Satan

Gustave Doré , Depiction of Satan, the antagonist of John Milton 's Paradise Lost c.1866. Satan ( Hebrew : הַשָׂטָן ha-Satan ("the accuser"); Persian " sheytân "; Arabic : الشيطان ash-Shayṭān ("the adversary") - both from the Semitic root : Ś - Ṭ - N ) is an embodiment of antagonism that originates from the Abrahamic religions , being traditionally considered a "fallen" angel in Judeo-Christian belief, and a Jinn in Islamic belief. Originally, the term was used as a title for various entities (humans, accusing angels, etc.) that challenged the religious faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible . Since then, the Abrahamic religions have used "Satan" as a name for the Devil . Wray, Gregory Mobley The birth of Satan: tracing the devil's biblical roots 2005 specifically ch.2 Unsystematic theology - the nature of God in the Hebrew Bible ch.3 The Devil is in the details - Satan in the Hebrew Bible Scott (1999); Kelly (2006)

other uses William Blake 's illustration of Satan as presented in John Milton 's Paradise Lost Gustave Doré , Depiction of Satan, the central figure in John Milton 's Paradise Lost c. 1866 Satan ( Hebrew : שָּׂטָן satan , meaning "adversary"; Arabic : شيطان shaitan , meaning; "astray", "distant", or sometimes "devil") is a figure appearing in the texts of the Abrahamic religions who brings evil and temptation, and is known as the deceiver who leads humanity astray. Some religious groups teach that he originated as an angel who fell out of favor with God , seducing humanity into the ways of sin , and who has power in the fallen world. In the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament , Satan is primarily an accuser and adversary, a decidedly malevolent entity, also called the devil , who possesses demonic qualities. In Theistic Satanism , Satan is considered a positive force and deity who is either worshipped or revered. V. 4]; xi. 14, 23, 25), from which use is developed the concept of a traitor in battle (I Sam. xxix. 4); (2) to an accuser before the judgment-seat (Ps. cix. 6); and (3) to any opponent (II Sam. xix. 23 [A. The word is likewise used to denote an antagonist who puts obstacles in the way, as in Num. xxii. 32, where the angel of God is described as opposing Balaam in the guise of a satan or adversary; so that the concept of Satan as a distinct being was not then known." Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions , page 290, Wendy Doniger Leeming, David Adams (2005).

Figure in Abrahamic religions Illustration of the Devil on folio 290 recto of the Codex Gigas , dating to the early thirteenth century Satan , also known as the Devil , is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehood. In Christianity and Islam , he is usually seen as either a fallen angel or a genie , who used to possess great piety and beauty, but rebelled against God , who nevertheless allows him temporary power over the fallen world and a host of demons . In Judaism , Satan is typically regarded as a metaphor for the yetzer hara , or "evil inclination", or as an agent subservient to God . A figure known as "the satan" first appears in the Tanakh as a heavenly prosecutor , a member of the sons of God subordinate to Yahweh , who prosecutes the nation of Judah in the heavenly court and tests the loyalty of Yahweh's followers by forcing them to suffer. During the intertestamental period , possibly due to influence from the Zoroastrian figure of Angra Mainyu , the satan developed into a malevolent entity with abhorrent qualities in dualistic opposition to God. In the apocryphal Book of Jubilees , Yahweh grants the satan (referred to as Mastema ) authority over a group of fallen angels , or their offspring , to tempt humans to sin and punish them. In the Synoptic Gospels , Satan tempts Jesus in the desert and is identified as the cause of illness and temptation. In the Book of Revelation , Satan appears as a Great Red Dragon , who is defeated by Michael the Archangel and cast down from Heaven. He is later bound for one thousand years , but is briefly set free before being ultimately defeated and cast into the Lake of Fire . In Christianity , Satan is known as the Devil and is sometimes also called Lucifer . Although the Book of Genesis does not mention him, he is often identified as the serpent in the Garden of Eden . In the Middle Ages , Satan played a minimal role in Christian theology and was used as a comic relief figure in mystery plays . During the early modern period , Satan's significance greatly increased as beliefs such as demonic possession and witchcraft became more prevalent. During the Age of Enlightenment , belief in the existence of Satan became harshly criticized. Nonetheless, belief in Satan has persisted, particularly in the Americas . In the Quran , Shaitan , also known as Iblis , is an entity made of fire who was cast out of Heaven because he refused to bow before the newly-created Adam and incites humans to sin by infecting their minds with waswās ("evil suggestions"). Although Satan is generally viewed as evil, some groups have very different beliefs. In Theistic Satanism , Satan is considered a deity who is either worshipped or revered. In LaVeyan Satanism , Satan is a symbol of virtuous characteristics and liberty. Satan's appearance is never described in the Bible, but, since the ninth century, he has often been shown in Christian art with horns, cloven hooves, unusually hairy legs, and a tail, often naked and holding a pitchfork. These are an amalgam of traits derived from various pagan deities, including Pan , Poseidon , and Bes . Satan appears frequently in Christian literature , most notably in Dante Alighieri 's Inferno , variants of the Faust legend, John Milton 's Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained , and the poems of William Blake . He continues to appear in film, television, and music. There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).

