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World Mythology Dictionary:

Satan

(West Asian mythology)

Belief in malevolent beings which haunt the air and the secret places of the earth stemmed from early man's instinctive fear of the unknown, the strange and frightening. In West Asia this common superstition expressed itself potently in a variety of ways: the Egyptians struggled against Am-mut, the ‘eater of the dead’, and the serpent Apophis daily threatened the sun god Re; the Babylonians attributed sickness and misfortune to demonic attack, while at night men were endangered by Lilitu, a beautiful, winged succubus; the Hebrews had to cope with a host of fallen angels under the crafty leadership of Satan and Beelzebub; the Arabs fought off the assaults of countless djinn, ‘hidden ones’, inhabitants of the world before man; the Persians, the hardest pressed of all peoples, faced in the dreadful creations of Ahriman nothing less than absolute evil. It was the impact of Persian dualism on the Hebrews, after the Babylonian Exile, that led to the crystallization of the Devil in the form we recognize today.

In the Old Testament the word Satan originally meant ‘adversary’, the supernatural being that Yahweh allowed to test Job, ‘a perfect and an upright man’. But the idea of a spirit of evil was developed in apocryphal literature, especially the Book of Enoch, written down after 200 BC. The fall of Satan was explained in terms of envy; he was jealous of Adam and refused as ‘a son of god’ to pay him reverence and homage. Michael said he should worship ‘the image of God’ or face the wrath of Yahweh, but Satan and his followers refused. They were flung out of heaven, down to earth, and from that moment started the enmity between Satan and mankind. Other angels, however, fell earthward because of the sensual charms of the daughters of men. Thus did Shemhazai and Azazel, who fathered ‘the wicked demon Asmodaeus’, the Zoroastrian Aeshma. On the Day of Atonement the priests had to sacrifice a second ram. One scapegoat was for the sins of Israel, the other for Azazel. From the union of angels and women sprang the titans mentioned in Genesis, the giants who were drowned along with the ‘corrupt’ descendants of Adam in the flood.

Christianity inherited this demonology, to which was added the belief that the pagan deities were devils. St Paul was firm on this theological issue. ‘Ye cannot drink of the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils.’ Beelzebub, or Baalzebub, ‘lord of the flies’, was a distortion of a Canaanite god's name probably meaning ‘lord of the house’. The idea also grew up that each soul had assigned to it a good and an evil angel. But in the apocalypse of Revelation the faithful knew of the final defeat of Satan, clearly identified as the ‘dragon’ of Genesis. According to the evangelist St Peter, Jesus Christ, having died, even ‘went and preached to the spirits in prison’. A graphic account of his descent into hell occurs in the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus, which dates from the fourth century.

The Gnostic ascetic Saturninus, a contemporary of Simon Magus, wrote: ‘Marriage and generation are of Satan.’ Because the world was under his evil sway, abstinence was the only way for the ‘spark of life’ to escape. In Gnostic mythology the Devil was in league with the female principle, who ‘is without foreknowledge, wrathful, double-minded, double-bodied, a virgin above and a viper below’.

 
 
Who2 Biography: Satan, Mythical Figure/Biblical Figure

  • Born: ?
  • Birthplace: ?
  • Best Known As: Evil personified

Satan, or the Devil, plays various evil roles in ancient and modern literature and in Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Zoroastrian religious traditions. Satan is an opponent of God and of those seeking to do God's will. "He" is often described as an angel named Lucifer who was cast out of heaven for rebelling against God, was condemned to roam the earth and rule hell, and who battles God for possession of souls and the earth. That legend is not found as such in the Bible but is based on interpretations of scattered Bible passages and later literary portrayals. Satan is also variously seen as a supernatural force who really exists; a humorous Halloween character with cloak and pointy tail; a scriptural figure who can be read symbolically or allegorically to represent evil in the world; the supposed target of the Inquisition and witch hunts; and a spirit -- a lying trickster -- who actually (if rarely) possesses people and may be challenged through psychotherapy or even exorcism.

