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Biblegod's finitude, Biblical henotheism, and the Devil:
Satan, "ha-satan," Lucifer, and the Nephilim



Should the topic of Satan happen to come up in your discussions with Christians, here are some references that may come in handy.

  1. The "fall of Lucifer" myth
  2. New Testament "Satan" vs. Old Testament "ha-satan"
  3. The Book of Enoch
  4. Satan in the New Testament and Christianity
  5. Absurdity of "cosmic Good" and "cosmic Evil"
  6. Favorable reinterpretations of Satan
  7. The Nephilim
  8. Miscellaneous


  1. The "fall of Lucifer" myth

    First, here are some articles about the traditional Christian "Lucifer" myth and its lack of foundation in the Bible:


  2. New Testament "Satan" vs. Old Testament "ha-satan"

    Next, some articles about the difference between "Satan" of the New Testament and "ha-satan" of the Old Testament, especially the Book of Job:

    But here are some articles dealing with apocryphal and rabbinic traditions contemporary to Jesus. Apparently, at that time, quite a few Jews did believe in "Samael ha-satan," an entity more like the Christian "Satan" than like "ha-satan" of the Book of Job.

    Most Jews do not believe in a Devil, and many do not literally believe in "ha-satan" of the Book of Job either. But I once knew a Jewish mystic who did believe in both a Devil and "ha-satan." He regarded them as two distinct entities. To him, the Devil (a rebel against Yahweh and ruler of the evil inclination in humans) was "the Greater Satan", whereas "ha-satan" of the Book of Job (the heavenly prosecuting attorney and secret police agent) was "the lesser Satan."


  3. The Book of Enoch

    Although the Book of Enoch is not in the Bible, it is believed by scholars to have been one of the sources of the New Testament's idea of Satan. In the Book of Enoch, the leader of the fallen angels is Azazel.


  4. Satan in the New Testament and Christianity

    First, see this article by Elaine Pagels, a leading scholar of the history of the Devil concept:

    Below are some articles on the Christian view of Satan, mostly by Christians. In the New Testament, Satan is regarded as a very powerful being. He is the "God of the world" (yes! -- "God" -- see 2 Corinthians 4:4), "Prince of this world" (e.g. John 14:30), "Prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2), and a being with enough power that He could, with even the slightest hope of being convincing, "tempt" Jesus by offering him power in exchange for worship (Matthew 4:9). And Christians traditionally lump together "the Devil, the world, and the flesh."

    Christian belief in the power of Satan was even greater in the first ten centuries of Christianity than in most subsequent centuries. Before St. Anselm wrote his theological works in the 10th century C.E., many Christians believed in the "ransom theory of the atonement," i.e. the idea that Jesus's death on the cross was a ransom payment by God to Satan. For more about this, if you happen to be curious about the history of Christian theology, see the following articles:

    To people not from a hardcore Christian background, the above articles on the "Doctrine of the Atonement" may seem a rather arcane discussion of theological minutiae. The main point is simply that the Devil was acknowledged as having even more power during the first ten centuries C.E. than later.


  5. Absurdity of "cosmic Good" and "cosmic Evil"

    Regarding the unlikelihood of a cosmic Creator God who is both all-powerful and all-"Good" in any humanly meaningful sense, see also The problem of evil.


  6. Favorable reinterpretations of Satan


  7. The Nephilim

    Lastly, some articles (mostly by Christians, but also some by non-Christians) about the angelic "Sons of God" who mated with human women, contradicting the usual Christian idea that angels are sexless. Some Christians find ways to explain this away, e.g. the idea that the "Sons of God" were actually humans of the "Line of Seth," rather than angels. Others reject this explanation.

    Among those fundy Christians who reject the "Line of Seth" theory and accept the angelic theory, many tend also to talk a lot about UFO's, which they believe are piloted by demons rather than by physical ET's. For example:


  8. Miscellaneous



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