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devil

 
Dictionary: dev·il   (dĕv'əl) pronunciation
n.
  1. often Devil In many religions, the major personified spirit of evil, ruler of Hell, and foe of God. Used with the.
  2. A subordinate evil spirit; a demon.
  3. A wicked or malevolent person.
  4. A person: a handsome devil; the poor devil.
  5. An energetic, mischievous, daring, or clever person.
  6. Printing. A printer's devil.
  7. A device or machine, especially one having teeth or spikes and used for tearing.
  8. An outstanding example, especially of something difficult or bad: has a devil of a temper.
  9. A severe reprimand or expression of anger: gave me the devil for cutting class.
  10. Informal. Used as an intensive: Who the devil do you think you are?
tr.v., -iled, or -illed, -il·ing, or -il·ling, -ils, or -ils.
  1. To season (food) heavily.
  2. To annoy, torment, or harass.
  3. To tear up (cloth or rags) in a toothed machine.
idioms:

between the devil and the deep blue sea

  1. Between two equally unacceptable choices.
full of the devil
  1. Very energetic, mischievous, daring, or clever.
give the devil his due
  1. To give credit to a disagreeable or malevolent person.
go to the devil
  1. To be unsuccessful; fail.
  2. To become depraved.
  3. Used in the imperative to express anger or impatience.
play the devil with
  1. To upset or ruin.
the devil take the hindmost
  1. Let each person follow self-interest, leaving others to fare as they may.
the devil to pay
  1. Trouble to be faced as a result of an action: There'll be the devil to pay if you allow the piglets inside the house.

[Middle English devel, from Old English dēofol, from Latin diabolus, from Late Greek diabolos, from Greek, slanderer, from diaballein, to slander : dia-, dia- + ballein, to hurl.]


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To combine a food with various hot or spicy seasonings such as red pepper, mustard or tabasco sauce thereby creating a "deviled" dish.

Thesaurus: devil
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noun

  1. A perversely bad, cruel, or wicked person: archfiend, beast, fiend, ghoul, monster, ogre, tiger, vampire. See kind/cruel.
  2. One who causes minor trouble or damage: imp, mischief, prankster, rascal, rogue, scamp. Informal cutup. See good/bad.

Antonyms: devil
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n

Definition: demon
Antonyms: angel, god



Spirit or power of evil. Though sometimes used to refer to demons, the term more often designates the prince of evil spirits. In the Bible the Devil is known as Satan, Beelzebub, and Lucifer. In Judaism, Satan emerges as subservient to God and as an adversary and accuser of Job and other humans. In postbiblical traditions he emerges as the tempter of humankind and is responsible for all the sins in the Bible. Christian theology holds that his main task is to tempt humans to reject the way of life and redemption in favour of sin and death. In the Qur'an the Devil is frequently associated with Iblis; he tempts the unfaithful but not the true believer. In Hinduism there is no principal devil, although there are a variety of demons or devilish beings. Buddhists also recognize the existence of many demons, and Mara, the Buddha's opponent and tempter, is sometimes identified as a specific devil.

For more information on devil, visit Britannica.com.

English Folklore: Devil
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In folk traditions, the Devil is sometimes a powerfully evil tempter and destroyer, sometimes a stupid enemy whose plans fail through his own clumsiness, or because he is outwitted by ordinary humans. Broadly speaking, the stupid Devil is found in local legends where he hurls rocks, builds bridges, digs hills, etc., but is thwarted; in stories about magicians who obtain his services but elude his power; and in comic tales where he is tricked, or loses a wager. The powerful Devil features in moralistic tales; in traditions about witchcraft; and in accounts of sinister and inexplicable events like the apparition of the Mowing Devil or the Black Dog at Bungay. By bringing sinners to a bad end he is the instrument of God's judgements. His name should not be mentioned—‘Talk of the Devil and he'll appear’ has been proverbial since the 17th century. He may appear as a black dog or a black cock; if in human form, he wears black clothes.

Though contradictory, both ideas spring from medieval Christianity, which taught that though the Devil constantly attacked the individual with temptations, his overall strategy was ultimately futile, since Christ had already defeated him. Stories on the pattern of the Devil's Arrows may have been meant to teach this lesson through concrete imagery, since the planned destruction of a church invariably fails, and nobody is harmed by it. Landscape features ascribed to the Devil are unproductive ones (tracts of stony or sandy soil, ravines, rocky mountains, large boulders), for all good things come from God. Many minor place-names, and some names of animals and plants, involve the Devil, generally indicating that the place or creature is ugly, unfit for cultivation or for human consumption, or eerie (Wright, 1913: 203-4).

Bibliography
The full bibliography list is available here.

  • Briggs, 1970-1: B. i. 43-155
Celtic Mythology: devil
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The well-known creature from Jewish and Christian theology is sometimes aligned with characters in Celtic narrative; e.g. Caoránach, the ‘monster’ of Lough Derg, may be known as the mother of the devil. Aspects of Donn (1), ruler of the dead, were used in portrayals of the devil in pious Irish folklore. The earwig, a small centipede, is thought to be a disguise for the devil in Irish folklore. Speakers in Irish folklore conventionally refer to the devil as The Adversary, An tÁibhirseoir. In most other instances the Celtic languages employ cognates borrowed from Latin, English, and French, e.g. Irish diabhal; Scottish Gaelic diabhal; Manx jouyl; Welsh diafol, diawl, cythraul; Cornish dyawl; Breton diaoul.