The English word "Satan" is from a Hebrew word meaning "to oppose" or "adversary." "Devil" is from the Greek diabolos (to slander)... The name "Lucifer" appears in Isaiah 14 in the King James Version of the Bible... Famous literary portrayals of the Devil include those in Dante's The Divine Comedy (early 14th century), John Milton's Paradise Lost and Regained (1677), John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress (1678) and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust (1809 and 1832)... The Devil should not be confused with Slovakian professional hockey player Miroslav Satan.

 
Dictionary: Sa·tan  (sāt'n) pronunciation
n.

The profoundly evil adversary of God and humanity, often identified with the leader of the fallen angels; the Devil.

[Middle English, from Old English, from Late Latin Satān, from Greek Satanas, Satān, from Hebrew śāṭān, devil, adversary, from śāṭan, to accuse, act as adversary.]


 
Artist: Satan
  • Genre: Rock
  • Active: '80s

Biography

One of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal's most convoluted family trees belongs to the band known predominantly as Satan. Besides regularly undergoing name changes (Blind Fury and Pariah were only two of the aliases employed each time the group decided their original name was compromising their chances of success), the band's history regularly intersected that of any number of competing groups out of the Northeast, most notably Blitzkrieg and Skyclad. The seeds of the band that would become Satan were planted in Newcastle, England, toward the end of 1980, when a semifirm lineup consisting of vocalist Trevor Robinson, guitarists Steve Ramsey and Russ Tippins, bassist Graeme English, and drummer Andy Reed finally coalesced. The band's first single, the imminently collectable "Kiss of Death," was released by independent label Guardian Records in the first months of 1982, and after welcoming new drummer Sean Taylor and replacing singer Robinson, first with one Ian Swift, then with the more experienced Brian Ross (ex-Blitzkrieg), sessions began for a full-length album. The very heavy, almost thrash-like Court in the Act opus finally emerged in January 1984 through Neat Records (who else?) and was given mostly enthusiastic reviews. An equally successful bout of touring across the Channel in Europe followed, but the group was handed a major setback when the ever restless Ross decided to quit shortly after their return in order to resurrect Blitzkrieg. Lou Taylor, former frontman with Kevin Heybourne's post-Angel Witch project, Blind Fury, was soon tapped as replacement, but his domineering ways soon led to the questionable adoption of the Blind Fury handle, causing no small amount of confusion among the fans and effectively disassociating what used to be Satan with any benefits arising from their recently released album -- smart one boys! Taylor also convinced the band that they would be better served by toning down their intensity somewhat for 1985's more hard rock-oriented Out of Reach, which was released by the fledgling Roadrunner label. Not surprisingly, the album's poor performance in the marketplace inevitably raised serious doubts about all of these stylistic changes and name-swapping shenanigans, resulting in the abrupt and convenient dismissal of both Taylor and Out of Reach as one and the same big mistake, followed by yet another about-face to resurrect the Satan name. Enlisting with German record company Steamhammer, Satan hired new singer Michael Jackson (not "Jacko," of course) and saw a return to heavier fare, first on 1986's Into the Future EP, then with 1987's semireturn to form, Suspended Sentence. Oddly enough, both of these releases fared far better in continental Europe (where they toured with Running Wild later that year) than back home in the U.K., revealing a territorial shift in heavy metal appreciation that also affected the careers of English contemporaries like Savage and Jaguar. Still, it was by now clear that Satan's window of opportunity was most definitely closing, and as if to prove themselves further unworthy of true stardom, the band once again decided to drop their moniker in exchange for the purportedly less confining Pariah -- whatever! The Satan saga ends here, but in later years, Pariah would go on to record two albums before certain members departed to join the ranks of avant-folk-thrashers Skyclad. ~ Ed Rivadavia, All Music Guide

Representative Albums:

Court in the Act, Suspended Sentence, Live in the Act

Similar Artists:

Blind Fury
 
Columbia Encyclopedia: Satan
[Heb.,=adversary], traditional opponent of God and humanity in Judaism and Christianity. In Scripture and literature the role of the opponent is given many names, such as Apolyon, Beelzebub, Semihazah, Azazel, Belial, and Sammael. Nicknames include the Tempter, Evil One, God of This World, Father of Lies, and Prince of Darkness. But in the New Testament it is Satan, with its Greek equivalent diabolos (the Devil), which came to dominate, displacing or demoting other names and figures.

