View source for Satan

{{short description|Figure in Abrahamic religions}}
{{about|the figure in the Abrahamic religions|personifications of evil in various cultures|Devil|other uses}}
{{good article}}
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[[File:Codex Gigas fol 290r Devil.jpg|thumb|Illustration of the Devil on ''[[Codex Gigas]]'', early thirteenth century]]
'''Satan''',{{efn|{{langx|he|שָּׂטָן|sāṭān}}, {{literal translation|adversary}};{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=2–3}} {{langx|grc|ὁ σατανᾶς}} or {{lang|grc|σατάν}}, {{transliteration|grc|ho satanas/satan}};{{sfn|Boyd|1975|page=13}} {{langx|ar|الشَّيطان}} {{transliteration|ar|ash-shayṭān}}, {{literal translation|astray', 'distant', or sometimes 'devil}}}} also known as '''the Devil''',{{efn|In many cases, the translators of the [[Septuagint]], the pre-Christian translation of the [[Hebrew Bible]] into [[ancient Greek]], chose to render the Hebrew word ''sâtan'' as the Greek word [[wikt:διάβολος|διάβολος]] (''diábolos''), meaning "opponent" or "accuser".{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=28–31}}{{sfn|Boyd|1975|page=13}} This is the root of the modern English word ''Devil''.{{sfn|Boyd|1975|page=13}}{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=2–3, 28–31}} Both the words ''satanas'' and ''diábolos'' are used interchangeably in the New Testament and in later Christian writings.{{sfn|Boyd|1975|page=13}} The [[Pauline epistles]] and the [[Gospel of Mark]] both use the word ''satanas'' more frequently than ''diábolos'',{{sfn|Boyd|1975|page=13}}{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=114}} but the [[Gospel of Matthew]] uses the word ''diábolos'' more frequently and so do the [[Church Fathers]] [[Justin Martyr]], [[Irenaeus]], and [[Origen]].{{sfn|Boyd|1975|page=13}}}} is an [[non-physical entity|entity]] in [[Abrahamic religions]] who [[Seduction|seduces]] humans into [[sin]] (or falsehood). In [[Judaism]], Satan is seen as an agent subservient to [[God in Judaism|God]], typically regarded as a metaphor for the ''[[yetzer hara]]'', or 'evil inclination'. In [[Christianity]] and [[Islam]], he is usually seen as a [[fallen angel]] or [[jinn]] who has rebelled against [[God in Abrahamic religions|God]], who nevertheless allows him temporary power over the fallen world and a host of [[demon]]s. In the [[Quran]], [[Iblis]] (Shaitan), the leader of the [[Shayatin|devils]] (''shayāṭīn''), is made of fire and was cast out of Heaven because he refused to bow before the newly created [[Adam in Islam|Adam]]. He incites humans to sin by infecting their minds with ''waswās'' ('evil suggestions').

A figure known as ''ha-satan'' ("the satan") first appears in the [[Hebrew Bible]] as a heavenly [[prosecutor]], subordinate to [[Yahweh]] (God); he prosecutes the [[Kingdom of Judah|nation of Judah]] in the heavenly court and tests the loyalty of Yahweh's followers. During the [[intertestamental period]], possibly due to influence from the [[Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrian]] figure of [[Ahriman|Angra Mainyu]], the satan developed into a malevolent entity with abhorrent qualities in [[Dualism in cosmology|dualistic opposition]] to God. In the [[Biblical apocrypha|apocryphal]] [[Book of Jubilees]], Yahweh grants the satan (referred to as [[Mastema]]) authority over a [[Watcher (angel)|group of fallen angels]], or [[Nephilim|their offspring]], to tempt humans to sin and punish them.

Although the [[Book of Genesis]] does not name him specifically, Christians often identify the [[Serpents in the Bible|serpent in the Garden of Eden]] as Satan. In the [[Synoptic Gospels]], Satan [[Temptation of Christ|tempts Jesus in the desert]] and is identified as the cause of illness and temptation. In the [[Book of Revelation]], Satan appears as a [[Serpents in the Bible#Ancient serpent|Great Red Dragon]], who is defeated by [[Michael (archangel)|Michael the Archangel]] and cast down from Heaven. He is later bound for [[Millennialism|one thousand years]], but is briefly set free before being ultimately defeated and cast into the [[Lake of fire|Lake of Fire]].

In the Middle Ages, Satan played a minimal role in [[Christian theology]] and was used as a [[comic relief]] figure in [[mystery plays]]. During the [[early modern period]], Satan's significance greatly increased as beliefs such as [[Spirit possession|demonic possession]] and [[European witchcraft|witchcraft]] became more prevalent. During the [[Age of Enlightenment]], belief in the existence of Satan was harshly criticized by thinkers such as [[Voltaire]]. Nonetheless, belief in Satan has persisted, particularly in the [[Americas]].

Although Satan is generally viewed as evil, some groups have very different beliefs. In [[theistic Satanism]], Satan is considered a deity who is either worshipped or revered. In [[LaVeyan Satanism]], Satan is a symbol of virtuous characteristics and liberty. Satan's appearance is never described in the Bible, but, since the ninth century, he has often been shown in [[Christian art]] with horns, cloven hooves, unusually hairy legs, and a tail, often naked and holding a pitchfork. These are an amalgam of traits derived from various pagan deities, including [[Pan (god)|Pan]], [[Poseidon]], and [[Bes]]. Satan appears frequently in [[Christian literature]], most notably in [[Dante Alighieri]]'s ''[[Inferno (Dante)|Inferno]]'', all variants of the classic [[Faust]] story, [[John Milton]]'s ''[[Paradise Lost]]'' and ''[[Paradise Regained]]'', and the poems of [[William Blake]].<ref>Baillie, E. M. (2014). Facing the Fiend: Satan as a Literary Character. England: ''Wipf and Stock Publishers.''</ref> He continues to appear in literature, film, television, video game, and music.

==Historical development==
===Hebrew Bible===
[[File:Gustav Jaeger Bileam Engel.jpg|thumb|''Balaam and the Angel'' (1836) by [[Gustav Jäger (painter)|Gustav Jäger]]. The angel in this incident is referred to as a "satan".{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=15–16}}]]
The [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] term ''śāṭān'' ({{langx|he|שָׂטָן}}) is a generic noun meaning "accuser" or "adversary",{{sfn|Kelly|2006|p=16}}{{sfn|Campo|2009|p=603}} and is derived from a verb meaning primarily "to obstruct, oppose".<ref>ed. [[George Arthur Buttrick|Buttrick, George Arthur]]; ''The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible, An illustrated Encyclopedia''</ref> In the earlier biblical books, e.g. {{Bibleverse|1 Samuel|29:4|HE}}, the term refers to human adversaries, but in the later books, especially [[Book of Job|Job]] 1–2 and [[book of Zechariah|Zechariah]] 3, to a supernatural entity.{{sfn|Campo|2009|page=603}} When used without the definite article (simply ''satan''), it can refer to any accuser,{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=1–13, 28–29}} but when it is used with the definite article (''ha-satan''), it usually refers specifically to the heavenly accuser, literally, ''the'' satan.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=1–13, 28–29}}

The word with the [[definite article]] ''Ha-Satan'' ({{langx|he|הַשָּׂטָן}} ''hasSāṭān'') occurs 17 times in the [[Masoretic Text]], in two books of the Hebrew Bible: [[Book of Job|Job]] ch. 1–2 (14×) and [[Book of Zechariah|Zechariah]] 3:1–2 (3×).<ref>Stephen M. Hooks – 2007 "As in Zechariah 3:1–2 the term here carries the definite article (has'satan="the satan") and functions not as a...the only place in the Hebrew Bible where the term "Satan" is unquestionably used as a proper name is [[Books of Chronicles|1 Chronicles]] 21:1."</ref><ref name="ReferenceA">Coogan, Michael D.; ''A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament: The Hebrew Bible in Its Context'', Oxford University Press, 2009</ref> It is translated in English bibles mostly as 'Satan'.

[[File:Blake Book of Job Linell set 6.jpg|thumb|''The Examination of [[Job (biblical figure)|Job]]'' ({{circa|1821}}) by [[William Blake]]]]
The word does not occur in the [[Book of Genesis]], which mentions only a [[Serpents in the Bible|talking serpent]] and does not identify the serpent with any supernatural entity.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=14}} The first occurrence of the word "satan" in the Hebrew Bible in reference to a supernatural figure comes from {{bibleverse|Numbers|22:22|HE}},{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=16}} which describes the [[Angel of the Lord|Angel of Yahweh]] confronting [[Balaam]] on his donkey:{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=15–16}} "Balaam's departure aroused the wrath of [[Elohim]], and the Angel of Yahweh stood in the road as a satan against him."{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=16}} In {{bibleverse|2 Samuel|24|HE}} Yahweh sends the "Angel of Yahweh" to inflict a plague against Israel for three days, [[Destroying angel (Bible)|killing 70,000 people]] as punishment for [[David]] having taken a census without his approval.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=20}} {{bibleverse|1 Chronicles|21:1|HE}} repeats this story, but replaces the "Angel of Yahweh" with an entity referred to as "a satan".{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=20}}

Some passages may refer to the satan, without using the word itself.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=18–19}} {{bibleverse|1 Samuel|2:12|HE}} describes the [[Eli (biblical figure)#The sons of Eli|sons of Eli]] as "sons of [[Belial]]";{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=19}} the name "Belial" may be a synonym for "satan",{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=19}} although elsewhere in the Bible "belial" is a word meaning "worthlessness" and the phrase "sons of belial" is translated as "worthless fellows".<ref>[https://mg.alhatorah.org/Dictionary/1100 Concordance: בְּלִיַּעַל  (שם עצם)]</ref> In {{bibleverse|1 Samuel|16:14–23|HE}} Yahweh sends a "troubling spirit" to torment King [[Saul]] as a mechanism to ingratiate David with the king.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=18}} In {{bibleverse|1 Kings|22:19–25|HE}} the prophet [[Micaiah]] describes to King [[Ahab]] a vision of Yahweh sitting on his throne surrounded by the [[Heavenly host|Host of Heaven]].{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=19}} Yahweh asks the Host which of them will lead Ahab astray.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=19}} A "spirit", whose name is not specified, but who is analogous to the satan, volunteers to be "a Lying Spirit in the mouth of all his Prophets".{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=19}}

====Book of Job====
The satan appears in the [[Book of Job]], a poetic dialogue set within a prose framework,{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=21}} which may have been written around the time of the [[Babylonian captivity]].{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=21}} In the text, [[Job (biblical figure)|Job]] is a righteous man favored by Yahweh.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=21}} {{bibleverse|Job|1:6–8|HE}} describes the "[[sons of God]]" (''bənê hāʼĕlōhîm'') presenting themselves before Yahweh.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=21}} Yahweh asks one of them, "the satan", where he has been, to which he replies that he has been roaming around the earth.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=21}} Yahweh asks, "Have you considered My servant Job?"{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=21}} The satan replies by urging Yahweh to let him torture Job, promising that Job will abandon his faith at the first tribulation.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=21–22}} Yahweh consents: the satan destroys Job's servants and flocks, yet Job refuses to condemn Yahweh.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=21–22}} The first scene repeats itself, with the satan presenting himself to Yahweh alongside the other "sons of God".{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=22}} Yahweh points out Job's continued faithfulness, to which the satan insists that more testing is necessary;{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=22}} Yahweh once again gives him permission to test Job.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=22}} In the end, Job remains faithful and righteous, and it is implied that the satan is shamed in his defeat.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Steinmann|first1=AE|title=The structure and message of the Book of Job|journal=Vetus Testamentum}}</ref>

====Book of Zechariah====
{{bibleverse|Zechariah|3:1–7|HE}} contains a description of a vision dated to the middle of February of 519 BC,{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=23}} in which an angel shows [[Zechariah (Hebrew prophet)|Zechariah]] a scene of [[Joshua the High Priest]] dressed in filthy rags, representing the nation of Judah and its sins,{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=24}} on trial with Yahweh as the judge and the satan standing as the [[prosecutor]].{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=24}} Yahweh rebukes the satan{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=24}} and orders for Joshua to be given clean clothes, representing Yahweh's forgiveness of Judah's sins.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=24}}

===Second Temple period===
[[File:Achaemenid Empire under different kings (flat map).svg|thumb|right|Map showing the expansion of the [[Achaemenid Empire]], in which Jews lived during the early [[Second Temple Period]],{{sfn|Campo|2009|page=603}} allowing [[Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrian]] ideas about [[Angra Mainyu]] to influence the Jewish conception of Satan{{sfn|Campo|2009|page=603}}]]
For much of [[Second Temple Period]] Jews lived under the [[Achaemenid Empire]], providing the opportunity for Jews to be influenced by [[Zoroastrianism]], the religion of the Achaemenids.{{sfn|Russell|1987a|page=99}}{{sfn|Campo|2009|page=603}}<ref>Peter Clark, ''Zoroastrianism: An Introduction to Ancient Faith'' 1998, p. 152 "There are so many features that Zoroastrianism seems to share with the Judeo-Christian tradition that it would be difficult to deny some relationship between them"</ref> Jewish conceptions of Satan were impacted by [[Angra Mainyu]],{{sfn|Campo|2009|page=603}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Winn|first=Shan M.M.|title=Heaven, heroes, and happiness : the Indo-European roots of Western ideology.|year=1995|publisher=University press of America|location=Lanham, Md.|isbn=0-8191-9860-9|page=203}}</ref> the Zoroastrian spirit of evil, darkness, and ignorance.{{sfn|Campo|2009|page=603}} In the [[Septuagint]], the Hebrew ''ha-Satan'' in Job and [[Book of Zechariah|Zechariah]] is translated by the [[Greek language|Greek]] word ''diabolos'' (slanderer), the same word in the [[Novum Testamentum Graece|Greek New Testament]] from which the English word "[[devil]]" is derived.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=30}} Where ''satan'' is used to refer to human enemies in the Hebrew Bible, such as [[Hadad the Edomite]] and [[Rezon the Syrian]], the word is left untranslated but is instead transliterated in the Greek as ''satan'', a [[neologism]] in Greek.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=30}}

