Devil and Satan, he who deceives the whole habitable world, he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.''
[http://ablebodiedman.blogspot.com/2004/10/while-researching-something-entirely.html Availability of Powerful Internet Research Tools Identify Satan]
== Satan in Genesis ==
The intro paragraph currently gives Genesis as an example of a place in the Hebrew scriptures/OT that God uses Satan to test humans. However, Genesis merely refers to the "serpent," not Satan, and that text is pretty clear that the serpent is merely one of its species rather than Satan-the-angel (otherwise the "Just So Stories" curse upon all of serpent-kind to slither in the dirt makes little sense). Ignoring of course POV religious retcons, is there something in the original Hebrew of the original source(s) of Genesis that suggests that this serpent is Satan, or was it just a talking snake as it clearly appears to be in the English translations? Additionally, what in Genesis indicates that God was testing humans? Job was explicitly expressed as a test—a bet, in fact, between God and Satan, but in Genesis, it doesn't appear that God was trying to see what humans would do, but rather that he just expected that they would obey. User:Postdlf 07:42, 8 Jun 2005 (UTC)
See other meanings of words starting from letter:
Words begining with Satan:
Satan
Satan
Satan's_calliope
Satan's_Love_Drug
Satan's_Whiskers
Satanael
Satanaka
Satanaka
Satanaya
Satang
Satanic
Satanicbowlerhat
Satanicbowlerhat
Satanic_Artists
Satanic_Bible
Satanic_forces
Satanic_forces
Satanic_Leaf-Tailed_Gecko
Satanic_message
Satanic_panic
Satanic_Panic_in_the_Attic
Satanic_Reds_Social_Realism
Satanic_Reds_Social_Realism
Satanic_Ritual_Abuse
Satanic_ritual_abuse
Satanic_ritual_abuse
Satanic_School
Satanic_School
Satanic_square
Satanic_Verses
Satanic_Witch
Satanism
Satanism
Satanism
Satanism-footer
Satanism/archive1
Satanism_and_Pokémon
Satanism_and_Pokémon
Satanist
Satanists
Satanis_-_The_Devil's_Mass
Satanophobia
Satanovski
Satansangel_88
Satans_mistress
Satanta
Satanta,_Kansas
Satanta,_KS
Satan_(disambiguation)
Satan_eurystomus
Satan_Takes_A_Holiday
Satan_worship
Satan
[[Image:GustaveDoreParadiseLostSatanProfile.jpg|thumb|Gustave Dore depiction of Satan from John Milton Paradise Lost]] Satan (שָׂטָן Standard Hebrew Satan, Latin Sátanas, Tiberian Hebrew Śāṭān; Aramaic language שִׂטְנָא Śiṭnâ: both words mean "Adversary; accuser") is an angel, demon, or minor god in many religions. Satan plays various roles in the Qur'an, the Tanakh, the Apocrypha and the New Testament. In the Hebrew Bible, Satan is an angel that God uses to test man for various reasons usually dealing with his level of piety (i.e. the test of Adam and Eve in Genesis, and the Book of Job). In the Apocrypha and New Testament, Satan is portrayed as an evil, rebellious demon who is the enemy of God and mankind. These two ideals are not necessarily mutually exclusive. In modern Abrahamic religions, Satan is generally viewed as a supernatural entity who is the central embodiment of evil. Satan is also commonly known as the Devil (Latin ''Diábolus''), the "Prince of Darkness," Beelzebub, Belial, Mephistopheles, or Lucifer. In the Talmud and some works of Kabbalah Satan is sometimes called Samael; however most Jewish literature is of the opinion that Samael is a separate angel. 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 is actually evil. In Islam, Satan is known as Iblis إبليس or "Shaytan شيطان", who was the chief of the Jinn until he disobeyed Allah by refusing to prostrate himself before Adam because he refused to accept Man as his superior. Islam describes Satan as a Jinn, an entity made of smokeless fire, and not of the angels made from light. ==Images of Satan== In art and literature, Satan has been depicted in numerous ways throughout history. According to one interpretation of the book of ''Genesis'', Satan is identified as the serpent who convinced Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit; thus, Satan has often been depicted as a serpent. This interpretation goes back at least as far as the time of the writing of the book of Revelation, which specifically identifies Satan as being the serpent (Rev. 20:2). In truth, Genesis makes no direct reference to the serpent having another identity, Satan or any other. It has been postulated by many Biblical scholars that Eden's snake is just a snake, able to speak, reason, and tempt Eve because it serves the explanatory purpose. A popular image of Satan, adopted from the Greek God Pan (mythology), is as a horned, hoofed goat-like monster holding a trident. In modern times, the goat-like image of Satan has been adapted into a more human-looking form of a dark, foreboding man wearing a goatee. Satan has also been depicted as a charming and attractive man, as symbolic of the popular mythology that Satan acquires human souls by appealing to their vanity and presenting them with appealing and attractive temptations. Rarely, Satan has also been depicted as a conniving woman, such as in the movie ''Bedazzled'' (2000). There are also a few images depicting Satan as a beautiful angel, such as in Go Nagai's Devilman. == In the Hebrew Bible == In the Hebrew Bible Satan is better understood as a "trickster" than as an embodiment of "evil." The term is applied both to divine and human beings. === Different uses of the word "Satan" in the Bible === The Hebrew word "Satan" is used in the Hebrew Bible with the general connotation of "adversary," being applied to: * An enemy in war and peace (1 Kings 5:4; 11:14, 23, 25) * An accuser before the