Satan in Early Rabbinic Writings
Satan played little or no role in Jewish theology according to statements made in the Mishnah and the Talmud. It was over time that Judaism adopted popular, maybe even secular, thoughts of Satan. It is only the later rabbinic writings that start to mention Satan and his demons. For example, classical Judaism’s Biblical commentators thought the serpent that tempted Eve was just that a literal serpent. The thought was it could represent either the evil tendency, Satan or the Angel of death. Before he was cursed for his actions, the devious creature stood upright and could converse in some form or fashion.
The Babylonian Talumud states that the evil inclination (Yetzer ha-Ra in Yiddish), the angel of death and Satan are one in the same. In the Midrash Samael, the ruler of the satans (this refers to a specific order of angel, not demons), was a powerful prince of angels in Heaven. He came into the world with Eve, meaning he is created and not eternal. According to tradition, he can fly, and is said to skip, in reference to his appearance in the form of a goat. He may also take any form; such as a bird, a stag, a woman, a beggar or a young man.
Some rabbis at this time held opinion that Satan is pure evil and intent on destroying man. Here Satan, the Yetzer ha-Ra and the angel of death are the same personality. In times of danger he brings accusations. Although he has power over all the works of man, he cannot triumph over two people of different nationality at the same time. This is why a noted astronomer, physician and teacher of the Law, Samuel, would only travel when accompanied by a Gentile. The belief was that Satan’s knowledge disappears when the shofar is blown on New Year’s Day. Because the numerical value of the letters of his name only adds up to 364, one day (the Day of Atonement) a year his power vanishes.
One rabbi states that not only was Satan an active agent in the fall of man, but also the father of Cain. He was also instrumental in the offering of Isaac and the release of the animal destined by Esau for his father. The sin at Sinai, the death of Moses, David’s sin with Bathsheba and the death of Queen Vashti can all be laid at his feet. Haman obtained a decree to destroy all the Jews that was written on parchment brought by Satan. When Alexander the Great reproached the Jewish sages about their rebellion, their response was that Satan had been too mighty for them.
Satan in the Apocrypha
In the book of Wisdom, Satan is represented as the father of all lies, who brought death into this world. Satan was the seducer and paramour of Eve, and was hurled from Heaven, with other angels, because of this sin. Since then he has been called ‘Satan’; previously he had been referred to as ‘Satanel’. Mastema, who urged God to test Abraham through the sacrifice of Isaac, is identical to Satan in both name and nature. Asmodeus is also identified with him, in view of his decadence. Other references to Satan in the Apocrypha are difficult to identify because the originals with his name have been lost and the following translations used a variety of equivalents. The doctrine of the fall of Satan and the angels, as well as the idea that he rules over an entire host of angels can be found here.
Satan in Post-Christian Traditions
Satan in Satanism
Although there are historical records of people worshipping Satan, the authenticity of such records is questioned. Today it is a known fact that many people identify themselves as Satanists, with many being members of the Church of Satan. Some see the Gothic culture as an extension of this religious sect. The misconception is that if they wear all black, listen to a certain type of music and label themselves ‘Goth,’ then they worship Satan. The truth is that not all Satanists are Goth and not all Goths are Satanists.
Satan in the New Age Movement
Participants in the New Age movement have different views about Satan, although the tendency is to downplay his existence and focus on ‘the light’. Many would take what was once thought of as evil and try to portray it positively. For example, Madame Blavatsky titled her journal ‘Lucifer,’ since she intended it as a ‘bringer of light.’ A more familiar way of reclaiming evil representation is the assertion that good and evil are harmonious, like yin and yang. New Age followers would see demons as manifestations of one’s own negative tendencies. Some do stress a spiritual war between good and evil, speaking of a ‘dark lodge’ opposing the Great White Brotherhood. A few New Age leaders even go as far as to assert the literal existence of Satan. A part of the New Age movement is those who believe in aliens and UFO’s. Some of these devotees actually believe that Satan was the leader of a group of aliens who came to earth and had a war with another group of aliens, referred to as God.
