He is the "God of this world", the ruler over humankind who seats himself proudly upon his throne which is the human heart. From his awsome throne, his commands are those of a perverse and sinful nature.

Below is an excerpt from The Nigromancer's Encyclopedia of the Gods of Darkness. Certainly, this is a reference database that no student of religion, the occult, or the liberal arts should be without. To find out how you can possess a copy of this incredible database, listing over 1,600 devils, demons and gods of darkness, click here or on the image above.

Satan

Hebrew - "Adversary"

(Also: Azazel, Beliar, Duma, Gadreel, Ha-Satan, Saitan, Sammael, Satanail, Satanel, Sotona; Also, See: Bachelor, Mastema, Sata, Urian)

The name Satan is derived from a root meaning "to oppose", or "to be or to act as an adversary". In some cases, Satan is not necessarily malevolent and he may have even been sent by the Lord to prevent worse harm (such as in Numbers). Examples of passages using this early interpretation include:

"And God's anger was kindled because he [Balaam] went: and the angel of the Lord stood in the way for an adversary [Hebrew: Satan] against him." - Numbers 22:22

"... and let him [David] not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an adversary [Hebrew: Satan] to us." - I Samuel 29:4

"Set thou a wicked man over him: and let an adversary [Hebrew: Satan] stand at his right hand.". - Psalm 109:6

Satan possesses no real demonic qualities in the Old Testament writings. He is mentioned as a distinct personality in three passages. These passages are thought to be post-exilic and are dated between 519 and 300 BCE.:

"And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and an adversary [Hebrew: Satan] standing at his right hand to resist him." - Zechariah 3:1

Here, "Satan" becomes an official title of a distinct personality, but it is not used as a proper name because it is still used with the article "the."

The belief that Satan is in Hell is a product of cartoons and movies rather than the reality portrayed in the Christian 'Bible'. The 'Bible' states in I Peter 5:8 that "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour". This was first established, however, in the following passages of Job:

"Now there was a day when the sons of God came ot present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them. And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?" - Job 1:6-8

In these passages, and the passages that followed, Satan is the servant of God, whose job is not only to accuse man, but he also urges God to test Job. He does nothing without the permission of God. He appears along with the other `ben Elohim' (sons of God) implying that he is one of the angel-ministers of Yahweh. Also, this passage shows that while he acts in accordance with God's permission, he seems as if he would be pleased if he could prove that Job wasn't as loyal to God as God claimed. Despite this, he remains an angel.

Satan will be cast into the lake of burning sulfur (Hell), but it is only after the battle involving Gog and Magog (which means the nations of the earth). When the enemies of God are defeated, "the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were thrown." Rev 20:7-10 (New International Version).

I Chronicles 21:1 states that "Satan arose against Israel and incited David to number Israel." This passage is a later version of the passage in II Samuel 24:1 "The anger of the Lord again flared up against Israel; and He incited David against them, saying, `Go and number Israel and Judah.'" While the author attributes the census to Satan, he insists that David was personally responsible for his actions and therefore guilty of breaking God's law. Satan's substitution for the Lord indicates that he was thought of as the destructive power of God.

Rabbinic Literature gives two accounts for the origin of Satan. The first is that Satan was created on the sixth day at the same time as Eve. This ties in with the tradition that Satan played some part in the fall of man. The second and more prevalent tradition is that Satan is one of the fallen angels. Satan is identified with Sammael and his deeds.

In 'T.B. Baba Bathra' (16a), Satan is identified with the Yetzer ha Ra, which is the "evil impulse" in man. The Talmud distinguishes between the personified Satan outside man, and the Yetzer ha Ra that exists within man. It is this evil impulse within man that allows Satan the opportunity to work his will against man.

Rabbinic writings also foreshadow the destruction of Satan. 'T.B. Succah' (52a) talks of the destruction of the evil angel, while the 'Yalkut Jesaj' (359) implies that Satan will be overthrown at a future time by the Messiah, referring to Psalm 36:9.