judgment-seat (Ps. 109:6) * An antagonist who puts obstacles in the way, as in Num. 22:22, where the angel of God is described as opposing Balaam as an adversary. * As an angel who works to find fault with God, and acts as a prosecuting attorney against mankind (the Book of Job). The Strong's concordance number for the Hebrew word "Satan" is 07854. This can be used to research the Biblical usage of this word. For instance, this page on the 'Blue Letter Bible' website specifies the Hebrew verses it appears in: [http://www.blueletterbible.org/tmp_dir/strongs/1111931176-3134.html Blue Letter Bible Lexicon Results for "Satan"] === Satan as an accuser === Where Satan does appear as an angel, he is clearly a member of God's court and plays the role of the Accuser, much like a prosecuting attorney for God. Such a view is found in the prologue to the Book of Job, where Satan appears, together with other celestial beings, before God, replying to the inquiry of God as to whence he had come, with the words: "From going to and fro on the earth and from walking 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 with the purpose of searching out men's sins and appearing as their accuser. He is, therefore, the celestial prosecutor (a type of lawyer), who sees only iniquity. For example, in Job 2:3-5, after Job passes Satan's first test, Satan requests that Job be tested even further. It is evident from the prologue in Job that Satan has no power of independent action, but requires the permission of God, which he may not transgress. Satan works in opposition to God, though not entirely able to take action without consent. 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. In 1 Chron. 21:1 Satan appears as one who is able to provoke King David to number (or take a census of) Israel. The Chronicler (third century B.C.) regards Satan here as a more independent agent, a view which is at first glance striking since it would seem the source where he drew his account (2 Sam. 24:1) speaks of God Himself as the one who moved David to take the census. But after a more careful survey is taken of the situation, it is apparent that the circumstances were similar to that of Job: Satan is free to issue temptation with God's consent. Although the older conception refers all events, whether good or bad, to God alone (1 Sam. 16:14; 1 Kings 22:22; Isa. 45:7; etc.), it is unlikely that the Chronicler, and perhaps even Zechariah, were influenced by Zoroastrianism, since Jewish monism strongly opposed Iranian dualism, especially in the case of the prophet. == 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, which doubtless forced their way gradually from the lower classes to the most cultured. The later a rabbinic work can be dated the more frequent is the mention therein of Satan and his hosts. 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 inclinaction (Yetzer HaRa), Satan, or the Death (personification)#Angels of death. According to the Midrash, before this cunning beast was cursed, it stood erect and was endowed with some faculty of communication. The Jerusalem Talmud, completed about 450 CE, is more reticent in this regard; and this is the more noteworthy since its provenience is the same as that of the New Testament. The Babylonian Talmud (Bava Bathra 16a) states that the Evil Inclincation (''Yetzer ha-Ra''), the Angel of Death and Satan are identical. In a midrash (Genesis Rabbah 19) Samael, the lord of the satans, was a mighty prince of angels in heaven. Satan came into the world with woman, that is, with Eve (Midrash Yalkut, Genesis 1:23), so that he was created and is not eternal. Like all celestial beings, he flies through the air (Genesis Rabbah 19), and can assume any form, as of a bird (Talmud, Sanhedrin 107a), a stag (''ibid'', 95a), a woman (''ibid'', 81a), a beggar, or a young man (Midrash Tanchuma, Wayera, end); he is said to skip (Talmud Pesachim 112b and Megilla. 11b), in 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" (Talmud Berachot 19a). In times of danger likewise he brings his accusations (Palestinian 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 (Talmud, Shabbat 32a). Satan's knowledge is circumscribed; for when the shofar is blown on New-Year's Day he is "confounded" (Rosh Hashana 16b, Targum Yerushalmi to Numbers 10:10). On the Yom Kippur his power vanishes; for the numerical value of the letters of his name (gematria and Hebrew numerals) is only 364, one day being thus exempt from his influence (Yoma 20a). If Satan does not attain his purpose, as was the case in his temptation of Job, he feels great sorrow (Bava Bathra 16a); and it was a terrible blow to him, as the representative of moral evil, that the Torah, the incarnation of moral good, should be given to Israel. He endeavored to overthrow it, and finally led the people to make the golden calf (Shabbat 89a, Targum Yerushalmi to Exodus 32:1), while the two tables of the Law were bestowed on Moses of necessity without Satan's knowledge (Sanhedrin 26b). One rabbi notes that Satan was an active agent in the fall of man (Midrash Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer 13, beginning), and was the father of Cain (''ibid'', 21), while he was also instrumental in the offering of Isaac (Midrash Tanchuma, Wayera, 22 [ed. Stettin, p. 39a]), in the release of the animal destined by Esau for his father (''ibid'', Toledot, 11), in the theophany at Sinai, in the death of Moses (Deuteronomy Rabbah 13:9), in David's sin with Bath-sheba (Sanhedrin 95a), and in the death of Queen Vashti (Megilla 11a). The decree to destroy all the Jews, which Haman obtained, was written on parchment brought by Satan (Esther Rabba 3:9). When Alexander the Great reproached the Jewish sages with their rebellion, they made the plea that Satan had been too mighty for them (Tamid 32a). == In the Apocrypha == In Wisdom ii. 24 Satan is represented, with reference to Gen. iii., as the father of all lies, who brought death into the world; he is apparently mentioned also in Ecclus. (Sirach) xxi. 27, and the fact that his name does not occur in Daniel is doubtless due merely to chance. Satan was the seducer and the paramour of Eve, and was hurled from heaven together with other angels because of his iniquity (Slavonic Book of Enoch, xxix. 4 et seq.). Since that time he has been called "Satan," although previously he had been termed "Satanel" (ib. xxxi. 3 et seq.). 