Satan, Lucifer, and the Demons (25 January 2017, 27 Tevet, 5777)
Contents:
1. Warning: Do Not Copy Pagan Beliefs and Practices!
2. The Present Mainstream Christian Doctrine
3. Persians
4. The Jewish Attitude. A Little Different
5. The Serpent in the Garden
6. The Satan in the Book of Job
7. The Satan in the Bible
8. Who is Lucifer? Passages in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28.
9. Is the Idea of Lucifer ONLY a Christian Belief or ALSO a Jewish One?
10. Demons and Devils
11. Solomon and Demons
12. The Many Wives of King Solomon
13. Why Did Solomon Take So Many Women?
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1. Warning: Do Not Copy Pagan Beliefs and Practices!
Deuteronomy 12 (KJ2000):
29 When the LORD your God shall cut off the nations from before you, where you go to possess them, and you displace them, and dwell in their land;
30 Take heed to yourself that you are not snared by following them, after they are destroyed from before you; and that you inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.
31 You shall not do so unto the LORD your God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hates, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burned in the fire to their gods.
32 Whatsoever thing I command you, observe to do it: you shall not add thereto, nor take away from it.
Deuteronomy 18
13 You shall be blameless before the LORD your God. 14 For those nations, which you shall dispossess, listen to those who practice witchcraft and to diviners, but as for you, the LORD your God has not allowed you to do so.
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2. The Present Mainstream Christian Doctrine
Christian Doctrine derived from Jewish sources describes a struggle between good and bad.
The forces of evil are led by Satan who is also known as Lucifer.
This personality was once an angel who led a revolt of angels against God.
Consequently Lucifer and his angelic followers were cast out of Heaven.
Ever since then they have been waging a war against the Almighty.
Satan ahd nis demonic cohorts serve to deceive human beings and seduce them to sin.
This is what mainstream Christian believe.
It is a doctrine mainly derived from Jewish sources but there may have been some Persian influence.
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3. Persians
The Persians had a powerful Empire. They conquered the Babylonians then were conquered by the Macedonian Greeks, then were ruled by Scythian Parthians, then again by a native Iranian dynasty, the Sassanians.
Under the Parthians and Sassanians the Persians were rivals of Rome and strongly influential not only in their own Middle Eastern area but also throughout the Roman Empire itself.
Mithra, a Persian idol, became a favorite with Roman soldiers even in Britain.
The Persians had been greatly influenced by the Ten Tribes and by Jews. Their own religion was a mixture of pagan ideas along with Israelite and Jewish ones.
Their religious beliefs evolved over time constantly taking in new features borrowed from others.
Roughly speaking they more or less believed in a Supreme God under whom were two sub-gods one of whom represented good and the other evil.
As well as that there were numerous other deities. The Persian emphasis on the dichotomy of good and evil may have influenced the overall cultural mileiu that gave rise to early Christianity.
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4. The Jewish Attitude. A Little Different
Even though the Christian Belief had been borrowed from Jewish ones the Jews themselves did not entirely accept them.
The legend of Lucifer (or something like it) may have been known but related to more as Folklore than as doctrine. It was not necessarily taken seriously by the Rabbinical rank and file.
Jews recognize the forces of evil as emanating primarily from human beings.
We all have a good and bad side to us.
The ideal is to channel all energies in a positive direction.
The Satan exists and represents the personified powers of adversity.
Beyond that it may be said that there is no universally accepted definition as to who or what the Satan is.
Before expanding on this matter let us see what the Bible says.
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5. The Serpent in the Garden
Genesis 3
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made.
He said to the woman, 'Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?' 2 And the woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'' 4 But the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.' 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths......
14 The LORD God said to the serpent,
Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.
It is obvious here that the Serpent represents something beyond the common snake.
Jewish and Christian tradition conflates the Serpent with the Satan.
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6. The Satan in the Book of Job
A figure known as Satan appears in the Book of Job.
The Satan is one of the "Sons of God" i.e. an angel-type creature.
He is described as something that journeys over the earth looking for human weakness and reporting back to the Almighty.