A name derived from the Greek diabolos, meaning "slanderer." The name is used for the supreme spirit of evil, the enemy of God and man, also known as Satan (or "adversary") in Mat. 4:8-11 and Rev. 12:9.

The idea of Satan was most fully developed in postapostolic Christianity, but as the personification of evil, Satan has many precursors and analogous representations in other religions. Possibly the clearest precursor was Set (or Seth), the antagonist of the Egyptian god of light, Horus. Set was the deity of the desert; Horus, of the life-giving Nile. Set's color was red, and redhaired and ruddy-complected people were on occasion sacrificed because they were identified with him.

In early polygamous religious systems, the gods were pictured in quite human terms, possessing both admirable and detestable attributes at the same time. Very few of them were seen as evil like the devils in Christianity or Islam. In Egypt and Babylon, figures like Apepi and Tiawath, although clearly in the line of evolution toward a satanic personality, were by no means rulers of the infernal regions. Again, the Hades of the Greeks is merely a ruler of the ghosts of the dead, not an enemy of Olympus or of mankind.

It is strange that in Mexico, Mictlantecutli, lord of hell, is a much more directly satanic figure than any European or Asiatic ruler of the realms of the dead. But in some mythologies, there are frequent allusions to monsters that may quite easily have colored the modern concept of Satan. Such is the Hindu serpent Ahi, the Hebrew Leviathan, and the principle of Chaos. Teutonic mythology has the menacing Loki, originally a god of fire, but afterward the personification of evil.

The concept of Satan, too, appears to have some deeply rooted connection with ancient serpent worship, which seems to have penetrated most Oriental countries. Thus we find the Tempter in the Old Testament (Gen. 3) in the guise of a serpent. The serpent or dragon is generally regarded as the personification of night, who swallows the sun and envelops the world in darkness.

It is generally thought that the Hebrew concept of Satan really developed in the postexilic period, though Satan is a major character in the Book of Job, one of the earliest Hebrew writings, and exhibits traces of Babylonian or Assyrian influence. It is unlikely that before the captivity any specific doctrine respecting evil spirits was held by the Hebrews. Writing on this subject, F. T. Hall in his book The Pedigree of the Devil (1883) states: "The term 'Satan' and 'Satans' which occur in the Old Testament, are certainly not applicable to the modern conception of Satan as a spirit of evil; although it is not difficult to detect in the Old Hebrew mind a fruitful soil, in which the idea, afterwards evolved, would readily take root. The original idea of a 'Satan' is that of an 'adversary,' or agent of 'opposition.' The angel which is said to have withstood Balaam is in the same breath spoken of as 'The angel of the Lord,' and a 'Satan.' When the Philistines under Achish their king were about to commence hostilities against the Israelites under Saul and David and his men were about to march with the Philistines; the latter objected, lest, in the day of battle, David should become a 'Satan' to them, by deserting to the enemy. When David, in later life, was returning to Jerusalem, after Absalom's rebellion and death; and his lately disaffected subjects were, in turn, making their submission; amongst them came the truculent Shimei; Abishai, David's nephew, one of the fierce sons of Zeruiah, advised that Shimei should be put to death: this grated upon David's feelings, at a time when he was filled with exuberant joy at his own restoration; and he rebuked Abishai as a 'Satan.' Again Satan is said to have provoked David to number Israel, and at the same time, that 'the Lord moved David to number Israel;' a course strenuously opposed by Joab, another of the sons of Zeruiah. Solomon in his message to Hiram, king of Tyre, congratulated himself on having no 'Satans' and that this peaceful immunity from discord enabled him to build the Temple, which had been forbidden to his warlike father, David. This immunity was not, however, lasting; for Hadad, the Edomite, and Regon, of Zobah, became 'Satans' to Solomon, after his profuse luxury had opened the way for corruption and disaffection. In all these cases, the idea is simply identical with the plain meaning of the word: a Satan is an opponent, an adversary. In the elaborate curse embodied in the 109th Psalm, the writer speaks of his enemies as his 'Satans' and prays that the object of his anathema may have 'Satan' standing at his right hand. The Psalmist himself, in the sequel, fairly assumes the office of his enemy's 'Satan,' by enumerating his crimes and failings, and exposing them in their worst light. In the 71st Psalm, enemies (v. 10) are identified with 'Satans' or adversaries (v. 13).

"The only other places in the Old Testament where the word occurs, are in the Book of Job, and the prophecy of Zechariah. In the Book of Job, Satan appears with a distinct personality, and is associated with the sons of God, and in attendance with them before the throne of Jehovah. He is the cynical critic of Job's actions, and in that character he accuses him of insincerity and instability; and receives permission from Jehovah to test the justice of this accusation, by afflicting Job in everything he holds dear. We have here the spy, the informer, the public prosecutor, the executioner; all embodied in Satan, the adversary: these attributes are not amiable ones, but the writer does not suggest the absolute antagonism between Jehovah and Satan, which is a fundamental dogma of modern Christianity."

In later Judaism the concept of Satan is strongly colored by Persian dualism, and it has been supposed that Asmodeus of the Book of Tobit is the same as Aeshara Daewa of the ancient Persians. Both "Satan" and "Satans" are mentioned in the Book of Enoch; in Ecclesiasticus, Satan is identified with the serpent of Genesis; and in the Book of the Secrets of Enoch his revolt against God and expulsion from heaven are described. In the Jewish Targinn, Samael, highest of the angels, merges with Satan into a single personality.

