Satan—Wicked Man Insaed Kastom Story or Wanfala Really Person?
FROM taem bifor kam pipol interest long start bilong wicked fasin. A Dictionary of the Bible, wea James Hastings hem raetem, hem sei: “From taem man just start for minim evri samting, man luksavve hao olketa paoa stap wea hem kanduit bossim, wea garem nogud wei or distroem olketa samting.” Disfala sem buk sei tu: “Olketa man from bifor kam trae for savve long start bilong olketa samting wea happen hia, and gogo minim olketa paoa bilong nature olsem hem wanfala man.”
Pipol wea raetem history sei wei for biliv long olketa demon god and wicked spirit hem start kam from Mesopotamia. Pipol bilong Babylon bifor biliv long wanfala world wea stap andagraon, or “ples wea iu no savve kam bak from hem,” wea wan wea lukaftarem hem Nergal, wanfala raf god wea olketa kolem “datwan wea bonem.” Olketa fraet long olketa demon tu, wea olketa trae for mekem hapi thru long olketa magic singsing. Long kastom story bilong Egypt, Set hem god bilong wicked fasin, “wea olketa drawim olsem spesol kaen beast witim thin bend nose, ear wea sheip olsem box, and strongfala tail wea olsem fork.”—Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology.
Nomata pipol bilong Greece and Rome garem olketa god wea helpem and spoelem olketa, olketa no garem eni main god bilong wicked fasin. Olketa savveman bilong olketa teach abaotem tufala god wea againstim each other. Empedocles teachim hao tufala god hia hem Love and Wei for No Agree. Plato teachim hao world garem tufala “Soul,” wan wea kosim gud samting and narawan wea kosim wicked fasin. Olsem Georges Minois hem talem insaed buk bilong hem Le Diable (Datfala Devil), “firstfala [Greco-Roman] heathen religion no biliv long eni Devil.”
Long Iran, Zoroastrian religion teachim hao main god Ahura Mazda, or Ormazd, nao creatim Angra Mainyu, or Ahriman, wea chus for kamap wicked and from diswan kamap Spirit for Distroe, or Wan for Distroem Samting.
Long Jew religion, wanfala toktok hem talem klia hao Satan hem Enemy bilong God wea startim sin. Bat bihaen staka handred year, olketa joinim olketa heathen idea long disfala teaching. Encyclopaedia Judaica hem sei: “Insaed olketa last handred year bilong B.C.E. . . wanfala bigfala change kamap. [Jew] religion insaed disfala sekson bilong taem . . . acceptim staka biliv bilong tufala wei for tingting wea againstim each other, wea sei olketa strongfala paoa bilong wicked fasin and giaman wei olketa againstim God and olketa gudfala paoa long heven and earth. Luk olsem religion bilong Persia nao affectim olketa.” The Concise Jewish Encyclopedia hem sei: “Man fit for protectim hemseleva againstim olketa d[emon] thru long wei for followim olketa komand and werem samfala samting.”
Apostate Christian Teaching
Long sem wei wea Jew religion acceptim olketa teaching abaotem Satan and olketa demon wea no kam from Bible, olketa apostate Christian mekem grow olketa idea wea no kam from Bible. The Anchor Bible Dictionary hem sei: “Wanfala barava difren teaching nao hem wei wea God baem bak pipol bilong hem thru long wei for peim Satan for olketa kamap free.” Irenaeus hem story raonem disfala idea (mek-tu century C.E.). Bihaen, Origen (mek-thri century C.E.) mekem grow go moa datfala idea taem hem sei “datfala devil hem kamap fit saed long law for bossim olketa man” and “dae bilong Christ . . . hem ransom wea hem peim go long devil.”—History of Dogma, wea Adolf Harnack hem raetem.
The Catholic Encyclopedia hem sei: “[Disfala idea hao ransom hem go long Devil] hem important part bilong teaching for samting olsem wan thousand year,” and hem stap olsem wanfala long olketa church biliv. Olketa nara Church Father, wea insaed diswan hem Augustine (mek-foa and faev century C.E.), hem acceptim datfala idea hao olketa peim ransom long Satan. Gogo, kasem mek-12 century C.E., tufala Catholic savveman, Anselm and Abelard luksavve hao sakrifaes bilong Christ hem offerim long God and no long Satan.