In the Hebrew Bible, Satan plays only a minor role as an ambiguous figure in the heavenly court. In Job his function is described as a kind of public prosecutor for God, suggesting his role as adversary may have been in terms of jurisprudence. The transformation of Satan from subordinate official to independent adversary and rebellious angel occurred during the Jewish apocalyptic movement, which came under the influence of the dualistic cosmologies of the ancient Middle East. The New Testament, grown from the same soil, speaks of Satan as the author of all evil (Luke 10:19), the personal tempter of Jesus (Matt. 4), and the rebel cast to earth together with his angels (Rev. 12:7–9). But these and many other passages in the Bible said to allude to Satan were shaped into coherent theological narratives only over time, often in response to Christian heresies.

During the Middle Ages Satan acquired his familiar attributes in folktale—his hooves, his sulfurous odor, his horns, and, paradoxically, his polished, gentlemanly manners. Much of his appearance and many of his actions, however, can be traced back to the pre-Christian deities of Europe, such as the two-headed god Janus and a variety of Panlike nature and fertility deities. The Christian elaboration of the figure of Satan, fueled by the Dominicans and the papal bull of 1484, probably reached a peak during the 15th, 16th, and 17th cent.

In Islam, Satan is also known as Iblīs, the evil jinn who in refusing to bow to Adam disobeyed God and became “one of the disbelievers.” The Qur'an, however, implies that even as the ruler of hell, Iblīs remains God's servant and is ultimately eligible for redemption.

In intellectual circles in the West today the tendency is to demythologize Satan. Certain scholars argue that by the time the Old Testament book of First Chronicles was completed Satan had been transformed from an angel who questioned God to a being dedicated to subverting God. It has been further argued that this changing concept of Satan paralleled a process of demonizing one's opponents and attributing evil motives them. The Essene sect in the late centuries B.C. portrayed other Jewish sects who disagreed with them as allied with the forces of darkness and themselves as “sons of light.” Early Christians adopted this approach and demonized Jews who did not acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah. In later centuries pagans and fellow Christians who had opposing beliefs were characterized by Christians as evil and to be opposed or eradicated.

Bibliography

See W. Woods, A History of the Devil (1974); J. B. Russell, Satan (1981); N. Forsyth, The Old Enemy (1987); E. Pagels, The Origin of Satan (1995).

 
Bible Dictionary: Satan

The devil. In the Bible, Satan is identified with the tempter who encourages the fall of Adam and Eve; he is the accuser who torments Job in the hope that he will curse God; the one who offers Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus will worship him (see Get thee behind me, Satan); and the evil one who puts betrayal in the heart of Judas. Satan will one day be confined in hell, but until then he is free to roam the Earth.

  • Satan is the power of darkness opposed to the light of Christ; he is thus sometimes referred to as the Prince of Darkness.
  • Satan has been depicted in many ways: as a man with horns, goat hooves, a pointed tail, a pointed beard, and a pitchfork; as a dragon; and sometimes as an angel with large batlike wings.

    •  
    Devil's Dictionary: satan
    A cynical view of the world by Ambrose Bierce


    n.

    One of the Creator's lamentable mistakes, repented in sashcloth and axes. Being instated as an archangel, Satan made himself multifariously objectionable and was finally expelled from Heaven. Halfway in his descent he paused, bent his head in thought a moment and at last went back. "There is one favor that I should like to ask," said he.

    "Name it."

    "Man, I understand, is about to be created. He will need laws."

    "What, wretch! you his appointed adversary, charged from the dawn of eternity with hatred of his soul -- you ask for the right to make his laws?"

    "Pardon; what I have to ask is that he be permitted to make them himself."

    It was so ordered.