The idea of Satan as an opponent of God and a purely evil figure seems to have taken root in Jewish [[pseudepigrapha]] during the Second Temple Period,<ref name="Jackson,2">{{cite book|last=Jackson|first=David R.|title=Enochic Judaism|year=2004|publisher=T&T Clark International|location=London|isbn=0-8264-7089-0|pages=2–4}}</ref> particularly in the ''[[Apocalypses Apocrypha|apocalypses]]''.<ref name="Oxford,651"/> The [[Book of Enoch]], which the [[Dead Sea Scrolls]] have revealed to have been nearly as popular as the Torah,{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=42–43}} describes a group of 200 angels known as the "[[Watcher (angel)|Watchers]]", who are assigned to supervise the earth but instead abandon their duties and have sexual intercourse with human women.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=34–35}} The leader of the Watchers is [[Samyaza|Semjâzâ]]{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=35}} and another member of the group, known as [[Azazel]], spreads sin and corruption among humankind.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=35}} The Watchers are ultimately sequestered in isolated caves across the earth{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=35}} and are condemned to face judgement at the end of time.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=35}} The [[Book of Jubilees]], written around 150 BC,{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=36}} retells the story of the Watchers' defeat,{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=36–37}} but, in deviation from the Book of Enoch, [[Mastema]], the "Chief of Spirits", intervenes before all of their demon offspring are sealed away, requesting for Yahweh to let him keep some of them to become his workers.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=37}} Yahweh acquiesces to this request{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=37}} and Mastema uses them to tempt humans into committing more sins, so that he may punish them for their wickedness.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=37–40}} Later, Mastema induces Yahweh to test [[Abraham]] by ordering him to [[Binding of Isaac|sacrifice Isaac]].{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=37–40}}<ref>Introduction to the Book of Jubilees, ''15. Theology. Some of our Author's Views: Demonology'', by R.H. Charles.</ref>

The [[Second Book of Enoch]], also called the Slavonic Book of Enoch, contains references to a Watcher called Satanael.<ref>[[2 Enoch]] 18:3. On this tradition, see A. Orlov, "The Watchers of Satanael: The Fallen Angels Traditions in 2 (Slavonic) Enoch", in: A. Orlov, ''Dark Mirrors: Azazel and Satanael in Early Jewish Demonology'' (Albany: SUNY, 2011) 85–106.</ref> It is a [[pseudepigraphic]] text of an uncertain date and unknown authorship. The text describes Satanael as being the prince of the Grigori who was cast out of heaven<ref>"And I threw him out from the height with his angels, and he was flying in the air continuously above the bottomless" – [[Second Book of Enoch|2 Enoch]] 29:4</ref> and an evil spirit who knew the difference between what was "righteous" and "sinful".<ref>"The devil is the evil spirit of the lower places, as a fugitive he made Sotona from the heavens as his name was Satanail, thus he became different from the angels, but his nature did not change his intelligence as far as his understanding of righteous and sinful things" – [[Second Book of Enoch|2 Enoch]] 31:4</ref> In the [[Book of Wisdom]], the devil is taken to be the being who brought death into the world, but originally the culprit was recognized as Cain.<ref>See [https://books.google.com/books?id=TR0iC8EVUT0C&q=devil+death&pg=PA27 The Book of Wisdom: With Introduction and Notes, p. 27, ''Object of the book'', by A. T. S. Goodrick].</ref>{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=70–78}}{{sfn|Kelly|2017|pages=28–30}} The name [[Samael]], which is used in reference to one of the [[fallen angel]]s, later became a common name for Satan in Jewish [[Midrash]] and [[Kabbalah]].<ref>Alexander Altmann, Alfred L. Ivry, Elliot R. Wolfson, Allan Arkush ''Perspectives on Jewish Thought and Mysticism'' Taylor & Francis 1998 {{ISBN|978-9-057-02194-7}} p. 268</ref>

==Judaism==
[[File:Shofar-16-Zachi-Evenor.jpg|thumb|The sound of a [[shofar]] (''pictured'') is believed to symbolically confuse Satan.]]
Most Jews do not believe in the existence of a supernatural omnimalevolent figure.{{sfn|Glustrom|1989|pages=22–24}} Traditionalists and philosophers in [[History of European Jews in the Middle Ages|medieval Judaism]] adhered to [[rational theology]], rejecting any belief in rebel or fallen angels, and viewing [[evil]] as abstract.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bamberger|first=Bernard J.|title=Fallen angels : soldiers of satan's realm|year=2006|publisher=Jewish Publ. Soc. of America|location=Philadelphia, Pa.|isbn=0-8276-0797-0|edition=1 paperback|pages=148, 149}}</ref> The rabbis usually interpreted the word ''satan'' lacking the article ''ha-'', as it is used in the Tanakh, as referring strictly to ''human'' adversaries.<ref>Based on the [[Jewish exegesis]] of 1 Samuel 29:4 and 1 Kings 5:18 – [https://books.google.com/books?id=hKAaJXvUaUoC&dq=Berlin+Grossman%22misinterpretation+of+is%22&pg=PA651 Oxford dictionary of the Jewish religion, 2011, p. 651]</ref> Nonetheless, the word ''satan'' has occasionally been metaphorically applied to evil influences,{{sfn|Glustrom|1989|page=24}} such as the [[Jewish exegesis]] of the ''[[yetzer hara]]'' ("evil inclination") mentioned in Genesis 6:5.<ref>{{bibleverse|Genesis|6:5|HE}}</ref><ref name ="jewishencyc">{{cite encyclopedia|title=Satan|encyclopedia=Jewish Encyclopedia|url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13219-satan|access-date=14 March 2017}}</ref>

The [[Talmud]]ic image of Satan is contradictory. While Satan's identification with the abstract ''yetzer hara'' remains uniform over the sages' teachings, he is generally identified as an entity with independent agency. For instance, one rabbi identified Satan both with the [[Destroying angel (Bible)|angel of death]] and with the ''yetzer hara''.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.sefaria.org/Bava_Batra.16a.8?ven=William_Davidson_Edition_-_English&lang=bi| title = Bava Batra 16a:8}}</ref> Satan's status as a personality is strengthened by numerous other rabbinical anecdotes: one tale describes incidents where Satan appeared as a woman in order to tempt [[Rabbi Meir]] and [[Rabbi Akiva]] into sin,<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.sefaria.org/Kiddushin.81a.13?ven=William_Davidson_Edition_-_English&lang=bi| title = Kiddushin 81a}}</ref> while another describes Satan taking the form of an ill-mannered, diseased beggar in order to tempt the sage Peleimu into breaking the [[mitzvah]] of hospitality.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.sefaria.org/Kiddushin.81b.1?ven=William_Davidson_Edition_-_English&lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en| title = Kiddushin 81b}}</ref> Another passage relates that Satan once kissed the feet of [[Aha bar Jacob]] for having taught his students that his objectionable actions are done only to serve the intents of God.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.sefaria.org/Bava_Batra.16a.9?ven=William_Davidson_Edition_-_English&lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en| title = Bava Batra 16a}}</ref>

Rabbinical scholarship on the [[Book of Job]] generally follows the [[Talmud]] and [[Maimonides]] in identifying "the satan" from the prologue as a metaphor for the ''yetzer hara'' and not an actual entity.<ref>Robert Eisen Associate Professor of Religious Studies George Washington University ''The Book of Job in Medieval Jewish Philosophy'' 2004 p. 120 "Moreover, Zerahfiiah gives us insight into the parallel between the Garden of Eden story and the Job story alluded to ... both Satan and Job's wife are metaphors for the evil inclination, a motif Zerahfiiah seems to identify with the imagination."</ref> Satan is rarely mentioned in [[Tannaim|Tannaitic]] literature, but is found in Babylonian [[aggadah]].<ref name="Oxford,651">{{cite book|editor-last=Berlin|editor-first= Adele|title=The Oxford dictionary of the Jewish religion|year=2011|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-19-973004-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hKAaJXvUaUoC&q=Berlin+Grossman%22misinterpretation+of+is%22&pg=PA651|edition=2nd|page=651}}</ref> According to a narration, the sound of the [[shofar]], which is primarily intended to remind Jews of the importance of ''[[Repentance in Judaism|teshuva]]'', is also intended symbolically to "confuse the accuser" (Satan) and prevent him from rendering any [[litigation]] to [[God in Judaism|God]] against the Jews.<ref>Ronald L. Eisenberg ''Dictionary of Jewish Terms: A Guide to the Language of Judaism'' Taylor Trade Publications 2011; {{ISBN|978-1-589-79729-1}}, p. 356.</ref> [[Kabbalah]] presents Satan as an agent of God whose function is to tempt humans into sinning so that he may accuse them in the heavenly court.<ref>Rabbi Rachel Timoner ''Breath of Life: God as Spirit in Judaism'' Paraclete Press 2011; {{ISBN|978-1-557-25899-1}}</ref> 

Modern denominations of Judaism have differing interpretations of Satan's identity. [[Orthodox Judaism]] accepts the diversity of Talmudic teachings on Satan, and Satan is mentioned in some standard prayers, such as the [[Shema Yisrael|Shema]] blessings in [[Maariv]].<ref>[https://www.sefaria.org/Siddur_Ashkenaz%2C_Weekday%2C_Maariv%2C_Blessings_of_the_Shema%2C_Second_Blessing_after_Shema.2?ven=hebrew|The_Metsudah_siddur,_1981&lang=bi Siddur Ashkenaz: Weekday Maariv]</ref> In [[Reform Judaism]], Satan is generally seen in his Talmudic role as a metaphor for the ''yetzer hara'' and the symbolic representation of innate human qualities such as selfishness.<ref>{{cite web|title=What Reform Jews Believe: Central tenets of this faith, based on the questions in the Belief-O-Matic quiz.|date=2008|url=http://www.beliefnet.com/faiths/2001/06/what-reform-jews-believe.aspx}}</ref>

==Christianity==
{{Main|Devil in Christianity}}
===Names===
[[File:Paradise_Lost_12.jpg|thumb|upright|Illustration for [[John Milton|John Milton's]] “[[Paradise Lost]]“, depicting the "Fall of Lucifer"]]
The most common English synonym for "Satan" is "[[devil]]", which descends from [[Middle English]] ''devel'', from [[Old English]] ''dēofol,'' that in turn represents an early [[Germanic languages|Germanic]] borrowing of [[Latin]] ''diabolus'' (also the source of "diabolical"). This in turn was borrowed from [[Greek language|Greek]] ''diabolos'' "[[Defamation|slanderer]]", from ''diaballein'' "to slander": ''dia-'' "across, through" + ''ballein'' "to hurl".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=devil| title=American Heritage Dictionary: Devil| access-date=2006-05-31}}</ref> In the New Testament, the words ''Satan'' and ''diabolos'' are used interchangeably as synonyms.{{sfn|van der Toorn|Becking|Willem|1999|page=731}}<ref>{{bibleverse|Revelation|12:9}}</ref> [[Beelzebub]], meaning "Lord of Flies", is the contemptuous name given in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament to a [[Philistine]] god whose original name has been reconstructed as most probably "Ba'al Zabul", meaning "[[Baal]] the Prince".{{sfn|van der Toorn|Becking|Willem|1999|pages=154–155}} The [[Synoptic Gospels]] identify Satan and Beelzebub as the same.{{sfn|van der Toorn|Becking|Willem|1999|page=731}} The name [[Abaddon]] (meaning "place of destruction") is used six times in the Old Testament, mainly as a name for one of the regions of [[Sheol]].{{sfn|Guiley|2009|page=1}} {{bibleverse|Revelation|9:11|9}} describes Abaddon, whose name is translated into Greek as ''Apollyon'', meaning "the destroyer", as an angel who rules the [[Abyss (religion)|Abyss]].<ref>{{bibleverse|Revelation|9:11|9}}</ref> In modern usage, Abaddon is sometimes equated with Satan.{{sfn|Guiley|2009|page=1}}

===New Testament===
====Gospels, Acts, and epistles====
[[File:Ary_Scheffer_-_The_Temptation_of_Christ_(1854).jpg|thumb|upright|The Devil depicted in ''The Temptation of Christ'', by [[Ary Scheffer]], 1854]]
The three Synoptic Gospels all describe the [[temptation of Christ]] by Satan in the desert ({{bibleverse|Matthew|4:1–11|9}}, {{bibleverse|Mark|1:12–13|9}}, and {{bibleverse|Luke|4:1–13|9}}).{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=88–95}} Satan first shows Jesus a stone and tells him to turn it into bread.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=88–95}} He also takes him to the pinnacle of the [[Second Temple|Temple]] in Jerusalem and commands Jesus to throw himself down so that the angels will catch him.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=88–95}} Satan takes Jesus to the top of a tall mountain as well; there, he shows him the kingdoms of the earth and promises to give them all to him if he will bow down and worship him.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=88–95}} Each time Jesus rebukes Satan{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=88–95}} and, after the third temptation, he is administered by the angels.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=88–95}} Satan's promise in {{bibleverse|Matthew|4:8–9|9}} and {{bibleverse|Luke|4:6–7|9}} to give Jesus all the kingdoms of the earth implies that all those kingdoms belong to him.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=95}} The fact that Jesus does not dispute Satan's promise indicates that the authors of those gospels believed this to be true.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=95}}