Job 1:
6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. 7 The LORD said to Satan, From where do you come? Then Satan answered the LORD and said, From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it. 8 The LORD said to Satan, Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil. 9 Then Satan answered the LORD, Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Have You not made a hedge about 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 put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face. 12 Then the LORD said to Satan, Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him. So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satan#Book_of_Job
At the beginning of the book, Job is a good person "who revered God and turned away from evil" (Job 1:1), and has therefore been rewarded by God. When the angels present themselves to God, Satan comes as well. God informs Satan about Job's blameless, morally upright character. Between Job 1:9- 10 and 2:4-5, Satan points out that God has given Job everything that a man could want, so of course Job would be loyal to God; Satan suggests that Job's faith would collapse if all he has been given (even his health) were to be taken away from him. God therefore gives Satan permission to test Job. In the end, Job remains faithful and righteous, and there is the implication that Satan is shamed in his defeat.
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7. The Satan in the Bible
The word Satan occurs about 27 or more times in the Hebrew Bible.
In many of the Biblical usages of the word it is clearly referring to human beings and simply means adversary, e.g.
1-Samuel 29:4 The Philistines say: "Lest he [David] be a Satan [i.e. an adversary] against us."
So too,
Numbers 22:22,32 we find the verbal form "le-Setan" i.e. to act as adversary, used twice.
e.g. Numbers 22:22 "and the angel of the LORD stood in the way to act as an adversary [Hebrew: "le-satan"]against him."
Elsewhere we find the word used as the name of an Angelic type being who usually acts against mankind.
About 7 of its appearances are in the Book of Job dealt with above.
Zechariah speaks of the Satan as opposed to the Angel of God and the benefit of Jerusalem.
Zechariah 3:
3 And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.
2 And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD who hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee! Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?
The Satan causes people to err, make mistakes, and bring harm to themselves and others.
1-Chronicles 21:
1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.
In Psalms 109:6 David curses the wicked. He calls upon God to put Satan against them.
Psalms 109:
1 Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise.
2 For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me; they have spoken against me with a lying tongue.
3 They compassed me about also with words of hatred, and fought against me without a cause.
4 For my love they are my adversaries, but I give myself unto prayer.
5 They have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
6 Set Thou a wicked man over him, and let Satan stand at his right hand.
We therefore see that according tot he simple meaning of the text there is an actual being who is like angle but acts as an adversary of human beings.
He would appear to be a Servant of the Almighty were it not for his conflation with the Serpent in the Garden who appears to have incited mankind against the will of the Almighty.
In this case the Serpent-Satan has allied himself with the negative impulses of Man in rebellion against God.
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8. Who is Lucifer? Passages in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28
Isaiah 14:12 speaks of someone called in Hebrew "Hillel ben Shachar" i.e. Hillel [Illuminated One?] son of the Morning. The word Hillel was translated into Latin and then into English as Lucifer.
The word rendered as "Lucifer" in Hebrew is "Hillel" which may connote both "light" (cognate to the English word "halo") and praise as in the expression "Hallaluyah."
The Latin word lucifer meant "light-bringing."
Isaiah 14:
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, who didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north.
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.
15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms,
17 that made the world as a wilderness and destroyed the cities thereof, that opened not the house of his prisoners?
18 All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house.
19 But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit, as a carcass trodden under feet.
20 Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land and slain thy people. The seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.
21 Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers, that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.
22 For I will rise up against them, saith the Lord of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name and remnant, and son and grandson, saith the Lord.
Wikipedia tells us:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucifer
The Latin word lucifer is also used of Jesus in the Easter Proclamation prayer to God regarding the paschal candle: ...... ("May this flame be found still burning by the Morning Star: the one Morning Star who never sets, Christ your Son, who, coming back from death's domain, has shed his peaceful light on humanity, and lives and reigns for ever and ever"). In the works of Latin grammarians, Lucifer, like Daniel, was discussed as an example of a personal name.
The intention of Wikipedia in mentioning the above prayer appears to have been in order to illustrate the use of the term "Lucifer" as a title of honor that was not necessaruily negative at first.