Satan in the Christian New Testament clearly builds on these later Jewish forms. In Matthew he is alluded to as the "Prince of Demons," and in Ephesians he is spoken of as ruling over a world of evil beings who dwell in the lower heavens. Thus he is prince of the powers of the air. In Revelation the war in heaven between God and Satan is described, and Satan's imprisonment is foreshadowed after the overthrow of the Beast and the kings of the earth; he will be chained in the bottomless pit for 1,000 years (Rev. 20). After another period of freedom he will be cast into the lake of brimstone forever.

The orthodox doctrine of Satan developed over a number of centuries. Satan as an independent topic of theological inquiry was not prominent. Christ was seen as gaining the victory over Satan and his kingdom, and only in the early Middle Ages did theologians turn their attention to a consideration of Satan's continuing influence in the world. Over the centuries a complete picture of Satan and his cohorts would grow, and with his emergence would come a new appreciation of the devil's continued active opposition to the church.

A major step in the definition of Satan occurred in the late fifteenth century with the new definition of witchcraft— previously understood as a surviving remnant of paganism—as Satanism, (i.e., devil worship). During the three centuries of the great witch-hunts, the devil was assigned a new and significant role as the supernatural cause of evil in the mundane world. That belief was not disturbed by the Reformation of the sixteenth century, and the Protestants shared Roman Catholic ideas about the devil and his demonic assistants. These beliefs were assailed in seventeenth-and eighteenth-century critiques of the anti-witchcraft crusades and in the post-Enlightenment theologies of the nineteenth century. Supernatural explanations of evil gave way to more natural interpretations.

Modern Belief in Satan

Of course, belief in the existence and power of Satan never disappeared, and in the 1960s various forces converged to produce a revival of belief in the devil. In the 1960s conservative Protestantism, which had been pushed out of the power centers of the major denominations in the 1930s, experienced a resurgence. At the same time, Western culture was undergoing a quantum leap in religious pluralism. New religions appeared in significant numbers, among them a new nature-oriented religion that took the name witchcraft.

In 1966 Anton LaVey announced the formation of the Church of Satan. Though he preached a very sanitized and secularized form of Satanism, and he never had more than a few thousand followers, the very existence of public Satanists provided a prominent symbol used by conservative Christians to argue for the existence of supernatural evil.

The 1970s became a decade of popular attention to issues of supernatural evil and the work of the devil. Several movies, including Rosemary's Baby (1968), The Exorcist (1973), and The Omen (1976) helped define an era in which public discourse on Satan and Satanism reached a new peak, and numerous books on Satan, demonic possession, exorcism, and devil worship were published. The fashionable interest in Satan faded, only to breed a pop-culture interest in demonic creatures such as vampires, werewolves, witches, poltergeists, and gremlins. Interest in supernatural forces and beings lasted throughout the remainder of the twentieth century, but during the 1990s angels and positive light forces were vogue in western culture. The devil continues to hold the modern imagination, however, and belief in the existence of Satan continues in the general public. In reality, exorcism is still practiced in both conservative Roman Catholic circles and Pentecostal Protestant churches.

Sources:

Ashton, John. The Devil in Britain and America. London, 1896. Reprint, Detroit: Gale Research, 1974.

Baskin, Wade. Dictionary of Satanism. New York: Philosophical Library, 1972.

Carus, Paul. History of the Devil and the Idea of Evil. LaSalle, Ill.: Open Court Publishing, 1974. Reprint, Bell Publishing, 1974.

Kelly, Henry Ansgar. The Devil, Demonology, and Witchcraft: The Development of Christian Beliefs in Evil Spirits. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1968.

Lyons, Arthur. Satan Wants You: The Cult of Devil Worship. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1970. London: Hart-Davis, 1971.

Michelet, Jules. The Sorceress. London, 1905. Reprinted as Satanism and Witchcraft: A Study in Medieval Superstition. New York: Dell, 1971. Reprint, New York: Citadel Press, 1973.

Morgan, Genevieve and Tom Morgan. The Devil. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1996.

Nauman, St. Elmo, Jr., ed. Exorcism Through the Ages. New York: Philosophical Library, 1974.

Olson, Alan M., ed. Disguises of the Demonic: Contemporary Perspectives on the Power of Evil. New York: Association Press, 1975.

Philpott, Kent. Manual of Demonology and the Occult. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1973.

Remy, Nicolas. Demonolatry. 1595. Reprint, New Hyde Park, N.Y.: University Books, 1974.

Rhodes, H. T. F. The Satanic Mass. New York: Citadel, 1955. Reprint, London, 1973.

Robbins, Rossell Hope. The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft and Demonology. New York: Crown Publishers, 1959.

Rudwin, Maximilian J. The Devil in Legend and Literature. LaSalle, Ill.: Open Court Publishing, 1973.

Russell, Jeffrey Burton. The Devil: Perceptions of Evil from Antiquity to Primitive Christianity. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1977.

——. Lucifer: The Devil in the Middle Ages. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1984.

——. Satan: The Early Christian Tradition. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1981.

Thompson, Richard Lowe. The History of the Devil. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1929.

Wall, J. Charles. Devils. London, 1904. Reprint, Detroit: Singing Tree Press, 1968.

Woods, William H. History of the Devil. London, 1973, New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1974.

