SATAN The Hebrew word שָׂטָן (satan) means to oppose, obstruct, or accuse. The Greek term (σατάν, satan) literally means “adversary.” In the New Testament, it refers to a title or a name—(the) Satan. The term שָׂטָן (satan) is rendered as diabolos in the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. The Use of the Term “Satan” in the Hebrew Bible In the Old Testament, the word satan is both a noun and a verb. When used as a verb, it means “to oppose as an adversary” (e.g., Pss 38:20; 71:13; 109:4, 20, 29; Zech 3:1). It is applied to a human adversary as a noun (e.g., 1 Sam 29:4; 2 Sam 19:22; 1 Kgs 5:4; 11:14, 23, 25). In four books of the Old Testament, the term is attached to a supernatural being (Num 22:22, 32; Job 1:6, 7, 8; Zech 3:1; 1 Chr 21:1). The Term “Satan” Applied to a Human Adversary. The word “satan” occurs as a noun at various points in the Old Testament to designate a human opponent. It is translated in English Bibles as “adversary” or “enemy.” For example, King Solomon speaks of the opportunity he has to build a temple because of the absence of any “satan” or “adversary” to hinder him from this endeavor (1 Kgs 5:4). The term is also used by King David to speak of Abishai as an opponent or adversary (2 Sam 19:22). The Term “Satan” Associated with a Supernatural Figure. In the Old Testament, the word “satan” is also used in association with a supernatural figure. This is the case in the book of Numbers, where an Angel of the Lord is referred to as a “satan” when it obstructs the rode being traveled by Balaam and his donkey (Num 22:22). The angel is not a “satan,” but “opposes” Balaam. The Book of Job. The book of Job has a supernatural “satan” figure, which operated under the authority of God as Job’s faithfulness was tested (Job 1:6). In this context, the author placed a definite article (“the”) before the noun (“the satan”), which suggests the term is not a proper name, but rather a title or an office. The figure appeared as an angel, a part of the divine council along with the sons of God, whose special task might have been to investigate the affairs of humanity on earth. “The satan” of God’s court in the book of Job manifested himself more as an accuser than as a rebellious being. In response to the Lord’s inquiry as to his whereabouts, “the satan” says he has been patrolling the earth (Job 1:7). This could suggest that acting as a “satan” was a divinely given assignment (Tate, “Satan,” 462). It is interesting that the Lord does not rebuke “the satan” in this context. Rather, “the satan” is presented as one who may simply be skeptical about the religious integrity of Job (Tate, “Satan,” 463). The Book of Zechariah. The book of Zechariah presents a scene similar to the book of Job—the term “satan” is applied within the context of a trial (Zech 3:1). In Zechariah 3, the high priest Joshua is standing before the Angel of the Lord. “The satan” is there to accuse him. As in the book of Job, “the satan” is not acting in a malicious or evil fashion, but seems merely to be accusing Joshua, acting as a prosecuting attorney who is seeing if people have integrity (Boring, Revelation, 165). It may be “the satan” is questioning whether Joshua is fit for the priesthood (Tate, “Satan,” 463). There is some ambiguity in the text of Zech 3 as to whether “the satan” is hostile to the Lord or if he merely is a figure challenging His policies. The use of the verb for “rebuke” appears twice in Zech 3:2. The rebuke is spoken by the Lord and directed at “the satan.” Rather than taking the rebuke to express the Lord’s general discontent with “the satan,” it may suggest that He is simply not pleased with the case made by “the satan” (Tate, “Satan,” 464). Marvin Tate claims the usage of the verb for “rebuke” is not sufficient to establish that “the satan” in this setting is the main adversary of God, the devil (Tate, “Satan,” 464). For support of this position, Tate notes in the book of Proverbs (Prov 17:10) that the noun “rebuke” is used in relation to a person who is favorable to God (Tate, “Satan,” 464). For others, however, the word rebuke indicates a strong curse or an expression of anger on the part of God (Klein, Zechariah, 136). For this reason, Eugene Merrill identifies “the satan” in the book of Zechariah as the archenemy of God known throughout Scripture (Merrill, Haggai, 133). The Book of 1 Chronicles. The book of First Chronicles is another instance where the word “satan” is connected to some type of supernatural being (1 Chr 21:1). It is possible that this passage communicates that the Lord incited David through the means of a “satan” or other divine agent. Like the previous passages, this text probably did not intend the satan figure to be understood as the devil, or the Satan who is in later literature presented as the chief rival of God. The “satan” likely refers to an office or function and not a proper name. Eugene Boring argues that the entire Old Testament does not contain any presentation of satan as “the personification of evil” which was present in later literature and New Testament documents (Boring, Revelation, 164). However, there are those who view “the satan” presented in the Hebrew Bible as demonstrating a more hostile role (e.g., Noll, Angels of Light, 103–104). The Rebellion of Satan in the Hebrew Bible. Two Old Testament texts (Isa 14:12–15 and Ezek 28:11–19) could be a description of Satan’s rebellion. In the Life of Adam and Eve (the original Hebrew probably dates from the first century BC or AD), the fall of the Day Star is interpreted as the fall of Satan and his angels (Life of Adam 12–15; see 2 Enoch 29:4–5). Angels were often compared to stars (Judg 5:20; Job 38:7; 1 Enoch 104:1; Testament of Moses 10:9). According to this tradition, Satan belonged to the first creatures cast out of heaven by God. The Satan Figure in Second Temple Period Literature The Assumption of Moses (10:1) and the book of Jubilees (2:23–29) may be the earliest evidence for the term “satan” being employed as a proper name. Satan as the Chief Adversary of God. In the writings of the second and third centuries BC, a figure first appears who clearly is an archenemy of God and humanity. For example, not only is Satan designated as an opponent of God and humanity, but in the book the Wisdom of Solomon Satan is linked with the phenomena of death (Wisdom of Solomon 2:24). Various designations for the leader of evil spirits also emerge in the literature of the second temple period. The names include: Belial, Mastema, Satanail, and Satan (Testament of Gad 4:7; Testament of Benjamin 7:1; Testament of Reuben 4:7; Testament of Simon. 5:3; Testament of Asher. 3:2; Jubilees 11:5; 2 Enoch 31:6). Once Satan was viewed as the author of evil and sin, his destruction became hoped for and was articulated in various texts (Testament of Levi 18:12; Testament of Judah 25:3). The Serpent in the Book of Genesis 2–3 and Satan. There does not appear to be any evidence in the Hebrew Bible that the serpent in the book of Genesis 2–3 was Satan or even a creature under the direction of Satan. The book the Wisdom of Solomon (ca. 220 BC—AD 50) might be the earliest literature to make this connection (Wisdom of Solomon 2:24). The link between Satan and the serpent is also attested in the book The Life of Adam and Eve (33) and in the book of 2 Enoch (31). Both texts state it was the devil who led Eve astray. Satan in the New Testament The New Testament shows a developing picture of Satan as an archenemy of God. Extra-biblical works written prior to and contemporary with the New Testament documents parallel this development. In the New Testament, the word “devil” is used 32 times, satan is used 33 times, Belial once (2 Cor 6:15), and Beelzebul is used 7 times. Jesus and Satan. In addition to being the opponent of God and humanity, Satan is also directly in conflict with Jesus. At the outset of His ministry, Jesus goes into the wilderness to be tested by Satan. This is shortly after God declares Him to be His Son—Satan challenges this declaration (Matt 3:17; 4:1–11). Through reliance on the Scriptures, Jesus overcomes Satan’s temptations and thereby proves Himself obedient to God’s will. Thus he symbolically undoes the disobedience both of Eve in the garden and the Israelites in the wilderness. In the New Testament, individuals are often described as afflicted with demons. However, in Luke, Christ describes the woman who had “a spirit that had disabled her” as one “whom Satan bound for eighteen long years” (Luke 13:11, 16 LEB). Whether or not Satan in 13:16 is the same as the spirit in 13:11 is not clear. In the Gospel of John, Satan is described as “entering” Judas (John 13:27). Whether or not this refers to full “possession” is unclear. Jesus’ teaching reflects the existence of the devil as an active enemy. In the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, the evil one in Jesus’ parable snatches away the seed that falls along the path (Matt 13:19; Mark 4:15). In other words, part of the devil’s work is to cause a person to neglect the message of the Kingdom of God. Wicked people are called followers or children of the devil (John 8:44; Acts 13:10; Rev 2:9; 3:9; 1 John 3:8). Satan as Defeated, yet Dangerous. In the New Testament, Satan is often regarded as a defeated enemy (Matt 13:36–43; Rom 16:20; Heb 2:14–15; 1 John 3:8; Rev 20:2). The battle has already been fought and won (Rev 12:7–10). Yet at the same time, the New Testament asserts that he is still an aggressive force to be on guard against (2 Thess 3:3; Jas 4:7; Rev 2:24). Names and Titles of Satan. Various titles and names assigned to Satan in the New Testament give broad expression to the devil’s character. He is classified as a dragon (Rev 20:2), a serpent (Rev 12:9), the evil one (John 17:15; Eph 6:16) a tempter (Matt 4:3; 1 Thess 3:5), and he prowls like a lion (1 Peter 5:8). According to Paul, he is a ruler of the kingdom of the air—the leader of the demonic realm (Eph 2:2). People in Paul’s day believed spirits existed in the space located between heaven and earth (Arnold, Ephesians, 60). On several occasions Satan is called “Beelzebul” (e.g., Matt 12:27; Luke 11:18), which might mean “lord of the house” or “lord of the heights.” Like the phrase “kingdom of the air,” Beelzebul probably means that Satan is perceived as being in charge of the demons. The Origin of Satan. In the New Testament, some passages describe Satan falling during a war in heaven at the genesis of the world: Michael and his angels cast out the devil and his angels from heaven (Rev 12:7). First John describes the devil as one who “has been sinning from the beginning” (1 John 3:8 LEB). The phrase “from the beginning” might be a reference to the Genesis account, linking the devil with the serpent. The New Testament suggests that Satan’s fall was because of pride (1 Tim 3:6). Jesus also stated that he was a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44). The Early Church Fathers’ View of Satan The early church fathers discussed Satan’s attack on the church. The church fathers understood that the devil was actively engaged in trying to lead the church into sin and dissension (1 Clement 51:1). The writer of the Epistle of Barnabas saw the dualistic battle between light and darkness as so real that he referred to the Devil as the “Dark Lord” (Barnabas 20:1). Bishop Ignatius Theophorus, who presided over a Christian community in Antioch of Syria, asserted that any person who acted without a bishop’s consent was a servant of the devil (Smyrn. 9:1). Heretics were labeled as followers of Satan (Polycarp, Philippians 7:1). The presence of false teaching was part of the cosmic struggle between good and evil. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, linked heretics to members of Satan’s army (Heresies 1.25). This may have eventually led to justification for the holy wars, crusades, and the persecution of heretics and non-Christians (Russell, Satan, 87). Origen of Alexandria (ca. AD 185–254) associated Isa 14:12–15 with Jesus’ teaching about the fall of Satan in Luke 10:18 (Prince 1, 5.5 and 4, 3, 9). The Christian writer Tertullian (ca. AD 197–220) drew a similar conclusion about the setting of Satan’s sin and associated his demise with the fall of the King of Tyre recorded in the book of Ezekiel (Ezek 28:11–19; Marcus 2:10). Seal, D. (2012). Satan. In J. D. Barry & L. Wentz (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary (J. D. Barry & L. Wentz, Ed.). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
Posted on: Sun, 04 Aug 2013 19:58:57 +0000
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