According to the simple meaning the passage in Isaiah 14 in which the expression Lucifer" appears is referring to a King of Babylon. This person had apparently attempted to set himself up as a god. Nebuchadnezzar II, or his son, Balthazar have been proposed as candidates.
Christian Commentators (and perhaps Jewish Commentators before them?) however saw the personage depicted as representing the Satan.
Similarly Ezekiel 28:12-19 speaks of a King of Tyre. A real person is being referred to BUT the passage was considered to ALSO be a reference to Satan.
# Mortal, 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. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, carnelian, chrysolite, and moonstone, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald; and worked in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. With an anointed cherub as guardian I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked among the stones of fire. You were blameless in your ways from the day that you were created, until iniquity was found in you. In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and the guardian cherub drove you out from among the stones of fire. 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. By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade, you profaned your sanctuaries. So I brought out fire from within you; it consumed you, and I turned you to ashes on the earth in the sight of all who saw you. All who know you among the peoples are appalled at you; you have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever # (Ezekiel 28:12-19).
An Internet article by Don Stewart discusses the parallels between the King of Tyre in this passage and Lucifer according to Christian understanding:
Don Stewart :: Is Ezekiel Speaking of Satan or the King of Tyre?
https://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/don_stewart/don_stewart_82.cfm
Don Stewart points to the following parallels which we have extracted:
1. Full Of Wisdom Perfect In Beauty
When originally created by God, this angel, like everything else God created was perfect. Not only that, he seemed to have been especially beautiful.
2. Lived In Eden
3. Anointed Cherub That Covered
This may indicate that this angel held a position of superiority over all the other angels. ...
4. Was In God's Holy Mountain
5. Walked In The Midst Of Stones Of Fire
The stones of fire seem to speak of the nearness to God's throne.
6. Perfect In All His Ways Until His Fall
7. He Was Lifted Up With Pride Because Of His Beauty
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16:18).
8. His Wisdom Was Corrupted Because Of His Brightness
9. He Was Thrown Out Of The Mountain Of God
10. His Position Was Degraded When He Sinned
11. He Became An Enemy Of Humanity
Now this angel becomes Satan, the adversary, the enemy of humanity.
From this passage there seems to be a description of the original fall of Satan. ... He was the anointed cherub who had a special place next to the throne of God. Because of his special place, and his extraordinary beauty, he was lifted up with pride. This caused him to rebel against God, and to be judged for his sin.==============================
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9. Is the Idea of Lucifer ONLY a Christian Belief or ALSO a Jewish One?
The basic outline of rebellious angels being cast out from heaven etc as may be found in Jewish esoteric writings such as the Zohar, certain types of Midrash, etc. In the past there were other writings remnants of which may be found in the Apocrypha, etc. These ideas are however not usually discussed by mainstream Rabbinical authorities.
Most Jews, even learned ones, would probably not know what you were talking about if you raised the question with them.
Rabbinical scholars normally concentrate on understanding the Law and the principles behind it.at its day to day practical level.
Christians put more emphasis on dogma in these matters than Jews do.
See:
Satan
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/satan
Extract:
Throughout the Torah, Satan challenges God to test the true loyalty of his followers, including Adam and Eve, as well as Abraham. However, Satan remains inferior to God and is incapable of taking action on mortals without God's permission. In the Talmud and Midrash, Satan appears as the force in the world, responsible for all sins. Some Midrashim claim that the sounding of the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah is utilized to keep Satan away as Jews begin to atone for their sins. Even the morning after Yom Kippur, many Jews attend services to guarantee Satan does not make one last effort to instigate Jews to commit sins.
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10. Demons and Devils
The Bible speaks of spiritual creatures that exist but which are mainly negative.
It is usually assumed that these devils or ghosts, or whatever they are, may be agents of the Satan but perhaps they are not?
Perhaps they are in a category of their own?
At all events attempted communication with such beings (whether they exist or not) was forbidden.
Deuteronomy 18:
9 When you enter the land which the LORD your God gives you, you shall not learn to imitate the detestable things of those nations. 10 There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 12 For whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD; and because of these detestable things the LORD your God will drive them out before you. 13 You shall be blameless before the LORD your God. 14 For those nations, which you shall dispossess, listen to those who practice witchcraft and to diviners, but as for you, the LORD your God has not allowed you to do so.
