GROLIER                      0257700-0

SATAN

SAY'-TUHN

IN THE JUDEO-CHRISTIAN TRADITION, SATAN, FROM THE HEBREW WORD FOR "ADVERSARY,"
IS THE PRINCIPAL FIGURE OF THE DEMONIC WORLD THAT IS HOSTILE TO GOD AND HIS
WILL. IN THE OLD TESTAMENT (FOR EXAMPLE, THE BOOK OF JOB), SATAN IS PRESENTED
AS A DISTINCT PERSONALITY OF DARKNESS AND ACCUSATION--THE HEAVENLY PROSECUTOR. A
FULLER EXPRESSION OF HIS ROLE IS PRESENTED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, WHERE HE IS
CALLED "THE TEMPTER," "THE SLANDERER," "THE ENEMY," "THE LIAR," AND "THE ANGEL
OF THE BOTTOMLESS PIT." COLLECTIVELY, THESE TITLES PRESENT SATAN AS THE ONE WHO
HAS THE POWER OF DEATH, RULES WITH LIES AND DECEPTION, ACCUSES HUMANKIND BEFORE
GOD, AND OPPOSES THE PURPOSE OF GOD IN THE WORLD (WHILE REMAINING OBEDIENT TO
GOD).

THE BIBLE NOWHERE EXPLAINS SATAN'S ORIGIN, BUT IN BOTH TESTAMENTS HE IS
PRESENTED AS A PART OF THE CREATED ORDER RATHER THAN AS AN ETERNAL ENTITY.
ALTHOUGH NO EXPLANATION IS GIVEN IN THE BIBLE FOR GOD'S ALLOWING SATAN TO
EXIST, IT DOES INDICATE THAT HIS TIME IS SHORT (ONLY FOR THIS AGE OF TIME AND
HISTORY) AND HIS END IS CERTAIN--ULTIMATELY HE WILL BE BANISHED BY THE MESSIAH.

THIS CONCEPT OF A TEMPORAL DUALISM IN WHICH SATAN HAS INFLUENCE IS BROUGHT TO
EXPRESSION MOST CLEARLY IN APOCALYPTIC LITERATURE, SUCH AS THE BOOK OF
REVELATION. TWO AGES ARE REFLECTED IN APOCALYPTIC COSMOLOGY: "THIS AGE" AND
"THE AGE TO COME." SATAN APPEARS TO BE PREVAILING IN THIS AGE, BUT IN THE AGE
TO COME GOD WILL CLEARLY DISPLAY HIS SOVEREIGNTY. IN LATER CHRISTIAN TRADITION
SATAN WAS DESCRIBED AS A FALLEN ANGEL.

THE CONCEPT OF A LEADER OF THE POWERS OF DARKNESS FOUND EXPRESSION IN CULTURES
OUTSIDE THE HEBREW TRADITION. THE BABYLONIANS, CHALDEANS, AND PERSIANS BELIEVED
IN A DUALISM BETWEEN THE FORCES OF DARKNESS AND LIGHT. AHRIMAN, IN
ZOROASTRIANISM, AND SET, IN EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY, MANIFEST CHARACTERISTICS
SIMILAR TO SATAN'S. DOUGLAS EZELL

BIBLIOGRAPHY: KELLY, HENRY, THE DEVIL, DEMONOLOGY AND WITCHCRAFT: THE
DEVELOPMENT OF CHRISTIAN BELIEFS IN EVIL SPIRITS (1968); LANGTON, EDWARD,
SATAN, A PORTRAIT: A STUDY OF THE CHARACTER OF SATAN THROUGH ALL THE AGES
(1973); WOODS, WILLIAM, A HISTORY OF THE DEVIL (1973).                      
 
SATANISM, THE WORSHIP OF SATAN, DEVELOPED FROM THE RELIGIOUS DOCTRINE THAT THERE
ARE TWO SUPREME BEINGS--ONE GOOD, THE OTHER EVIL. IT INVOLVES BLACK
MAGIC, SORCERY, AND THE INVOCATION OF DEMONS AND THE FORCES OF DARKNESS, WHO
ARE PROPITIATED BY BLOOD SACRIFICES AND SIMILAR RITES. IN CHRISTIAN CULTURES
THESE CEREMONIES INCLUDE THE BLACK MASS, A MOCKERY OF THE CHRISTIAN RITE.
 
SATANISTS, OR LUCIFERIANS, BELIEVE THAT SATAN IS THE POWER BEHIND THE PROCESSES
OF NATURE. WHAT IS NATURAL IS ACCEPTABLE. SIN IS ONLY WHAT IS UNPLEASANT. UNLIKE
THE CHRISTIAN GOD--STERN AND MORALISTIC, RESTRAINING THE FREE EXPRESSION OF THE
INSTINCTS WITH A SET OF DIFFICULT AND UNNATURAL COMMANDMENTS UNDER THREAT OF
PUNISHMENT HEREAFTER--SATAN IS THE LEADER OF A LIBERATED PEOPLE WHO ARE FREE AND
INDEED ENCOURAGED TO INDULGE IN THE GOOD THINGS OF LIFE, INCLUDING
UNINHIBITED SEXUAL ACTIVITY.
 
THE HISTORY OF SATANISM IS OBSCURE. MEDIEVAL CHRISTIAN WRITERS TENDED TO LABEL
ANY DUALIST SECT (SUCH AS THE BOGOMILS AND ALBIGENSIANS) AS SATANIST. LATER,
SATANISM CAME TO BE IDENTIFIED WITH WITCHCRAFT. BENJAMIN WALKER