Satan in Skeptical Thought
Skeptics of Satan today are influenced heavily by the Enlightenment. They do not accept Satan as a real being. The existence of such a being would conflict with naturalism. Skeptics cannot understand how a supernatural being interacts with the natural world. It would be unnecessary, from a humanist point of view, to require a supernatural being to tempt humans to behaviour that can be traced back to natural animal urges. Most importantly, it is unclear how Satan, in the traditional notion, could defy an all-powerful God. Also, skeptics cannot understand how God could allow Satan to do evil without punishment, yet punish humans who do evil because of temptation from Satan.
Satan in Today’s Media
In art and literature, Satan has been depicted in various ways all through history. We get our most popular image of Satan from the Greek mythological deity named Pan. He is a horned, hoofed goat-like creature holding a trident. Today the goat-like representation of Satan has been made to look a little more human and is now a dark, ominous man with a goatee. Sometimes he is shown as a charismatic and striking man, asserting the belief that he tempts by appealing to vanity with eye-catching temptations. Rarely will he be depicted as a scheming woman or a handsome angel. Generally he is shown as a little red man with horns, hoofs, a tail and a pitchfork in today’s media.
Satan has been portrayed in many TV shows and films, in various different ways. Sometimes he is portrayed almost biblically, as in The Exorcist and The Omen. Other times his evil is even downplayed in a comical sense as in the cartoon South Park. The happy medium in today’s media seems to be somewhere between the supernatural embodiment of evil and the more human-like comical aspect. For instance, in the movie Devil’s Advocate Satan takes the form of a lawyer who has come to find his heir in hopes of creating the Antichrist. Also in the movie Constantine, where Satan is the biblical Satan, but is shown as a human in a white suit with tar covered feet.
Satan is also the subject of many modern popular songs. Many of Ozzy Osborne’s albums (both solo and with Black Sabbath) have criticized devil worship. Many people see this as a glorification of such an act, but it has been stated otherwise. The Rolling Stones even have a song titled ‘Sympathy for the Devil’. Guns ‘N’ Roses covered the song for the movie Interview with the Vampire. Other musical artists such as Terri Gibbs, the Pixies, Insane Clown Posse and Randy Newman refer to Satan in their music, either comically or seriously.
Satan in Christian Theology
Satan in New Testament Tradition
Satan figures much more prominently in the New Testament and Christian theology than in their predecessors. Many Christians have taken the following passage, addressed to the King of Tyre, as a mental image of Satan:
‘Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘thus says the Lord GOD: ‘You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: the sardius, topaz and diamond, Beryl, onyx and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. By the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within, and you sinned; therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God; and I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendour; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, that they might gaze at you. You defiled your sanctuaries by the multitude of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your trading; therefore I brought fire form your midst; it devoured you, and I turned you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all who saw you. All who know you among the peoples are astonished at you; you have become a horror, and shall be no more forever.’’
The Temptation in the Desert
Jesus faced Satan and his demons many times throughout His ministry. One of the most well known events is called ‘the temptation in the desert,’ and it occurs in Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13. Here Jesus is taken into the desert to be tempted by Satan for forty days. The first temptation is a temptation of luxury. Jesus was fasting and hungry, but if He wanted He could turn this rock into bread. Jesus’ response is that bread alone is not what sustains man. The second temptation is to prove God through signs. Satan brings Jesus to a high place and tells Him to step off, the angels will protect Him. Jesus responds by telling Satan of the scripture that says it is not right to test God. The final temptation was one of greed, power and glory. Jesus came to suffer and die, but if He would only bow down to Satan He could have all the kingdoms of the world. Satan is reminded by Jesus at this point that God is the only One worthy of worship.
This episode is a lesson to the world about Satan. It is shown here how he is sneaky and often brings temptation. This is an example for all those who would follow Jesus, of how they should react to his temptations. First of all, rely on the Word of God to lead you in your decisions and use it to attack Satan’s temptations. Also it shows the reader that all will be tempted, even the Saviour Himself. Satan seeks to draw everyone away from God. This event also showed Jesus’ identity as a suffering servant and obedient Son.
‘Get thee behind Me, Satan!’