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 (Martyrdom of Isaiah, ii. 2; Vita Adæ et Evæ, xvi.). Mastema, who induced God to test Abraham through the sacrifice of Isaac, is identical with Satan in both name and nature (Book of Jubilees, xvii. 18), 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 not infrequently bears the special name 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. ==In the New Testament== Satan figures much more prominently in the New Testament and in Christianity theology generally. In the New Testament, Satan appears as a tempter for Jesus for example (see Matt. 4: 3-9). In John Milton's epic poem ''Paradise Lost'', the theme is further developed—Satan is believed to have been an archangel named Lucifer who turned against God before the creation of man. (Prophesies in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 are thought to be referring metaphorically to Satan, rather than to the king of Babylon. Babylon in Revelation is a symbol for an evil world, one of which Satan would be head in the Tribulational period of the end times.) According to this view, Satan waged war against God, his creator, and was banished from Heaven because of this. The creation story found in the book of Genesis reports that a serpent tempted Adam and Eve to partake of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. In the Jewish tradition, the serpent was always taken to be literally a snake; the story tells us the origin of how the snake lost its legs. Later Christian theologies interpreted this serpent to be Satan, to the point where many Christians are unaware that the actual Hebrew text does not identify the serpent as Satan. In Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Satan is one of humanity's three enemies, along with sin and death. According to most Christian eschatology, Satan will wage a final war against Jesus, before being cast into Hell for "aeonios." (Aeonios, literally translated, means of or pertaining to an age, which is incorrectly translated as "all eternity." It is impossible to apply the meaning of a span of time to eternity since eternity itself is not bounded by time.) The Unification Church teaches that Satan will be restored in the eschatology and become a good angel again (see [http://www.tparents.org/library/unification/books/lcah/0-toc.htm Lucifer, A Criminal Against Humanity]). A few early Church Fathers are known to have prayed for Satan's eventual repentance; it was not generally believed that this would happen. On the other hand, Fundamentalists teach that Jesus returns to earth before the Great Tribulation period to reclaim the righteous dead Old and living to meet Him in the air (known as the Rapture, see 1 Thess 4:17). Most Fundamentalists believe that immediately following this, the Tribulational period will occur as prophesied in the book of Daniel, while others (especially Seventh-Day Adventists) believe that immediately following Jesus' Second Coming, Satan will be bound on this Earth for a thousand years, after which he will be “loosed for a little season” (a short time, see Rev 20:1-3)—this is when the battle of Armageddon (the final confrontation between good and evil) will be waged—and Satan and his followers will be destroyed once and for all, the Earth will be cleansed of all evil and there will be “a new Heaven and a new Earth” where sin will reign no more (see Rev 21:1-4). In various Gnostic sects, Satan was praised as the giver of knowledge, sometimes with references to Lucifer, “the light-bringer.” Some claimed that the being imagined as God by Christianity and Judaism was in fact Satan, as a world as imperfect as ours could not be created by a perfect God. Particularly in the medieval period, Satan was often depicted as having horns and a goat's hindquarters. He has also been depicted as carrying a pitchfork, and with a forked tail. None of these images seem to be based on Biblical materials. Rather, this image is apparently based on pagan horned gods, such as Pan (god) and Dionysus, common to many mythology. Neopaganism allege that this image was chosen specifically to discredit the Horned God of ancient paganism. Christadelphian believe that there is no supernatural being of evil, and that references to Satan or the Devil in the Bible are usually to be understood as either personifications of evil or as particular individuals. ==Devil's Dictionary definition== SATAN, n. One of the Creator's lamentable mistakes, repented in sackcloth and ashes. Being instated as an archangel, Satan made himself multifariously objectionable and was finally expelled from Heaven. Halfway in his descent he paused, bent his head in thought a moment and at last went back. "There is one favor that I should like to ask," said he.
