The importance of being Satan or the Devil

by Etude 4 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  Etude

  While the word "Satan" appears in many translations of the Old and New Testament, it is much more common in the N.T., with only a few mentions in the O.T. The word "Devil" seems almost exclusively used in the N.T., at least in the few versions I checked. This may have something to do with the word origin, Satan v Devil. But it says something more about the entity either word represents, the fact that in spite of its larger volume, the O.T. mentions Satan (the adversary) by name very few times, with the exception of the book of Job. (1 Chronicles 21:1;Job Chaps. 1 and 2; Zechariah 3:1,2)

  It seems to me that, considering the numerous writers of the O.T., Satan was not an important entity, having to explain what the Israelites did as a nation. There's obviously more emphasis to Satan in the N.T. This struck me while reading about the influence of Zoroastrianism on Jewish beliefs (monotheism, the devil, dualism [soul], heaven and hell), that the concept of the evil one does not permeate the O.T. In a way, neither does the idea of dualism or hell in the Hebraic writings.
  

  Nevertheless, it goes to show that monotheism was not an original construct for the Jews since Zoroastrianism can date as far back as 2,000 years BCE. Does anyone else have some insight into this?
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  Phizzy

  There was a thread on here about the Zoroastrian connection to the construction of the Bible as we know it. I think you are very correct with your view of the evolution of the concept of a God being " Good" and the Devil being " Evil".

  The obviously early sources used in the O.T by the compilers have no concept of Satan as 100% Evil, it is only the stuff put in, or written after the Return from Babylon that contains it. "Job" of course is early, but the figure questioning god in this fable is obviously not thought of as actually existing as a "being". It is a long Metaphor, for teaching purposes, not a Book about the Spirit world to be taken literally.

  There are Scholarly Papers available on-line that deal with the influence of Zoroastrianism on Jewish Theology, the Thread I mentioned I think has links to one or maybe two. Was the thread by Poster " How The Bible Was Created" ?? do a search, good luck ! The influence is undeniable, and of course is reflected in the Theology developed by Christian writers in the N.T, and later.
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  FFGhost

  the figure questioning god in this fable is obviously not thought of as actually existing as a "being". It is a long Metaphor, for teaching purposes, not a Book about the Spirit world to be taken literally.

  Of course that is true.

  I just find it so completely...bonkers... that the cornerstone of JW theology, the "issue of universal sovereignty", their entire outlook, hinges on the concept that Genesis chapter 3 and Job chapter 1 are literally factual, that they absolutely describe real events that definitely occurred exactly as written.

  Imagine, building a religion whose entire raison d'etre literally hangs on accepting 2 obvious metaphorical legends as absolutely true. Imagine building an entire organization and writing literally millions of pages and spending literally billions of dollars, based on accepting as "real" stuff that normal, sane people with anything more than average intelligence and a modicum of education realize are just....legends. Myths. Stories invented to try to explain complex concepts to simple people. Thousands of years ago.

  It would be like someone 3000 years from now finding a couple dozen Superman comics from the 40s, accepting them as literal history, and building an empire from it.
  
  
  
  
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  Vidiot

  FFGhost - “Imagine, building a religion whose entire raison d'etre literally hangs on accepting 2 obvious metaphorical legends as absolutely true.”

  Don’t kid yourself.

  It’s not just 2.
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  Doug Mason

  In the OT, "the" Satan was an opposer. In Job it was a son of God who carried out YHWH's instructions and was limited to that action. He would be something like a Public Prosecutor.

  The word :"devil" comes to us from the Septuagint -- the Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures, where they used the word "Diabolos" which became Devil.

  When the 3rd century BCE Jews (and more particularly the common class) used their creative imagination (and ideas from their neighbours) they invented a spirit world along with an evil class of spirits, a war within heaven, and a Leader of the angles they invented as having "fallen". This Leader was given a range of names, the most popular being Mastema (see Jubilees), Azazel, Beliar, Belial, Beelzeboul, Satan, and so forth, depending on the region where he resided. Later on, closer to the time of the NT, they invented daemons (demons), which influence carried over to Christianity (another Jewish sect) and to Islam.

  https://jwstudies.com/2TP_A_Spirit_World.pdf

  https://jwstudies.com/Revolutions_Satan__Lucifer__Devil.pdf

  Doug