Spiritism Bilong Taem Bifor
Nomata staka insaed olketa council bilong Catholic Church olketa kwaet abaotem Satan, long 1215 C.E., New Catholic Encyclopedia storyim wei wea datfala Fourth Lateran Council hem givim wanfala “important teaching bilong faith.” Sekson 1 hem sei: “God creatim devil and olketa nara demon witim olketa gudfala fasin firstaem, bat olketa seleva nao kamap wicked.” Hem sei moa hao olketa waka hard for switim olketa man. Disfala tingting barava affectim staka pipol bilong Middle Ages. Olketa sei Satan hem bihaenem eniting wea difren, maet hem sik wea olketa no minim, dae wea seknomoa happen, or nogud harvest. Long 1233 C.E., Pope Gregory IX putim samfala church law for panisim pipol wea againstim church, wea insaed diswan hem olketa Luciferians wea pipol sei olketa worshipim Devil.
Biliv hao Devil or olketa demon bilong hem savve kontrolem pipol hem kosim bigfala fraet—bigfala wei for fraetem wei for iusim demon paoa and magic. From mek-13 go kasem mek-17 century, wei for fraetem olketa witch hem kasem full Europe, gogo kasem North America. Nomata olketa Protestant olsem Martin Luther and John Calvin olketa appruvim wei for faendem olketa witch. Long Europe, datfala Inquisition and olketa kot kotem samfala and kolem olketa witch from gossip or heit nomoa. Olketa iusim wei for givim torture for mekem pipol konfes olketa “guilty.”
Olketa bonem or, sapos long England and Scotland, olketa hangem olketa wea guilty. The World Book Encyclopedia hem sei: “From 1484 go kasem 1782, samfala man for raetem history sei Christian church killim dae samting olsem 300,000 woman wea olketa sei olketa duim magic.” Sapos Satan nao bihaenem olketa nogud samting hia, hu nao hem iusim—olketa wea dae or olketa bilong religion wea strong for persecutim olketa?
Biliv and Wei for No Biliv Bilong Distaem
Wei for garem moa savve, or taem wea olketa kolem Enlightenment hem kamap long mek-18 century. Encyclopædia Britannica hem sei: “Idea and teaching bilong datfala Enlightenment hem trae for aotem biliv long devil from Christian tingting, long wei for sei hem kam from kastom tingting bilong Middle Ages.” Long First Vatican Council (1869-70), Roman Catholic Church hem againstim diswan and strongim hao hem biliv Devil Satan hem really stap, and talem moa diswan long Second Vatican Council (1962-65).
Datfala New Catholic Encyclopedia hem sei, “Church hem barava biliv long olketa angel and olketa demon.” Bat, wanfala Catholic dictionary bilong France, Théo, hem sei “staka Christian distaem les for sei wicked fasin hem kam from devil.” Insaed olketa year wea just go pas, olketa bigman bilong Catholic religion olketa careful tumas for mekem Catholic teaching and tingting bilong pipol for semsem. Encyclopædia Britannica hem sei: “Olketa Christian teaching wea garem olketa niu idea minim story bilong Bible abaotem Satan olsem ‘tokpiksa’ nomoa for wicked fasin and no wanfala really person. Olketa sei hem kastom story for trae and minim wei wea wicked samting hem stap and garem paoa long universe.” Abaotem olketa Protestant, disfala sem buk sei: “Olketa Protestant teaching wea garem olketa niu idea denyim wei wea devil hem wanfala person.” Bat waswe, olketa tru Christian shud ting long wanem Bible talem abaotem Satan olsem “tokpiksa” nomoa?
Wanem Olketa Scripture Teachim
Bible hem explainim start bilong wicked fasin long wei wea moabeta winim olketa idea and teaching bilong man. Wanem olketa Scripture talem abaotem Satan hem important long wei for minim start bilong wicked fasin and why olketa man safa, and tu, why olketa raf fasin wea barava nogud hem kamap moa worse evri year.
