(5 minute read)

The Emerging Christian Myth of Satan, Ruler of Hell

(From the previous post) To be a Christian is to believe in a system built on rewards and punishments.

This system is built on questionable myths at best, questionable lies at worst.

But then again, the entire history of the Christian faith stems from a willful misinterpretation of ancient scriptures. This often occurs for the express purpose of proclaiming a holy war against one’s enemies.

The Great Satan

In the mid 1980s, Ronald Reagan, then president of the United States, called the USSR “the evil empire.” Meanwhile, the Ayatollah Khomeini, the de facto leader of Iran, called the United States “the great satan.”

The exchanges of rhetoric indicated something. Hell, or the creature in control of it, seems to be situated in the same place for everybody. In this case, calling out evil serves as a political or religious tool. It is used to condemn the entities that are in direct opposition.

Using evil or the “devil” for political or religious gain has been a tool used since the myth began. It has been used as a way to define or frame whatever we are by defining or framing an enemy. Whatever “they” are “we” are the opposite.

This form of identifying cultures has been repeated over and over, from century to century. Blame all our troubles on a real or perceived enemy. The more evil we declare that enemy to be the better it is for us. And who better fits that bill of evil incarnate than Satan himself?

Better known as Beelzebub, Devil, Lucifer, Prince of Darkness, Evil One, Enemy of God, The Tempter, and The Antichrist. The Christian tradition claims he is a fallen angel with the expressed purpose of destroying God’s creation.

Like all of the familiar afterlife myths of Christianity the myth of Satan also surfaces late.

This Christian construct of Satan permeates American culture today. Six in ten Americans believe in an invisible evil entity.

The Hebrew Myth of Satan

Satan, big “s” was never known to the ancient Israelites. But, satan, small “s” was.

In the sixth century BCE, the Hebrew noun satan simply meant enemy. It is believed to have evolved from an older verb, liston, meaning “to oppose or obstruct.” Used as a verb it meant to plot against.

Both are used throughout the Hebrew scriptures. The term was never meant to convey anything otherworldly sinister. In the First Testament, the word satan is never used as a proper noun. It does not refer to any demonic being or arch rival of God. It was simply used to describe an agent of God who was sent for the purpose of being an interrupter.

It is used to:

• indicate any human who is an accuser or enemy
• indicate a coincidental event that is obstructive to our purposes
• indicate a member of God’s heavenly court

The most common literary form was the introduction of a satan. This figure could help account for any unexpected obstacles. It could also explain reversals of fortunes. God sends a satan …a storm, an animal, another human being, to stop a human action or event.

An ancient Israelite might not appreciate having their plans thwarted. However, the satan is seen as a necessary evil. It protects them from harming themselves or others.

The story of Balaam in the book of Numbers is a good example of this in action. The narrative begins with Balaam saddling his donkey and setting off. However, soon “God’s anger was kindled …and an angel of the Lord took his stand in the road as his satan,” i.e., adversary of obstructor.

Another well-known example is found in the book of Job.

One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and satan also came with them. The Lord said to satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” Then the Lord said to satan, “Have you considered my servant Job?”

Job 1:6-8a

However, unlike the role of protector for Balaam, in Job satan is used in a more adversarial role.

As a culture the Israelites had yet to articulate that they believed in a literal place in the netherworld.

It stands to reason, then, that the ancient Hebrews did not believe in a single archenemy of God. They had no such place in their mythology of the afterlife. They also didn’t believe that an “enemy” was necessary to cause bad things. Events like plagues, natural disasters, or famine could happen without one.

God, on the other hand, was capricious and wrathful. He was vengeful and quick to take matters into his own hands. He corrected his people or punished their enemies with disasters.

By the time of the first century, Hebrews still defined themselves as “Israel, us, the chosen ones.” They also referred to others as “the nations, them, the unclean ones.”

However, by the time fundamental groups like the Pharisees emerged, an “us” versus “them” mentality developed. The extreme sect like the Essenes further emphasized this division within Israel herself.

No longer did they see themselves as a unified nation in contrast against all other nations.

The litmus test on whether you were friend or foe was the answer to the questions …are you one of us who are really on the side of God? or …are you one of them that walks the way of the world or other nations?

The process was slow. This marked the beginning of the Israelites gradually embracing the influence of satan. They began to characterize misfortunes this way.

Conversion to Christianity in the first century CE required a transformation. Whether a Jew or pagan, it meant changing one’s perception of the invisible world.

It is important to note this cultural change from within. This change will carry over to the Christian sect of Judaism as well.

Read The Emerging Christian Myths, Pt. 12

Sources

• Elaine Pagels, The Origin of Satan, First Vintage Books, 1995
• Charles Panati, Sacred Origins of Profound Things, Arkana, 1996
• Jeffrey Russell, Satan, Cornell University Press, 1987
• Michael Shermer, Why People Believe Weird Things, W.H. Freeman and Co., 1997
• Russell Short, Gospel Truth, Riverhead Books, 1997