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Aug. 18, 2006 It seems reasonable that if Satan is the personification of evil and he really exists, his creation would be in important event in God's universe. As a child in Sunday School, I had always heard that Lucifer was created as an archangel by God, that he rebelled and was exiled to earth to become Satan, the Prince of Darkness. The problem, of course, is that this story isn't found anywhere in the Bible. At this point many fundamentalists will rush to say that the passage in Isaiah 14:12-15 is about the creation and fall of Satan. However, just a cursory reading of these scriptures proves that this is not true. Academic scrutiny reveals the true nature of these obscure verses. In Isaiah 14:12 it says, "How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations." (NIV) In the King James Version, "morning star" is translated as "Lucifer" but it was never intended to be used as a proper noun. The KJV relied heavily on the Latin Vulgate for its source and in Latin the word for "morning star" is "lucia" which actually means "light bearer" or "light from above." Since ancient times the fact that certain "stars" moved across the sky at regular intervals was well known. We now know they were actually planets and the brightest of these was the planet we know as Venus. It received this name during the Dark Ages prior to the 12th century and so was well known to the translators of the KJV. So when they came across "lucia" in the text they gave it a new name to symbolize a corrupt king whose power and authority had dominated the world just like the morning star dominates the night sky. That is why all Bible versions since then have returned to the original meaning of the most ancient texts. This is well and good for the fictional name of Lucifer, but what about Satan? Well, Satan is taken from the Hebrew word for "accuser" and was changed very little as it passed through Greek and Latin into English. However, the important point is that the very idea of evil personified in a character like Satan didn't happen until after the Jews came into contact with Zoroastrianism. This was the religion of the ancient Babylonians and Persians and during the exile the Jews learned about Angra Mainyu, the Persian equivalent of Satan. The Book of Job, some of the Psalms and the Book of Zechariah were all written after that time. Consequently, the rest of the "Old Testament" makes no mention of Satan or anything like him. Some people may be quick to point out that it is possible that this scripture and others like it have two meanings and that they contain hidden symbolism intended to be interpreted by only the most discerning of believers. The problem with allowing for two separate interpretations of the same scripture at the same time is that it forces readers to conclude that all scriptures potentially have a double meaning. If that is true then nothing in the Bible can be taken literally and therefore it cannot be the literal and infallible Word of God. In fact, it can only be what it is which is a collection of myths, legends, oral traditions and tribal stories as well as religious beliefs and doctrines in the form of similes, metaphors, allegories, analogies and parables. In other words, it's only a collection of ancient religious literature. Nothing more and nothing less. The story of how the Bible came to be the most influential book in Western Civilization is one I will continue to explore in future articles. It is an intriguing tale full of suspense, greed, jealousy and lust just like every other human story. The conclusion can only be that it is a literary work created out of the human imagination, not descended from a faultless deity. To return to the story of Satan we must also note what the Bible actually says about him. In the "Old Testament" the serpent in the Garden of Eden is commonly identified as Satan yet the serpent is never named. After that, there is absolutely no mention of him or anything like him until the Book of 1st Chronicles and the Book of Job. So, apparently Abraham, Moses, Isaac, Jacob, David and Solomon and all the prophets except Zechariah knew nothing of Satan. In the "New Testament," of curse, he is found everywhere and finally meets his ultimate demise in the Book of Revelation where he symbolizes all the evil empires who every persecuted God's chosen people. The conclusion of the matter can be summarized with just a simple test of authenticity that appeals to the logic of a reasonable mind. It is similar to the test used to determine the existence of God. If Satan exists, he must be made of something. If he's made of something then we should be able to touch him, see him, hear him, feel him and smell him. If not, then we are forced to conclude that he is only a figment of our collective imaginations. If that is true then we can no longer blame the evil and suffering of this world on him. We have to take responsibility for that ourselves. We alone can make the world a healthier place or we can sit idly by and watch it become ruined. And Satan has nothing to do with it. ------------ About the author: Keith Cantrell lives in a small town in Oregon where he was a fundamentalist, born-again, evangelical Christian for over 35 years. After many years of questioning and research he has finally become an agnostic. He has written a book entitled "The World's Most Dangerous Book" and it tells the history and origins of the Bible. It's the only book on the market that takes the Bible from cover to cover, Genesis to Revelation and explores who wrote it, where it came from and how it all got put together. It's the 21st century. Isn't it time you knew the truth about the Bible? This book is available at Barnes and Noble, Borders, Waldenbooks and Amazon.com. Read it and tell me what you think! After all, I could be wrong! Email: kwcantrell@yahoo.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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