Samfala maet ask: ‘Sapos God hem Creator wea gud and garem love, hao nao hem savve wakem wanfala wicked spirit creature olsem Satan?’ Bible showimaot principle hao evriting wea God wakem hem perfect and hem givim free will long olketa wea fit for iusim savve. (Deuteronomy 30:19; 32:4; Joshua 24:15; 1 Kings 18:21) Dastawe, iumi fit for sei hao datfala spirit person wea kamap Satan, God wakem hem perfect bat hemseleva chus for go difren from truth and raeteous fasin.—John 8:44; James 1:14, 15.
Bighed fasin bilong Satan hem semsem witim bighed fasin bilong “king bilong Tyre,” wea olketa storyim olsem hem “luk naes evribit” and ‘hem followim stretfala fasin taem hem just start go kasem taem olketa no faendem raeteous fasin long hem moa.’ (Ezekiel 28:11-19) Satan no trae for challengem barava hae position bilong Jehovah or wei wea hem nao Creator. Hem hard for duim from God nao creatim hem! Nomata olsem, hem challengem wei wea Jehovah hem rul. Long garden bilong Eden, Satan mekem idea kamap hao God hem aotem from firstfala man and woman raet bilong tufala and samting wea bae givim tufala gud samting. (Genesis 3:1-5) Hem win for mekem Adam and Eve againstim raeteous rul bilong Jehovah, wea kosim sin and dae for tufala seleva and olketa pikinini bilong tufala. (Genesis 3:6-19; Romans 5:12) So Bible showaot Satan nao kosim olketa man for safa.
Bifor long Flood, olketa nara angel joinim Satan long bighed wei bilong hem. Olketa kasem body olsem man for satisfaem olketa seleva saed long sex witim olketa girl long earth. (Genesis 6:1-4) Long Flood, olketa bighed angel hia go bak long heven bat no long “firstfala position” bilong olketa witim God long heven. (Jude 6) Olketa lusim position bilong olketa and go insaed long barava bigfala spiritual darkness. (1 Peter 3:19, 20; 2 Peter 2:4) Olketa kamap olketa demon, olketa no serve moa anda long rul bilong Jehovah bat stap anda long Satan. Nomata olketa no savve kasem body bilong man moa, olketa demon still savve garem bigfala paoa ovarem mind and living bilong olketa man, and olketa nao bihaenem staka raf fasin iumi lukim distaem.—Matthew 12:43-45; Luke 8:27-33.
Rul Bilong Satan Hem Klosap End
Hem klia hao olketa wicked spirit go ahed for garem paoa long world distaem. Aposol John hem raet: “Full world hem stap long paoa bilong wicked wan.”—1 John 5:19.
Bat, Bible profesi wea fulfill showimaot hao Devil hem mekem moa big olketa trabol long earth bikos hem savve hem garem “shortfala taem nomoa” for spoelem olketa samting bifor olketa lokim hem. (Revelation 12:7-12; 20:1-3) End bilong rul bilong Satan bae bringim kam wanfala raeteous niu world wea krae, dae, and pain “bae nomoa.” Then, will bilong God bae “kamap long earth, olsem long heven.”—Revelation 21:1-4; Matthew 6:10, New International Version.
[Olketa Piksa long page 4]
Pipol bilong Babylon biliv long Nergal (barava left saed), wanfala raf god; Plato (left) biliv tufala “Soul” wea againstim each other stap
[Olketa Credit Line]
Cylinder: Musée du Louvre, Paris; Plato: National Archaeological Museum, Athens, Greece
[Olketa Piksa long page 5]
Irenaeus, Origen, and Augustine teachim hao God peim ransom long Devil
[Olketa Credit Line]
Origen: Culver Pictures; Augustine: From the book Great Men and Famous Women
[Piksa long page 6]
Wei for fraetem olketa witch nao kosim olketa for killim dae staka thousand pipol
[Credit Line]
From the book Bildersaal deutscher Geschichte