The Hebrew word for 'satan', or 'the satan' in Hebrew shows up in various passages. The first reference I could find in the Bible in Hebrew was the reference to the angel that opposed Balaam. That's 'first' if I recall correctly in where it shows up as you read through a western Christian ordered text, not the order in a Hebrew Tanakh, and not chronologically since Job may be older.
I have watched some videos by Michael Heiser who wrote The Unseen Realm. I have read about some of his views second hand on a forum, also. The gist of it is that he believes there were 'elohim' (as they are referred to in some passages) or 'sons of God' who were assigned certain nations to rule, but whose judgment was decreed in Psalm 82 in the 'ye are gods' passage. He believes the preincarnate Jesus is sometimes referred to as Yahweh and sometimes as 'the angel of Yahweh' in various passages.
Posters on the topic said the angel that judged Israel after the census in the time of David is referred to as 'the satan.' Heiser might think this is the angel of the Lord who refers to the preincarnate Christ also.
The satan (opposer or prosecutor) figure in Job came in before God among the sons of God and accused Job and asked permission to do various things to him to test his faithfulness. In Job, we read that the sons of God rejoiced when God laid the foundations of the earth.
It is not clear from the Old Testament, to me and many others, that there is a figure whose personal name is Satan who is the enemy of God. Satan in Job, or the Satan, was there among the sons of God and was asking to test a man.
I read that the idea of Satan as an enemy of God developed in the intertestamental period. Some think it came from Zoarastrian influence since they believe in a Creator, the Wise Lord, and an Evil Lord who is a created being, but opposed to the Wise Lord. I am open to the idea that Zoaraster might have gotten some real revelation that led Persians out of outright paganism. I am not convinced of it. The magos who gave gifts to Christ might have been Zoarastrians. There was a Zoarastrian prophecy about a star and the king of the world being born.
The Book of Jubilees, Mastema, the chief of the demons who was leading astray, blinding, and killing Noah's descendants asks that they not all be bound, but that a tenth be allowed to remain. The passage apparently refers to him as 'Satan.'
The Latin Vulgate also refers to Jesus as 'lucifer' in certain passages. This is a Latin word referring to the morning star. In English, the Latin word for this star was translated in an Old Testament passage and became a personal name attributed to Satan. _________________ Link |
Acts-perienced Poster Posts: 11849 12/17/19 10:25 pm
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