The Real Satan.

Like I keep telling Christians online. The Devil or Satan comes from the Hebrew word śāṭān meaning accuser or adversary. He was a heavenly prosecutor in the Old Testament, like in the book of Job.

You Christians should get closer to him.

 

No, thanks. Ha-Satan is not my type. He appears in the Hebrew Bible in Job, Zechariah and Chronicles as, as you say, God's prosecutor: testing Job by inflicting losses and bodily afflictions (Job1:6-12, contending with the Angel of the Lord (Counsel for the Defense) over the fate of Israel (Zechariah 3:1-2), and inciting King David to take a census of Israel (1 Chron. 21:1). All three references seen to date to the Persian period, and show the beginning of Zoroastrian influence on Judaism. Theologians soon provided a linkage of this prosecutor to the fallen angel in Isaiah 14:12, Ezekiel 28:17 and the Serpent that tempted Adam and Eve.. By Jesus' time, he was more like the Zoroastrian Ahriman or Angra Mainyu than a divine agent, and was clearly at odds with Jesus. The Essenes, in particular, saw the universe as the stage for a cosmic battle between the Forces of Light vs. Darkness. Christians regard him as the Prince of Darkness, or Evil personified. In the Dead Sea Scrolls, they referred to Satan as the adversary, embodying temptation and sin. They called themselves "the Way", as did the early Christians whom many of them probably joined during and after the Roman wars.

 

I can not help it, But remember that the bible was a collection of beliefs and events from three thousand years ago. Most of it is extracted from myth and written from Arabic, Hebrew and Ancient Greek Chronicles. I recommend trying to extract what we know documented from real people who were literate and walked the earth. Some information may be extracted from Hindi texts written by real authors contemporary with the time of Jesus, Pilate etc..

Some examples are: Angel = Messinger; Barabbus = Ba' Rabbus = Devine Teacher; Jesus = Yesua the Nazarine; etc. Obsession with the devil, evil and occult were picked up by Early Christians from Druid, Celtic, and Germanic spiritual beliefs, and became anti-Christ cautions.

 

Uh, yeah! That's exactly what is going on in the Universe, something way bigger than the human condition, which most Christians think some God obsesses over.

The Essenes were the cool, hip ones of their day. Their perspective is more healthy than most Christians. They also make some fine bread!