The general belief is that there are a class of satans with a chief Satan. For example, in I Enoch, there are five Satans. The first and second are said to have been responsible for leading astray the angels and for bringing them down to earth, where they sinned with the daughters of men (69:4), while the third brought about the fall of Adam and Eve (69:6). The satans are allowed to access heaven in order to accuse men, but they are not confined to heaven.

Before the New Testament, there were many powers of evil, with Satan existing alongside other demon chiefs. Satan did not become the one supreme evil power until New Testament literature. Many of these apocryphal books were written between the beginning of the first century BCE and the end of the first century CE.

A passage in the 'Book of Wisdom' (2:24) states "By the envy of the devil (Satan) death entered into the world, And they that belong to his realm experience it." This passage usually is interpreted to refer to the temptation and fall of Eve. (It may also be noted that this passage could also be interpreted as referring to Cain because according to Genesis, physical death did not enter the world until Cain murdered Abel.)

II Enoch explains that the angels were created on the second day of creation and were assigned to various positions. One of the angels, called Satanail, rebelled because he thought he could become more powerful than God. God, therefore, threw him out of heaven:

"But one from the order of the archangels deviated, together with the division that was under his authority. He thought up the impossible idea that he might place his throne higher than the clouds which are above the earth, and that he might become equal to my power. And I hurled him out from the height, together with his angels. And he was flying around in the air, ceaselessly, above the Bottomless." - II Enoch 29:4-5

In his jealousy, Satanail decided to lead Adam astray, even though he was aware of his own sinfulness. When his plan worked, God cursed evil and ignorance, implying that it is man's ignorance of his own nature that is the root of sin, not Satanail:

"And the devil understood how I wished to create another world, so that everything could be subjected to Adam on the earth, to rule and reign over it. The devil is of the lowest places. And he will become a demon, because he fled from heaven; Sotona, because his name was Satanail. In this way he became different from the angels. His nature did not change, (but) his thought did, since his consciousness of righteous and sinful things changed. And he became aware of his condemnation and of the sin which he sinned previously. And that is why he thought up the scheme against Adam. In such a form he entered paradise, and corrupted Eve. But Adam he did not contact. But on account of (her) nescience I cursed them. But those whom I had blessed previously, them I did not curse; (and those whom I had not blessed previously, even them I did not curse) - neither mankind I cursed, nor the earth, nor any other creature, but only mankind's evil fruit-bearing." - II Enoch 31:3-7

'The Apocalypsis Mosis' tells of how Satan used the serpent as a vessel to lead astray Adam and Eve. The serpent told him that he feared the Lord's wrath, but Satan convinced him that he only had to be a vessel - and that it would be Satan speaking through him:

"And the devil spake to the serpent saying, Rise up, come to me and I will tell thee a word whereby thou mayst have profit." And he arose and came to him. And the devil saith to him: "I hear that thou art wiser than all the beasts, and I have come to counsel thee. Why dost thou eat of Adam's tares and not of paradise? Rise up and we will cause him to be cast out of paradise, even as we were cast out through him." The serpent saith to him, "I fear lest the Lord be wroth with me." The devil saith to him: "Fear not, only be my vessel and I will speak through thy mouth words to deceive him." - Apocalypsis Mosis 16

This book then mentions that it was the devil that spoke through Eve, leading Adam astray:

"For, when he came, I opened my mouth and the devil was speaking, and I began to exhort him and said, "Come hither, my lord Adam, hearken to me and eat of the fruit of the tree of which God told us not to eat of it, and thou shalt be as a God." - Apocalypsis Mosis 21:3

A similar account of the fall of Satan takes place in 'The Books of Adam and Eve'. These books give an account of how Satan tempted and brought about the fall of Adam and Eve. In the beginning, Satan is represented as being an angel of God. It then explains that when Adam was formed in God's image, Michael commanded the angels to worship Adam. Satan refused to do so because Adam was inferior and younger than himself. He claimed that Adam should worship him. Because of this, Satan and the other angels who refused to worship Adam were banished from heaven. Satan then decided to bring about the ruin of Adam and Eve. There is no reference to the Watchers or the union of angels with women.

