Devil

The Devil as Baphomet

The Devil is the title given to the supernatural being, who, in mainstream Christianity, Islam, and some other religions, is believed to be a powerful, evil entity and the tempter of humankind. The Devil is commonly associated with heretics, infidels, and other unbelievers.

The name "Devil" derives from the Greek word diabolos, which means "slanderer" or "accuser". In mainstream Christianity, God and the Devil are usually portrayed as fighting over the souls of humans, with the Devil seeking to lure people away from God and into Sheol. The Devil commands a force of lesser evil spirits, commonly known as demons. The Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament) does not assign this level of personification to the devil; there, the Adversary (Ha-satan) is a servant of God whose job it is to test humankind.

This entity is commonly referred to by a variety of names, including Abbadon, Angra Mainyu, Satan, Asmodai, Beelzebub, Lucifer, Belial, and Iblis. Many other religions have a trickster or tempter figure that is similar to the Devil. Modern conceptions of the Devil include the concept that it symbolizes humans' own lower nature or sinfulness.

People put the concept of the Devil to use in social and political conflicts, claiming that their opponents are influenced by the Devil or even willingly supporting the Devil. The Devil has also been used to explain why others hold beliefs that are considered to be false and ungodly.

The Devil in Abrahamic religions

Judaism

In Hebrew, the biblical word ha-satan (שָׂטָן) means "the adversary" or "the obstacle," or even "the prosecutor."

William Blake's depiction of the Devil tormenting Job

In the Book of Job, ha-satan is the title, not the proper name, of an angel who reports to God. Here he acts as the divine court's chief prosecutor. In other words, ha-satan does not create evil, but rather points out to God the evil inclinations and actions of humankind. In essence ha-satan has no power unless humans do evil things. After God points out Job's piety, ha-satan asks for permission to test the faith of Job. The righteous man is afflicted with loss of family, property, and later, health. However, the book is clear in its view that none of this happens outside of God's sovereign will. The view of Satan as the accuser is retained in Zech. 3:1-2, where Satan is described as the adversary of the high priest Joshua. In the book of 1 Chronicles 21:1, ha-satan incites David to an unlawful census. Interestingly, the early version of this story in (give reference) portrays God himself as leading David to this act. TheBook of Isaiah, Job, Ecclesiastes, and Deuteronomy all have passages in which God is credited for exercising sovereign control over both good and evil.

In the Jewish apocrypha, however Satan's role came to resemble more closely that normally associated with the Devil. In Wisdom 2:24 he is represented as the author of all evil, who brought death into the world. 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 24). Since that time he has been called "Satan," although previously he had been termed "Satanel" (ib. 32:3). Satan rules over an entire host of angels (Martyrdom of Isaiah 2:2; Life of Adam and Eve 16). Mastema, another name for Satan (Book of Jubilees, 17:18), induced God to test Abraham through the sacrifice of Isaac. In Book of Tobit Asmodeus is likewise to be identified with Satan, especially in view of his licentiousness. As the lord of other devils he sometimes bears the special name Samael. In the New Testament, the opponents of Jesus accuse him of being an agent a Beelzebub, and this may be an accurate reflection of popular attitudes of the time regarding the Devil's work with sorcerers and witches.

Talmudic Judaism, beginning perhaps with Johanan (d. 279 C.E.), absorbed the popular concepts of Satan. Samael, the lord of the satans, was a mighty prince of angels in heaven (Gen. R. xix.). Like all celestial beings, he flies through the air (Gen. R. xix.), and can assume any form, as of a bird (Sanh. 107a), a stag (ib. 95a), a woman (Ḳid. 81a), a beggar (ib.), or a young man (Tan., Wayera, end). He is said to "skip" (Pes. 112b; Meg. 11b), in allusion to his appearance in the form of a goat. He is the incarnation of all evil, and his thoughts and activities are devoted to the destruction of man; so that Satan, the impulse to evil ("yetzer ha-ra'"), and the angel of death are one and the same personality.

Image:GoldCalf.jpg|thumb|250px|The worship of the golden calf]]

On the Day of Atonement his power vanishes (Yoma 20a). Moses banished him by means of the Divine Name (Grünhut, "Sefer ha-Liḳḳuṭim," v. 169). If Satan does not attain his purpose, as was the case in his temptation of Job, he feels great sorrow (B. B. 16a). 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 (Shab. 89a; Yer. Targ. to Ex. xxxii. 1), while the two tables of the Law were bestowed on Moses of necessity without Satan's knowledge (Sanh. 26b).