Figure in Abrahamic religions This article is about the figure in the Abrahamic religions. Illustration of the Devil on folio 290 recto of the Latin, Bohemian Codex Gigas , dating to the early thirteenth century Satan , also known as the Devil , and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity , is an entity in Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehood. In Judaism , Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God , typically regarded as a metaphor for the yetzer hara , or "evil inclination". In Christianity and Islam , he is usually seen as a fallen angel or jinn who has rebelled against God , who nevertheless allows him temporary power over the fallen world and a host of demons . In the Quran , Shaitan , also known as Iblis , is an entity made of fire who was cast out of Heaven because he refused to bow before the newly created Adam and incites humans to sin by infecting their minds with waswās ("evil suggestions"). A figure known as ha-satan ("the satan") first appears in the Hebrew Bible as a heavenly prosecutor , subordinate to Yahweh (God), who prosecutes the nation of Judah in the heavenly court and tests the loyalty of Yahweh's followers. During the intertestamental period , possibly due to influence from the Zoroastrian figure of Angra Mainyu , the satan developed into a malevolent entity with abhorrent qualities in dualistic opposition to God. In the apocryphal Book of Jubilees , Yahweh grants the satan (referred to as Mastema ) authority over a group of fallen angels , or their offspring , to tempt humans to sin and punish them. Although the Book of Genesis does not mention him, Christians often identify the serpent in the Garden of Eden as Satan. In the Synoptic Gospels , Satan tempts Jesus in the desert and is identified as the cause of illness and temptation. In the Book of Revelation , Satan appears as a Great Red Dragon , who is defeated by Michael the Archangel and cast down from Heaven. He is later bound for one thousand years , but is briefly set free before being ultimately defeated and cast into the Lake of Fire . In the Middle Ages , Satan played a minimal role in Christian theology and was used as a comic relief figure in mystery plays . During the early modern period , Satan's significance greatly increased as beliefs such as demonic possession and witchcraft became more prevalent. During the Age of Enlightenment , belief in the existence of Satan was harshly criticized by thinkers such as Voltaire . Nonetheless, belief in Satan has persisted, particularly in the Americas . Although Satan is generally viewed as evil, some groups have very different beliefs. In theistic Satanism , Satan is considered a deity who is either worshipped or revered. In LaVeyan Satanism , Satan is a symbol of virtuous characteristics and liberty. Satan's appearance is never described in the Bible, but, since the ninth century, he has often been shown in Christian art with horns, cloven hooves, unusually hairy legs, and a tail, often naked and holding a pitchfork. These are an amalgam of traits derived from various pagan deities, including Pan , Poseidon , and Bes . Satan appears frequently in Christian literature , most notably in Dante Alighieri 's Inferno , all variants of the classic Faust story, John Milton 's Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained , and the poems of William Blake . He continues to appear in film, television, and music. There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).

Figure in Abrahamic religions This article is about the figure in the Abrahamic religions. Illustration of the Devil on Codex Gigas , early thirteenth century Satan , also known as the Devil , is an entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism , Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God , typically regarded as a metaphor for the yetzer hara , or 'evil inclination'. In Christianity and Islam , he is usually seen as a fallen angel or jinn who has rebelled against God , who nevertheless allows him temporary power over the fallen world and a host of demons . In the Quran , Iblis (Shaitan), the leader of the devils ( shayāṭīn ), is made of fire and was cast out of Heaven because he refused to bow before the newly created Adam . He incites humans to sin by infecting their minds with waswās ('evil suggestions'). A figure known as ha-satan ("the satan") first appears in the Hebrew Bible as a heavenly prosecutor , subordinate to Yahweh (God); he prosecutes the nation of Judah in the heavenly court and tests the loyalty of Yahweh's followers. During the intertestamental period , possibly due to influence from the Zoroastrian figure of Angra Mainyu , the satan developed into a malevolent entity with abhorrent qualities in dualistic opposition to God. In the apocryphal Book of Jubilees , Yahweh grants the satan (referred to as Mastema ) authority over a group of fallen angels , or their offspring , to tempt humans to sin and punish them. Although the Book of Genesis does not name him specifically, Christians often identify the serpent in the Garden of Eden as Satan. In the Synoptic Gospels , Satan tempts Jesus in the desert and is identified as the cause of illness and temptation. In the Book of Revelation , Satan appears as a Great Red Dragon , who is defeated by Michael the Archangel and cast down from Heaven. He is later bound for one thousand years , but is briefly set free before being ultimately defeated and cast into the Lake of Fire . In the Middle Ages, Satan played a minimal role in Christian theology and was used as a comic relief figure in mystery plays . During the early modern period , Satan's significance greatly increased as beliefs such as demonic possession and witchcraft became more prevalent. During the Age of Enlightenment , belief in the existence of Satan was harshly criticized by thinkers such as Voltaire . Nonetheless, belief in Satan has persisted, particularly in the Americas . Although Satan is generally viewed as evil, some groups have very different beliefs. In theistic Satanism , Satan is considered a deity who is either worshipped or revered. In LaVeyan Satanism , Satan is a symbol of virtuous characteristics and liberty. Satan's appearance is never described in the Bible, but, since the ninth century, he has often been shown in Christian art with horns, cloven hooves, unusually hairy legs, and a tail, often naked and holding a pitchfork. These are an amalgam of traits derived from various pagan deities, including Pan , Poseidon , and Bes . Satan appears frequently in Christian literature , most notably in Dante Alighieri 's Inferno , all variants of the classic Faust story, John Milton 's Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained , and the poems of William Blake . He continues to appear in literature, film, television, video game, and music. There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).