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Home , Beelzebub

A Brief History of the Theology of

Satan or the in the Hebrew scriptures is known as ha-Satan. Satan in the Hebrew is adversary and can be used to describe a human as well as spiritual enemy. • Applied to an enemy in war - I Kings 5:1-4 - Now Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for Hiram always loved David. 2And Solomon sent word to Hiram, 3 "You know that David my father could not build a house for the name of the LORD his God because of the warfare with which his enemies surrounded him, until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet. 4 But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side. There is neither adversary nor misfortune. • Applied to an accuser before the judgment-seat - Psalm 109:1-7 - Be not silent, O God of my praise! 2For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues. 3They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause. 4In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer. 5So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love. 6 Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser stand at his right hand. 7When he is tried, let him come forth guilty; let his prayer be counted as sin! • Applied to antagonist - Numbers 22:31-35 - Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the of the LORD standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face. 32 And the angel of the LORD said to him, "Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me. 33 The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live." 34 Then Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, "I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood in the road against me . Now therefore, if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back." 35 And the angel of the LORD said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you." So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak.

The concept of a specific spiritual being designated as ha-Satan was not known in early scripture. We are introduced for the first time to this concept in the , where ha-Satan appears together with other celestial beings or "sons of God," before the Deity.

Job 1:6-12 - Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them . 7The LORD said to Satan, "From where have you come?" Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it." 8And the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?" 9Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for no reason? 10 Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face." 12 And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand." So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.

He is presented as one of God’s obedient servants, one of his messengers, called in Hebrew malakim, members of the heavenly court. He is characterized as that member of the divine council who watches over human activity, but with the evil purpose of searching out men's sins and appearing as their accuser . He is, therefore, the celestial prosecutor, who sees only iniquity; and he persists in his evil opinion of Job even after he has successfully passed through his first trial by surrendering to the will of God. Several things can be stated with absolute certainty from the Job account: 1. One, Satan answers when called by the Almighty. But then, who doesn't? 2. Satan is entirely limited in his powers against the human race by the explicit will of God. 3. Satan has no power of independent action, but requires the permission of God, which he may not transgress.

Isaiah 45:5-7 - I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, 6 that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the LORD, and there is no other. 7I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity (Hebrew word rah meaning evil or bad), I am the LORD, who does all these things.

Good and evil were both attributed to God without a great deal of theological hand-wringing. The One True God of Israel was seen as all encompassing and the rewarder of the righteous as well as the source of punishment for the wicked. But as the faith continued to develop and came under the influence of Babylonian, Persian, Greek, and Roman thought it developed more of a spiritual world dynamic. From the Hebrew mindset of God revealing himself as the one true God who controlled all things the faith gradually began to embrace more of a multi-layered spiritual world mindset in which there are spiritual battles. By 150BC Satan was an identifiable creature within Judaism and considered an enemy of God.

Daniel 10:1-14 - In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a word was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. And the word was true, and it was a great conflict. And he understood the word and had understanding of the vision. 2In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks. 3I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks. 4On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river ( that is, the Tigris) 5 I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, a man clothed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. 6His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude. 7 And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision, but a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves. 8So I was left alone and saw this great vision, and no strength was left in me. My radiant appearance was fearfully changed, and I retained no strength. 9Then I heard the sound of his words, and as I heard the sound of his words, I fell on my face in deep sleep with my face to the ground. 10 And behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 And he said to me, "O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you." And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. 12 Then he said to me, "Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. 13 The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days , but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, 14 and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come."

Some groups of Jewish storytellers, influenced by Greek thought began to suggest that Isaiah treatise against the King of Babylon had spiritual overtones and applied to an angelic insurrection. This view was embraced by the Early Church Father Origen and applied throughout the early development of the church. This belief was ensconced in these two prophetic passages.

Isaiah 14:12-17 - How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! 13 You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' 15 But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit. 16 Those who see you will stare at you and ponder over you: 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, 17 who made the world like a desert and overthrew its cities, who did not let his prisoners go home?

Ezekiel 28:11-19 - Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me: 12 "Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord GOD: "You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. 14 You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. 15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you. 16 In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17 Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you. 18 By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade you profaned your sanctuaries; so I brought fire out from your midst; it consumed you, and I turned you to ashes on the earth in the sight of all who saw you. 19 All who know you among the peoples are appalled at you; you have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever."

Ha-Satan became a popular belief among disconnected and sectarian who saw mainstream Judaism as being sold out to Rome and evil. Among them, they developed many titles for Ha-Satan, including: Satan, , (hatred), Beelzebub, and Prince of Darkness. By ’ day, the gospel and epistle writers were very comfortable incorporating text around a character known as the devil, who was also called all of the names above. He is introduced immediately in Matthew’s gospel as the opponent who Jesus must overcome in the wilderness temptation (Matthew 4:1-11). He entered into Judas just prior to his betrayal (John 13:27). He is viewed as a corrupting influence in the ongoing unfolding of the Kingdom of God in Jesus’ parable of the wheat and the tares (Matthew 13:36-42) among other revelations.

In Christian thought, Satan is the organizing force or figurehead of all that is evil and opposed to God. As such he is seen working through people as pictured in Judas above, and as working through or evil spirits causing sickness, infirmity, insanity, or seizures (Mark 1:24; :25-41; Luke 13:10-17) through their direct contact with people. One interesting thing to note is that Satan is assigned a role in adversarial relationships between those following Jesus and others opposing them, which is based on the Hebrew Scriptural model (:22; John 7:20; John 8:38-52; Luke 22:52-54). All human enemies of the people of faith are assigned a role with Satan.

By the writing of the epistles, Satan is assigned a significant role as adversary to the church. He is pitted against the saints and as the chief adversary of the church. He is viewed as the evil force behind evil people that is to be hated while maintaining a sense of love and forgiveness toward the people he uses in his plans.

Ephesians 6:10-20 - Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

Those who hold to a spiritual application of Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 see him as an angel who rebelled against God and brought with him a host of other . Some grants him equal or co-adversarial status with God through that rebellion. He has even been granted in some circles a God- like status of omnipotence, omnipresence, “limited” omnipotence. This does not square with the revelation of scripture. He is not the emphasis of scripture nor is he a significant subject with which we are to be preoccupied. If all of scripture is used to define the being known as Satan, we must consider that he was created by God and his purpose in seducing man away from God poses no problem because Satan is only an agent of God necessary for the agency of free will. As a servant of the Almighty, Satan faithfully carries out the divine will of his Creator as he does in all his tasks. This idea is seen as heretical by some in the church because it assigns to God some sort of an association with something other than brilliant light and holy perfection. But it is no less confusing or contradictory than reconciling God’s holy judgment and his endless mercy.