Word Tutor: devil
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: n. - A word used in exclamations of confusion; One of the evil spirits of traditional Jewish and Christian belief; A cruel wicked and inhuman person.

pronunciation Many children wear devil costumes for Halloween.

Quotes About: Devil
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Quotes:

"Satan always finds some mischief for idle hands to do." - Isaac Watts

"You must have the devil in you to succeed in the arts." - Voltaire

"Whenever science makes a discovery, the devil grabs it while the angels are debating the best way to use it." - Alan Valentine

"The devil is a better theologian than any of us and is a devil still." - A. W. Tozer

"The devil doesn't know how to sing, only how to howl." - Francis Thompson

"The devil has the power to assume a pleasing shape." - William Shakespeare

See more famous quotes about Devil

Wikipedia: Devil
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Depiction of the Devil as seen in the Codex Gigas.

The Devil is believed in certain religions and folklore to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The Devil is commonly associated with heretics, infidels, and other unbelievers. The Abrahamic religions have variously regarded the Devil as a rebellious fallen angel or demon that tempts humans to sin or commit evil deeds. Others regard the Devil as an allegory that represents a crisis of faith, individualism, free will, wisdom and enlightenment.

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 Hell. The Devil commands a force of evil angels, commonly known as demons.[1] The Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament) describes the Adversary (Ha-satan) as an angel who instigates tests upon humankind.[2][3] 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 name 'Devil' derives from the Greek word diabolos, which means 'slanderer' or 'accuser'.[4]

Contents

The Devil in religious accounts

Judaism

In mainstream Judaism there is no concept of a devil like in mainstream Christianity or Islam. In Hebrew, the biblical word ha-satan (השָׂטָן) means "the adversary"[5] or the obstacle, or even "the prosecutor" (recognizing that God is viewed as the ultimate Judge).

In the Hebrew Apocrypha

The Apocrypha are religious writings which are not generally accepted as scripture by Judaism and many modern-day Protestant sects of Christianity.

In the Book of Wisdom, the devil is represented as the one who brought death into the world.[6]

The 2nd Book of Enoch, also called the Slavonic Book of Enoch, contains references to a Watcher Grigori called Satanael.[7] It is a pseudepigraphic text of an uncertain date and unknown authorship. The text describes Satanael as being the prince of the Grigori who was cast out of heaven[8] and an evil spirit who knew the difference between what was "righteous" and "sinful".[9] A similar story is found in the book of 1 Enoch; however, in that book, the leader of the Grigori is called Semjâzâ.

In the apocryphal literature, Satan rules over a host of angels.[10] Mastema, who induced God to test Abraham through the sacrifice of Isaac, is identical with Satan in both name and nature.[11]

For the Chasidic Jews of the eighteenth century, Ha-satan was Baal Davar.[12] The Book of Enoch contains references to Satariel, thought also to be Sataniel and Satan'el (etymology dating back to Babylonian origins). The similar spellings mirror that of his angelic brethren Michael, Raphael, Uriel and Gabriel, previous to his expulsion from Heaven.

Christianity

The Devil depicted in The Temptation of Christ, by Ary Scheffer, 1854.

In mainstream Christianity the Devil is known as Satan and sometimes Lucifer, although most scholars recognize the reference in Isaiah 14:12 to Lucifer, or the Morning Star, to be a reference to the Babylonian king (see, for example, the entries in Nave's Topical Bible, the Holman Bible Dictionary and the Adam Clarke Commentary). Many modern Christians consider the Devil to be an angel who, along with one-third of the angelic host (the demons) rebelled against God and has consequently been condemned to the Lake of Fire. He is described as hating all humanity, or more accurately creation, opposing God, spreading lies and wreaking havoc on the souls of mankind. Other Christians consider the devil in the Bible to refer figuratively to human sin and temptation and to any human system in opposition to God.

Satan is often identified as the serpent who convinced Eve to eat the forbidden fruit; thus, Satan has often been depicted as a serpent. Though this identification is not present in the Adam and Eve narrative, this interpretation goes back at least as far as the time of the writing of the book of Revelation, which specifically identifies Satan as being the serpent (Rev. 20:2).

In the Bible, the devil is identified with the "The dragon" and "the old serpent" in the Book of Revelation 12:9, 20:2 have also been identified with Satan, as have "the prince of this world" in the Book of John 12:31, 14:30; "the prince of the power of the air" also called Meririm, and "the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" in the Book of Ephesians 2:2; and "the god of this world" in 2 Corinthians 4:4.[13]. He is also identified as the dragon in the Book of Revelation (e.g. Rev. 12:9), and the tempter of the Gospels (e.g. Mat. 4:1).

Beelzebub is originally the name of a Philistine god (more specifically a certain type of Baal, from Ba‘al Zebûb, lit. "Lord of Flies") but is also used in the New Testament as a synonym for Satan. A corrupted version, "Belzeboub," appears in The Divine Comedy.

In other, non-mainstream, Christian beliefs (e.g. the beliefs of the Christadelphians) the word "satan" in the Bible is not regarded as referring to a supernatural, personal being but to any 'adversary' and figuratively refers to human sin and temptation.[14]

Islam

In Islam the Devil is referred to as Iblis (Arabic: Shaitan, a word referring to evil devil-like beings). 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. The primary characteristic of the Devil, besides hubris, is that he has no power other than the power to cast evil suggestions into the heart of men and women.

