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.
Lucifer was just like all the other angels in Heaven except that, instead of light and feathers, he was made of fire. In his nature there was a great desire to challenge them all, regardless of what it would mean for him. With the most dangerous power of all, the devil tempted the purest of beings, and with each accusation he became a powerful entity that went to the depths of hell to rule. He tortured souls, punished anyone who touched his reign of darkness, opposed every kind word, and did his will without caring about being exiled.
You’d be surprised to know that all those stories were chosen by popular culture to explain an entity whose true name nobody knows. The mysteries that surround Satan go all the way to his origins and his appearance. We’ve tried to answer these doubts with the little lies that have become truths as time has gone by.
If Satan turned into a snake in order to tempt Eve to bite the apple, why is this not mentioned in the Bible?
The devil never appears in the story where the woman is seduced by sin. In fact, the original Genesis did not include the idea of Satan. According to the original book, the snake that appears to tempt Eve was “the smartest of the beasts in the field.” It’s unclear who or what turned the snake into one of Lucifer’s forms.
What’s Satan’s real name?
There are still question regarding the real name, or at least the original one given to the fallen angel. The word Satan is a Hebrew term that means “adversary” or “accuser,” yet it never appears in the Old Testament. In fact, it’s a word that describes an enemy or persecutor. Same thing happens with the word Devil, which is derived from Greek. Lucifer is not his name either, since the Bible only uses that word once to name the king of Babylon. So what’s his real name?
What makes us so sure it’s Satan who rules Hell?
We all know the devil rules Hell, where punished souls are forever tortured. Yet to Abrahamic religions this seems absurd, since Satan is just another soul who finds themselves in Hell after Judgement Day.
If there’s only one devil, why does one appear in the Old Testament and another in the New Testament?
Satan makes two appearances in the first part of the Bible. First, when he argues with God about the betrayal Job is about to make, and the second during a trial where he accuses Joshua. Both times Satan seems to be a disciple of the creator, since he serves and obeys him without question. In the New Testament this figure takes a complete turn since from the start Satan presents himself as the “prince of demons” and obviously as an evil creature. Are these two different characters or did Satan change his personality in each book?
If God has power over Earth, does Satan have as well?
Most traditional versions provide Satan with plenty of power, but in the biblical texts, Beelzebub could only act with God’s permission. In the New Testament, Satan taunts Jesus to turn the stones into bread, but he doesn’t do that. Both stories seem to prove that the devil has no power beyond corrupting. But aren’t we also responsible for giving into temptation?
Does the real devil have horns, a tail, red skin, and black eyes?
The current image of Lucifer has iconic, almost universal, elements, but these have only been products of caricature. None of these details appear in the Bible. Let’s remember that these sort of creatures do not fit the Medieval period. So it’s unknown where the devil’s apparent image comes from.
What’s Satan’s connection to the Antichrist?
The New Testament warns several times about a false Messiah, known as the Antichrist. Despite there being an allusion to Satan, it’s revealed that they are two separate beings. So what’s the connection? The only answer we can give for now comes from the Medieval association of anyone who opposed Christ being called the Antichrist. However, there are no references to the origins of this connection.
Is Satan the same in all religions?
Not exactly. Islam knows this character as Iblis, who rejects the requests of the angels. He is the rebel of the story but never stops being an angel who desires freedom.
Translated by María Suárez