He was an active agent in the fall of man (Pirḳe R. El. xiii), and was the father of Cain (ib. xxi.). He was also instrumental in the death of Moses (Deut. R. xiii. 9) and in David's sin with Bathsheba (Sanh. 95a). The decree to destroy all the Jews, which Haman obtained, was written on parchment brought by Satan (Esther R. iii. 9). He appeared as a tempter to Rabbi Akiba (Ḳid. 81a). Satan kindles the evil impulse to impurity (Ex. R. xx). In the hour of birth, he brings his accusation against the mother (Eccl. R. iii. 2).

As the incarnation of evil Satan is the arch-enemy of the Messiah: he is Antichrist. At his request God showed Satan the Messiah. "When he saw him he trembled, fell upon his face, and cried: 'Verily this is the Messiah who shall hurl me and all the princes of the angels of the peoples down even unto hell.'" (Pesiḳ. R. iii. 6)

Christianity

Saint Wolfgang and the Devil by Michael Pacher).

In mainstream Christianity the Devil is also known as Satan and sometimes as Lucifer.

In the Gospels, the Devil and his kingdom are regarded as encompassing the entire world, and are factors in all the events of daily life. He bears many names, being called "Satan" (Matt. 4:10, Mark 1:30, Luke 10:18 etc), "devil" (Matt. 4:1 et passim), "adversary" (1 Peter 5:8, 1 Tim. 5:14), "enemy" (Matt. 13:39), "accuser" (Rev. 12:10), "ancient serpent" (Rev 2o:2), "great dragon" (Rev 12:9), Beelzebub (Matt. 10:25), and Belial. He is the author of all evil, who beguiled Eve (2 Cor. 11:3), and who brought death into the world (Heb. 2:13). He is ever the tempter (1 Thess. 3:5, 1 Peter 5:8), and was even able to tempt Jesus (Matt. 4).

In Christian theology, the Devil was once an angel, but rebelled against God and has consequently been condemned to the Lake of Fire. The Devil is identified with the serpent in the Garden of Eden, the dragon in the Book of Revelation (Rev. 12:9), and the tempter of the Gospels ( Mt. 4:1]). He is described as hating all humanity, opposing God, spreading lies and wreaking havoc on the souls of mankind. Historically he is thought to have inspired witches, heretics, infidels, and all of those who oppose God and the Church. Today, some Christians consider the Devil to refer figuratively to human sin and temptation and to any human system in opposition to God.

Islam

In Islam the Devil is referred to as Iblis According to the Qur'an, God created Iblis out of "smokeless fire" (along with all of the other jinn) and created man out of clay. His great influence is due to his power to cast evil suggestions into the heart of men and women.

According to Muslim tradition, Iblis was expelled from the grace of Allah when he disobeyed God by choosing not to pay homage to Adam, the father of all mankind. He claimed to be superior to Adam, on the grounds that man was created of mere earth while he, Iblis, was created of fire. The angels dutifully prostrated themelves before Adam to show their obedience to God. However, Iblis—being unlike the angels in his ability to choose— decide not to obey God. This caused him to be expelled by God, a fact that Iblis blamed on humanity. He therefore determined to bring mankind into disobedience as well. Initially, the Devil was successful in deceiving Adam and Eve, causing them to sin. However, they soon repented and were forgiven by God. Adam went on to become the world's first prophet, and never sinned again. God gave the couple a strong warning about Iblis and the fires of Hell, commanding them and their children to stay away from the deceptions caused by the Devil.

The Qur’an teaches that the Devil's role, until the Qiyamah or Resurrection Day (yaum-ul-qiyama), is to attempt to deceive Adam's children (mankind). After that, he will be put into the fires of Hell along with those whom he has deceived. The Qur'an depicts God as supremely sovereign over all his creations and thus Iblis does not technically act outside of God's will. Iblis's single enemy is humanity. Thus, humankind is warned to struggle (jihad) against the mischief of the Devil. The ones who succeed in this are rewarded with Paradise, attainable only by righteous conduct.