According to Muslim theology, Iblis was expelled from the grace of God 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 earth unlike himself. As for the angels, they prostrated before Adam to show their homage and obedience to God. However, Iblis, adamant in his view that man is inferior, and unlike angels was given the ability to choose, made a choice of not obeying God. This caused him to be expelled by God, a fact that Iblis blamed on humanity. Initially, the Devil was successful in deceiving Adam, but once his intentions became clear, Adam and Eve repented to God and were freed from their misdeeds and forgiven. God gave them a strong warning about Iblis and the fires of Hell and asked them and their children (humankind) to stay away from the deceptions of their senses caused by the Devil.

According to the verses of the Qur’an, the Devil's mission until the Qiyamah or Resurrection Day (yaum-ul-qiyama) is 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 Devil is also referred to as one of the jinns, as they are all created from the smokeless fire. The Qur'an does not depict Iblis as the enemy of God, as God is supreme over all his creations and Iblis is just one of his creations. Iblis's single enemy is humanity. He intends to discourage humans from obeying God. Thus, humankind is warned to struggle (jihad) against the mischiefs of the Satan and temptations he puts them in. The ones who succeed in this are rewarded with Paradise (jannath ul firdaus), attainable only by righteous conduct.

Bahá'í Faith

In the Bahá'í Faith there is no existence of a malevolent superhuman entity such as the devil.[15] Human beings are seen to have free will, and thus are seen to be able to either turn towards God and develop spiritual qualities, or instead be immersed in their own desires and thus commit wrongs; if people are immersed in their own desires, the Bahá'í writings sometimes use a metaphorical usage of satanic to describe their actions.[15] The writings of Bahá'í Faith also state that the devil 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".[16][17]

Yazidism

An alternate name for the main deity in the tentatively Indo-European pantheon of the Yazidi, Malek Taus, is Shaitan.[18] Rather than Satanic, however, Yazidism is better understood as a remnant of a pre-Islamic Middle Eastern religion, and/or a ghulat Sufi movement founded by Shaykh Adi. The connection with Satan, originally made by Muslim outsiders, attracted the interest of 19th-century European travelers and esoteric writers.

Neopaganism

Christian tradition has frequently identified pagan religions and witchcraft with the influence of Satan. In the Early Modern Period, 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 reconstructionist 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 19th 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.[19]

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". Many New Age schools of thought follow a nondualistic philosophy that does not recognize a primal force for evil.

The Baphomet, adopted symbol of some Left-Hand Path systems, including Theistic Satanism.

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.

Satanism

Some religions worship the Devil. This can be in a polytheistic sense where "God", Satan, and others are all deities with Satan as the preferred patron; or it can be from a more monotheistic viewpoint, where God is regarded as a true god, but is nevertheless defied.

Some variants deny the existence of God and the Devil altogether, but still call themselves Satanists, such as Anton LaVey's Church Of Satan which sees Satan as a representation of the primal and natural state of mankind.[20]

Much "Satanic" lore does not originate from actual Satanists, but from Christians. Best-known would be the medieval folklore and theology surrounding demons and witches. A more recent example is the Satanic ritual abuse scare of the 1980s – beginning with the memoir Michelle Remembers – which depicts Satanism as a vast (and unsubstantiated) conspiracy of elites with a predilection for child abuse and human sacrifice. This genre regularly describes Satan as actually appearing in person in order to receive worship.[citation needed]

Similar concepts in other religions

Zoroastrianism

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. Ahura Mazda's Creation is "truth", asha. The "lie" (druj) is manifest only as decay or chaos, not an entity.

Later, in Zurvanism (Zurvanite Zoroastrianism), Ahura Mazda and the principle of evil, Angra Mainyu, are the "twin" offspring of Zurvan, 'Time'. No trace of Zurvanism exists after the 10th century.

Today, the Parsis of India largely accept the 19th 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.'

Hinduism

In contrast to 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. The Rajasic and Tamasic Gunas of Maya are considered especially close to the Abrahamic concept , the hellish parts of the Ultimate Delusion called "Prakriti". An embodiment of this is the concept of Advaita (non-dualism) where there is no good or evil but simply different levels of realization.

On the other hand in Hinduism, which provides plenty of room for counterpoint, there is also the notion of dvaita (dualism) where there is interplay between good and evil tendencies.[21] A prominent asura is Rahu whose characteristics are similar to those of the Devil. However, Hindus, and Vaishnavites in particular, believe that an avatar of Vishnu incarnates to defeat evil when evil reaches its greatest strength. The concept of Guna and Karma also explain evil to a degree, rather than the influence of a devil.

To be more specific, Hindu philosophy defines that the only existing thing (Truth) is the Almighty God. So, all the asuric tendencies are inferior and mostly exist as illusions in the mind. Asuras are also different people in whom bad motivations and intentions (tamas) have temporarily outweighed the good ones (Sattva). Different beings like siddha, gandharva, yaksha etc. are considered beings unlike mankind, and in some ways superior to men.

In Ayyavazhi, officially an offshoot of Hinduism prominent in Tamil Nadu (a southern state in India with Dravidian heritage), followers, unlike most other branches of Hinduism, believes in a Satan-like figure, Kroni. Kroni, according to Ayyavazhi is the primordial manifestation of evil and manifests in various forms of evil, i.e., Ravana, Duryodhana, etc., in different ages or yugas. In response to such manifestation of evil, believers, in Ayya-Vazhi religion believe that God, as Vishnu manifests in His avatars such as Rama and Krishna to defeat evil. Eventually, the Ekam with the spirit (the spirit taken by Narayana only for incarnating in the world) of Narayana incarnates in the world as Ayya Vaikundar to destroy the final manifestaion of Kroni, Kaliyan.

