Satan and Time

The term Satan (Hebrew:

, Greek: Σατανάς, Aramaic: , Arabic: ) comes from the Abrahamic religions Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, those derived from Semitic origins and traced back to the patriarch Abraham. Satan is often represented as an angel, minor god, or the Devil himself. Modern Christianity commonly conflates Satan with Lucifer and Beelzebub, among other malicious beings. In these traditions, Satan represents a force of evil within humanity.

Satan is a figure often designated by an assortment of aliases and roles. He has been called, variously, the Prince of Darkness, the Devil, the Accuser, the Prince of Hell, the Evil One, the Tempter, the Wicked One, Old Nick, Old Harry, the Dragon, the Fallen One, and Mr. Scratch and has been identified as the Ruler of Hell, Hades, the Lake of Fire, the Inferno, Styx, the Everlasting Fire, and the Realm of Pluto. These roles and names reflect the incorporation of demonic figures from several ancient religious and belief systems.

Islam's main devil figure, or Shaitan (Satan is the English equivalent), is Ibis, who was created out of smokeless fire by Allah (God). After the creation of humankind, Ibis was expelled from the graces of God to Jahannam, or hell, due to his self-pride and jealousy. In response to his pleading, Allah granted him the right to roam Earth, as the ruler of all jinns and tempter of humankind, to the end of his days. It was he who tricked Adam and Hawwa (Eve) into eating the forbidden fruit, but they repented and God removed their misdeed. Allah, after granting forgiveness, then warned them of the trickery of Ibis and the hell fires that await those who fall to the deceptions of the Devil. Unlike within modern Christianity and Zoroastrianism, Ibis is merely the servant of God, who is the supreme ruler and savior of all.

within Zoroastrianism the figure Angra Mainyu, or Ahriman, is the opponent of the sole god figure, Ahura Mazda. According to Zurvanite Zoroastrianism, Ahriman, and Ahura Mazda were twins created by Zurvan (time). Today the Parsis of India hold that Mainyu is the “destructive product” of Mahura, and instead of battling Mahura himself, Mainyu battles the creative product Spenta Mainyu.

The Bahâ'í Faith refers to Satan as a metaphor for the “insistent self” or the self-serving desire of humanity. Bahâ‘u’llâh wrote of the insistent self being the “evil one,” the symbol of which is Satan. They hold that evil is simply the absence of goodness, making the existence of evil powers impossible. Consequently Satan is not evil personified in the world, but the evil ego and lower self of all of humanity.

within the Hebrew Bible the prosecuting angel Ha-satan, the accuser, is the closest reference to Satan. Ha-satan is the one who questions man's loyalty and plagues Job with disease to test his faith. The Hebrew Aprocrypha also holds references to a Satanic-like figure being tossed from heaven.

It is this story of a rebellious angel being tossed from heaven which composes the mainstream understanding of Satan in Christianity. Satan's original name is said to have ended in -el like the great angels Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel. Having become consumed by pride, Satan challenged God for supremacy of heaven. God then cast him and other rebellious angels out of heaven. Due to his [Page 1133]former stature, Satan became ruler of all Devils and disobedient souls. Christianity additionally regards Satan as the serpent in the Garden of Eden, the tempter of Christ, and the Dragon in the Book of Revelations. The common belief is that at the Apocalypse, Satan will wage a final war against Jesus, whereupon he will be defeated and banished into the Lake of Fire alongside all sinners. The Unification Church, however, believes that Satan will be returned to his former angelic form.

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