     
    Wikipedia: Satan

    <imagemap>

    Image:Padlock-silver-medium.svg
    This article is about the concept of Satan. For the concept of "devil", see Devil. For other uses, see Satan (disambiguation).
    Gustave Doré's depiction of Satan from John Milton's Paradise Lost.
    Enlarge
    Gustave Doré's depiction of Satan from John Milton's Paradise Lost.

    Satan (from the Hebrew word for "adversary"), is a term that originates from the Abrahamic faiths, being traditionally applied to an angel.

    While Hebrew Ha-Satan is "the accuser" — a member of the divine council, who challenged the religious faith of humans, especially in the books of Job and Zechariah — Abrahamic religious belief systems other than Judaism relate this term to a demon, a rebellious fallen angel, devil, minor god and idolatry, or as an allegory for evil.

    'Satan' is שָׂטָן Satan in Standard Hebrew, Śāṭān in Tiberian Hebrew, סטנא Saṭänä in Aramaic, Σατανάς Satanás in Koine Greek, اهریمن Satanás in Persian, شيطان Šayṭān in Arabic, ሳይጣን Sāyṭān in Ge'ez, and Şeytan in Turkish.

    Etymology

    The Devil as seen in Codex Gigas.
    Enlarge
    The Devil as seen in Codex Gigas.

    The word 'Satan', and the Arabic شيطان "shaitan," may derive from a Northwest Semitic root śṭn, meaning "to be hostile," "to accuse."[1] An alternative explanation is provided by the Hebrew in Job 1:7. When God asks him whence he has come, Satan answers: "From wandering (mi'ŝuṭ) the earth and walking on it" (מִשּׁוּט בָּאָרֶץ, וּמֵהִתְהַלֵּךְ בָּה). The root ŝuṭ signifies wandering on foot or sailing. 'Satan' would thus be "the Wanderer."

    In Judaism

    In the Hebrew Apocrypha

    A large part of this "secret" literature was The Apocrypha, religious writings which are not generally accepted as scripture by many mainstream sects of Christianity and Judaism. These works usually bore the names of ancient Hebrew worthies in order to establish their validity among the true writers' contemporaries. To reconcile the late appearance of the texts with their claims to primitive antiquity, alleged authors are represented as "shutting up and sealing" (Dan. XII. 4:9) the works until the time of their fulfillment had arrived; as the texts were not meant for their own generations but for far-distant ages (also cited in Assumption of Moses I. 16:17).

    In the Book of Wisdom, the devil is represented as the being who brought death into the world.[2]

    The 2nd Book of Enoch, also called the Slavonic Book of Enoch, contains references to a Watcher Grigori called Satanael.[3] 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[4] and an evil spirit who knew the difference between what was "righteous" and "sinful"[5]. 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.[6] Mastema, who induced God to test Abraham through the sacrifice of Isaac, is identical with Satan in both name and nature.[7]

    For the Chasidic Jews of the eighteenth century, Ha-satan was Baal Davar.[8]

    As the "accuser"

    Where Satan does appear in the Bible as a member of God's court, he plays the role of the Accuser, much like a prosecuting attorney for God.

    According to the article on 'Satan' in the Jewish Encyclopedia, Satan's role as the accuser is found

    “ in the prologue to the Book of Job, where Satan appears, together with other celestial beings or 'sons of God,' before the Deity, replying to the inquiry of God as to whence he had come, with the words: 'From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.' (Job 1:7) Both question and answer, as well as the dialogue which follows, characterize Satan as that member of the divine council who watches over human activity, but with the evil purpose of searching out men's sins and appearing as their accuser. He is, therefore, the celestial prosecutor, lawyer who sees only iniquity; for he persists in his evil opinion of Job even after the man of Uz has passed successfully through his first trial by surrendering to the will of God, whereupon Satan demands another test through physical suffering. (ib. ii. 3-5.) ”


    “ Yet it is also evident from the prologue that Satan has no power of independent action, but requires the permission of God, which he may not transgress. He cannot be regarded, therefore, as an opponent of the Deity; and the doctrine of monotheism is disturbed by his existence no more than by the presence of other beings before the face of God. This view is also retained in Zech. 3:1-2, where Satan is described as the adversary of the high priest Joshua, and of the people of God whose representative the hierarch is; and he there opposes the 'angel of the Lord' who bids him be silent in the name of God. ”