Kroni, the spirit of Kali Yuga is said to be omnipresent in this age and that is one of the reasons why followers of Ayya Vazhi, like most Hindus, believe that the current yuga, Kali Yuga is so degraded.

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, in various legends, 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 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.

Ancient Egypt

In the Ausarian drama we find that Ausar (Greek: Osiris) is chopped into 13 pieces by Set. Auset (Isis) collects all of his pieces save his phallus. Horus, son of Ausar and Auset sets out to avenge the death and dismemberment of his father by confronting Set. Horus is victorious over Set and Ausar, being brought back from the dead becomes lord of the underworld. It is this drama that gives us the cosmic conflict between good and evil, evil being embodied by Set. This is not to say that Set was always seen as an evil character in Ancient Egyptian theology. There are many times in Ancient Egyptian history where conflicts between different "houses" lead to the depreciation of one god relative to another.

As in most polytheistic faiths, the characters involved differentiate themselves from the Western tradition of a devil in that all the gods are closely related. In this case, numerous historic texts suggest that Set is the Uncle or Brother of Horus and in the "defeat" of Set, we see another separation from the norm in the devouring/assimilation of Set into Horus with the result of Horus having depictions of both the falcon head and the (unknown animal) head of Set. This (like Buddhism) represents a dissolution of dichotomy.

The Devil in world folklore

Depiction of the Devil interviewing Mayor Hall

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.

Other names for the Devil

Further information: Names of the Devil in Christianity

Demons

In some religions and traditions, these titles are separate demons; others identify these names as guises of The Devil. Even when thought of as individual demons, some are often thought of being under the Devil's direct control. This identifies only those thought of as the Devil; List of demons has a more general listing.

Titles

These are all titles that almost always refer to the Devil himself.

A list of liturgical names for the Devil may be found in Jeffrey Burton Russell, Lucifer, the Devil in the Middle Ages (Cornell University Press, 1986), p. 128, note 76 online.

God as the Devil

Several religious authors throughout history have advanced the notion that the god of the Abrahamic Bible and its sequels is consistent in character with the Devil. They make the case that the Biblical God is a divine force that wreaks suffering, death, and destruction and that tempts or commands humanity into committing mayhem and genocide.

These writings refer to the Biblical God variously as "a demiurgus", "an evil angel", "the devil god", "the Prince of Darkness", "the source of all evil", "a demon", "a cruel, wrathful, warlike tyrant", "Satan", "the devil", and "the first beast of the book of Revelation".

Many of the authors criticize only Jehovah, the God of the Abrahamic scriptures (Tanakh), in contrast with the "true god" of the New Testament. However, other authors apply their condemnation to the entire godhead of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

The authors assert their claims by reference to a number of passages in Biblical scripture describing actions of God that they say are evil or Devil-like. Many of the authors have been severely chastised for their writings, and their followers killed.[citation needed]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ Revelation 12:9
  2. ^ 1Chronicles 21:1
  3. ^ Job 1:11
  4. ^ "devil", Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 29 June 2007 <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9030155>.
  5. ^ For example in Numbers 22:22 and Samuel 29:4 and other places, the word "adversary" appears in the translation, which in the original Hebrew is "ha-satan".
  6. ^ "But by the envy of the devil, death came into the world" - Book of Wisdom II. 24
  7. ^ 2 Enoch 18:3
  8. ^ "And I threw him out from the height with his angels, and he was flying in the air continuously above the bottomless" - 2 Enoch 29:4
  9. ^ "The devil is the evil spirit of the lower places, as a fugitive he made Sotona from the heavens as his name was Satanail, thus he became different from the angels, but his nature did not change his intelligence as far as his understanding of righteous and sinful things" - 2 Enoch 31:4
  10. ^ Martyrdom of Isaiah, 2:2; Vita Adæ et Evæ, 16)
  11. ^ Book of Jubilees, xvii. 18
  12. ^ The Dictionary of Angels" by Gustav Davidson, © 1967
  13. ^ 2 Corinthians 2:2
  14. ^ "Do you Believe in a Devil? He is a saint.". http://www.christadelphia.org/pamphlet/devil.htm. Retrieved 2007-05-29. 
  15. ^ a b Smith, Peter (2000). "satan". A concise encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith. Oxford: Oneworld Publications. pp. 304. ISBN 1-85168-184-1. 
  16. ^ Bahá'u'lláh (1994) [1873-92]. "Tablet of the World". Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. pp. 87. ISBN 0877431744. http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/TB/tb-8.html#pg87. 
  17. ^ Shoghi Effendi quoted in Compilations (1983). Hornby, Helen (Ed.). ed. Lights of Guidance: A Bahá'í Reference File. Bahá'í Publishing Trust, New Delhi, India. pp. 513. ISBN 8185091463. http://bahai-library.com/index.php5?file=hornby_lights_guidance_2.html&chapter=4#n1738. 
  18. ^ Drower, E.S. The Peacock Angel. Being Some Account of Votaries of a Secret Cult and their Sanctuaries. London: John Murray, 1941.
  19. ^ Hutton, Ronald (1999). Triumph of the Moon. Oxford: Oxford UniverUniversity Press. pp. 46. ISBN. 
  20. ^ Church of Satan official statement of beliefs
  21. ^ Hindu Concept of God
  22. ^ http://visindavefur.hi.is