See:
Other-Wordly Beings? Did Shadim (translated as "demons") Exist?
http://hebrewnations.com/articles/bible/demons.html
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11. Solomon and Demons
King Solomon was described as at one stage having been exceedingly wise.
1-Kings 4:
9 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. 30 And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round about. 32 And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five. 33 And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes. 34 And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom.
The Almighty also spoke to Solomon on two occasions (1-Kings 9:2).
Supposing, theoretically, that the traditions of Solomon having used demons in his employ are correct, How could we explain this?
It may be that demons exist and are largely negative but not necessarily so.
The Bible forbids attempting to make contact with such creatures whether they exist or not.
Solomon however was more than an ordinary person. He had super powers.
Solomon may have considered himself immune from the spiritual harm that could come to most people through making contact with the demon world.
Perhaps demons exist and have powers humans lack?
Perhaps Solomon knew how to utilize these powers and not be harmed by them whereas normal people would be?
Who knows?
By analogy we may consider the case of his numerous female consorts.
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12. The Many Wives of King Solomon
King Solomon and His Womenfolk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon#Wives_and_concubines
According to the Bible, Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. The wives were described as foreign princesses, including Pharaoh's daughter and women of Moab, Ammon, Sidon and of the Hittites.... The Biblical narrative notes with disapproval that Solomon permitted his foreign wives to import their national deities, building temples to Ashtoreth and Milcom.In Deuteronomy 17:16-17, a king is commanded not to multiply horses or wives, neither greatly multiply to himself gold or silver. Solomon sins in all three of these areas.
According to 1-Kings 11:9-13, 31-36 it was because of these sins that the LORD punished Solomon by removing 10 of the 12 Tribes of Israel from the Israelites.
1-Kings 11:
9 And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, who had appeared unto him twice,
10 And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded.
11 Therefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Since this is done by you, and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant.
12 Nevertheless in your days I will not do it for David your father's sake: but I will tear it out of the hand of your son.
13 However I will not tear away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to your son for David my servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen....
31 And he said to Jeroboam, Take you ten pieces: for thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to you:
32 (But he shall have one tribe for my servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:)
33 Because they have forsaken me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in my eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.
34 However I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand: but I will make him ruler all the days of his life for David my servant's sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes:
35 But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand, and will give it unto you, even ten tribes.
36 And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light always before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen to put my name there.
The commandment to the King not to multiply wives and horses including the reason why the prohibition was given.
Deuteronomy 17:
14 When you are come unto the land which the LORD your God gives you, and shall possess it, and shall dwell therein, and shall say, I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are about me;
15 You shall surely set him king over you, whom the LORD your God shall choose: one from among your brethren shall you set king over you: you may not set a stranger over you, who is not your brother.
16 But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: since as the LORD has said unto you, you shall return no more that way again.
17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
The king was forbidden to take many wives lest they divert his heart from God.
According to the Talmud (Sanhedrin 21;a) and Midrash, Solomon who was exceedingly wise and knowledgeable thought he could go ahead and transgress the prohibition and not suffer because of it.
He was wrong.
His numerous women did cause his heart to go astray to some degree.
Nevertheless were it sounds as if Solomon was induced by his wives to commit idolatry the actual Hebrew may mean that he only failed to prevent his women from the transgression.
He should have protested against his wives but he did not do so. It was therefore imputed to him as if he himself had sinned through idolatry.
See:
Deviation of Intention. Did Solomon Really Worship Foreign gods?
http://hebrewnations.com/articles/bible/solomon.html
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13. Why Did Solomon Take So Many Women?
Different opinion exist on this matter.
The Talmud (Yerushalemi, Sanhedrin h.2) in the name of Rabbi Yose says it was in order to convert them and bring them to know the truth.
Rabbi Nachman from Breslov (1772-1810, Ukraine) said that we learn that Solomon ruled over all peoples of the earth.
By taking foreign women, converting them to the Israelite Religion, and then marrying them Solomon intended to bring the nations they belonged to closer to True Belief.
The attempt however backfired.
See: