Greek Word Devil

The devil at the dawn of Christianity bore little resemblance to the ruler of hell, the antichrist and agent of evil that he is known as in present day. Satan makes few overt or implied appearances in the Old Testament. For the important role of God’s greatest adversary, early Christians had to flesh out great parts of Satan’s story in order to develop him into his present, fearsome persona. The Christian story of the Devil is heavily influenced by earlier Greek mythology, and early Christian writings about the Devil co-opted local mythology in order to gain new converts and discredit popular pagan beliefs.

Prophet Isaiah revealed devil’s intention: “…How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend

Even though Satan and Lucifer may seem like synonyms, there is a slight difference in their definitions. Satan is defined as “the adversary of God and lord of evil” while Lucifer is defined as “a fallen rebel archangel, the Devil.” By these definitions it is possible to give either name to the Accusing Angel. The Accusing Angel fits the description of “the adversary of God” because he is sent to torment Job and test his faith. The Accusing Angel could also be depicted as an adversary because of the way he tempts God into allowing him to test Job. The Accusing Angel says that Job must be protected by some kind of divine power and that if he was to fall into hard times, he would “curse [God] to [His] face.” The Accusing Angel also fits the definition of Lucifer because of the idea that the Accusing Angel is a fallen angel. Thus, the definition of Accusing Angel is a combination of Satan and Lucifer.

Satan’s definitions include the advocate of God, a personification of evil, the fallen angel, a spirit created by God, and also the accuser. People see Satan differently, some know of his existence, others think of him as just a myth, and there are those that just ignore him. John Milton's Paradise Lost tells of Satan's banishment from Heaven and his gain of earth. He and his brigade have plotted war against God and are now doomed to billow in the fiery pits of hell. Satan is a complex character with many different qualities. God is a character who we, as Christians, know about but do not completely understand. We also do not completely understand Satan. Some may think they know Satan but when asked “Is Satan divine?”

In the stories “The Devil and Tom Walker” and “The Devil and Daniel Webster” the devil was depicted very differently. In Tom Walker, the devil was perceived as a man that tested Walker in his faith and tricked him into acting like a “christian man” on the outside and made him make deals with him as payment for helping him. “...dressed in a rude, half Indian garb, and had a red belt or sash swathed round his body, but his face was neither black nor copper colored.” (Irving, 1824, pg.4). In Daniel Webster, the devil was perceived as a man “Old Scratch” that Jabez Stone sold his soul to. “The stranger came up through the lower field, switching his boots with a cane- they were handsome black boots…” (Benét, 1937, pg.12). Each author had their own interpretation of the devil for each story.

In Dante’s Inferno, Satan was found in the last level of hell. The way Dante describes Satan probably does not fit the typical image of society. Society thinks of the devil as a free demon in hell that would torment every sinner,so he would have horns, a long tail, sharp teeth and malicious smile. Dante describes Satan with three heads one a different color. One head yellow that was the color of impotence. One head black the color the represented ignorance. The last head red that was the color of anger. All these colors were the three emotions that represented Satan himself. In addition, he has two wings under each head that he uses to try and escape his punishment, but just making it more difficult to get out of. As he flaps his wings in order

There are many verses in the Bible that show how how Satan came to be. Some of them are not straight ford but some give a good description. Most of the verses that describe where Satan comes from are in the book of Revelation.

The Antichrist, Satan, Lucifer… he has many names, and even more roles in our everyday lives. The devil is a way for us as humans to recognize our own flaws, sins, temptations, and our hidden dark side. He is a scapegoat for the carnal nature of humans, and makes our God appear to be a less wicked creator by contrast. An extremely important figure in everything from literature and movies, the devil is necessary for helping humans differentiate from good and evil, whether or not you believe in him as a real, physical being, or as a metaphor. Humans naturally feel compelled to project our own evil onto a seperate, outside entity, as it was deemed unnatural, and the devil is the perfect candidate.

Oftentimes, the devil is depicted as an evil deity sitting in the depths of a burning pit, plotting the demise of mankind and creating all the evils that are in the world. However, in The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis, using a series of letters from an experienced tempter to his protégé, makes the case that this is false. He portrays the devils as a perverted spirit, the opposite of a guardian angel. Unlike God who truly loves man and embraces his individuality, the devil’s main objective is to cultivate humans for food, consuming their uniqueness. “We want cattle who can finally become food… we want to suck in… we are empty and would be filled”[i] Screwtape, the demonic mentor of Wormwood, writes bluntly in his letter in Chapter 8. In their

Lucifer's name means"light bearer," and was changed to Satan, meaning adversary, when booted out of Heaven. Satan before he fell, was God's created angel, created perfect without sin, elevated as God's main dude among angels, as an archangel, an anointed cherub. God did not fail Lucifer, but Lucifer failed God. His beauty and position filled his heart with pride, his God-given free-will to corrupt his wisdom, and one-third of the angels (his devils) to rebel. Satan, as an adversary, hates God and all that is God's, including mankind, desiring to bring destruction upon God, mankind, and His creation.

The devil is suggested a couple of times (and I may have missed more instances). Once by the woman at the bar talking to James Vane: "They say he has sold himself to the devil for a pretty face" (Wilde 160). I think the more important reference was by Basil Hallward in viewing the painting the night Dorian killed him: "Christ! What a thing I must have worshipped! It has the eyes of a devil" (Wilde 131).

Lucifer is the epitome and personification of all that is evil according to the traditional American perspective. His name has been linked with the name Satan so that either name refers to "the Devil" in most of the western Christian tradition. American culture, with its Puritan roots and Fundamentalist influences, has cast Lucifer in the role of the eternal enemy of all that we hold to be good and worthwhile. Preachers and others who teach Christian morality have described his power as being great enough to tempt all of us, at the same time, into sin. He seeks to lead us away from God and into his own realm of fear, torment, and undying agony. He is to be shunned and feared, lest he bring us to

Greek Mythology has influenced many “monsters” we reference in various works of current literature. Anywhere from 3 headed dogs to women with snakes for locks of hair, all of these deformed common things originated from Mythology. Not only do we still reference the monsters themselves in all forms of art today but also we implement the qualities the monsters posses unto characters in our stories.

incarnation of the devil, or more likely, what the devil represents (Rauer 33). The first dragon from The

First, to prove that Satan must be something more than a mere “favored” angel, some kind of divine being, let us consider Adam’s longing for a companion (as I think the concept here holds basis): he reasons with God as to why it is appropriate for him to have an equality alongside, and of course, God, “not displeased,” grants Adam’s request, that is to become, Eve. Now imagine God in the shoes of Adam, that is