Satan plays a role in some of the [[parables of Jesus]], namely the [[Parable of the Sower]], the [[Parable of the Tares|Parable of the Weeds]], [[The Sheep and the Goats|Parable of the Sheep and the Goats]], and the [[Parable of the Strong Man]].{{sfn|Beekmann|Bolt|2012|page=99–102}} According to the Parable of the Sower, Satan "profoundly influences" those who fail to understand the gospel.{{sfn|Beekmann|Bolt|2012|page=99–100}} The latter two parables say that Satan's followers will be punished on [[Judgement Day]], with the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats stating that the Devil, his angels, and the people who follow him will be consigned to "eternal fire".{{sfn|Beekmann|Bolt|2012|page=100–101}} When the [[Pharisees]] accused Jesus of exorcising demons through the power of Beelzebub, Jesus responded by telling the Parable of the Strong Man, saying: "how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house" ({{bibleverse|Matthew|12:29|9}}).{{sfn|Peterson|2012|page=428}} The strong man in this parable represents Satan.{{sfn|Beekmann|Bolt|2012|page=102}}

The Synoptic Gospels identify Satan and his demons as the causes of illness,{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=95}} including [[fever]] ({{bibleverse|Luke|4:39|9}}), [[leprosy]] ({{bibleverse|Luke|5:13|9}}), and [[arthritis]] ({{bibleverse|Luke|13:11–16|9}}),{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=95}} while the [[Epistle to the Hebrews]] describes the Devil as "him who holds the power of death" ({{bibleverse|Hebrews|2:14|9}}).{{sfn|Bass|2014|page=113}} The author of [[Luke-Acts]] attributes more power to Satan than either Matthew and Mark.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=95–96}} In {{bibleverse|Luke|22:31|9}}, Jesus grants Satan the authority to test [[Saint Peter|Peter]] and the other [[Apostles in the New Testament|apostles]].{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=102, 142}} {{bibleverse|Luke|22:3–6|9}} states that [[Judas Iscariot]] betrayed Jesus because "Satan entered" him{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=95–96}} and, in {{bibleverse|Acts|5:3|9}}, Peter describes Satan as "filling" [[Ananias and Sapphira|Ananias]]'s heart and causing him to sin.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=106}} The [[Gospel of John]] only uses the name ''Satan'' three times.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=107}} In {{bibleverse|John|8:44|9}}, Jesus says that his Jewish or Judean enemies are the children of the Devil rather than the children of Abraham.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=107}} The same verse describes the Devil as "a man-killer from the beginning"{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=107}} and "a liar and the father of lying."{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=107}}{{sfn|Almond|2004|page=11}} {{bibleverse|John|13:2|9}} describes the Devil as inspiring Judas to betray Jesus{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=109}} and {{bibleverse|John|12:31–32|9}} identifies Satan as "prince of this world", who is destined to be overthrown through Jesus's death and resurrection.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=112}} {{bibleverse|John|16:7–8|9}} promises that the [[Holy Spirit in Christianity|Holy Spirit]] will "accuse the World concerning sin, justice, and judgement", a role resembling that of the Satan in the Old Testament.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=112–113}}

{{bibleverse|Jude|9|9}} refers to a dispute between [[Michael (archangel)|Michael the Archangel]] and the Devil over the body of [[Moses]].{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=128–129}}<ref name="DavidsMoo2016"/><ref name="LucasGreen2014"/> Some interpreters understand this reference to be an allusion to the events described in {{bibleverse|Zechariah|3:1–2|9}}.<ref name="DavidsMoo2016">{{cite book|author1=Peter H. Davids|author2=Douglas J. Moo|author3=Robert Yarbrough|title=1 and 2 Peter, Jude, 1, 2, and 3 John|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=opOGCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT240|year=2016|publisher=Zondervan|isbn=978-0-310-53025-1|page=240}}</ref><ref name="LucasGreen2014">{{cite book|author1=R. C. Lucas|author2=Christopher Green|title=The Message of 2 Peter & Jude|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sbadAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT168|year=2014|publisher=InterVarsity Press|isbn=978-0-8308-9784-1|pages=168–}}</ref> The classical theologian [[Origen]] attributes this reference to the non-canonical [[Assumption of Moses]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf04.vi.v.iv.iv.html|title=Philip Schaff: ANF04. Fathers of the Third Century: Tertullian, Part Fourth; Minucius Felix; Commodian; Origen, Parts First and Second - Christian Classics Ethereal Library|website=www.ccel.org}}</ref>{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=129}} According to [[James H. Charlesworth]], there is no evidence the surviving book of this name ever contained any such content.<ref name="OTP">James Charlesworth ''Old Testament Pseudepigrapha'', p. 76, [https://books.google.com/books?id=eRQ9AAAAIAAJ&q=Jude+Moses&pg=PA76 Google books link]</ref> Others believe it to be in the lost ending of the book.<ref name="OTP"/><ref>The Assumption of Moses: a critical edition with commentary By Johannes Tromp. p. 270</ref> The second chapter of the pseudepigraphical [[Second Epistle of Peter]]{{Sfn|Kelly|2006|page=130}} copies much of the content of the Epistle of Jude,{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=130}} but omits the specifics of the example regarding Michael and Satan, with {{bibleverse|2 Peter|2:10–11|9}} instead mentioning only an ambiguous dispute between "Angels" and "Glories".{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=130}} Throughout the New Testament, Satan is referred to as a "tempter" ({{bibleverse|Matthew|4:3|9}}),{{sfn|Campo|2009|page=603}} "the ruler of the demons" ({{bibleverse|Matthew|12:24|9}}),{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=271}}{{sfn|Campo|2009|page=603}} "the God of this Age" ({{bibleverse|2 Corinthians|4:4|9}}),{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=66}} "the evil one" ({{bibleverse|1 John|5:18|9}}),{{sfn|Campo|2009|page=603}} and "a roaring lion" ({{bibleverse|1 Peter|5:8|9}}).{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=271}}

====Book of Revelation====
[[File:Le Grand Saint Michel, by Raffaello Sanzio, from C2RMF retouched.jpg|thumb|upright|''[[St. Michael Vanquishing Satan]]'' (1518) by [[Raphael]], depicting Satan being cast out of heaven by [[Michael (archangel)|Michael the Archangel]], as described in {{bibleverse|Revelation|12:7–8|9}}]]
The [[Book of Revelation]] represents Satan as the supernatural ruler of the [[Roman Empire]] and the ultimate cause of all evil in the world.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=144}} In {{bibleverse|Revelation|2:9–10|9}}, as part of the letter to the church at [[Smyrna]], [[John of Patmos]] refers to the Jews of Smyrna as "a [[synagogue of Satan]]"{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=142}} and warns that "the Devil is about to cast some of you into prison as a test [''peirasmos''], and for ten days you will have affliction."{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=142}} In {{bibleverse|Revelation|2:13–14|9}}, in the letter to the church of [[Pergamum]], John warns that Satan lives among the members of the congregation{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=143}} and declares that "Satan's throne" is in their midst.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=143}} Pergamum was the capital of the [[Asia (Roman province)|Roman Province of Asia]]{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=143}} and "Satan's throne" may be referring to the monumental [[Pergamon Altar]] in the city, which was dedicated to the Greek god [[Zeus]],{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=143}} or to a temple dedicated to the Roman emperor [[Augustus]].{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=143}}

{{bibleverse|Revelation|12:3|9}} describes a vision of a [[Serpents in the Bible#Ancient serpent|Great Red Dragon]] with seven heads, ten horns, seven crowns, and a massive tail,{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=149–150}} an image which is likely inspired by the vision of the [[Four kingdoms of Daniel|four beasts from the sea]] in the [[Book of Daniel]]{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=150}} and the [[Leviathan]] described in various Old Testament passages.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=150–151}} The Great Red Dragon knocks "a third of the sun... a third of the moon, and a third of the stars" out the sky{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=151}} and pursues the [[Woman of the Apocalypse]].{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=151}} {{bibleverse|Revelation|12:7–9|9}} declares: "[[War in Heaven|And war broke out in Heaven]]. Michael and his angels fought against the Dragon. The Dragon and his angels fought back, but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in Heaven. Dragon the Great was thrown down, that ancient serpent who is called Devil and Satan, the one deceiving the whole inhabited World – he was thrown down to earth, and his angels were thrown down with him."{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=151–152}} Then a voice booms down from Heaven heralding the defeat of "the Accuser" (''ho Kantegor''), identifying the Satan of Revelation with the satan of the Old Testament.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=152}}

In {{bibleverse|Revelation|20:1–3|9}}, Satan is bound with a chain and hurled into the [[Abyss (religion)|Abyss]],{{sfn|Garland|2006}} where he is imprisoned for [[Millennialism|one thousand years]].{{sfn|Garland|2006}} In {{bibleverse|Revelation|20:7–10|9}}, he is set free and gathers his armies along with [[Gog and Magog]] to wage war against the righteous,{{sfn|Garland|2006}} but is defeated with fire from Heaven, and cast into the [[lake of fire]].{{sfn|Garland|2006}} Some Christians associate Satan with the number [[666 (number)|666]], which {{bibleverse|Revelation|13:18|9}} describes as the [[Number of the beast|Number of the Beast]].<ref name=six>{{Cite news|url=http://www.uscatholic.org/articles/201309/what-666-bible-27901|title=What is 666 in the Bible?|last=Schorn|first=Joel|publisher=[[Claretians#Publications|U.S. Catholic]]|date=October 2013|access-date=2018-01-02|language=en}}</ref> However, [[The Beast (Revelation)|the beast]] mentioned in Revelation 13 is not Satan,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2006/06/06/1655274.htm|title=Why 666 is a devil of a day|last=Skatssoon|first=Judy|publisher=[[ABC News and Current Affairs]]|date=2006-06-06|access-date=2018-01-02|language=en}}</ref> and the use of 666 in the Book of Revelation has been interpreted as a reference to the Roman Emperor [[Nero]], as 666 is the numeric value of his name in Hebrew.<ref name=six/>

===Patristic era===
{{CSS image crop|Image=Jan Brueghel de Oude en Peter Paul Rubens - Het aards paradijs met de zondeval van Adam en Eva.jpg|bSize=400|cWidth=200|cHeight=120|oTop=20|oLeft=10|Description=''[[The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man]]'' by [[Jan Brueghel the Elder]] and [[Pieter Paul Rubens]], c. 1615, depicting Eve reaching for the [[forbidden fruit]] beside the Devil portrayed as a [[Snake|serpent]]}}Christians have traditionally interpreted the unnamed serpent in the [[Garden of Eden]] as Satan due to {{bibleverse|Revelation|12:7|9}}, which calls Satan "that ancient serpent".{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=152}}{{sfn|Campo|2009|page=603}} This verse, however, is probably intended to identify Satan with the [[Leviathan]],{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=152}} a monstrous sea-serpent whose destruction by Yahweh is prophesied in {{bibleverse|Isaiah|27:1|9}}.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=150–151}} The first recorded individual to identify Satan with the serpent from the Garden of Eden was the second-century AD Christian apologist [[Justin Martyr]],{{sfn|Poole|2009|pages=7–8}}{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=176}} in chapters 45 and 79 of his ''[[Dialogue with Trypho]]''.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=176}} Other early [[Church Fathers]] to mention this identification include [[Theophilus of Antioch|Theophilus]] and [[Tertullian]].{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=117}} The early Christian Church, however, encountered opposition from pagans such as [[Celsus]], who claimed in his treatise ''[[The True Word]]'' that "it is blasphemy... to say that the greatest God... has an adversary who constrains his capacity to do good" and said that Christians "impiously divide the kingdom of God, creating a rebellion in it, as if there were opposing factions within the divine, including one that is hostile to God".<ref>{{cite book|author=Origen|title=Contra Celsum|at=Book 6. Ch 42|url=http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/origen166.html}}</ref>

[[File:Luzifer (Lucifer) painting by Franz von Stuck 1890 National Gallery in Sofia.jpg|thumb|left|upright|''[[Lucifer (Stuck)|Lucifer]]'' (1890) by [[Franz Stuck]]. Because of Patristic interpretations of {{bibleverse|Isaiah|14:12|9}} and [[Jerome]]'s Latin [[Vulgate]] translation, the name "[[Lucifer]]" is sometimes used in reference to Satan.{{sfn|Kohler|1923|pages=4–5}}{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=191–208}}]]

The name ''Heylel'', meaning "morning star" (or, in Latin, ''[[Lucifer]]''),{{efn|The Latin [[Vulgate]] translation of this passage renders ''Heylel'' as "[[Lucifer]]"{{sfn|Kohler|1923|pages=4–5}} and this name continues to be used by some Christians as an alternative name for Satan.{{sfn|Kohler|1923|pages=4–5}}}} was a name for [[Attar (god)|Attar]], the god of the planet [[Venus]] in [[Canaanite mythology]],{{sfn|Day|2002|pages=171–172}}{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=191}} who attempted to scale the walls of the heavenly city,{{sfn|Caird|1980|page=225}}{{sfn|Day|2002|pages=171–172}} but was vanquished by the [[Shamash|god of the sun]].{{sfn|Caird|1980|page=225}} The name is used in {{bibleverse|Isaiah|14:12|9}} in metaphorical reference to the king of Babylon.{{sfn|Caird|1980|page=225}} {{bibleverse|Ezekiel|28:12–15|9}} uses a description of a [[Ezekiel's cherub in Eden|cherub in Eden]] as a polemic against [[Ithobaal II]], the king of Tyre.{{sfn|Patmore|2012|page=4}}