"Name it."
"Man, I understand, is about to be created. He will need laws."
"What, wretch! you his appointed adversary, charged from the dawn of eternity with hatred of his soul -- you ask for the right to make his laws?"
"Pardon; what I have to ask is that he be permitted to make them himself."
It was so ordered. == Jehovah's Witnesses == Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Satan is a real person. Satan was created a perfect spirit creature, but that he became "Satan the Devil" when he acted on his desire to turn Adam and Eve away from worship of Jehovah to himself. The name he carried previously is not mentioned in the Bible. By use of the serpent in the Garden of Eden Satan seduced Eve by implying that God's rulership was selfish and unjust. "Is it really so that God said YOU must not eat from every tree of the garden?" Eve's reply was that only one tree had been prohibited from their use on penalty of death. Satan challenged this: "YOU positively will not die. For God knows that in the very day of YOUR eating from it YOUR eyes are bound to be opened and YOU are bound to be like God, Knowing good and bad." So, Satan's approach was a dual deception: First, that God was withholding good from them and second that he was lying in the process. Eve, having succumbed to this deception, along with Adam, who allowed himself to become complicit in the matter, rejected their Creator and chose Satan as their 'god'. The Bible shows that the majority of their offspring followed them in this course. (e.g. The Flood) Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Satan is still the god of this world, citing references at 2 Cor.4:4; 1 John 5:19; Mt 4:8-11. == Satanists == There are historical records of people worshiping Satan, though their authenticity is sometimes questioned. Today, some people identify themselves as Satanism. Of these, some claim that Satan is a real being, some view him as a symbol for the animal desires of homo sapiens, and some view him as a symbol for the rebellious or independent aspects of humanity. Some Christians believe that most or all other religions are Satanic, that is, influenced by and supported by the power of Satan. == Among polytheists == ===Syncreto-Paganism=== In Pagan/polytheistic religions that have assimilated aspects of Abrahamic mythology into their own pantheons, Satan, Lucifer, and Beelzabub are often seen as distinct and separate beings who perform necessary cosmic functions. In Stregheria, the Lucifer/Satan connection is upheld just as in Christian mythology. The Streghe see Lucifer (the name "Satan" is never used in Stregheria) as a kind and philanthropic deity who chose to disobey the tyrant-god of the Christians by appearing in the form of the serpent to offer knowledge of good and evil to humans (presumably via the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, as this is an allusion to the Genesis myth) in order to expose the Abrahamic God for the evil being he truly was. Stregheria's classical mythology influence is apparent here, as in Greek mythology the serpent was seen as a symbol of wisdom. ===Neopaganism=== Christian tradition has frequently identified paganism religions and witchcraft with the influence of Satan. In the Middle Ages, the Church accused "witches" of consorting and conspiring with Satan. Correspondingly, several conservative Christian writers, such as Jack Chick and James Dobson, have depicted today's neopagan and witchcraft religions as Satanic. However, most neopagan traditions, such as Wicca and Neo-Druidism, do not include a Satan figure in their beliefs. ===New-Age Movement=== Some individuals identifying themselves with the New Age thought process believe that Satan, or Lucifer, was the leader of extraterrestrials who came to Earth and waged a galactic war with another extraterrestrial group led by one now referred to as "God". This is not necessarily the belief of those standing behind that system of thought. Another polytheistic new religious movement, the Process Church, claims that Satan is one of "Three Great Gods" along with Jehovah and Lucifer. == Satan's existence in skeptical thought == Skeptics, influenced by science and rational thinking stemming from the The Enlightenment have come to question whether Satan exists. Their criticisms rest on three main themes: theodicy, naturalism, and mythology. # It is unclear how Satan, in the traditional notion, could defy or defeat an omnipotent opponent. Spinoza argued that it is unclear why an all-powerful good God allows Satan to do evil deeds and go unpunished, and then turns around and punishes humans who are victims of Satan's evil deeds to an eternity of hellfire. # The existence of supernatural beings conflicts with naturalism. It is unclear how Satan, which is supernatural, interacts with the human world. It is unnecessary to explain bad events such as the Black Plague or more modernly, AIDS or September 11, 2001 attacks by appealing to