The Origins of Satan: The Evolution of the Devil in Religion
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The Origins of Satan: The Evolution of the Devil in Religion
"The Dev­il, the Beast, Beelze­bub, Lucifer, Satan: whichev­er name we hap­pen to call him, we know full well who the guy is - or at least, we think we do. In fact, the images and evo­ca­tions of that embod­i­ment of (or per­haps metaphor for) sin, deceit, and temp­ta­tion that many of us have encoun­tered in pop­u­lar cul­ture have lit­tle, if any­thing, to do with Bib­li­cal scrip­ture."
"Hen­ry men­tions that the Hebrew term śāṭān, which means "adver­sary or accuser," does appear ear­ly in the Bible, but it "sim­ply refers to human adver­saries." Only in lat­er texts, like the Book of Job, does the word take on the mean­ing of a "divine job title, kind of like a pros­e­cu­tor" or "legal adver­sary in a divine court." We're still far from the cur­rent Chris­t­ian con­cept of Satan,"
The Hebrew Bible contains no singular supreme evil being opposed to God. The Hebrew term śāṭān originally means "adversary" or "accuser" and often refers to human opponents. In later Hebrew texts, such as the Book of Job, śāṭān appears as a divine role resembling a prosecutor or legal adversary within a divine court. The later Christian concept of Satan as the cosmic embodiment of evil developed over time. Cultural and religious exchanges, including influences from Zoroastrian dualism between Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu, contributed to shaping the image of a cosmic struggle between good and evil and the eventual figure of Satan.
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