The [[Church Fathers|Church Father]] [[Origen|Origen of Alexandria]] ({{circa}} 184 – {{circa}} 253), who was only aware of the actual text of these passages and not the original myths to which they refer, concluded in his treatise ''[[On the First Principles]]'', which is preserved in a Latin translation by [[Tyrannius Rufinus]], that neither of these verses could literally refer to a human being.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=195–197}} He concluded that Isaiah 14:12 is an allegory for Satan and that Ezekiel 28:12–15 is an allusion to "a certain Angel who had received the office of governing the nation of the Tyrians", but was hurled down to Earth after he was found to be corrupt.<ref>Origen, [http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/04121.htm ''On the First Principles'' Book I], Chapter 5, Paragraphs 4–5</ref>{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=197}} In his apologetic treatise ''[[Contra Celsum]]'', however, Origen interprets both Isaiah 14:12 and Ezekiel 28:12–15 as referring to Satan.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=98}} According to Henry Ansgar Kelly, Origen seems to have adopted this new interpretation to refute unnamed persons who, perhaps under the influence of Zoroastrian radical dualism, believed "that Satan's original nature was Darkness."{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=198}} The later Church Father [[Jerome]] ({{circa}} 347 – 420), translator of the Latin [[Vulgate]], accepted Origen's theory of Satan as a fallen angel{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=202–206}} and wrote about it in his commentary on the Book of Isaiah.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=202–206}} In Christian tradition ever since, both Isaiah 14:12{{sfn|Kohler|1923|page=5}}{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=98, 199–208}} and Ezekiel 28:12–15 have been understood as allegorically referring to Satan.{{sfn|Patmore|2012|pages=52–53}}{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=199–208}} For most Christians, Satan has been regarded as an angel who rebelled against [[God in Christianity|God]].{{sfn|Ginther|2009|page=10}}{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=98, 199–208}}

According to the [[ransom theory of atonement]], which was popular among early Christian theologians,{{sfn|Eddy|Beilby|2008|page=86}}{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=215–217}} Satan gained power over humanity through [[Adam and Eve]]'s sin,{{sfn|Eddy|Beilby|2008|page=86}}{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=215–216}} and [[Crucifixion of Jesus|Christ's death on the cross]] was a ransom to Satan in exchange for humanity's liberation.{{sfn|Eddy|Beilby|2008|page=86}}{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=216}} This theory holds that Satan was tricked by God{{sfn|Eddy|Beilby|2008|page=86}}{{sfn|Plantinga|Thompson|Lundberg|2010}} because Christ was not only free of sin, but also the incarnate Deity, whom Satan lacked the ability to enslave.{{sfn|Plantinga|Thompson|Lundberg|2010}} [[Irenaeus|Irenaeus of Lyons]] described a [[Prototype|prototypical]] form of the ransom theory,{{sfn|Eddy|Beilby|2008|page=86}} but Origen was the first to propose it in its fully developed form.{{sfn|Eddy|Beilby|2008|page=86}} The theory was later expanded by theologians such as [[Gregory of Nyssa]] and [[Tyrannius Rufinus|Rufinus of Aquileia]].{{sfn|Eddy|Beilby|2008|page=86}} In the eleventh century, [[Anselm of Canterbury]] criticized the ransom theory, along with the associated [[Christus Victor]] theory,{{sfn|Eddy|Beilby|2008|page=86}}{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=217}} resulting in the theory's decline in western Europe.{{sfn|Eddy|Beilby|2008|page=86}}{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=217}} The theory has nonetheless retained some of its popularity in the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]].{{sfn|Eddy|Beilby|2008|page=86}}

Most [[Early Christianity|early Christians]] firmly believed that Satan and his demons had the power to possess humans,{{sfn|Ferguson|2003|page=237}} and [[exorcism]]s were widely practiced by Jews, Christians, and pagans alike.{{sfn|Ferguson|2003|page=237}} Belief in [[demonic possession]] continued through the [[Middle Ages]] into the [[early modern period]].{{sfn|Almond|2004|pages=1–7}}{{sfn|Ferber|2004|pages=1–3}} Exorcisms were seen as a display of God's power over Satan.{{sfn|Ferber|2004|page=3}} The vast majority of people who thought they were possessed by the Devil did not suffer from hallucinations or other "spectacular symptoms", but "complained of anxiety, religious fears, and evil thoughts".{{sfn|Osborn|1998|page=213}}

===Middle Ages===
{{multiple image
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| header            = 
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| image1            = Silvester II. and the Devil Cod. Pal. germ. 137 f216v.jpg
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| alt1              = 
| caption1          = Medieval miniature depicting [[Pope Sylvester II]] consorting with Satan ({{circa|1460}})
<!-- Image 2 -->| image2            = Hans Memling - Hell - WGA14941.jpg
| width2            = 180
| alt2              = 
| caption2          = Detail of Satan from [[Hans Memling]]'s ''[[Earthly Vanity and Divine Salvation (Memling)|Triptych of Earthly Vanity and Divine Salvation]]'' ({{circa}} 1485)
}}
Satan had minimal role in [[medieval Christian theology]],{{sfn|Poole|2009|page=8}} but he frequently appeared as a recurring comedic [[stock character]] in late medieval [[mystery play]]s, in which he was portrayed as a [[comic relief]] figure who "frolicked, fell, and farted in the background".{{sfn|Poole|2009|page=8}} [[Jeffrey Burton Russell]] describes the medieval conception of Satan as "more pathetic and repulsive than terrifying"{{sfn|Poole|2009|page=8}}{{sfn|Russell|1984|page=225}} and he was seen as little more than a nuisance to God's overarching plan.{{sfn|Poole|2009|page=8}} The ''[[Golden Legend]]'', a collection of saints' lives compiled in around 1260 by the Dominican Friar [[Jacobus de Voragine]], contains numerous stories about encounters between saints and Satan,{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=220–229}} in which Satan is constantly duped by the saints' cleverness and by the power of God.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=220–229}} Henry Ansgar Kelly remarks that Satan "comes across as the opposite of fearsome".{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=229}} The ''Golden Legend'' was the most popular book during the High and Late Middle Ages{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=219}} and more manuscripts of it have survived from the period than of any other book, including even the Bible itself.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=219}}

The ''[[Canon Episcopi]]'', written in the eleventh century AD, condemns belief in [[European witchcraft|witchcraft]] as heretical,{{sfn|Thomsett|2011|page=131}} but also documents that many people at the time apparently believed in it.{{sfn|Thomsett|2011|page=131}} Witches were believed to [[Broom#Magic|fly through the air on broomsticks]],{{sfn|Thomsett|2011|page=131}} consort with demons,{{sfn|Thomsett|2011|page=131}} perform in "[[Black Mass|lurid sexual rituals]]" in the forests,{{sfn|Thomsett|2011|page=131}} murder human infants and eat them as part of Satanic rites,{{sfn|Thomsett|2011|page=133}} and engage in [[Sexual intercourse|conjugal relations]] with demons.{{sfn|Poole|2009|pages=8–9}}{{sfn|Thomsett|2011|page=133}} In 1326, [[Pope John XXII]] issued the [[papal bull]] ''Super illius Specula'',{{sfn|Poole|2009|page=9}} which condemned folk divination practices as consultation with Satan.{{sfn|Poole|2009|page=9}} By the 1430s, the Catholic Church began to regard witchcraft as part of a [[Conspiracy theory|vast conspiracy]] led by Satan himself.{{sfn|Thomsett|2011|page=132}}

===Early modern period===
{{multiple image
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<!-- Image 1 -->
| image1    = St. Francis Borgia Helping a Dying Impenitent by Goya.jpg
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| alt1      =
| caption1  = Painting from {{circa|1788}} by [[Francisco Goya]] depicting [[Francis Borgia, 4th Duke of Gandía|Saint Francis Borgia]] performing an exorcism. During the [[early modern period]], exorcisms were seen as displays of God's power over Satan.{{sfn|Ferber|2004|page=3}}
<!-- Image 2 -->
| image2    = Martin van Maele - La Sorcière 06.jpg
| width2    = 180
| alt2      =
| caption2  = During the early modern period, witches were widely believed to engage in sexually explicit Satanic rituals with demons,{{sfn|Thomsett|2011|page=131}} such as the one shown in this illustration by [[Martin van Maële]] in the 1911 edition of ''[[Satanism and Witchcraft (book)|Satanism and Witchcraft]]'' by [[Jules Michelet]].
}}

During the [[Early Modern Period]], Christians gradually began to regard Satan as increasingly powerful{{sfn|Poole|2009|pages=8–9}} and the fear of Satan's power became a dominant aspect of the worldview of Christians across Europe.{{sfn|Ferber|2004|page=3}}{{sfn|Poole|2009|page=8}} During the [[Protestant Reformation]], [[Martin Luther]] taught that, rather than trying to argue with Satan, Christians should avoid temptation altogether by seeking out pleasant company;{{sfn|Bainton|1978|page=377}} Luther especially recommended music as a safeguard against temptation, since the Devil "cannot endure [[Happiness|gaiety]]".{{sfn|Bainton|1978|page=377}} [[John Calvin]] repeated a maxim from [[Augustine of Hippo|Saint Augustine]] that "Man is like a horse, with either God or the devil as rider."{{sfn|Parker|1995|page=56}}

In the late fifteenth century, a series of witchcraft panics erupted in France and Germany.{{sfn|Poole|2009|page=9}}{{sfn|Thomsett|2011|page=132}} The German [[Inquisitor]]s [[Heinrich Kramer]] and [[Jacob Sprenger]] argued in their book ''[[Malleus Maleficarum]]'', published in 1487, that all ''[[Maleficium (sorcery)|maleficia]]'' ("sorcery") was rooted in the work of Satan.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=262–263}} In the mid-sixteenth century, the panic spread to England and Switzerland.{{sfn|Poole|2009|page=9}} Both Protestants and Catholics alike firmly believed in witchcraft as a real phenomenon and supported its prosecution.{{sfn|Thomsett|2011|page=130}}{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=262}} In the late 1500s, the Dutch demonologist [[Johann Weyer]] argued in his treatise ''[[De praestigiis daemonum]]'' that witchcraft did not exist,{{sfn|Levack|2015}} but that Satan promoted belief in it to lead Christians astray.{{sfn|Levack|2015}} The panic over witchcraft intensified in the 1620s and continued until the end of the 1600s.{{sfn|Poole|2009|page=9}} Brian Levack estimates that around 60,000 people were executed for witchcraft during the entire span of the witchcraft hysteria.{{sfn|Poole|2009|page=9}}

The early English settlers of North America, especially the [[Puritans]] of [[New England]], believed that Satan "visibly and palpably" reigned in the [[New World]].{{sfn|Poole|2009|page=16}} [[John Winthrop]] claimed that the Devil made rebellious Puritan women give birth to [[Stillbirth|stillborn]] monsters with claws, sharp horns, and "on each foot three claws, like a young fowl".<ref name=db>{{cite news|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/why-american-christians-love-satan|title=Why American Christians Love Satan|last=Turner|first=Matthew Paul|website=[[The Daily Beast]]|date=2014-02-16|access-date=2018-01-02|language=en}}</ref> [[Cotton Mather]] wrote that devils swarmed around Puritan settlements "like the [[Plagues of Egypt|frogs of Egypt]]".{{sfn|Poole|2009|page=17}} The Puritans believed that the [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] were worshippers of Satan{{sfn|Poole|2009|pages=15–16}} and described them as "children of the Devil".{{sfn|Poole|2009|page=16}} Some settlers claimed to have seen Satan himself appear in the flesh at native ceremonies.{{sfn|Poole|2009|page=17}} During the [[First Great Awakening]], the "[[Old and New Light|new light]]" preachers portrayed their "old light" critics as ministers of Satan.{{sfn|Poole|2009|page=37}} By the time of the [[Second Great Awakening]], Satan's primary role in [[American evangelicalism]] was as the opponent of the evangelical movement itself, who spent most of his time trying to hinder the ministries of evangelical preachers,{{sfn|Poole|2009|pages=37–43}} a role he has largely retained among present-day [[Christian fundamentalism#In the United States|American fundamentalists]].{{sfn|Poole|2009|pages=44–45}}

By the early 1600s, skeptics in Europe, including the English author [[Reginald Scot]] and the Anglican bishop [[John Bancroft (bishop)|John Bancroft]], had begun to criticize the belief that demons still had the power to possess people.{{sfn|Almond|2004|page=7}} This skepticism was bolstered by the belief that [[miracle]]s only occurred during the [[Apostolic Age]], which had long since ended.{{sfn|Almond|2004|page=8}} Later, [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]] thinkers, such as [[David Hume]], [[Denis Diderot]], and [[Voltaire]], attacked the notion of Satan's existence altogether.{{sfn|Poole|2009|page=10}} Voltaire labelled [[John Milton]]'s ''[[Paradise Lost]]'' a "disgusting fantasy"{{sfn|Poole|2009|page=10}} and declared that belief in [[Hell]] and Satan were among the many lies propagated by the Catholic Church to keep humanity enslaved.{{sfn|Poole|2009|page=10}} By the eighteenth century, trials for witchcraft had ceased in most western countries, with the notable exceptions of [[Poland]] and [[Hungary]], where they continued.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=264}} Belief in the power of Satan, however, remained strong among traditional Christians.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=264}}

===Modern era===
[[File:Lucifer Liege Luc Viatour.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|''[[Le génie du mal|The Genius of Evil]]'' (1848) by [[Guillaume Geefs]]]]
[[Mormonism]] developed its own views on Satan. According to the [[Book of Moses]], the Devil offered to be the redeemer of mankind for the sake of his own glory. Conversely, Jesus offered to be the redeemer of mankind so that his father's will would be done. After his offer was rejected, Satan became rebellious and was subsequently cast out of heaven.{{sfn|Davies|2010|page=158}} In the Book of Moses, [[Cain and Abel|Cain]] is said to have "loved Satan more than God"<ref>{{lds|Moses|moses|5|18}}</ref> and conspired with Satan to kill [[Cain and Abel|Abel]]. It was through this pact that Cain became a [[Master Mahan]].<ref>{{lds|Moses|moses|5|29–32}}</ref> The Book of Moses also says that [[Moses]] was tempted by Satan before calling upon the name of the "[[Monogenēs|Only Begotten]]", which caused Satan to depart. [[Douglas Davies]] asserts that this text "reflects" the temptation of Jesus in the Bible.{{sfn|Davies|2010|page=119}}