The Devil in other religions

Hinduism

File:Rahu—ehk-Rahula.jpg

Tibetan depiction of Rahu

In contrast to Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Zoroastrianism, Hinduism does not recognize any central evil force or entity such as the Devil opposing God. Hinduism does recognize that different beings (e.g., asuras) and entities can perform evil acts, under the temporary dominance of the guna of tamas, and cause wordly sufferings.

A prominent asura is Rahu whose characteristics are similar to those of the Devil. In Hindu mythology, Rahu is a snake that swallows the sun or the moon causing eclipses. According to legend, Rahu drank some of the divine nectar of immortality. But before the nectar could pass his throat, Mohini (the female avatar of Vishnu) cut off his head. Rahu's head, however, remained immortal. Rahu also appears in Buddhist writings and art as one of the terror-inspiring deities.

In Hindu philosophy the asuric tendencies are inferior and exist as illusions in the mind. Asuras may also be human beings in whom bad motivations and intentions have temporarily outweighed the good ones.

In Ayyavazhi, an offshoot of Hinduism prominent in Tamil Nadu (a southern state in India with Dravidian heritage), followers believe in a Satan-like figure, Kroni. Kroni is the primordial manifestation of evil who appears in various forms, i.e., Ravana, Duryodhana, etc., in different ages or yugas. Kroni is said to be virtually omnipresent in this age.

Buddhism

A devil-like figure in Buddhism is Mara. He is a tempter, who also tempted Gautama Buddha by trying to seduce him with the vision of beautiful women who, are often said to be Mara's daughters. Mara personifies unskillfulness, the "death" of the spiritual life. He tries to distract humans from practicing the spiritual life by making the mundane alluring or the negative seem positive.

Another interpretation of Mara is that he actually is the desires that are present in ones own mind, preventing the person from seeing the truth. So in a sense Mara is not an independent being but a part of one's own being that has to be defeated.

In daily life of the Buddha the role of devil has been given to Devadatta, his cousin and jealous fellow monk who attempted to kill him and caused a schism in the monastic community.

Zoroastrianism

In Zoroastrianism, the adversary of the God of goodness is called Angra Mainyu. In the Gathas, the oldest texts of the Zoroastrian Avesta, believed to have been composed by Zoroaster himself, the poet does not mention a manifest adversary of God. Ahura Mazda's creation is "truth," asha. The "lie" (druj) is manifest only as decay or chaos, not a personal entity. In Zurvanism (Zurvanite Zoroastrianism), however, Ahura Mazda and the principle of evil, Angra Mainyu, are the "twin" offspring of Zurvan, "Time."

Today, the Parsis of India largely accept the nineteenth century interpretation that Angra Mainyu is the "Destructive Emanation" of Ahura Mazda. Instead of struggling against Mazda himself, Angra Mainyu battles Spenta Mainyu, Mazda's "Creative Emanation."

The Devil in world folklore

In the Western Christian tradition, the Devil has entered popular folklore, particularly in his role as a trickster figure. As such, he is found as a character in a wide number of traditional folktales and legends from Ireland, Newfoundland, Italy and the United Kingdom, where he often attempts to trick or outwit other characters. In some of these tales, the Devil is portrayed as more of a folk villain than as the personification of evil. The Devil also features prominently in a number of hagiographical tales, or tales of the saints such as the popular tale of St. Dunstan, many of which may fall outside the authorized religious canon. The Devil is also a recurring feature in tales explaining the etymology of geographical names, lending his name to natural formations such as The Devil's Chimney.

New ideas bout the Devil

Bahá'í Faith

In the Bahá'í Writings, "devil" or "satanic" can have a number of meanings. Sometimes it is used to refer to the Bahá'í interpretation of Satan. Other times it refers to people who are ruled by their own lower nature. In this sense, the Bahá'ís consider certain evil people to be devils incarnate, not in the sense of being ruled by an external evil force, but by their own selfish desires. The Báb referred to His persecutors as "the followers of the devil". Demonic possession mentioned in the Bible is considered to be another example of individuals who are ruled by their own lower natures. Shoghi Effendi wrote:

"Regarding your question relative to the condition of those people who are described in the Gospel as being possessed of devils; this should be interpreted figuratively; devil or Satan is symbolic of evil and dark forces yielding to temptation."[1]

In the context of the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, the devil is interpreted as the human nature of Jesus. His human nature showed Him what He could attain with His great powers, if He were to follow the ways of the world. However, the Holy Spirit within Christ refused to submit to the lower nature, choosing to do the Will of God instead.

The Bahá'í Faith teaches that Satan is also a metaphor for the "insistent self" or "lower self" which is a self-serving inclination within each individual. This tendency is often referred to in the Bahá'í Writings as "the Evil One." Bahá'u'lláh wrote:

"Watch over yourselves, for the Evil One is lying in wait, ready to entrap you. Gird yourselves against his wicked devices, and, led by the light of the name of the All-Seeing God, make your escape from the darkness that surroundeth you."[2]

"This lower nature in man is symbolized as Satan - the evil ego within us, not an evil personality outside."[3]

Neopaganism

Christian tradition has frequently identified pagan religions and witchcraft with the influence of Satan. In the Middle Ages, the Church accused alleged witches of consorting and conspiring with Satan. Several modern conservative Christian writers, such as Jack Chick and James Dobson, have depicted today's neopagan and witchcraft religions as explicitly Satanic.

Few neopagan traditions recognize Satan or the Devil outright. However, many neopagan groups worship some sort of Horned God, for example as a consort of the Great Goddess in Wicca. These gods usually reflect mythological figures such as Cernunnos or Pan, and any similarity they may have to the Christian Devil seems to date back only to the nineteenth century, when a Christian reaction to Pan's growing importance in literature and art resulted in his image being translated to that of the Devil.

New Age movement

Participants in the New Age movement have widely varied views about Satan, the Devil, and so forth. In some forms of Esoteric Christianity Satan remains as a being of evil, or at least a metaphor for sin and materialism, but the most widespread tendency is to deny his existence altogether. Lucifer, on the other hand, in the original Roman sense of "light-bringer," occasionally appears in the literature of certain groups as a metaphorical figure quite distinct from Satan, and without any implications of evil. For example, Theosophy founder Madame Blavatsky named her journal Lucifer since she intended it to be a "bringer of light."

Satanism prefers the Satan to God, seeing Satan as a being who promotes freedom and knowledge, while the Christian God is an oppressive tyrant. In effect, the roles of God and the Devil are reversed in this system.

Many New Age schools of thought follow a nondualistic philosophy that does not recognize a primal force for evil. Even when a dualistic model is followed, this is more often akin to the Chinese system of yin and yang, in which good and evil are explicitly not a complementary duality. Schools of thought that do stress a spiritual war between good and evil or light and darkness include the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, Agni Yoga, and the Church Universal and Triumphant.

Other names for the Devil

Demons

• Abbadon (Hebrew: אבדון Avaddon) meaning "destruction"
• Baphomet, a demon supposedly worshiped by the Knights Templar
• Beelzebub, ba'al zevuv בעל זבוב (Hebrew): Master of the flies or Lord of the Flies
• Belial, Beliar, Bheliar (Hebrew): without master, despicableness of the earth, Lord of Pride
• Mastema, a devil in the Book of Jubilees
• Mephistopheles, Mephisto (Greek): that, which avoids the light
• Sammael, Samiel, Sammael (Hebrew): "Poison of God"
• Azazel, Asael (Hebrew): King of Devils
• Chutriel (Hebrew): Punisher of Hell^{[citation needed]}
• Demogorgon
• Uriel

Titles

• 666 or 616, the Number of the Beast
• Angra Mainyu, Ahriman: "malign spirit," "unholy spirit"
• Antichrist, the coming of the Devil to the mortal world in Christianity
• Diabolus, Diavolus (Greek): "downward flowing"
• Iblis, the devil in Islam
• Lord of the underworld / Lord of Hell / God of this World
• Lucifer
• Old Scratch, The Stranger, Old Nick
• Old Hob
• Prince of Darkness / Air
• Satan / The Adversary, Accuser, Prosecutor
• The Ancient Serpent
• Shaitan, an Arabic name for Satan

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• The Origin of Satan
• The Old Enemy: Satan & the Combat Myth, by Neil Forsyth
• The Devil: Perceptions of Evil from Antiquity to Primitive Christianity, by Jeffrey Burton Russell
• The Devil in Legend and Literature,

External links

• Catholic Encyclopedia
• Children of the Devil
• The Devil - Unjustly Maligned
• Origin and Fate of Satan

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