One of the most often quoted scriptures dealing with Satan comes from Matthew 16:23, when Jesus says ‘Get thee behind me, Satan!’ The situation that precedes this event actually starts in Matthew 16:13. Jesus had travelled to Caesarea of Philippi with His disciples and had a discussion with them about who He was. After blessing Peter for his answer, He told His disciples to make sure not to tell anyone that He was the Messiah. When Jesus began to talk of His impending death and resurrection Peter took Him aside and scolded Him. No such thing could ever happen to Jesus, He was God’s Son. Here is where Jesus makes His famous statement, in reference to Peter himself.
One thing this passage teaches us is that even with the best of religious intentions, a follower can allow Satan to influence not only actions, but speech as well. Unbeknownst to him, Peter had allowed Satan to muddy his thoughts and drag them away from the truth only Jesus offers. When a believer allows the mind to be clouded with things of men, rather than God, as Jesus told Peter he had done, Satan intrudes. Peter was caught up in the worldly aspect of what would happen if Jesus did indeed die such a humiliating death. This passage also shows that not only the divine, such as with Jesus’ temptation, but the human as well can be affected by Satan.
Exorcism by Jesus
One of the many miracles Jesus preformed was the casting out of demons. There are four or maybe five separate accounts of when Jesus did this. It is evident, however, that this was a more frequent occurrence than these few times. Other exorcists of the area, for example, would use the name of Jesus when they were casting out demons. This was not because of a deep belief in Jesus’ Messiahship, but because at the time it was tradition for exorcists to use other powerful exorcist’s names in their own rituals. There is much evidence in the sayings of and about Jesus’ role as exorcist, both in and out of the New Testament that collaborate this.
There is a pattern familiar to other exorcists when Jesus deals with these demons. First is the initial dramatic confrontation between Jesus and the demon. They are obvious to Jesus, even if not to anyone else. Second there are a couple of examples of the demons not only speaking but declaring Jesus� Messiahship. The demons are trying to disarm Jesus, and will try again by pointing out the relationship they have with God themselves. These demons know who God is; in fact, they know almost as much as Jesus knows. The only difference is lack of faith and obedience. Third is the actual casting out of demons. This is done either by finding out their names and disarming them, or casting them into another object which can be physically destroyed. Jesus proves He is able to heal from a distance in the story of the Syro-Phoenician woman who begs for her daughter’s life in Mark 7:24-30. These exorcisms do not come without violence. The demons convulse, or as with the swine, are killed.
There are differences, though, with how Jesus does His exorcisms and how his contemporaries conducted theirs. The first noticeable difference is that Jesus did not use mechanical devises to expel the demons. Although others use anything from incense to rings, Jesus uses only His power directly from God. One difference that not might be noticed at first glance is that Jesus does not pray when exorcising the demons. He relies on His own powers, knowing they come from God, and deals with the situation in a straightforward manner. Also, Jesus relied on His own powers without calling on the names of others, such as Solomon. These differences accentuate the lack of power possessed by other exorcists.
When accused of exorcising by the power of Beelzebub (Mark 3:22-27), Jesus explains His understanding of His exorcisms. Jesus makes a clear statement denouncing the lack of logic in this statement. Why would Satan fight against himself to help Jesus? More importantly, what Jesus was saying was that His ministry of exorcism was not preparing for the kingdom, an illustration of the kingdom or even a sign the kingdom had arrived. Instead, it was the kingdom of God itself in operation. Jesus was taking back the souls of those Satan had possessed. This was the first time that something as small as exorcism was alluded to as defeating Satan.
Conclusion
While Jesus may not address the origin of Satan or his fall, this only serves to prove a difference between theologies. Other societies sought to explain these things because they found them important. Jesus did not bother with them because the more important thing was protection and battle against Satan. Obvious differences come when comparing Jesus’ teaching and modern media. Today, the world does not take Satan seriously, but Jesus surely did. Jesus teaches that he is a foe to be watchful of, whereas society today barely admits he exists. When people today do believe in the existence of Satan, they are fearful and many come under his power. Jesus was not afraid of Satan because He knew God was more powerful than one of His very own creations. The world ignores the teachings of Jesus on this subject and pays more attention to what the media has to say about it. Here is where Satan claims his foothold.