Belief in Satan and demonic possession remains strong among Christians in the United States{{sfn|Jordan|2013}}{{sfn|Stoddard|2007}}{{sfn|Poole|2009|pages=xvii–xix, 3}} and [[Latin America]].{{sfn|Faiola|2014}} According to a 2013 poll conducted by [[YouGov]], fifty-seven percent of people in the United States believe in a literal Devil,{{sfn|Jordan|2013}} compared to eighteen percent of people in Britain.{{sfn|Jordan|2013}} Fifty-one percent of Americans believe that Satan has the power to possess people.{{sfn|Jordan|2013}} W. Scott Poole, author of ''Satan in America: The Devil We Know'', has opined that "In the United States over the last forty to fifty years, a composite image of Satan has emerged that borrows from both popular culture and theological sources" and that most American Christians do not "separate what they know [about Satan] from the movies from what they know from various ecclesiastical and theological traditions".<ref name=db/> The Catholic Church generally played down Satan and exorcism during late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries,{{sfn|Faiola|2014}} but [[Pope Francis]] brought renewed focus on the Devil in the early 2010s, stating, among many other pronouncements, that "The devil is intelligent, he knows more theology than all the theologians together."{{sfn|Faiola|2014}}{{sfn|Rosica|2015}} According to the ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'', [[liberal Christianity]] tends to view Satan "as a [figurative] mythological attempt to express the reality and extent of evil in the universe, existing outside and apart from humanity but profoundly influencing the human sphere".<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Satan|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Satan|encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |access-date=December 22, 2017}}</ref>

[[Bernard McGinn (theologian)|Bernard McGinn]] describes multiple traditions detailing the relationship between the [[Antichrist]] and Satan.{{sfn|Cabinet|2001}} In the dualist approach, Satan will become incarnate in the Antichrist, just as [[Incarnation (Christianity)|God became incarnate in Jesus]].{{sfn|Cabinet|2001}} However, in [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christian]] thought, this view is problematic because it is too similar to Christ's incarnation.{{sfn|Cabinet|2001}} Instead, the "indwelling" view has become more accepted,{{sfn|Cabinet|2001}} which stipulates that the Antichrist is a human figure inhabited by Satan,{{sfn|Cabinet|2001}} since the latter's power is not to be seen as equivalent to God's.{{sfn|Cabinet|2001}}

==Islam==
{{Main|Azazil|Iblis}}
{{see also|Devil#Islam}}
The [[Arabic]] equivalent of the word ''Satan'' is ''[[Shayatin|Shaitan]]'' (شيطان, from the [[triliteral root]] š-ṭ-n شط⁬ن). The word itself is an [[adjective]] (meaning "astray" or "distant", sometimes translated as "devil") that can be applied to both [[man]] ("al-ins", الإنس) and [[jinn#Islamic beliefs|''al-jinn'']] (الجن), but it is also used in reference to Satan in particular. In the [[Quran]], Satan's name is [[Iblis]] ({{IPA|ar|ˈibliːs}}), probably a derivative of the Greek word ''diabolos''.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=185}} Muslims do not regard Satan as the cause of evil, but as a tempter, who takes advantage of humans' inclinations toward self-centeredness.<ref>Charles Mathewes ''Understanding Religious Ethics'' John Wiley & Sons 2010 {{ISBN|978-1-405-13351-7}} page 248</ref>

===Quran===
[[File:Istanbul, Topkapı Saray Müzesi Kütüphanesi, MS Bağdat 282 fol 16 Adam and the Angels watched by Iblis.jpg|thumb|Illustration from a manuscript subsection of [[Abu Ali Bal'ami|Bal'ami]]'s Persian translation of the ''[[History of the Prophets and Kings|Annals]]'', showing Satan ([[Iblis]]) refusing to prostrate before the newly created man ([[Adam]])]]
Seven [[surah|chapters]] in the Quran describe how [[God in Islam|God]] ordered all the [[Islamic view of angels|angels]] and Iblis to bow before the newly created human, [[Adam in Islam|Adam]].{{sfn|Campo|2009|page=603}}{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|page=175}}{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=185}} All the angels bowed, but Iblis refused,{{sfn|Campo|2009|page=603}}{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|page=175}}{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=185}} claiming to be superior to Adam because he was made from fire, whereas Adam was made from clay ({{qref|7|12}}).{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=185}} Consequently, God expelled him from [[Jannah|Paradise]]{{sfn|Campo|2009|page=603}}{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=185}} and condemned him to [[Jahannam]].{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|page=181}}{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=185}} Iblis thereafter became a ''[[kafir]]'', "an ungrateful disbeliever",{{sfn|Campo|2009|page=603}} whose sole mission is to lead humanity astray.{{sfn|Campo|2009|page=603}} (Q{{qref|17|62}}) God allows Iblis to do this,{{sfn|Campo|2009|page=603}}<ref>{{qref|17|63–64|b=y}}</ref> because he knows that the righteous will be able to resist Iblis's attempts to misguide them.{{sfn|Campo|2009|page=603}} On [[Islamic eschatology|Judgement Day]], while the lot of Satan remains in question,<ref>Annemarie Schimmel ''Gabriel's Wing: A Study Into the Religious Ideas of Sir Muhammad Iqbal'' Brill Archive 1963 page 212</ref> those who followed him will be thrown into the fires of Jahannam.{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|page=181}}{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=185}} After his banishment from Paradise, Iblis, who thereafter became known as ''Al-Shaitan'' ("the Demon"),{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|page=181}} lured [[Adam and Eve]] into [[Taboo#In religion and mythology|eating]] the [[forbidden fruit]].{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|page=181}}{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=185}}<ref>{{qref|7|20–22|b=y}}</ref>

The primary characteristic of Satan, aside from his [[hubris]] and [[despair]], is his ability to cast evil suggestions (''waswās'') into men and women.<ref>Georges Tamer ''Islam and Rationality: The Impact of al-Ghazālī. Papers Collected on His 900th Anniversary, Band 1'' BRILL 2015 {{ISBN|978-9-004-29095-2}} page 103</ref> {{qref|15|45}} states that Satan has no influence over the righteous,{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|page=178}} but that those who fall in error are under his power.{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|page=178}} {{qref|7|156}} implies that those who obey God's laws are immune to the temptations of Satan.{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|page=178}} {{qref|56|79}} warns that Satan tries to keep Muslims from reading the Quran{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|page=179}} and {{qref|16|98–100}} recommends reciting the Quran as an antidote against Satan.{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|page=179}} {{qref|35|6}} refers to Satan as the enemy of humanity{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|page=179}} and {{qref|36|60}} forbids humans from worshipping him.{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|page=179}} In the Quranic retelling of the story of [[Job in Islam|Job]], Job knows that Satan is the one tormenting him.{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|page=179}}

===Islamic tradition===
====Affiliation====
[[File:Biblioteka Czartoryskich 3885 II, rękopis Safran 93 fol 38v The angels face Adam.png|thumb|The angels meet Adam, and their body language reveals they share, albeit to a lesser degree, the defiant reaction of Iblīs, who stands at the back 
haughtily turning his head away. According to some traditions, God created Iblīs as a beautiful angel named ''ʿAzāzīl'' and he is depicted here as such. He is portrayed with his characteristic darker 
skin to denote his impending fall but has wings of an angel and wears the contemporary ‘angelic hairstyle,’ a loop of hair tied on top of the head.]]
In the Quran, Satan is apparently an angel,{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=185}} while, in {{qref|18|50}}, he is described as "from the jinns".{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=185}} This, combined with the fact that he describes himself as having been made from fire, posed a major problem for [[Tafsir|Muslim exegetes of the Quran]],{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=185}} who disagree on whether Satan is a fallen angel or the leader of a group of evil jinn.{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|pages=175–178}} According to a hadith from [[Ibn Abbas]], Iblis was actually an angel whom God created out of fire. Ibn Abbas asserts that the word ''jinn'' could be applied to earthly jinn, but also to "fiery angels" like Satan.<ref>Tafsir al-Qur'an al-adhim (Interpretation of the Great Qur'an) – [[Ibn Kathir]] – commentary of surat al baqarah</ref><ref>Erdağı, D. Evil in Turkish Muslim horror film: the demonic in “Semum”. SN Soc Sci 4, 27 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-024-00832-w p. 5</ref>

[[Hasan of Basra]], an eminent Muslim theologian who lived in the seventh century AD, was quoted as saying: "Iblis was not an angel even for the time of an eye wink. He is the origin of Jinn as Adam is of Mankind."<ref>The Beginning and the End – [[Ibn Kathir]] – Volume I, also the Koranic commentary of the same author</ref> The medieval Persian scholar [[Al-Zamakhshari|Abu al-Zamakhshari]] states that the words ''angels'' and ''jinn'' are synonyms.{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|page=183}} Another Persian scholar, [[al-Baydawi]], instead argues that Satan was an angel in essence, but behaved like the jinn.{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|page=183}}<ref>ibn ʿUmar al-Baydawi, ʿAbd Allah (2016). The Lights Of Revelation And The Secrets Of Interpretation. Translated by Haddad, Gibril Fouad. Beacon Books and Media Limited. ISBN 978-0-9926335-7-8. p. 543</ref><ref>Iqbal, Muzaffar. "Integrated Encyclopedia of the Qur'ān." The center of Islamic Sciences (2013). p. 180</ref> [[Abu Mansur al-Maturidi]] who is revered as the founder of ''[[Maturidi|Māturīdiyya]]'' [[Sunnism|Sunni orthodoxy]] (''[[kalam]]'') argued that since angels can be blessed by God, they are also put to a test and can be punished. Accordingly, Satan became a devil (''shaiṭān'') or jinn after he refused to obey.<ref>Mâturîdî, Te’vîlât,t, 1: 116.; Vehbe Zuhayli, Tefsîrü’l-münîr, trc. Ahmet Efe v.dğr. (İstanbul: Risale Yay., 2008), 8: 236–237</ref> The ''[[Tarikh Khamis]]'' narrates that Satan was a jinn who was admitted into Paradise as a reward for his righteousness and, unlike the angels, was given the choice to obey or disobey God.<ref>Chodkiewicz, Michel. "Satan's Tragedy and Redemption: Iblis in Sufi Psychology." (1983): 30.</ref> When he was expelled from Paradise, Satan blamed humanity for his punishment.<ref>Amira El-Zein ''Islam, Arabs, and Intelligent World of the Jinn'' Syracuse University Press 2009 {{ISBN|978-0-8156-5070-6}} page 46</ref> 

Concerning the fiery origin of Iblis, al-Baydawi asserts that fire and light are of the same substance but with different attributes and thus, there is no real difference.<ref>ibn ʿUmar al-Baydawi, ʿAbd Allah (2016). The Lights Of Revelation And The Secrets Of Interpretation. Translated by Haddad, Gibril Fouad. Beacon Books and Media Limited. ISBN 978-0-9926335-7-8. p. 547-548</ref><ref>Iqbal, Muzaffar. "Integrated Encyclopedia of the Qur'ān." The center of Islamic Sciences (2013). p. 180</ref> Similarly, the historian [[Zakariya al-Qazwini]] and also Muhammad ibn Ahmad Ibshihi state that there is no fundamental difference between light and fire, for all supernatural creatures were created from fire, but the angels from its light and the jinn from its blaze.<ref>Tobias Nünlist ''Dämonenglaube im Islam'' Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG, 2015 {{ISBN|978-3-110-33168-4}} p.49 (German)</ref><ref>Seyyed Hossein Nasr ''Islamic Life and Thought'' Routledge 2013 {{ISBN|978-1-134-53818-8}} page 135</ref> [[Abd al-Ghani al-Maqdisi]] and [[Ibn Barrajan]] argued that only the angels of mercy are created from light, but [[Zabaniyya|angels of punishment]] have been created from fire.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen |last1=Gibb |title=The Encyclopaedia of Islam: NED-SAM |publisher=Brill |date=1995 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OO4pAQAAMAAJ |page=94|isbn=9789004098343 }}</ref><ref>Gallorini, L. (2025). The Functions of Angels in Sufi Literature (Vol. 218). Brill. p. 68</ref>

The Muslim historian and theologian [[Al-Tabari]], who died in around 923 AD,{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=185}} writes that, before Adam was created, earthly jinn made of smokeless fire roamed the earth and spread corruption.{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|pages=175–176}} He further relates that Iblis was originally an angel named ''Azazil'' or ''Al-Harith'',{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|pages=183–184}} from a group of angels, created from the ''[[Samūm|fires of simoom]]'',<ref>Brannon Wheeler ''Prophets in the Quran: An Introduction to the Quran and Muslim Exegesis'' A&C Black 2002 {{ISBN|978-1-438-41783-7}} page 16</ref> sent by God to confront the earthly jinn.{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|page=184}}{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=185}} Azazil defeated the jinn in battle and drove them into the mountains,{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|page=184}} but he became convinced that he was superior to humans and all the other angels, leading to his downfall.{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|page=184}} In this account, Azazil's group of angels were called ''jinn'' because they guarded [[Jannah]] (Paradise).{{sfn|Allen|2015|pages=80–81}} In another tradition recorded by Al-Tabari, Satan was one of the earthly jinn, who was taken captive by the angels{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|page=178}}{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=185}} and brought to Heaven as a prisoner.{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|page=178}}{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=185}} God appointed him as judge over the other jinn and he became known as ''Al-Hakam''.{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|page=178}} He fulfilled his duty for a thousand years before growing negligent,{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=185}} but was rehabilitated again and resumed his position until his refusal to bow before Adam.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=185}}

