V
Vanguard
Guest
Note: this discussion is for educational purposes only. It is to explore the mythology of Satan, using two different religions that share the same OT of the Bible. There is no intent to try and change anyone's view about Satan. I will merely be stating the facts, and disregarding any fictional or out-of-context accounts.
Christianity
For Christians, Satan is the Devil. He is a fallen angel, the great adversary, the enemy of God, a deceiver, a liar, and responsible for many ungodly things that happen in the world. He tempts us into evil, he brings about misery, suffering, and works to separate us from God. This is pretty much Christianity 101.
There are several instances within the Bible (both the OT and NT) where Satan (the Devil), is at work, mentioned, and is shown to be the biggest adversary to God. The NT clearly depicts a "Satan vs. God" scenario. The Book of Revelation mentions Satan no less than 11 times (literally or implied).
Satan is referenced by many names, to include Lucifer (KJV) , The Serpent, The Prince of Lies, The Fallen One, The Devil, The Deceiver, Old Scratch, etc. Some of the names are folklore based, but none-the-less people use them to refer to Satan. Over the centuries, Satan's story has expanded beyond the scope of the Bible.
The word devil comes from the Middle English use of the word devel, from the Old English dēofol, which represents a Germanic rendering of the Latin diabolus, which borrowed from the Greek diabolos. Note that these renderings only refer to the term "devil" and not the word "satan." The actual name "Satan" comes from the Hebrew word "HaSaTan" (more on this later).
The NT contains the basis for many Christian views about Satan. The Apocrypha contains some references to Satan by way of the Book of Enoch (implied rendering). There his name is believed to be Satariel, Sataniel or Satan'el. They are "angelic" sounding, much like Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel. Thus the belief that Satan was once an angel.
Satan has been included in many literary works such as Paradise Lost and Dante's Inferno. A lot of the mythology about Satan comes not from biblical accounts, but from fictional works. It is important that you separate the two.
Judaism
Under Judaism, Satan is not an adversary of God. He is not a fallen angel. He is not a deceiver. He does not bring about misery, suffering, or tries to separate us from God. None of that is found in the OT, and certainly not in the Hebrew.
The Hebrew word "HaSaTan" is not actually a name, but a title. It means "the Accuser" (or in some renderings, the Adversary). Under their belief, Satan has a specific job given to him by God. He is to bring the sinful before God, accuse them of their sins (crimes), and God passes judgment. If you use a courtroom analogy, Satan is the district attorney and God is the judge. Satan does not work against God, but instead is following God's orders.
An example would be Zechariah chapter 3. Satan brings the high priest Joshua before God, accuses him of his sin, and God renders judgment. Yes God says "The Lord rebuke you, Satan!" but don't take it out of context. The chapter is referring to Joshua allowing his daughters to marry Gentiles, Satan sees it as a sin, and brings him before God (that is his job). God defends Joshua by saying that he has kept His commandments and has done no wrong.
Under Judaism, God is all powerful (omnipotent), all knowing (omniscient) and everywhere (omnipresent). Nothing happens without God's say-so. The flip side is that Satan is a being that was created by God, and has no power. He can't do anything without God's permission or approval. He follows God's orders and carries out his assigned job (thus his title, not name). The story found in the Book of Job illustrates this.
To give Satan power to act without God's approval or permission, means that Satan is a type of god unto himself. Both Judaism and Christianity believe that God is the one true God, the only God, and so Satan can't have power on his own. He is subject to God's will. Satan is not the Devil under Judaism. Orthodox Judaism does not recognize the NT, and they disregard the Christian interpretations based off NT renderings.
Thus we have two different accounts of Satan, his role, and the beliefs surrounding him.
Christianity
For Christians, Satan is the Devil. He is a fallen angel, the great adversary, the enemy of God, a deceiver, a liar, and responsible for many ungodly things that happen in the world. He tempts us into evil, he brings about misery, suffering, and works to separate us from God. This is pretty much Christianity 101.
There are several instances within the Bible (both the OT and NT) where Satan (the Devil), is at work, mentioned, and is shown to be the biggest adversary to God. The NT clearly depicts a "Satan vs. God" scenario. The Book of Revelation mentions Satan no less than 11 times (literally or implied).
Satan is referenced by many names, to include Lucifer (KJV) , The Serpent, The Prince of Lies, The Fallen One, The Devil, The Deceiver, Old Scratch, etc. Some of the names are folklore based, but none-the-less people use them to refer to Satan. Over the centuries, Satan's story has expanded beyond the scope of the Bible.
The word devil comes from the Middle English use of the word devel, from the Old English dēofol, which represents a Germanic rendering of the Latin diabolus, which borrowed from the Greek diabolos. Note that these renderings only refer to the term "devil" and not the word "satan." The actual name "Satan" comes from the Hebrew word "HaSaTan" (more on this later).
The NT contains the basis for many Christian views about Satan. The Apocrypha contains some references to Satan by way of the Book of Enoch (implied rendering). There his name is believed to be Satariel, Sataniel or Satan'el. They are "angelic" sounding, much like Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel. Thus the belief that Satan was once an angel.
Satan has been included in many literary works such as Paradise Lost and Dante's Inferno. A lot of the mythology about Satan comes not from biblical accounts, but from fictional works. It is important that you separate the two.
Judaism
Under Judaism, Satan is not an adversary of God. He is not a fallen angel. He is not a deceiver. He does not bring about misery, suffering, or tries to separate us from God. None of that is found in the OT, and certainly not in the Hebrew.
The Hebrew word "HaSaTan" is not actually a name, but a title. It means "the Accuser" (or in some renderings, the Adversary). Under their belief, Satan has a specific job given to him by God. He is to bring the sinful before God, accuse them of their sins (crimes), and God passes judgment. If you use a courtroom analogy, Satan is the district attorney and God is the judge. Satan does not work against God, but instead is following God's orders.
An example would be Zechariah chapter 3. Satan brings the high priest Joshua before God, accuses him of his sin, and God renders judgment. Yes God says "The Lord rebuke you, Satan!" but don't take it out of context. The chapter is referring to Joshua allowing his daughters to marry Gentiles, Satan sees it as a sin, and brings him before God (that is his job). God defends Joshua by saying that he has kept His commandments and has done no wrong.
Under Judaism, God is all powerful (omnipotent), all knowing (omniscient) and everywhere (omnipresent). Nothing happens without God's say-so. The flip side is that Satan is a being that was created by God, and has no power. He can't do anything without God's permission or approval. He follows God's orders and carries out his assigned job (thus his title, not name). The story found in the Book of Job illustrates this.
To give Satan power to act without God's approval or permission, means that Satan is a type of god unto himself. Both Judaism and Christianity believe that God is the one true God, the only God, and so Satan can't have power on his own. He is subject to God's will. Satan is not the Devil under Judaism. Orthodox Judaism does not recognize the NT, and they disregard the Christian interpretations based off NT renderings.
Thus we have two different accounts of Satan, his role, and the beliefs surrounding him.
Last edited by a moderator:
