Discussion notes for A History of Satan

Introduction to the Study of Personified Evil

1. Why study personified evil in Judaism and Christianity?

  • Satan’s significance for social and religious life:
  • Ancient world
    • Judaism (e.g. Dead Sea Scroll community)
    • Early Christianity (e.g. Jesus and exorcism)
    • Satan in internal struggles and external relations
  • Medieval and early modern Europe
    • Satan’s part in religion, politics, and every day life
  • Modern world
    • Christianity
    • Popular culture (TV and movies)

2. How should we approach this subject within an academic context?

  • Main characteristics of Religious Studies:
    • 1. Nontheological, nonnormative, nonvaluejudgement orientation
    • 2. Crosscultural and historical sensitivity
    • 3. Religion as a human phenomenon, a piece of human culture and society
    • 4. Interdisciplinary

3. Key concepts and terms

  • “Theodicy” (justice of God) and the problem of evil in religious systems
  • “Dualism” and dualistic worldviews (heaven/hell, Satan/God, demons/angels, wicked/righteous)
  • “Evil” and personified evil
  • “Satan”: a.k.a. Devil (diabolos), Belial, Prince of Darkness, Beelzebub (Prince Baal)
  • Satan’s minions/assistants: unclean/evil spirits, demons (daimonia)
  • “Hell”, “Hades”

Satan’s Predecessors in the Ancient Near East (from 3000 BCE)

1.Chaos monsters and the combat myth in the Ancient Near East (see Beal chapters 24)

  • Background: The Ancient Near East and common mythology; Order vs. chaos in the society of the gods
  • Ninurta vs. Anzu (Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian): Rebellious chaosmonster
  • Marduk vs. Tiamat (Sea) (Babylonian; see Beal, pp. 1619)
  • Baal vs. Yamm (Sea) and Mot (Death) (Ugaritic/Canaanite; see Beal, pp. 1921)
  • Yahweh vs. Leviathan, Rahab, and Behemoth (Israelite; see Psalms 74:1217; 89:518; compare Isaiah 51:911; Job 4041)
  • Avenue into Jewish apocalypticism

2.Other Israelite predecessors

  • Rebellious foreign kings and the metaphor of cosmic rebel in Israelite prophets
    • Background: History in cosmic, mythological terms
    • Prince of Tyre (“I am God”) and Pharoah (the “great dragon”) in Ezekiel 28, 29
    • Fall of “Shining One, Son of Dawn” (later “Lucifer”) in Isaiah 14
  • The heavenly court, Yahweh’s “messenger (malak)” and “the adversary / prosecutor” (“the satan”)

3.Ahriman (“Destructive Spirit”) in Zoroastrian religion

  • Background: Zoroaster (difficulties with dates) and the problem of evil
  • Zoroastrian apocalypticism as combat myth writ large (see Plutarch handout)
  • Close affinities with Jewish apocalypticism (emerging concurrently)

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Satan’s Origins in Jewish Apocalypticism (from c. 300 BCE)

1.Introduction: Jewish apocalypticism as Satan’s framework

  • Characteristics of the apocalyptic worldview: Revelation, dualism (light/good vs. darkness/evil), evil world, God’s predetermined plan, final combat, destinies of the righteous and the wicked
  • Apocalyptic literature: Visionary reports in the name of respected figures

2.The fall of rebel angels: Origins of Satan

  • Background:
    • “sons of god” and “angels / messengers” of Yahweh in the Hebrew Bible
    • Angels in the function of “adversaries” (satans) doing God’s will (cf. 1 Kings 22:1922; Job) vs. an independent angelic adversary (following his own will)
    • The “sons of god” and daughters of men in Genesis 6:18 and the flood narrative

  • Elaborations and interpretations of the story in 1 Enoch, book 1 (c. 200 BCE)
    • Solving the problem of sin/evil and the origin of human sinfulness
    • The sin of the fallen angels: Azazel and Semyaz (who’s the leader)
    • The consequences of the angels’ fall and intercourse with humans
    • Angelic or human responsibility for sin/evil (links with the Adam/Eve stories)
    • The giant offspring’s spirits = demons

3.Further developments in Satan’s story in Jewish apocalypticism

  • Rebel angels, Satan, and Mastema (“Enmity” personified) in Jubilees (c. 105150 BCE)
  • Adam’s sin and the fall of the angels in 2 Baruch (question of responsibility for evil)
  • Satan’s adversary in the (endtime) combat:
    • Patron angels: Michael and the kingdoms/beasts (though not Satan) in the book of Daniel (c. 169 BCE)
  • Two spirits (angels) in combat in the Dead Sea Scrolls (c. 100 BCE)
  • Background: The Dead Sea (Qumran) community and its history; Reinterpreting the bible with apocalyptic eyes; Preparing for the endtime battle
  • Satan and the Elect One (son of man) in the later Enoch books (first century CE) Judgement of kings // Azazel // Satan

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Satan and his Roles in Early Christianity

1.Introduction: Early Christianity as a Jewish apocalyptic movement

  • Jesus the Christ/Messiah as Satan’s ultimate and final combatant

2.Jesus vs. Satan: Endtime combat with evil powers in the Gospel stories (c. 65100 CE)

  • Background: Jesus’ mission and “the kingdom of God”
  • Jesus’ combat with the Devil/Satan in the synoptic gospels (especially Mark)
    • The hero’s test in the desert (Mark 1:12–13 // Luke 4)
    • Jesus’ battles with demons: Exorcisms (e.g. Mark 1:2128)
    • The Beelzebub controversy (Mark 3:1927)
    • Jesus’ mission and Satan’s ultimate fall (Luke 10:1720)
  • Gehenna/Hades/Hell in the Gospels (see Mark 9:4348; Matthew 25:3146; Luke 16:1931)

3.Satan and internal struggles: Christian leaders and their Christian adversaries

  • Paul (c. 50s60s CE)
    • Paul’s apocalyptic perspective: Sons of light vs. sons of darkness (1 Thess 4:135:11)
    • Christ’s combat with (and destruction of) Death and other cosmic powers (1 Corinthians 15:2028, 5455)
    • Paul’s combat with opponents
    • The “god of this world”/“Satan”, the serpent, and deception: Combating the “superapostles” (2 Corinthians 4:34 and 11:115)
  • Epistles of John (c. 90100 CE)
    • “Antichrists” in the communities of John the elder (1 John 1:510; 2:1825; 3:410; 4:16; 2 John 711)

4.Satan and external relations: The evil Roman empire in John’s Apocalypse (Revelation; c. 90s CE)

  • John’s combat with Christian opponents: The “deep things of Satan”
    • Convergence of Satan’s stories:
      • The fallen star, angel of the bottomless pit = “Destruction” (Rev. 9:111)
      • The dragon (Leviathan/Satan/Devil) and cosmic combat (ch. 12)
      • The dragon’s assistants: Roman emperors and the two beasts (13)
      • The evil empire as Babylon the whore, riding the first beast (1718)
    • Final destiny and judgement of the beast and Satan (19:1920:15)

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Developments of Satan’s Story in the First Centuries: Satan (or the WorldCreator) and the Serpent

1.Enter the deceptive serpent: Adam, Eve, and Satan’s motivations (lust or jealousy)

  • “The Book of Adam and Eve” and evil personified (about first century)
    • Convergence of the story of a fallen angel (flood era) and the story of fallen humans (creation) – Entrance of evil on the mythical timeline

     

    • 1) Apocalypse of Moses (first century CE)
      • Eve’s story of deception (no. 1) by “the enemy”/serpent (Apocalypse 1530)
      • The Devil’s motivation: jealousy and covetousness
      • Who’s to blame: Eve
      • Adam’s (humanity’s) pain and death (physical evil) and the hope of the oil of mercy (514, 3743)
    • 2) Life (Vita) of Adam and Eve (third or fourth century CE)
      • Repentance and the Devil’s deception (no. 2) of Eve (Vita 111)
      • “Why do you assault us”?: Satan’s account of his expulsion and motivation (1217)
      • Seth and the beastserpent (3639, 44)

2.Inverting the serpent’s role: The (evil) worldcreator god in gnosticism

  • Background:
    • Gnosis = “knowledge” of the way things are (brings salvation)
    • Thoroughgoing dualism
      • 1)Good spiritual realm/Fullness, Fathergod, Aeons, Sophia
      • 2)Evil material realm, rulers (archons), worldcreator (demiurge), abortive creation entrapping spiritual sparks
      • 3)Return to the Fullness/salvation: the descent of the saviour, ascent of the spiritual sparks

  • The demiurge (worldcreator) and the serpent in On the Origin of the World: Gnostic interpretations of Genesis and other traditions
    • Interpretation of Genesis’ creation narrative
    • Shared traditions with the “Book of Adam and Eve”
    • Interpretation of other stories and traditions
    • Fallen rulers // fallen angels
    • The worldcreator’s (or rulers’) envy or jealousy // Satan’s envy or jealousy

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Going to Hell: Satan’s (Ultimate) Home

1.The underworld (grave) and its development

  • Mesopotamian underworld: Realm of Nergal (shadowy [non]existence)
  • Hebrew Sheol, “the grave”
  • Greek underworld: Realm of Hades and the shades (neutral or moral death?)
    • Vague notions of an afterlife in Greek religion: Evidence of graveinscriptions
    • Otherworldly journeys into Hades’ realm
    • Odysseus journey to consult a dead seer
    • Divisions of the underworld: Tartaros as a place of torture for rebellious gods
    • Retribution after death in Plato (4th century BCE) and Virgil (1st century BCE)
  • Zoroastrian judgement after death (moral death): Destruction vs. the “making wonderful”
    • Walking in one of the two spirits, resurrection and judgement

  • Apocalyptic Judaism (and Christianity): Gehenna/Hades vs. the kingdom of God
    • Moral death: Resurrection and judgement
    • Otherworldly journeys (tours of heaven and hell) in apocalyptic literature (remember 1 Enoch?)
    • The lake of fire as Satan’s ultimate destination

2.Christ’s journey into the underworld to defeat Death (Hades) and Satan

  • Discussion of the Gospel of Nicodemus and the story of Christ’s descent into hell
    • Satan’s plan and Hades’ hesitation
    • Christ’s triumph over Satan and Hades

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Satan in the Church Fathers: Instigator of Idolatry (“Paganism”) and Heresy (150430 CE and beyond)

1.External factors: Defending “superior” Christianity against “inferior” paganism

  • Background: Tensions between Christianity and society (popular persecutions, intellectual attacks); Defending Christianity (“apologists”)
  • Justin Martyr (c. 100165 CE) on the worship of demons (“they called them gods”) and the invention of Greek myth (all part of Satan’s ploy)
  • Origen’s (c. 185254 CE) defense against Celsus
    • Celsus’ intellectual critique of Christianity, naive dualism, and the idea of Satan: Taking the combat myth too literally (making God impotent)
    • Origen’s response to Celsus: The Opponent’s (Satan’s) antiquity (older than Homer and copied by Greek myth)

2.Internal factors: “Error” (heresy) and the “Father of Lies” (archheretic)

  • Background: Countering gnostic answers to the problem of evil (demiurge)
  • Irenaeus (c. 140202 CE) and ransom theory
    • The Angel’s fall and little Adam’s fall
    • Freeing the captives (ransom theory)
  • Marcion: The good God’s payment (Christ) to the evil worldcreator
  • Irenaeus: Paying off the devil
  • Origen (c. 185254 CE)
    • Reconciling the existence of evil with a good creator God: The freewill argument
    • Evil by will (choice), not by nature: The angel of light rebels out of pride (Ezekiel’s rebel kings and Isaiah’s Lucifer) and loses his wings
    • Developing the ransom theory: Outdeceiving the deceiver (cf. Gospel of Nicodemus)
    • The return of all things to God (universalism): Even Satan will be saved in the end

3. Augustine (354430 CE): Fighting external and internal battles

  • Background: Christianization of the Roman empire (postConstantine) and the continuation of “paganism”; Ongoing internal struggles
  • Augustine’s life and background:
    • Augustine and the Manichees (similar to gnosticism)
    • Augustine vs. paganism: A tale of two cities (City of God)
    • Augustine on evil, Satan, and hell

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Satan in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Period:

Artistic Depictions, Popular Religion, Polemical Rhetoric

1. Visualizing hell

  • Hell's torment in Dante's Inferno (discussion)
  • Giving Satan a face (and horns): Satan in medieval and early modern art

2. Satan and his demons in popular religion

  • a) Evil in everyday life: Stories about demons and ghosts (discussion)
  • b) Popular movements ("heresies" from 1000 CE): Cathars (discussion)
    • Satan in the dualistic worldview of the Cathars (Albigensians)

3. Satan and his son (Antichrist) in internal and external struggles

  • Internal: Demonizing other Christians
    • "Satanic" heresies vs. "Satanic" Roman church
    • Antichrist in internal struggles
    • Who's the Antichrist: Martin Luther or the Pope?
  • External: Demonizing outsiders (Jews, Muslims)

3. Case study: Witchcraft accusations and the myth of the witch's sabbat

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From Traditional (Evil) Satan to Modern (Ironic) Mephisto: Milton (1600s) and Goethe (1700s)

1.Satan in Milton’s Paradise Lost (c. 1660)

  • Milton’s context and life: Revolutionary England; Protestant Puritans; Rationalizing and systematizing old stories
  • Milton’s epic poem and its key themes: Fall of humanity and justifying God’s actions
    • Satan and the other fallen angels: Convergence and culmination of earlier traditions
    • The initial fall of the angels and Satan’s dialogues with Beezlebub (I)
    • The (anti)divine council and Satan’s plan to pursue the “other world” and “Man” (II)

2.Mephistopheles (Mephisto) in Goethe’s Faust (c. late 1700s)

  • Goethe’s context and life: Enlightenment and modernism; Critique of revealed religion; Decline of Satan and Hell
  • Goethe’s poetry and its key themes: The pursuit of wisdom and the goal of love
  • Mephisto’s ironic and pathetic Mephisto: New directions for evil personified
    • Drawing on older traditions but in a playful and ironic way – fundamentally changes the overall affect of the personified “evil” figure
    • Council in heaven (prologue)
    • Faust’s pursuit of “godlike” knowledge (“I rode too high”)
    • Traditional characteristics of Satan/fallen angel/rebel kings in Faust
    • Mephisto (Satan), the poodle (irony)
    • Faust’s pact (wager) with Mephisto

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Modern Case Study: Satanic Cults and Satanic Conspiracies of the 1970s1990s

1. Worshipping Satan: The Church of Satan and its rivals (1970s on)

  • Church of Satan and the Satanic Bible
    • Inverting Christian values: Satan as symbol of real human values
    • Competing groups and techniques of demonization (correction: christianization) in intergroup rivalries

2. Satanic conspiracy 1: Satanic Ritual Abuse Scare of the 1980s and 1990s

  • Context: New Religious Movements (including the Church of Satan) and the anticult movement within conservative Christianity; Notions of spiritual battle in some conservative Christianity; the Church of Satan and its "ancient" worldwide networks
  • Origins of the accusations: "Psychiatry", sexual abuse, repressed memories, and Christian demonology
  • Satanic ritual: Human sacrifice, cannibalism, and sexual perversion
    • The trio of atrocity in historical perspective (demonizing / marginalizing outsiders and insiders: foreign peoples, early Christians, early "heresies", medieval witches, etc.)

3. Satanic conspiracy 2: "nataS" in music

  • Background: Rock n'roll, sex, and the devil's gyrations
  • Satan in rock lyrics: From "Sympathy for the devil" to "Devil's haircut" (1960spresent)
    • "Stairway to hell"?: Supposed backtracking and the deceptive seductions of Satan in the 1970s80s
    • Identifying with Satan and evil (in a superficial way): If religion is nerdy, then Satan must be cool (heavy metal culture of the 1980s)
    • Deliberate backtracking (and a not so deceptive Satan): Play it forward, play it backward same thing
    • "To hell with the devil": The holy headbangers' response