Satan. Furthermore, from a humanist point of view, it is unnecessary to require a supernatural source for human behavior that arises from normal animal urges like lust, adultery, theft, and lying. # Satan's origins can be fully explained and traced through comparative mythology. == Satan in secular humanist thought == Secular humanists have observed that historically, Christianity has vilified its enemies as being aligned with Satan, and proceeds to persecute their enemies using the most dreadful torture. As a result, many secular humanists not only do not believe that Satan exists, they also hold the view that a belief in Satan is a serious obstacle to human progress, peace, and a just world, and that the belief itself should be eradicated through education and scientific thinking. Others understand the Satan figure to be a metaphor for evil—the personification of a tendency of mankind to ''do evil,'' in contradiction to its moral values, which tend to require a sophisticated process of positive social indoctrination. An educated secular humanist view often sees and appreciates the symbolism of Satan and other religious personifications, but holds some skeptical reservations about the dangers of literal belief, and of the literal believer —whom to secularists tend to appear as under the spell of a dogma, rather than being inspired with the meaning of the symbolism. The view, like the religious view of the secularist, is a perceptual one —not necessarily based in substance. == Satan in entertainment media == Generally when Satan is depicted in movies and TV, he is represented as a red-skinned man with horns on his head, hoofs, tail, and pitchfork, while often times he is represented as a plain human being, and, in rare instances, only his voice is heard. Popular portrayals of Satan include Warner Bros. cartoons (such as ''Satan's Waitin' '' (1954)), William Friedkin's ''The Exorcist'' (1973), Richard Donner's ''The Omen'' (1976), Ridley Scott's ''Legend (movie)'' (1985), End of Days (1999) and Comedy Central's ''South Park''. Al Pacino starred as Satan in the movie ''Devil's Advocate (movie)''. In ''Constantine (movie)'', Satan is portrayed by Peter Stormare as a human. In BBC Radio 4's comedy Old Harry's Game Satan is played by Andy Hamilton. In Roman Polanski's ''Rosemary's Baby'', the main character (played by Mia Farrow) becomes pregnant by Satan and has his child. In ''The Ninth Gate'', the main character (played by Johnny Depp) is involved in finding a missing book with details for summoning Satan. In Marvel Comics, several high-level demons, such as Mephisto, Marduk Kurios, and Satannish, control different aspects of Hell and claim to be the Biblical Satan. Some have theorized that these demons constitute a "composite Satan", while others believe they simply utilize the name of an even more powerful demon to sow fear among their enemies. Including Satan as a personification of evil holds many narrative opportunities. ''South Park'', for example, makes a political point by portraying Satan in an abusive sexual relationship with (the apparently more evil) Saddam Hussein. Others have portrayed a human character's struggles with Satan to mark human foibles and failings in the attempt to live a good life — for example, ''Bedazzled'' (1967, remade 2000) and ''Oh, God! You Devil'' (1984). And in the horror/suspense genre, including Satan provides for a gripping, nearly all powerful foe, as seen in ''The Omen'' trilogy. One intriguing use of Satan in recent horror fiction and film is the evangelical aim of William Peter Blatty in his book and the subsequent film, ''The Exorcist''. He has explained that his goal was to portray the ultimate evil as a way of reminding the world of the need to believe in the ultimate good, God. On the 2004 Insane Clown Posse concept album about Hell, ''The Wraith: Hell's Pit'', Satan is referred to as "The Witch". HIM (disambiguation), a character on the animated series, ''The Powerpuff Girls'', a cheerfully evil, red-skinned, cross-dressing demon, and is a parody of HIM (His Infernal Majesty). Satan has also been immortalized in music. Many rock stars, such as the Rolling Stones, Ozzy Osbourne, Iron Maiden (band) and AC/DC, and even crossover artists such as Terri Gibbs, have recorded songs about Satan. Many of Osbourne's albums (both solo and with his former group, Black Sabbath), for example, have criticized devil worship, although some christian groups have seen it as glorification. The Rolling Stones recorded a song called "Sympathy for the Devil," which was later covered by Guns N' Roses for the movie ''Interview with the Vampire'' which was based on a novel by Anne Rice. Terri Gibbs' crossover song "Somebody's Knockin'" features these lyrics: "... Lord it's the devil. Would you look at him ... he'd have blue eyes and blue jeans". Some listeners have claimed to find satanic messages concealed in other popular music by Backward message. ==Further reading== *Elaine Pagels, 1995. ''The Origin of Satan'', 214pp, ISBN 0679722327 Christian demonsJewish demonsSatanism simple:Devil
Satan
==Misc== is it possible that Jesus and Satan are the same conflicted being? no! :: He is, therefore, the celestial prosecutor, who sees only iniquity; for he persists in his evil opinion of Job even after he has passed successfully through his first trial by surrendering to the will of God, whereupon Satan demands another test through physical suffering (Job 2:3-5). : Modified this part of "Satan as an acuser" as "evil" is not a neutral word, and directly contradictions the concept of "Satan as an acuser" of the devine council. User:Indefual 14:28, 2005 Mar 12 (UTC) On Nov 29 2001, Balanone revised the last paragraph from :Satan is worshipped by (so-called) satanists; they disagree however on what Satan is: some claim he is a real being while others believe he is a mere symbol? for the animal desires of humans. to: :It is often supposed that Satan is worshipped by satanists. As discussed in more depth within the article on Satanism, there may be some called satanists who do worship Satan, but that many others do not. Some satanists will claim he is a real being; others view him as a symbol? for the animal desires of humans; still others view him as a symbol for the rebellious or independent aspects of humanity. RK then rewrote this to the paragraph below, asking, "Why accuse Satanists of lying about their beliefs? If they say they worship Satan, then they worship Satan. Calling them liars is NOT a neutral point of view." :Satan is worshipped by Satanists. Some satanists claim Satan is a real being; others view him as a symbol? for the animal desires of humans; still others view him as a symbol for the rebellious or independent aspects of humanity. Would this be a better compromise? :It is often supposed that Satan is worshipped by satanists. As discussed in more depth within the article on Satanism, some of those who call themselves satanists worship Satan, but many others who also call themselves satanists do not. Some satanists will claim he is a real being; others view him as a symbol for the animal desires of humans; still others view him as a symbol for the rebellious or independent aspects of humanity. ----- The current article contains the suggestion that the story of Lucifer falling from heaven is influence of Milton's Paradise Lost. I don't know for certain, but I doubt that this is true. As I understand it, this belief is based on interpretations of (admittedly somewhat obscure) passages in Revelation and Isaiah; interpretations that date back to the early church. Milton, rather than being a source of this story, merely expressed it in poetry. -- User:Simon J Kissane You're correct Simon. Revelation 12:7 - 8 (User:NIV) :''And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.'' -- User:Stephen Gilbert ----- re: "In a few neopagan religions, Satan is merely seen as a symbolic representation of humanity's collectively evil ways. " Not true. Neopaganism teaches that we are naturally good, not evil. There is no concept of hell, satan, or sin. --User:Dmerrill You are comfortable speaking for all neopagans here? ---- There is a need for more discussion hee of past examples of Christians identifying those who reject Christian beliefs, values, and practices as "Satanists" even though those people never claimed to worship Satan. I am not refering to contemporary neo-pagans, but to non-Western societies under European colonial occupation, and non Christians in the early middle ages (I am not refering to Jews but to other Europeans). I have heard from enough sources that this has occured to believe it, but I am no expert and hope that other Wikipedians can fill this out, SR ---- Removed this: "(Interestingly, scientists have discovered that primitive snakes did indeed have legs.)" sure, snakes evolved from lizards around 100M years ago and there were transitional forms. But it is a non-sequitur in this context. User:clasqm ---- I took another stab at the last paragraph. My main objective was to get rid of this phrase, :Satan is thought to be worshipped by Satanists My objection is to the passive voice, which not only (in my personal opinion) sounds pompous, but more importantly is unclear. In this context, it is especially important to specify WHO thinks Satanists worship Satan. I do not knw the historical literature well enough and hopeothers will develop this. But I do know that many accounts of "satanists worshiping Satan" were written by Christian authorities, and it is far, far from certain that the people in question actually identified themselves as Satanists, or whether they were actually worshiping Satan. SR : Of course I don't know which accounts or which Christian authorities you may be referring to, but I think you may be misunderstanding what many Christian writers have called Satan worship. Any form of idolatry, or worship of other gods (such as the Greek or Egyptian pantheons) was