====Other traditions====
[[File:Mecca2.jpg|thumb|left|A stoning of the Devil from 1942]]
[[File:Adam honored.jpg|thumb|Angels bow before the newly created Adam, but [[Iblis]] (top right on the picture) refuses to prostrate.]]
During the first two centuries of Islam, Muslims almost unanimously accepted the traditional story known as the [[Satanic Verses]] as true.{{sfn|Ahmed|2017|page=3}} According to this narrative, [[Muhammad in Islam|Muhammad]] was told by Satan to add words to the Quran which would allow Muslims to pray for the intercession of pagan goddesses.<ref>{{Citation|last1=Militarev|first1=Alexander|last2=Kogan|first2=Leoni|year=2005|title=Semitic Etymological Dictionary 2: Animal Names|volume=278/2|series=Alter Orient und Altes Testament|location=Münster|publisher=Ugarit-Verlag|pages=131–132|isbn=3-934628-57-5}}</ref> He mistook the words of Satan for [[divine inspiration]].{{sfn|Ahmed|2017|page=3}} Modern Muslims almost universally reject this story as heretical, as it calls the integrity of the Quran into question.{{sfn|Ahmed|2017|page=1}}

On the third day of the [[Hajj]], Muslim pilgrims to [[Mecca]] throw seven stones at a pillar known as the ''Jamrah al-’Aqabah'', symbolizing the [[stoning of the Devil]].{{sfn|McMillan|2011}} This ritual is based on the Islamic tradition that, when God ordered [[Abraham in Islam|Abraham]] to sacrifice his son [[Ishmael in Islam|Ishmael]], Satan tempted him three times not to do it, and, each time, Abraham responded by throwing seven stones at him.{{sfn|McMillan|2011}}<ref name=globe>{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/focus/hajj/2009/11/2009111895127111168.html|title=A step-by-step guide to Hajj|website=[[Al Jazeera Media Network|Al Jazeera]]| date=August 30, 2017| access-date=December 29, 2017}}</ref>

The [[hadith]] teach that newborn babies cry because Satan touches them while they are being born, and that this touch causes people to have an aptitude for sin.{{sfn|Jabbour|2014}} This doctrine bears some similarities to the doctrine of [[original sin]].{{sfn|Jabbour|2014}} Muslim tradition holds that only [[Jesus in Islam|Jesus]] and [[Mary in Islam|Mary]] were not touched by Satan at birth.{{sfn|Jabbour|2014}} However, when he was a boy, Muhammad's [[qalb|heart]] was literally opened by an angel, who removed a black [[Thrombus|clot]] that symbolized sin.{{sfn|Jabbour|2014}}

Muslim tradition preserves a number of stories involving dialogues between Jesus and Iblis,{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|page=184}} all of which are intended to demonstrate Jesus's virtue and Satan's depravity.{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|pages=184–185}} [[Ahmad ibn Hanbal]] records an Islamic retelling of Jesus's temptation by Satan in the desert from the Synoptic Gospels.{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|page=184}} Ahmad quotes Jesus as saying, "The greatest sin is love of the world. Women are the ropes of Satan. Wine is the key to every evil."{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|pages=184–185}} [[Al-Jahiz|Abu Uthman al-Jahiz]] credits Jesus with saying, "The world is Satan's farm, and its people are his plowmen."{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|page=184}} [[Al-Ghazali]] tells an anecdote about how Jesus went out one day and saw Satan carrying ashes and honey;{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|page=185}} when he asked what they were for, Satan replied, "The honey I put on the lips of backbiters so that they achieve their aim. The ashes I put on the faces of orphans, so that people come to dislike them."{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|page=185}} The thirteenth-century scholar [[Sibt ibn al-Jawzi]] states that, when Jesus asked him what truly broke his back, Satan replied, "The neighing of horses in the cause of [[Allah]]."{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|page=185}}

Muslims believe that Satan is also the cause of deceptions originating from the mind and desires for evil. He is regarded as a cosmic force for separation, despair and spiritual envelopment. Muslims do distinguish between the satanic temptations and the murmurings of the bodily lower self (''[[nafs]]''). The lower self commands the person to do a specific task or to fulfill a specific desire; whereas the inspirations of Satan tempt the person to do evil in general and, after a person successfully resists his first suggestion, Satan returns with new ones.<ref>Michael Anthony Sells. ''Early Islamic Mysticism: Sufi, Qurʼan, Miraj, Poetic and Theological Writings''. Paulist Press, 1996. {{ISBN|978-0-809-13619-3}}. page 143</ref> If a Muslim feels that Satan is inciting him to sin, he is advised to seek refuge with God by reciting: "In the name of Allah, I seek refuge in you, from Satan the outcast." Muslims are also obliged to "seek refuge" before reciting the Quran.<ref>Patrick Sookhdeo ''Understanding Islamic Theology'' BookBaby 2014 {{ISBN|978-0-989-29054-8}}</ref>

===Islamic mysticism===
According to some adherents of [[Sufism|Sufi]] mysticism, Iblis refused to bow to Adam because he was fully devoted to God alone and refused to bow to anyone else.{{sfn|Geoffroy|2010|page=150}}{{sfn|Vicchio|2008|page=183}} For this reason, Sufi masters regard Satan and Muhammad as the two most perfect monotheists.{{sfn|Geoffroy|2010|page=150}} Sufis reject the concept of [[Dualistic cosmology|dualism]]{{sfn|Geoffroy|2010|page=150}}{{sfn|Ahmadi|Ahmadi|1998|page=79}} and instead believe in the [[unity of opposites|unity of existence]].{{sfn|Ahmadi|Ahmadi|1998|page=79}} In the same way that Muhammad was the instrument of God's mercy,{{sfn|Geoffroy|2010|page=150}} Sufis regard Satan as the instrument of God's wrath.{{sfn|Geoffroy|2010|page=150}} For the Muslim Sufi scholar [[Ahmad Ghazali]], Iblis was the paragon of lovers in self-sacrifice for refusing to bow down to Adam out of pure devotion to God.<ref name="Ghazali">{{cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337198008 |title=Ahmad Ghazali's Satan |author1=Ghorban Elmi |date=November 2019 |access-date=14 September 2020}}</ref> Ahmad Ghazali's student [[Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir]] was among the Sunni Muslim mystics who defended Iblis and asserted that evil was also God's creation. Sheikh Adi argued that if evil existed without the will of God, then God would be powerless and powerlessness can't be attributed to God.<ref name="GARNIK">{{cite book |last = Victoria Arakelova |first =Garnik S.Asatrian |title = The Religion of the Peacock angel The Yezidis and their spirit world |publisher = Routledge |isbn = 978-1-84465-761-2 |page = 38 |year = 2014}}</ref> Some Sufis assert that since Iblis was destined by God to become a devil, God will also restore him to his former angelic nature. [[Attar of Nishapur|Attar]] compares Iblis's damnation to the Biblical [[Benjamin]]: both were accused unjustly, but their punishment had a greater meaning. In the end, Iblis will be released from hell.<ref>Awn, Peter J. (1983). Satan's Tragedy and Redemption: Iblīs in Sufi Psychology. Leiden, Germany: Brill Publishers. p. 177 {{ISBN|978-9004069060}}.</ref>

However, not all Muslim Sufi mystics are in agreement with a positive depiction of Iblis. [[Rumi]]'s viewpoint on Iblis is much more in tune with Islamic orthodoxy. Rumi views Iblis as the manifestation of the [[Seven deadly sins|great sins]] of [[pride|haughtiness]] and [[envy]]. He states: "(Cunning) intelligence is from Iblis, and love from Adam."<ref>{{cite book|first=Annemarie|last=Schimmel|title=The Triumphal Sun: A Study of the Works of Jalaloddin Rumi|publisher=[[SUNY Press]]|location=Albany, New York|date=1993|isbn=978-0-791-41635-8|page=255}}</ref>

==Baháʼí Faith==
In the [[Baháʼí Faith]], Satan is not regarded as an independent evil power as he is in some faiths,{{sfn|ʻAbduʾl-Bahá|1982|pages=294–295}}{{sfn|Smith|2000|pages=135–136, 304}} but signifies the ''lower nature'' of humans.{{sfn|ʻAbduʾl-Bahá|1982|pages=294–295}}{{sfn|Smith|2000|pages=135–136, 304}} [[`Abdu'l-Bahá]] explains: "This lower nature in man is symbolized as Satan—the evil ego within us, not an evil personality outside."{{sfn|ʻAbduʾl-Bahá|1982|pages=294–295}}{{sfn|Smith|2000|pages=135–136, 304}} All other evil spirits described in various faith traditions—such as [[fallen angel]]s, demons, and jinns—are also metaphors for the base character traits a human being may acquire and manifest when he turns away from God.{{sfn|Smith|2008|page=112}} Actions that are described as "satanic" in some Baháʼí writings denote humans' deeds caused by selfish desires.<ref>Peter Smith ''An Introduction to the Baha'i Faith'' Cambridge University Press 2008 {{ISBN|978-0-521-86251-6}} p. 112</ref>

==Satanism==
{{Main|Satanism}}
[[File:Pentagram4.svg|thumb|upright=0.9|The [[Pentagram|inverted pentagram]], along with [[Baphomet]], is the most notable and widespread symbol of Satanism.{{sfn|Petersen|2005|pages=444–446}}]]
[[File:Baphomet by Éliphas Lévi.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|The Sabbatic Goat, also known as the Goat of Mendes or [[Baphomet]], as illustrated by [[Éliphas Lévi]], has become one of the most common symbols of [[Satanism]].{{sfn|Petersen|2005|pages=444–446}}]]
===Atheistic Satanism===
Atheistic Satanism, as exemplified by [[LaVeyan Satanism]] (practiced by the [[Church of Satan]] and [[First Satanic Church]]) and [[The Satanic Temple]], holds that Satan does not exist as a literal anthropomorphic entity, but rather as a [[symbol]] of a [[cosmos]] which Satanists perceive to be permeated and motivated by a force that has been given many names by humans over the course of time. In this religion, "Satan" is not viewed or depicted as a hubristic, irrational, and fraudulent creature, but rather is revered with [[Prometheus]]-like attributes, symbolizing liberty and individual empowerment. To adherents, he also serves as a conceptual framework and an external metaphorical projection of the Satanist's highest personal potential.<ref>* {{cite web|url=http://altreligion.about.com/od/alternativereligionsaz/a/satanism.htm|title=An Introduction to LaVeyan Satanism and the Church of Satan|author=Catherine Beyer|work=About.com Religion & Spirituality|access-date=2015-01-23|archive-date=2015-04-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150405143547/http://altreligion.about.com/od/alternativereligionsaz/a/satanism.htm|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.churchofsatan.com/Pages/WhatTheDevil.html|title=What, The Devil?|author= Magus Peter H. Gilmore|work=churchofsatan.com |date=2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029100415/http://www.churchofsatan.com/Pages/WhatTheDevil.html |archive-date= Oct 29, 2013 }}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.churchofsatan.com/Pages/_FAQ03.html|title=F.A.Q. Fundamental Beliefs |work=churchofsatan.com |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131027055432/http://www.churchofsatan.com/Pages/_FAQ03.html |archive-date= Oct 27, 2013 }}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.churchofsatan.com/Pages/ChaplainsHandbook.html|title=Religious Requirements and Practices of Certain Selected Groups. A Handbook for Chaplains  |work=churchofsatan.com |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029080656/http://www.churchofsatan.com/Pages/ChaplainsHandbook.html |archive-date= Oct 29, 2013 }}
* ''Contemporary religious Satanism: a critical anthology'', p. 45, Jesper Aagaard Petersen, 2009</ref> In his essay "Satanism: The Feared Religion", the current High Priest of the Church of Satan, [[Peter H. Gilmore]], further expounds that "...Satan is a symbol of Man living as his prideful, carnal nature dictates. The reality behind Satan is simply the dark evolutionary force of [[entropy]] that permeates all of nature and provides the drive for survival and propagation inherent in all living things. Satan is not a conscious entity to be worshiped, rather a reservoir of power inside each human to be tapped at will".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://churchofsatan.com/satanism-the-feared-religion.php|title=Satanism: The Feared Religion|author= Magus Peter H. Gilmore|work=churchofsatan.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171221194501/http://churchofsatan.com/satanism-the-feared-religion.php |archive-date= Dec 21, 2017 }}</ref>

LaVeyan Satanists embrace the original etymological meaning of the word "Satan" ([[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]: שָּׂטָן ''satan'', meaning "adversary"). According to Gilmore, "The Church of Satan has chosen Satan as its primary symbol because in Hebrew it means adversary, opposer, one to accuse or question. We see ourselves as being these Satans; the adversaries, opposers and accusers of all spiritual belief systems that would try to hamper enjoyment of our life as a human being."<ref>{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAjKXnsC_4A |last1= Thank God I'm an Atheist.  | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150720013749/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAjKXnsC_4A| archive-date=2015-07-20|title=The Church of Satan [History Channel]|date=12 January 2012|work=YouTube}}</ref>

Post-LaVeyan Satanists, like the adherents of The Satanic Temple, argue that the human animal has a natural altruistic and communal tendency, and frame Satan as a figure of struggle against injustice and activism. They also believe in bodily autonomy, that personal beliefs should conform to science and inspire nobility, and that people should atone for their mistakes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thesatanictemple.com/|title=The Satanic Temple |website=thesatanictemple.com |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240405182140/https://thesatanictemple.com/ |archive-date= Apr 5, 2024 }}</ref>