"And with a heavy sigh, the devil spake: 'O Adam! all my hostility, envy, and sorrow is for thee, since it is for thee that I have been expelled from my glory, which I possessed in the heavens in the midst of the angels and for thee was I cast out in the earth'. Adam answered, 'What dost thou tell me? What have I done to thee or what is my fault against thee? Seeing that thou hast received no harm or injury from us, why dost thou pursue us?' The devil replied, 'Adam, what dost thou tell me? It is for thy sake that I have been hurled from that place. When thou wast formed. I was hurled out of the presence of God and banished from the company of the angels. When God blew into thee the breath of life and thy face and likeness was made in the image of God, Michael also brought thee and made (us) worship thee in the sight of God; and God the Lord spake: Here is Adam. I have made thee in our image and likeness'. And Michael went out and called all the angels saying: 'Worship the image of God as the Lord God hath commanded'. And Michael himself worshipped first; then he called me and said: 'Worship the image of God the Lord'. And I answered, 'I have no (need) to worship Adam'. And since Michael kept urging me to worship, I said to him, 'Why dost thou urge me? I will not worship an inferior and younger being (than I). I am his senior in the Creation, before he was made was I already made. It is his duty to worship me'. When the angels, who were under me, heard this, they refused to worship him. And Michael saith, 'Worship the image of God, but if thou wilt not worship him, the Lord God will be wroth with thee'. And I said, 'If He be wroth with me, I will set my seat above the stars of heaven and will be like the Highest'. And God the Lord was wroth with me and banished me and my angels from our glory; and on thy account were we expelled from our abodes into this world and hurled on the earth. And straightway we were overcome with grief, since we had been spoiled of so great glory. And we were grieved when we saw thee in such joy and luxury. And with guile I cheated thy wife and caused thee to be expelled through her (doing) from thy joy and luxury, as I have been driven out of my glory." - Vita Adae et Evae 12-16

These later accounts (Vita Adae et Evae and Apocalypsis Mosis) give a much more highly developed concept of Satan, close to the presentation of Satan in the New Testament. He appears as the great enemy of mankind and God, and is directly associated with the fall of Adam and Eve (which isn't the prominent teaching of the New Testament, although Paul does mention it briefly in 2 Corinthians 11:3). 'The Apocalypsis Mosis' also is one of the only books to develop the idea that the Devil can take possession of a person (the other being the 'The Book of Tobit' in which Asmodeus appears to take possession of Sarah).

In the 'Bible', Satan has been characterized by such titles as "God of this world" (John 12:31), and "Prince of the Power of Air".

Originally, Ha-Satan was a great angel, chief of the Seraphim, and head of the Order of Virtues. While Seraphim were usually pictured with six wings, Satan was represented as having twelve (similar to Sammael).

In his tribute to Satan, Gregory the Great proclaimed, "Satan wore all the angels as a garment, transcending all in glory and knowledge".

Talmud claims that Satan was created on the sixth day of The Creation. And, through a mis-reading of Isaiah 14:12, he has been identified with Lucifer. When Peter was rebuked by Jesus, he was called Satan (Luke 4:8).

To Aquinas, Satan is not a Seraph, but a Cherub. His argument for this is that "Cherubim are derived from knowledge, which is compatible with mortal sin; but Seraphim are derived from the heat of charity, which is incompatible with mortal sin".

Cabalistic doctrine teaches that Satan will be reinstated in his pristine splendor and original rank in Heaven. In the doctrine, it names Satan as one of the two archdemons ruling in the hierarchy of Thaumiel, the "Evil Crown", (called "the Doubles of God"), in the sefirothic world of Assiah. His partner ruling in Thaumiel is Moloch. The geomantic number of Satan is calculated by the Cabalists as being either 1,009 or 359.

The 'Grimoire of Honorius' states that Satan can only be successfully invoked in conjuration to Lucifer, on Mondays.

In the Satanic Bible, Satan is called the Crown Prince of Hell, and is invoked from the south.

Copyright 1999 by The Reverend Dr. Roy D. Pope, Jr., Ph.D., D.Me.

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