    “ In both of these passages Satan is a mere accuser who acts only according to the permission of the Deity; but in I Chron. 21:1 he appears as one who is able to provoke David to destroy Israel. The Chronicler (third century B.C.) regards Satan as an independent agent, a view which is the more striking since the source whence he drew his account (II Sam. 24:1) speaks of God Himself as the one who moved David against the children of Israel. Since the older conception refers all events, whether good or bad, to God alone, (I Sam. 16:14; I Kings 22:22; Isa. 45:7; etc) it is possible that the Chronicler, and perhaps even Zechariah, were influenced by Zoroastrianism, even though in the case of the prophet Jewish monism strongly opposed Iranian dualism. (Stave, Einfluss des Parsismus auf das Judenthum, pp. 253 et seq.) An immediate influence of the Babylonian concept of the 'accuser, persecutor, and oppressor' (Schrader, K. A. T. 3d ed., p. 463) is impossible, since traces of such an influence, if it had existed, would have appeared in the earlier portions of the Bible."[9] ”

    In Christianity

    Main article: Devil in Christianity

    In Christianity, terms that are synonymous with 'Satan' include:

    • The most common English synonym for 'Satan' is 'Devil', which descends from Middle English devel, from Old English dēofol, that in turn represents an early Germanic borrowing of Latin diabolus (also the source of 'diabolical'). This in turn was borrowed from Greek diabolos "slanderer," from diaballein "to slander": dia- "across, through" + ballein "to hurl."[10] In the New Testament, 'Satan' occurs more than thirty times in passages alongside Diabolos (Greek for "the devil"), referring to the same person or thing as Satan.[11]
    • Lucifer is sometimes used in Christian theology to refer to Satan, as a result of identifying the fallen "son of the dawn" of Isaiah 14:12 with the "accuser" of other passages in the Old Testament.
    • Beelzebub (Be'elzebub "Lord of Flies") is originally the name of a Philistine god, but is also used in the New Testament as a synonym for Satan. A corrupted version, "Belzeboub," appears in The Divine Comedy.
    • "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.[11]
    • The angel Leviathan is described as "that crooked serpent," which is also used to describe Satan in Revelation 12:9. 'Sar ha Olam,' a possible name for Metatron, is described as Satan by Michael, Jehoel and St. Paul.

    In mainstream Christianity's understanding of the holy Hebrew scriptures, the Torah, Satan is a synonym for the Devil. For most Christian sects, he is believed to be an angel who rebelled against God— and also the one who spoke through the serpent and seduced Eve into disobeying God's command. His ultimate goal is to lead people away from the love of God — to lead them to fallacies which God opposes. Satan is also identified as the accuser of Job, the tempter in the Gospels, the secret power of lawlessness in 2 Thessalonians 2:7, and the dragon in the Book of Revelation. Before his alleged insurrection, Satan was the highest of all angels and the "brightest in the sky." His pride is considered a reason why he would not bow to God as all other angels did, but sought to rule heaven himself. The popularly held beliefs that Satan was once a prideful angel who eventually rebels against God, however, are barely portrayed in the Bible and are mostly based on traditions (see Lucifer). Moreover, in mainstream Christianity he is called "the ruler of the demons" (Matt. 12:24), "the ruler of the world" and even "the god of this world." (2Cor. 4:4). The Book of Revelation describes how Satan will be cast out of Heaven, down to the earth, having "great anger" and waging war against "those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus". Ultimately, Satan is thrown into the "lake of fire" (Revelation 20:10), not as ruler, but as one among many, being tormented day and night for all eternity.

    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.[12]

    In Islam

    Main articles: Shaitan and Iblis

    Shaitan (شيطان) is the equivalent of Satan in Islam.

    While Shaitan (شيطان, from the root šṭn شطن) is an adjective (meaning "astray" or "distant") that can be applied to both man ("al-ins", الإنس) and Genie, Iblis (pronounced /'ib.liːs/) is the personal name of the Shaitan who is mentioned in the Qur'anic account of Genesis, and whose origin is unclear but is more likely to be made of fire. However, the name Iblis is likely a contraction taken from the Greek "Diabolos".