=== Theistic Satanism ===
[[Theistic Satanism]], commonly referred to as "devil worship",<ref>{{cite news |last=Moh |first=Catharina |date=2 October 2014 |title=Cerro Rico: Devil worship on the man-eating mountain |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-29448079 |access-date=23 August 2023 |work=BBC News}}</ref> views Satan as a [[deity]], whom individuals may supplicate to.<ref name="autogenerated6">{{cite book |last=Partridge |first=Christopher Hugh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g05THJPH5xUC&q=The+Re-enchantment+of+the+West |title=The Re-enchantment of the West |publisher=A&C Black |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-567-08269-5 |page=82 |access-date=2008-05-12}}</ref><ref>''Satanism and Demonology'', by Lionel & Patricia Fanthorpe, [[Dundurn Press]], 2011, [https://books.google.com/books?id=vXs7AgAAQBAJ&dq=Theistic%20satanism&pg=PT74 p. 74, "If, as theistic Satanists believe, the devil is an intelligent, self-aware entity..." "Theistic Satanism then becomes explicable in terms of Lucifer's ambition to be the supreme god and his rebellion against Yahweh. ... This simplistic, controntational view is modified by other theistic Satanists who do not regard their hero as evil: far from it. For them he is a freedom fighter..."]</ref> It consists of loosely affiliated or independent groups and cabals, which all agree that Satan is a real entity.<ref name="mlo_interview">{{cite web |title=Interview_MLO |url=https://www.angelfire.com/extreme/slayermagazine/interview_mlo2.html |access-date=2011-11-30 |work=Slayer Magazine |publisher=Angelfire}}</ref>

==Allegations of worship==
[[File:Muerte-Blanca 6.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|A depiction of [[Santa Muerte]]]]
The main deity in the tentatively [[Proto-Indo-European religion|Indo-European]] pantheon of the [[Yazidis]], [[Melek Taus]], is similar to the devil in Christian and Islamic traditions, as he refused to bow down before humanity.<ref name="Drower1941"/>{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=186}} Therefore, [[Christians]] and [[Muslim]]s often consider Melek Taus to be Satan.<ref name="Drower1941">{{cite book |last1=Drower |first1=E.S. |title=The Peacock Angel. Being Some Account of Votaries of a Secret Cult and Their Sanctuaries |location=London |publisher=John Murray |date=1941 |url=http://www.avesta.org/yezidi/peacock.htm |via=Avesta |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240213044641/http://www.avesta.org/yezidi/peacock.htm |archive-date= Feb 13, 2024 }}</ref>{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=186}} However, rather than being Satanic, Yazidism can be understood as a remnant of a pre-Islamic [[Middle East]]ern Indo-European religion, and/or a [[ghulat]] [[Sufism|Sufi]] movement founded by [[Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir|Shaykh Adi]]. In fact, there is no entity in Yazidism which represents evil in opposition to God; such [[Dualistic cosmology|dualism]] is rejected by Yazidis.<ref>Birgül Açikyildiz ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=RBCMDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA74 The Yezidis: The History of a Community, Culture and Religion]'' I.B.Tauris 2014 {{ISBN|978-0-857-72061-0}} p. 74</ref>

In the [[Middle Ages]], the [[Catharism|Cathars]], practitioners of a [[Dualistic cosmology|dualistic]] religion, were accused of worshipping Satan by the [[Catholic Church]]. [[Pope Gregory IX]] stated in his work ''[[Vox in Rama]]'' that the Cathars believed that God had erred in casting [[Lucifer]] out of heaven and that Lucifer would return to reward his faithful. On the other hand, according to Catharism, the [[Creator deity|creator god]] of the material world worshipped by the Catholic Church is actually Satan.<ref>James Wasserman ''The Templars and the Assassins: The Militia of Heaven'' Simon and Schuster 2001 {{ISBN|978-1-594-77873-5}} {{page needed|date=August 2020}}</ref>

[[Wicca]] is a modern, [[syncretism|syncretic]] [[Modern Paganism|Neopagan]] religion{{sfn|Gallagher|Ashcraft|2006|page=89}} whose practitioners many Christians have incorrectly assumed to worship Satan.{{sfn|Gallagher|Ashcraft|2006|page=89}} In actuality, Wiccans do not believe in the existence of Satan or any analogous figure{{sfn|Gallagher|Ashcraft|2006|page=89}} and have repeatedly and emphatically rejected the notion that they venerate such an entity.{{sfn|Gallagher|Ashcraft|2006|page=89}} 

The cult of the skeletal figure of [[Santa Muerte]], which has grown exponentially in Mexico,<ref name="MRamirez">{{cite news |title='Saint Death' comes to Chicago |first=Margaret |last=Ramirez |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/death-chicago-08,0,2114588.story |date=September 30, 2007 |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |location=Chicago |access-date=2009-10-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091103095726/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/death-chicago-08,0,2114588.story |archive-date= Nov 3, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-22462181 |title= Vatican declares Mexican Death Saint blasphemous |publisher=BBC News |date=2013-05-09 |access-date=2013-12-05}}</ref> has been denounced by the Catholic Church as Devil-worship.<ref name="gray">{{cite web |last=Gray |first=Steven |date=2007-10-16 |title=Santa Muerte: The New God in Town |publisher=Time |location=Chicago |url=http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1671984,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071031221449/http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1671984,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 31, 2007 |access-date=2009-10-07}}</ref> However, devotees of Santa Muerte view her as an [[Destroying angel (Bible)|angel of death]] created by God,<ref>{{cite journal |last=Cadiz Klemack |first=John |date=2012-04-24|title=Saint or Satan?: "Angel of Death" Worshipped in LA|journal=NBC Los Angeles |url=https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Santa-Muerte-Catholic-Christian-Church-Religion-Cult-Melrose-Hollywood-Satanic-Angel-of-Death-153462975.html|access-date=2017-12-29}}</ref> and many of them identify as Catholic.<ref>{{cite news |last=Cadiz Klemack |first=John |date=2016-06-07|title=Mexicans worship cult of 'Saint Death'|work=[[Reuters]]|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-ritual-santamuerte/mexicans-worship-cult-of-saint-death-idUSKCN0YT2GZ|access-date=2017-12-30}}</ref>

Much modern folklore about Satanism does not originate from the actual beliefs or practices of theistic or atheistic Satanists, but rather from a mixture of medieval Christian folk beliefs, political or sociological conspiracy theories, and contemporary [[urban legend]]s.<ref>''Cinema of the Occult: New Age, Satanism, Wicca, and Spiritualism in Film'', Carrol Lee Fry, Associated University Presse, 2008, [https://books.google.com/books?id=LylaC3ZxSbAC&dq=satanic%20lore%20christian%20urban%20legends&pg=PA92 pp. 92–98]</ref><ref name="EncycUrbLeg">''Encyclopedia of Urban Legends, Updated and Expanded Edition'', by Jan Harold Brunvand, ABC-CLIO, 31 Jul 2012 [https://books.google.com/books?id=ubT7rPmPdpoC&dq=satanic%20lore%20christian%20urban%20legends&pg=PT694 pp. 694–695]</ref><ref name="Ellis">''Raising the Devil: Satanism, New Religions, and the Media'', by Bill Ellis, University Press of Kentucky [https://books.google.com/books?id=oLcqlypMCe8C&dq=satanic%20lore%20christian%20urban%20legends&pg=PA125 p. 125] In discussing myths about groups accused of Satanism, "...such myths are already pervasive in [[Western culture]], and the development of the modern "Satanic Scare" would be impossible to explain without showing how these myths helped organize concerns and beliefs". Accusations of Satanism are traced from the [[Witch-hunt|witch hunts]], to the [[Illuminati]], to the [[Satanic panic]] in the 1980s, with a distinction made between what modern Satanists believe and what is believed about Satanists.</ref>{{sfn|Poole|2009|pages=[https://archive.org/details/sataninamerica0000wsco/page/42 <!-- quote=satan physical panic. --> 42–43]}} An example is the "Satanic ritual abuse" scare of the 1980s—beginning with the memoir ''[[Michelle Remembers]]''—which depicted Satanism as a vast [[conspiracy theory|conspiracy]] of elites with a predilection for [[child abuse]] and [[human sacrifice]].<ref name="EncycUrbLeg" /><ref name="Ellis" /> This genre frequently describes Satan as physically incarnating in order to receive worship.{{sfn|Poole|2009|pages=[https://archive.org/details/sataninamerica0000wsco/page/42 <!-- quote=satan physical panic. --> 42–43]}}

==In culture==
{{See also|Devil in the arts and popular culture}}

===In visual art===
[[File:Arte romana, mosaico con eros, 04.JPG|thumb|upright=1|Ancient [[Roman mosaic]] showing a horned, goat-legged [[Pan (god)|Pan]] holding a [[shepherd's crook]]. Much of Satan's traditional iconography is apparently derived from Pan.{{sfn|Link|1995|pages=44–45}}{{sfn|Link|2010|page=264}}]]
Satan's appearance is not described in the Bible or in early Christian writings,{{sfn|Link|1995|page=44}}{{sfn|Link|2010|page=264}} though [[Paul the Apostle]] does write that "Satan disguises himself as an angel of light" ({{bibleverse|2 Corinthians|11:14|9}}).{{sfn|Chambers|2014|page=89}} Satan was never shown in [[Early Christian art and architecture|early Christian artwork]]{{sfn|Link|1995|page=44}}{{sfn|Link|2010|page=264}} and may have first appeared in the sixth century in one of the mosaics of the [[Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo]]. The mosaic "Christ the Good Sheppard" features a blue-violet angel at the left hand side of Christ behind three goats.{{sfn|Russell|1984|page=129}}

Depictions of Satan became more common in the ninth century,{{sfn|Link|1995|page=72}}{{sfn|Russell|1984|page=130}} where he is shown with cloven hooves, hairy legs, the tail of a goat, pointed ears, a beard, a flat nose, and a set of horns.{{sfn|Link|1995|pages=44–45}}{{sfn|Link|2010|page=264}}{{sfn|Poole|2009|page=8}} Satan may have first become associated with goats through the [[The Sheep and the Goats|Parable of the Sheep and the Goats]], recorded in {{bibleverse|Matthew|25:31–46|9}},{{sfn|Pilch|1995|page=167}} in which Jesus separates sheep (representing the saved) from goats (representing the damned); the damned are thrown into an "everlasting fire" along with Satan and his angels.{{sfn|Beekmann|Bolt|2012|page=100–101}}

Medieval Christians were known to adapt previously existing pagan iconography to suit depictions of Christian figures.{{sfn|Link|1995|pages=44–45}}{{sfn|Link|2010|page=264}} Much of Satan's traditional iconography in Christianity appears to be derived from [[Pan (god)|Pan]],{{sfn|Link|1995|pages=44–45}}{{sfn|Link|2010|page=264}} a rustic, goat-legged fertility god in [[ancient Greek religion]].{{sfn|Link|1995|pages=44–45}}{{sfn|Link|2010|page=264}} Early Christian writers such as [[Jerome|Saint Jerome]] equated the Greek [[satyr]]s and the Roman [[faun]]s, whom Pan resembled, with demons.{{sfn|Link|1995|pages=44–45}}{{sfn|Link|2010|page=264}} Satan's pitchfork appears to have been adapted from the [[Trident of Poseidon|trident]] wielded by the Greek god [[Poseidon]]{{sfn|Link|2010|page=264}} and Satan's flame-like hair seems to have originated from the Egyptian god [[Bes]].{{sfn|Link|2010|page=264}} By the [[High Middle Ages]], Satan and devils appear in all works of Christian art: in paintings, sculptures, and on cathedrals.{{sfn|Link|1995|pages=45–46}} Satan is usually depicted naked,{{sfn|Link|2010|page=264}} but his genitals are rarely shown and are often covered by animal furs.{{sfn|Link|2010|page=264}} The goat-like portrayal of Satan was especially closely associated with him in his role as the object of worship by sorcerers{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=295}} and as the [[incubus]], a demon believed to rape human women in their sleep.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=295}}

Italian frescoes from the late Middle Ages onward frequently show Satan chained in Hell, feeding on the bodies of the perpetually damned.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=280}} These frescoes are early enough to have inspired Dante's portrayal in his ''Inferno''.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=280}} As the serpent in the Garden of Eden, Satan is often shown as a snake with arms and legs as well as the head and full-breasted upper torso of a woman.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=281–284}} Satan and his demons could take any form in medieval art,{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=285}} but, when appearing in their true form, they were often shown as short, hairy, black-skinned humanoids with clawed and bird feet and extra faces on their chests, bellies, genitals, buttocks, and tails.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=285}} The modern popular culture image of Satan as a well-dressed gentleman with small horns and a tail originates from portrayals of Mephistopheles in the operas ''[[La damnation de Faust]]'' (1846) by [[Hector Berlioz]], ''[[Mefistofele]]'' (1868) by [[Arrigo Boito]], and ''[[Faust (opera)|Faust]]'' by [[Charles Gounod]].{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=295}}

Illustrations of Satan in Islamic paintings often depict him black-faced, a feature which would later symbolize any satanic figure or heretic, and with a black body, to symbolize his corrupted nature. Another common depiction of Iblis shows him wearing a special head covering, clearly different from the traditional Islamic turban. In one painting, however, Iblis wears a traditional Islamic head covering.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Na'ama|last1=Brosh|first2=Rachel|last2=Milstein|first3=Muzeʼon|last3=Yiśraʼel|title=Biblical stories in Islamic painting|publisher=[[Israel Museum]]|location=Jerusalem|date=1991|asin=B0006F66PC|page=27}}</ref> The turban probably refers to a narration of Iblis' fall: there he wore a turban, then he was sent down from heaven.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Aḥmad|last1=ibn Muḥammad Thaʻlabī|first2=William M.|last2=Brinner|title=ʻArāʻis al-majālis fī qiṣaṣ al-anbiyā, or: Lives of the prophets, Band 24|publisher=[[Brill Publishers]]|location=Leiden, Netherlands|date=2002|isbn=978-9-004-12589-6|page=69}}</ref> Many other pictures show and describe Iblis at the moment when the angels prostrate themselves before Adam. Here, he is usually seen beyond the outcrop, his face transformed, with his wings burned, to the envious countenance of a devil.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Walter|last1=Melion|first2=Michael|last2=Zell|first3=Joanna|last3=Woodall|title=Ut pictura amor: The Reflexive Imagery of Love in Artistic Theory and Practice, 1500–1700|publisher=[[Brill Publishers]]|location=Leiden, Netherlands|date=2017|isbn=978-9-004-34646-8|page=240}}</ref> Iblis and his cohorts (''div'' or ''shayatin'') are often portrayed in Turko-Persian art as bangled creatures with flaming eyes, only covered by a short skirt. Similar to European artists, who took traits of pagan deities to depict devils, they depicted such demons often in a similar fashion to that of Hindu deities.<ref>{{cite book|author=L. Lewisohn, C. Shackle|title=Attar and the Persian Sufi Tradition: The Art of Spiritual Flight|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|year=2006|isbn=9781786730183|pages=156–158}}</ref>