often blamed on Satan simply because Satan is known as the father of lies, and the worship of false gods was called the result of Satan's deception. This isn't quite the same as accusing the heathen greeks of directly worshipping Satan himself, even if some writers enthusiastically said that the worship of Zeus for instance was actually the worship of Satan. In the Orthodox rite of baptism, which serves as a rite of initiation into the Church, one of the very first parts of the liturgy is to renounce Satan and the world, turning to worship God. This doesn't mean the Orthodox think that every convert is a former Satanist, but that every convert was formerly deceived in some way. I think that the Catholic and many Protestant baptismal services have a similar renunciation of the devil in their services as well, though I'm not certain. At various times, heretics may have been accused of Satanism or similar language used, simply because they were thought to be spreading lies, which may have been thought to have originated with Satan. : Are these the sorts of accounts you were referring to, or were you thinking of something quite different? At any rate, I think the new text could use a tiny bit more precision. user:Wesley :: Wesley, I welcome your help in revising my recent change in order to make it more precise. I only ask that we maintain NPOV. I understand ''why'' Christians might think of non-Christian beliefs and practices as "satan worship." But it is crucial that we distinguish between what one group of outside observers claim, what other outside observers might claim (non-Christians would not identify any form of idolatry such as ancient Greek or Egyptian pantheons as satan worship), and what the people themselves (e.g. ancient Greeks or Egyptians) claim. This is my main concern. ::: I entirely agree that these distinctions should be maintained. user:Wesley ::I do understand the distinction you make. Be that as it may, there is some evidence that medieval witchcraft was not (originally, at least) Satan worship in the eyes of medieval witches, but was nevertheless identified as satan worship by the Church. I also know of examples of Christian missionaries who have identified local religions in South America and Africa as "Satan worship" even though the people in Africa and Suuth America didn't see it that way. ::: I won't dispute either of these examples. Perhaps they should be identified, instead of the vague reference to "Christian authorities"? user:Wesley ::I know there are two other phenomena this article should address: people who worship the devil or Satan but who do not share Christian's understanding of what/who the devil is (I think the article already acknowledges this), and also people today who do worship the same Satan that Christians abhor (I actually do not know if this happens, but the article suggests it does and I think could benefit from more detail). ::: I don't know if there are such people either. I do know there was a professed evangelical Christian, Mike Warnke, who published a once-popular book in the seventies or early eighties called ''Satan Seller'', in which he claimed to have been a Satanist High Priest, described his experiences as such and his later conversion to Christianity. Some time in the late eighties he was exposed as a complete fraud. I think his book and concert sales have dropped off considerably since then. :-/ user:Wesley :: As you say, it could be more precise. But the contribution I recently made comes pretty close to the limits of my own knowledge, SR ---- about the line: "One novel view is that Satan will be restored in the last days and become a good angel again." could someone provide a reference to where this view comes from? User:J.F.Quackenbush :Wesley, thanks for remembering that the "novel view" came from the Unification Church. That was one of my earliest contributions, but it was a bit vague, eh? I've included an external link to [http://www.tparents.org/library/unification/books/lcah/0-toc.htm Lucifer, A Criminal Against Humanity], which includes what UC members generally accept as Satan's confession (I doubt any other church gives it any credence, of course). --User:Ed Poor :: No problem. Thanks for the external link. Just skimmed a couple of sections, and it's certainly interesting. User:Wesley ---- The article provides a Hebrew and a Greek derivation for the word. It is my understanding that the word is Hebrew, it entered Greek ''from'' Hebrew, and is no more a Greek word than it is an English word. Is there any expert on the history of Greek out there who knows more about this? User:Slrubenstein :The Greek forms of ''satan'' and ''satanas'' are merely borrowings from the respective Hebrew and Aramaic words, so I put those forms instead. -- User:Stephen C. Carlson ::isn't the Hebrew word "shaitan", and shouldn't that word be used for the "adversary" concept from the Torah, i.e. in the Book of Job? This concept is VERY different from