References

  • The Origin of Satan, by Elaine Pagels (Vintage Books, New York 1995) explores the development, the "demonization" of the character of Satan against the background of the bitter struggle between the early Church and the Synagogue to be the legitimate heir of ancient Hebrew religious tradition. She discusses how Satan becomes a figure that reflects our own hatreds and prejudices, and the struggle between our loving selves and our fearful, combative selves.
  • The Old Enemy: Satan & the Combat Myth, by Neil Forsyth (Princeton, New Jersey, 1987) seeks to show how Satan emerged from ancient mythological traditions and is best understood not as a principle of evil, but as a narrative character in the context of "the Combat Myth". Forsyth tells the Devil's story from the Epic of Gilgamesh through to the writings of St. Augustine.
  • The Devil: Perceptions of Evil from Antiquity to Primitive Christianity, by Jeffrey Burton Russell (Meridian, New York 1977) is "a history of the personification of evil" which, to make things clear, he calls "the Devil". Accessible and engaging, full of photographs illustrating the text, this is the first of a four volume series on the history of the concept of the Devil. The following volumes are, Satan: The Early Christian Tradition, Lucifer: The Devil in the Middle Ages, and Mephistopheles: The Devil in the Modern World.
  • The Devil in Legend and Literature, by Maximilian Rudwin (Open Court, La Salle, Illinois, 1931, 1959) is a compendium of "the secular and sacred adventures of Satan."

External links


Translations: Devil
Top

Dansk (Danish)
n. - djævel, satan, fanden, fandens karl, fyr, satans besværlig ting, skribent på linjebetaling, juristvolontør
v. tr. - tilberede med stærk krydring, plage, være på nakken af

idioms:

  • a devil of    fandens til
  • better the devil you know    man ved hvad man har
  • between the devil and the deep blue sea    som en lus mellem to negle
  • devil's advocate    djævelens advokat
  • devil's food cake    fed chokoladekage
  • go to the devil    gå fanden i vold
  • have the devil's own job    have et fandens job, have et værre mas
  • like the devil    som bare fanden
  • the devil take the hindmost    redde sig hvo der kan
  • What the devil    hvad fanden

Nederlands (Dutch)
Duivel, satan, kwade geest, man/jongen, zandstorm als je van de duivel spreekt

Français (French)
n. - diable, démon, manie, du diable, de tous les diables, apprenti imprimeur, nègre (d'un écrivain), (Jur) avocat stagiaire
v. tr. - (Culin) faire griller au poivre et à la moutarde (des rognons), (US) harceler (verbalement) (fam)

idioms:

  • a devil of a    un diable de
  • be a devil!    laisse toi tenter
  • better the devil you know    un homme averti en vaut deux (Prov), mieux vaut un danger que l'on connaît (qu'un danger que l'on ne connaît pas)
  • between the devil and the deep blue sea    être pris entre le marteau et l'enclume, entre Charybde et Scylla (Prov)
  • devil's advocate    (se faire) l'avocat du diable
  • devil's food cake    gâteau au chocolat
  • go to the devil    va te faire foutre
  • have the devil's own job    avoir un mal de tous les chiens à faire qch
  • like the devil    comme le diable, comme un fou
  • the devil take the hindmost    sauve qui peut
  • What the devil    que diable

Deutsch (German)
n. - Teufel
v. - mit scharfen Gewürzen kochen, plagen

idioms:

  • a devil of a    verteufelt + Adj.
  • be a devil!    sei kein Frosch!
  • better the devil you know    lieber das bekannte Übel
  • between the devil and the deep blue sea    (ugs.) in einer Zwickmühle
  • devil's advocate    Teufelsanwalt, Widerspruchsgeist
  • devil's food cake    Schokoladentorte
  • go to the devil    zum Teufel gehen (salopp), sich zum Teufel scheren (salopp)
  • have the devil's own job    es sehr schwer haben
  • like the devil    wie der Teufel
  • the devil take the hindmost    rette sich, wer kann
  • What the devil    was zum Teufel

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (θρησκ.) διάβολος, σατανάς, βοηθός, κακομοίρης, φουκαράς, κακοπληρωμένος δημοσιογράφος ή υπάλληλος
int. - διάβολε!
v. - ψήνω στα κάρβουνα με δυνατά καρυκεύματα, εργάζομαι υπό συνθήκες εκμετάλλευσης, μοχθώ, (ΗΠΑ) βασανίζω, ταλανίζω

idioms:

  • a devil of    διαβολεμένος, εξαιρετικά πολύ
  • better the devil you know    καλύτερα αντιμετωπίζεις τον εχθρό που γνωρίζεις
  • between the devil and the deep blue sea    μεταξύ Σκύλλας και Χάρυβδης, μπρος γκρεμός και πίσω ρέμα!
  • devil's advocate    συνήγορος του διαβόλου
  • devil's food cake    (μαγειρ.) κέικ σοκολάτας με ξινόγαλο
  • go to the devil    (καθομ.) πάω/πηγαίνω κατά διαβόλου
  • have the devil's own job    έχω δύσκολη δουλειά
  • like the devil    δαιμονισμένα, σαν τρελός
  • the devil take the hindmost    όποιος πρόλαβε τον Κύριο είδε!
  • What the devil    τι στην ευχή;

Italiano (Italian)
diavolo

idioms:

  • a devil of    tremendo
  • better the devil you know    mai lasciare il certo per l'incerto
  • between the devil and the deep blue sea    fra l'incudine e il martello
  • devil's advocate    avvocato del diavolo
  • devil's food cake    torta di cioccolata
  • have the devil's own job    avere un sacco di grane
  • like the devil    con molta energia
  • sell one's soul to the devil    vender l'anima al diavolo
  • speak/talk of the devil    lupus in fabula, parli del diavolo e ne spuntano le corna
  • the devil take the hindmost    crepi l'ultimo
  • What the devil    che accidenti

Português (Portuguese)
n. - diabo (m)
int. - Diacho!
v. - atormentar

idioms:

  • a devil of    um inferno!
  • better the devil you know    antes o mal conhecido
  • between the devil and the deep blue sea    entre a cruz e a caldeira
  • devil's advocate    advogado (m) do diabo
  • devil's food cake    bolo (m) de chocolate
  • go to the devil    ir para brejo o (gír.)
  • have the devil's own job    fazer algo que causa sofrimento aos outros
  • like the devil    como o diabo (com grande esperteza)
  • sell one's soul to the devil    vender a alma ao demônio
  • speak/talk of the devil    falar do diabo...
  • the devil take the hindmost    cada um por si
  • What the devil    Que diabo!

Русский (Russian)
черт, дьявол

idioms:

  • a devil of    чертовски
  • better the devil you know    кабы знать где упасть
  • between the devil and the deep blue sea    между двух огней
  • devil's advocate    спорщик за неправильное дело
  • devil's food cake    шоколадный торт
  • go to the devil    К черту!
  • have the devil's own job    ужасная работа
  • like the devil    как сумасшедший
  • sell one's soul to the devil    продать душу дьяволу
  • speak/talk of the devil    легок на помине
  • the devil take the hindmost    спасайся кто может
  • What the devil    черт побери

Español (Spanish)
n. - diablo, demonio, cruel, infortunado, persona inteligente, aprendiz de, energía
v. tr. - asar con mucho picante, fastidiar

idioms:

  • a devil of a    endemoniadamente enorme, de todos los diablos, dificilísimo, de los mil demonios
  • be a devil!    ser un demonio
  • better the devil you know    más vale malo conocido que bueno por conocer
  • between the devil and the deep blue sea    entre la espada y la pared
  • devil's advocate    abogado del diablo
  • devil's food cake    torta/pastel de chocolate con crema
  • go to the devil    fracasar totalmente, ser depravado, vete al diablo
  • have the devil's own job    costar muchísimo trabajo
  • like the devil    como el demonio
  • the devil take the hindmost    el que se quede en zaga, con el diablo se las haya, ¡sálvese quien pueda!
  • What the devil    ¿que demonios...?, ¿qué diablos?

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - djävul, osynlig medarbetare, hantlangare
int. - fan
v. - knoga, göra, starkt krydda och grilla

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
魔王, 魔鬼, 恶魔, 撒旦, 恶棍, 折磨, 困扰

idioms:

  • a devil of    极端的...
  • better the devil you know    你完蛋了
  • between the devil and the deep blue sea    进退两难
  • devil's advocate    唱反调的人
  • devil's food cake    一种巧克力蛋糕
  • go to the devil    堕落, 毁灭, 滚开
  • have the devil's own job    非常辛苦的工作
  • like the devil    猛烈地
  • the devil take the hindmost    落后者遭殃
  • What the devil    我的天, 天啊

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 魔王, 魔鬼, 惡魔, 撒旦, 惡棍
v. tr. - 折磨, 困擾

idioms:

  • a devil of    極端的...
  • better the devil you know    你完蛋了
  • between the devil and the deep blue sea    進退兩難
  • devil's advocate    唱反調的人
  • devil's food cake    一種巧克力蛋糕
  • go to the devil    墮落, 毀滅, 滾開
  • have the devil's own job    非常辛苦的工作
  • like the devil    猛烈地
  • the devil take the hindmost    落後者遭殃
  • What the devil    我的天, 天啊

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 사탄, 사신, 분신, 정력가, 이용당하는 사람
v. tr. - 학대하다, (절단기로) 자르다, (고기 등을) 후추를 많이 뿌려 굽다

idioms:

  • a devil of    굉장한
  • go to the devil    몰락하다, 꺼져 버려라
  • have the devil's own job    ~을 하기에 어렵다
  • like the devil    열렬히
  • the devil take the hindmost    먼저 온 사람이 제일이다
  • What the devil    도대체 ~냐?

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 悪魔, 悪魔のような人, 権化, やつ, 精力家, 畜生, まさか, 決して…でない, デビル
v. - いじめる, 辛く料理する

idioms:

  • a devil of    ひどいものすごい
  • devil's advocate    列聖調査審問検事, あまのじゃく
  • go to the devil    破滅する, 消えうせろ
  • like the devil    猛烈に
  • printer's devil    印刷所の見習い工
  • speak/talk of the devil    噂をすれば
  • the devil take the hindmost    遅れたものは放っておく

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) إبليس, الشيطان, شخص شرير أو وحشي (فعل) يطبخ شئ في مرق سميك ملي بالبهارات, يغايظ, يضايق‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮שטן, שד, נער-שליח, אומלל, ממזר, אדם רע, אדם פיקח או נמרץ‬
v. tr. - ‮טיגן (עם תבלינים), הציק, עינה‬


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