    Whenever the Qur'an refers to the creature who refused to prostrate before Adam at the time of the latter's creation, it refers to him as Iblis. The Islamic view of Iblis has both commonalities and differences with Christian and Jewish views.

    Satan, Adam, and Eve

    As per the Qur'an, before the creation of Man, Allah created the Angels out of light – which had no free will – and the Genie, made of smokeless fire, with semi-free will. Later Allah created Adam, and ordered all the angels to bow to him. All the angels did, except a Genie called Iblis, who was elevated to be one of the leaders of the Angels. Iblis was proud and considered himself superior. Iblis argued that he was superior to Adam, who was made of modified clay, while he himself was made of smokeless fire. For this Allah damned him to Hell for eternity, but gave him respite till the Doomsday at his request. Then and there Iblis swore that he would use his time to lead all men astray to burn in hell. Allah replied that there would always be followers of Allah, and that the paradise of heaven was available for them, and those who followed Iblis would go with him to Hell where they are to be given an "ample-recompense" or "payment". [13]

    After their creation, Adam and Hawwa' (حواء, Adam and Eve) dwelt in Paradise (الجنة, AlJannah), where Allah forbade them to go near the cursed tree. "The Satan" (or al-Shaitan in Arabic), tricked Adam and Hawwa' into eating from the tree. Allah then expelled both of them from Heaven and onto Earth, to wander about not as a punishment. In Islam, Allah created humans to send them on to Earth, which he created for them. He was just to see how long the humans, Adam and Hawwa could stay in heaven or paradise. Then Adam sought to repent to Allah, and Allah taught him the words by which to do so. Allah forgave Adam and Hawwa' and told them "Get ye down all from here; and if, as is sure, there comes to you Guidance from me, whosoever follows My guidance, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve."[14] Iblis will try to influence as many of their descendants as he possibly could into sin, so as to be his companions in his final destiny into Hell to be recompensed.

    Adam remained weeping for 40 days, until he repented.

    For a more full account of the creation of Adam, the refusal of Iblis to prostrate before him, and a description of the devil in Islam see Iblis.

    Other instances of Satan

    Although some other faiths may have an evil figure or entity likened to Satan (see Devil), few have a figure actually named 'Satan'.

    In the Bahá'í faith

    In the Bahá'í Faith, 'Satan' is not an independent evil power as he is in the Abrahamic faiths, but signifies the "base nature" of humans. 'Abdu'l-Baha, Bahá'u'lláh's successor, wrote: "This lower nature in man is symbolized as Satan -- the evil ego within us, not an evil personality outside."[1]

    In Satanism

    Main articles: Satanism and LaVeyan Satanism

    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 so-called Satanic ritual abuse scare of the 1980s; beginning with the memoir Michelle Remembers – which depicts Satanism as a vast 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. Claims of Satanic child-molesting or murder rings are largely unsubstantiated.

    People claiming to be Satanists – or outsiders claiming to describe Satanism – ascribe a wide variety of beliefs to this movement. These range from the literal worship of a spiritual being (Theistic Satanism); to a kind of subversive ritual performance stressing the mockery of Christian symbols (most notably the Black Mass); to the claimed rediscovery of an ancient but misunderstood religion (e.g. Setianism, which conflates Satan with the Egyptian god Set).

    The most prominent and widely known Satanist in recent years was Anton Szandor LaVey, who founded the Church of Satan in 1966. LaVey wrote The Satanic Bible (1969) and other works which remain highly influential (though controversial) among avowed Satanists. LaVey rejects the Black Mass, cruelty to animals, or a literal belief in (or worship of) Satan, instead considering Satan as the human instinct within ourselves, which is what LaVeyan Satanism celebrates. Instead he supports a view of human beings as animals and rejects many social structures that he believes inhibit human instincts.

    In occultism

    In occult circles, the less well known Azazel (`aza'zel, often translated as "Scapegoat") of Leviticus 16:10 is equated with Satan.