the idea of Satan in Christianity. See "Origin of Satan" by Elaine Pagels for the whole history of evolution of this concept. No. Shaitan is the Arabic spelling of Satan. شيطان for those of you who can read Arabic. ---Chiramabi == Rachelle == I removed the additional name "Rachelle". I can't find any corroboration for it. I'm very suspicious to see a modern girl's name in the list of appelations of the devil. If I was oversuspicious, please replace. --User:EvanProdromou 00:54, 13 Mar 2004 (UTC) ==History and Development of Satan == Better to begin with the history and development of Satan before you get to depictions of Satan in the movies. Eliminate all passive voice of nonattribution. Get your dates attached to your documents (''ca'' 150 A.D.-- like that). Use more quotes. There is no satan in paganism, that's a Christian and post-Christian fantasy. Leave the movies and video game images for the end. Forget "Apocrypha:" give books their names and dates. How can you discuss O.T. Satan without dividing your discussion into pre- and post-Exilic notions. What about Persia? "Apocrypha" is a historical development in itself and incompatible with NPOV, right? Get a format here where people who have some hard facts can hang them on something. User:Wetman 02:26, 13 Mar 2004 (UTC) == Dispute over introductory paragraph re origin of Satan. == The first paragraph states regarding Satan: ''In the Hebrew Bible, Satan is an angel that God utilizes to test man for various reasons usually dealing with his level of piety (i.e. the test of Adam and Eve in Genesis, and the Book of Job). In the Apocrypha and New Testament, Satan is portrayed as an evil, rebellious demon who is the enemy of God and mankind.'' From my knowledge of the Bible and various religion's interpretations of such, I would say that statement presented one of several different interpretations of who or what Satan is/represents in the Bible. In addition, the paragraph implies that the Satan of the Old Testament is different to the Satan of the New Testament, which isn't a view many religions share. Perhaps the paragraph could be rewritten to present a more multilateral explanation. --User:ClintonDaniel 06:06, 4 Jan 2005 (UTC) == Revelation 12 and the Hebrew Bible == If Satan is a servant of god, and Michael is also, then why do Micahel and Satan fight each other? Is Revelation 12 the same in the Hebrew Bible? --User:Rebroad 20:38, 7 Jan 2005 (UTC) :The Hebrew Bible is a neutral-ish term for what Christians call the Old Testament, and Jews call the Tanakh. It does not include the Revelation of St. John, which is the final book of the Christian New Testament. --User:Fubar Obfusco 21:24, 7 Jan 2005 (UTC) == Yom Kippur influence of Satan == The page says "On the Day of Atonement his power vanishes; for the numerical value of the letters of his name (gematria and Hebrew numerals) is only 364, one day being thus exempt from his influence (Yoma 20a)." but the Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar and does not have 365 days. What's up with that? == A Satanist vestige? == Why at the ens of the section "Images of Satan" there stands 2Hail Satan" and a Satanist symbol depicted? User:Andres 08:58, 22 Mar 2005 (UTC) : That was a result of Wikipedia:Vandalism and has now been reverted. User:Wipe 14:17, 22 Mar 2005 (UTC) == Satan in Powerpuff Girls == The following piece of text was removed by User:Marcus2 from the section Satan#Satan in entertainment media. His edition summary was: "not relevant or notable enough to the article; please don't revert again". If you have an opinion about this, please add your comments. I feel there should be at least a mention about The Powerpuff Girls, if not a full description. Feel free to reorganize the entertainment section, as it currently is in a poor state. :
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SB | SC | SD | SE | SF | SG | SH | SI | SJ | SK | SL | SM | SN | SO | SP | SR | SS | ST | SU | SW | SX | SY | SZ |Words begining with Satan:
Satan
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Satan's_Love_Drug
Satan's_Whiskers
Satanael
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Satanaka
Satanaya
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Satanic
Satanicbowlerhat
Satanicbowlerhat
Satanic_Artists
Satanic_Bible
Satanic_forces
Satanic_forces
Satanic_Leaf-Tailed_Gecko
Satanic_message
Satanic_panic
Satanic_Panic_in_the_Attic
Satanic_Reds_Social_Realism
Satanic_Reds_Social_Realism
Satanic_Ritual_Abuse
Satanic_ritual_abuse
Satanic_ritual_abuse
Satanic_School
Satanic_School
Satanic_square
Satanic_Verses
Satanic_Witch
Satanism
Satanism
Satanism
Satanism-footer
Satanism/archive1
Satanism_and_Pokémon
Satanism_and_Pokémon
Satanist
Satanists
Satanis_-_The_Devil's_Mass
Satanophobia
Satanovski
Satansangel_88
Satans_mistress
Satanta
Satanta,_Kansas
Satanta,_KS
Satan_(disambiguation)
Satan_eurystomus
Satan_Takes_A_Holiday
Satan_worship
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