    In popular culture

    For a discussion of Satan in fiction and pop culture, see

    See also

    Notes

    1. ^ American Heritage® Dictionary: Semitic roots: sn. Retrieved on 2006-05-31.
    2. ^ "But by the envy of the devil, death came into the world" - Book of Wisdom II. 24
    3. ^ 2 Enoch 18:3
    4. ^ "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
    5. ^ "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
    6. ^ Martyrdom of Isaiah, 2:2; Vita Adæ et Evæ, 16)
    7. ^ Book of Jubilees, xvii. 18
    8. ^ The Dictionary of Angels" by Gustav Davidson, © 1967
    9. ^ Jewish Encyclopaedia
    10. ^ American Heritage® Dictionary: Devil. Retrieved on 2006-05-31.
    11. ^ a b
    12. ^ Do you Believe in a Devil?. Retrieved on 2007-05-29.
    13. ^ Qur'an 17:63 Allah gives Iblis and followers payment/recompense
    14. ^ Qur'an 2:38

    References

    • Bamberger, Bernard J. (2006). Fallen Angels: Soldiers of Satan's Realm. Jewish Publication Society of America. ISBN 0-8276-0797-0. 
    • Forsyth, Neil (1987). The Old Enemy: Satan & the Combat Myth. Princeton University Press; Reprint edition. ISBN 0-691-01474-4. 
    • Forsyth, Neil (1987). The Satanic Epic. Princeton University Press; Reprint edition. ISBN 0-691-11339-4. 
    • Gentry, Kenneth L. Jr (2002). The Beast of Revelation. American Vision. ISBN 0-915815-41-9. 
    • Graves, Kersey (1995). Biography of Satan: Exposing the Origins of the Devil. Book Tree. ISBN 1-885395-11-6. 
    • Pagels, Elaine (1995). The Origin of Satan. Vintage; Reprint edition. ISBN 0-679-72232-7. 
    • Rudwin, Maximilian (1970). The Devil in Legend and Literature. Open Court. ISBN 0-87548-248-1. 
    • Russell, Jeffrey Burton (1977). The Devil: Perceptions of Evil from Antiquity to Primitive Christianity. Cornell University Press; Reprint edition. ISBN 0-8014-9413-3. 
    • Russell, Jeffrey Burton (1992). The Prince of Darkness: Radical Evil and the Power of Good in History. Cornell University Press; Reprint edition. ISBN 0-8014-8056-6. 
    • Russell, Jeffrey Burton (2005). The Birth of Satan : Tracing the Devil's Biblical Roots. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 1-4039-6933-7. 

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    Translations: Satan

    Dansk (Danish)
    n. - Satan, djævelen

    Nederlands (Dutch)
    Satan

    Français (French)
    n. - Satan

    Deutsch (German)
    n. - Satan

    Ελληνική (Greek)
    n. - Σατανάς

    Italiano (Italian)
    Satana

    Português (Portuguese)
    n. - Satã (m)

    Русский (Russian)
    сатана, дьявол

    Español (Spanish)
    n. - Satanás, Satán

    Svenska (Swedish)
    n. - Satan

    中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
    撒旦, 恶魔

    中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
    n. - 撒旦, 惡魔

    한국어 (Korean)
    n. - (크리스트교에서) 사탄, 악마, 마왕

    日本語 (Japanese)
    n. - 悪魔, サタン

    العربيه (Arabic)
    ‏(الاسم) ألشيطان, أبليس‏

    עברית (Hebrew)
    n. - ‮שטן‬

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    Copyrights:

    World Mythology Dictionary. A Dictionary of World Mythology. Copyright © Arthur Cotterell 1979, 1986, 2003. All rights reserved.  Read more
    Who2 Biography. Copyright © 1998-2008 by Who2, LLC. All rights reserved. See the Satan biography from Who2.  Read more
    Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
    Artist. Copyright © 2008 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ® , a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
    Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/  Read more
    Bible Dictionary. The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.  Read more
    Devil's Dictionary. Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce, 1911  Read more
    Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Satan".  Read more
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