===In literature===
{{rquote|right|If he was once as handsome as he now is ugly and, despite that, raised his brows against his Maker, one can understand,<br>how every sorrow has its source in him!|[[Dante Alighieri|Dante]] in ''[[Inferno (Dante)|Inferno]]'', Canto XXXIV (Verse translation by [[Allen Mandelbaum]])}}
{{rquote|right|Here we may reign secure, and in my choice<br>to reign is worth ambition though in Hell:<br>Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven.|Satan in [[John Milton]]'s ''[[Paradise Lost]]'' Book I, lines 261–263}}
In [[Dante Alighieri]]'s ''[[Inferno (Dante)|Inferno]]'', [[Dante's Satan|Satan]] appears as a giant demon, frozen mid-breast in ice at the center of the [[Inferno (Dante)#Ninth Circle (Treachery)|Ninth Circle of Hell]].{{sfn|Fowlie|1981|pages=210–212}}{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=265–266}} Satan has three faces and a pair of bat-like wings affixed under each chin.{{sfn|Fowlie|1981|page=211}} In his three mouths, Satan gnaws on [[Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger|Brutus]], Judas Iscariot, and [[Gaius Cassius Longinus|Cassius]],{{sfn|Fowlie|1981|page=211}} whom Dante regarded as having betrayed the "two greatest heroes of the human race":{{sfn|Fowlie|1981|page=212}} [[Julius Caesar]], the founder of the new order of government, and Jesus, the founder of the new order of religion.{{sfn|Fowlie|1981|page=212}} As Satan beats his wings, he creates a cold wind that continues to freeze the ice surrounding him and the other sinners in the Ninth Circle.{{sfn|Fowlie|1981|page=211}} Dante and [[Virgil]] climb up Satan's shaggy legs until gravity is reversed and they fall through the earth into the southern hemisphere.{{sfn|Fowlie|1981|page=212}}

[[File:GustaveDoreParadiseLostSatanProfile.jpg|thumb|Satan in ''[[Paradise Lost]]'', as illustrated by [[Gustave Doré]]]]
Satan appears in several stories from ''[[The Canterbury Tales]]'' by [[Geoffrey Chaucer]],{{sfn|Tambling|2017|pages=47–50}} including "[[The Summoner's Tale#Sources|The Summoner's Prologue]]", in which a [[friar]] arrives in Hell and sees no other friars,{{sfn|Tambling|2017|page=50}} but is told there are millions.{{sfn|Tambling|2017|page=50}} Then Satan lifts his tail to reveal that all of the friars live inside his anus.{{sfn|Tambling|2017|page=50}} Chaucer's description of Satan's appearance is clearly based on Dante's.{{sfn|Tambling|2017|page=50}} The legend of [[Faust]], recorded in the 1589 chapbook ''[[Historia von D. Johann Fausten (chapbook)|The History of the Damnable Life and the Deserved Death of Doctor John Faustus]]'',{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=268}} concerns a pact allegedly made by the German scholar [[Johann Georg Faust]] with a demon named [[Mephistopheles]], agreeing [[Deal with the Devil|to sell his soul to Satan]] in exchange for twenty-four years of earthly pleasure.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=268}} This chapbook became the source for [[Christopher Marlowe]]'s ''[[Doctor Faustus (play)|The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus]]''.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=268–269}}

[[John Milton]]'s [[Epic poetry|epic poem]] ''[[Paradise Lost]]'' features [[Prince of Darkness (Satan)|Satan]] as its main protagonist.{{sfn|Verbart|1995|pages=45–46}}{{sfn|Bryson|2004|pages=77–79}} Milton portrays Satan as a tragic [[antihero]] destroyed by his own [[hubris]].{{sfn|Bryson|2004|pages=77–79}} The poem, which draws extensive inspiration from [[Greek tragedy]],{{sfn|Bryson|2004|pages=80–81}} recreates Satan as a complex literary character,{{sfn|Bryson|2004|pages=77–78}} who dares to rebel against the "tyranny" of God{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=272}}{{sfn|Bryson|2004|pages=77–80}} in spite of God's own [[omnipotence]].{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=272}}{{sfn|Bryson|2004|page=80}} The English poet and painter [[William Blake]] famously quipped that "The reason Milton wrote in fetters when he wrote of Angels & God, and at liberty when of Devils & Hell, is because he was a true poet and of the Devils party without knowing it."{{sfn|Bryson|2004|page=20}} ''[[Paradise Regained]]'', the sequel to ''Paradise Lost'', is a retelling of Satan's temptation of Jesus in the desert.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=274}}

William Blake regarded Satan as a model of [[rebellion]] against [[Tyrant|unjust authority]]{{sfn|Poole|2009|page=10}} and featured him in many of his poems and illustrations,{{sfn|Poole|2009|page=10}} including his 1780 book ''[[The Marriage of Heaven and Hell]]'',{{sfn|Poole|2009|page=10}} in which Satan is celebrated as the ultimate rebel, the incarnation of human emotion and the epitome of freedom from all forms of [[reason]] and [[orthodoxy]].{{sfn|Poole|2009|page=10}} Based on the Biblical passages portraying Satan as the accuser of sin,{{sfn|Werner|1986|page=61}} Blake interpreted Satan as "a promulgator of moral laws".{{sfn|Werner|1986|page=61}}

===In music===
[[File:Le Songe de Tartini par Louis-Léopold Boilly 1824 (color).jpg|thumb|''Tartini's Dream'' (1824) by [[Louis-Léopold Boilly]]]]
References to Satan in music can be dated back to the Middle Ages. [[Giuseppe Tartini]] was inspired to write his most famous work, the [[Violin Sonata in G minor (Tartini)|Violin Sonata in G minor]], also known as "The Devil's Trill", after dreaming of the Devil playing the violin. Tartini claimed that the sonata was a lesser imitation of what the Devil had played in his dream.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=The Devil's Trill |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopedia Britannica]] |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Devils-Trill |access-date=January 3, 2018}}</ref> [[Niccolò Paganini]] was believed to have derived his musical talent from a deal with the Devil.{{sfn|Spignesi|2003|page=281}} [[Charles Gounod]]'s ''[[Faust (opera)|Faust]]'' features a narrative that involves Satan.<ref name="crack">{{cite magazine |last=Watson |first=Tom |title=The Devil's Chord: A History of Satanism in Popular Music |url=https://crackmagazine.net/article/long-reads/satan-music/ |access-date=2018-01-01 |magazine=[[Crack Magazine]] |language=en}}</ref>

In the early 1900s, [[jazz]] and [[blues]] became known as the "Devil's Music" as they were considered "dangerous and unholy".<ref name="crack" /> According to legend, blues musician [[Tommy Johnson (guitarist)|Tommy Johnson]] was a terrible guitarist before exchanging his soul to the Devil for a guitar. Later, [[Robert Johnson]] claimed that he had sold his soul in return for becoming a great blues guitarist.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lewis |first=John |date=2011-06-15 |title=Robert Johnson sells his souls to the devil |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jun/16/robert-johnson-sells-soul-devil |access-date=2018-01-03 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |language=en}}</ref> Satanic symbolism appears in [[rock music]] from the 1960s. [[Mick Jagger]] assumes the role of Lucifer in [[the Rolling Stones]]' "[[Sympathy for the Devil]]" (1968),<ref name="crack" /> while [[Black Sabbath]] portrayed the Devil in numerous songs, including "[[War Pigs]]" (1970) and "[[N.I.B.]]" (1970).<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Irwin |first=William |date=October 31, 2012 |title=Black Sabbath and the Secret of Scary Music |url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/plato-pop/201210/black-sabbath-and-the-secret-scary-music |access-date=2012-10-31 |magazine=[[Psychology Today]] |language=en}}</ref>

===In film and television===
[[File:The Haunted Castle 1896.ogv|alt=|thumb|upright|''[[The Haunted Castle (1896 film)|The Haunted Castle]]'' (1896) (3:12)]]
The Devil is depicted as a [[vampire bat]] in [[Georges Méliès]]' ''[[The Haunted Castle (1896 film)|The Haunted Castle]]'' (1896),{{sfn|Prince|2004|page=1}} which is often considered the first [[horror film]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bean |first1=Travis |date=3 October 2019 |title=The Highest-Grossing Horror Movies Of All Time |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbean/2019/10/03/the-highest-grossing-horror-movies-of-all-time/ |access-date=4 January 2025 |website=[[Forbes]]}}</ref> So-called "Black Masses" have been portrayed in sensationalist [[B-movie]]s since the 1960s.{{sfn|Ellis|2000|pages=157–158}} One of the first films to portray such a ritual was the 1965 film ''[[Eye of the Devil]]'', also known as ''13''. [[Alex Sanders (Wiccan)|Alex Sanders]], a former black magician, served as a consultant on the film to ensure that the rituals portrayed in it were depicted accurately.{{sfn|Ellis|2000|page=157}} Over the next thirty years, the novels of [[Dennis Wheatley]] and the films of [[Hammer Film Productions]] both played a major role in shaping the popular image of Satanism.{{sfn|Ellis|2000|pages=157–158}}

The [[Rosemary's Baby (film)|film version]] of [[Ira Levin]]'s ''[[Rosemary's Baby (novel)|Rosemary's Baby]]'' made Satanic themes a staple of mainstream [[horror fiction]].{{sfn|Ellis|2000|page=159}} Later films such as ''[[The Exorcist (film)|The Exorcist]]'' (1973), ''[[The Omen]]'' (1976), ''[[Angel Heart]]'' (1987) and ''[[The Devil's Advocate (1997 film)|The Devil's Advocate]]'' (1997) feature Satan as an antagonist.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Blue |first=Samantha |title=The Devil We Used to Know: Portrayals of the Devil in Media |url=https://www.academia.edu/11366511 |access-date=2017-12-22 |publisher=[[Academia.edu]] |language=en}}</ref> The [[Cinema of Turkey|Turkish]] horror film ''[[Semum]]'' (2008) is based the representation of Satan in [[Islamic holy books|Islamic scriptures]].<ref>Erdağı, D. Evil in Turkish Muslim horror film: the demonic in “Semum”. SN Soc Sci 4, 27 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-024-00832-w</ref>

==See also==
* [[Cernunnos]]
* [[Cythraul]]
* [[Hades]]
* [[Hel (being)|Hel]]
* [[Man of sin]]
* [[Prince of Darkness (Satan)]]
* [[Prince of Darkness (Manichaeism)]]
* ''[[World of Darkness (Mandaeism)|saṭani]]''
* [[Set (deity)]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

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* Russell, Jeffrey Burton. ''Mephistopheles: The Devil in the Modern World'' (1990) [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0801497183 excerpt and text search]
* Russell, Jeffrey Burton. ''The Prince of Darkness: Radical Evil and the Power of Good in History'' (1992) [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0801480566 excerpt and text search]
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* {{citation|last = Smith | first = Peter | year = 2008 | title = An Introduction to the Baha'i Faith | publisher = Cambridge University Press | place = Cambridge | isbn=978-0-521-86251-6 | page = 112}}
* {{citation|last=Spignesi|first=Stephen J.|date=2003|title=The Italian 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Cultural, Scientific, and Politics, Past and Present|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ufXPKUqorS8C&q=devil+niccolo+paganini&pg=PA281|location=New York|publisher=Citadel Press|isbn=0-8065-2399-9}}
* {{citation|last=Stoddard|first=Ed|date=29 November 2007|title=Poll finds more Americans believe in devil than Darwin|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-religion-beliefs/poll-finds-more-americans-believe-in-devil-than-darwin-idUSN2922875820071129|publisher=Reuters}}
* {{citation|last=Tambling|first=Jeremy|date=2017|title=Histories of the Devil: From Marlowe to Mann and the Manichees|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HTYUDgAAQBAJ&q=Chaucer+the+Devil&pg=PA47|location=London|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan Publishers Ltd.|isbn=978-1-137-51832-3|doi=10.1057/978-1-137-51832-3}}
* {{citation|last=Thomsett|first=Michael C.|date=2011|title=Heresy in the Roman Catholic Church: A History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LDbhV7u1_yIC&q=witchcraft+heretical+Canon+Episcopi&pg=PA131|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|publisher=MacFarland & Company, Inc.|isbn=978-0-7864-4448-9}}
* {{citation|last=Tomashoff|first=Craig|date=13 November 2016|title=From 'Touched by an Angel' to 'Lucifer': TV's Heavenly Creatures Are Evolving|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/evolution-angels-tv-shows-938103|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|publisher=Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group|access-date=2017-12-22|language=en}}
* {{citation|last1=van der Toorn|first1=Karel|last2=Becking|first2=Bob|last3=Willem|first3=Pieter|title=Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible|publisher=William B. Eerdman's Publishing Company|edition=second|location=Grand Rapids, Michigan|date=1999|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yCkRz5pfxz0C&q=Baalzebub|isbn=0-8028-2491-9}}
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* {{citation|last=Vicchio|first=Stephen J.|date=2008|title=Biblical Figures in the Islamic Faith|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GULkDAAAQBAJ&q=Satan&pg=PA91|location=Eugene, Oregon|publisher=Wipf & Stock|isbn=978-1-55635-304-8}}
* {{citation|last=Werner|first=Bette Charlene|date=1986|title=Blake's Vision of the Poetry of Milton: Illustrations to Six Poems|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QCqby9KJCB8C&q=Illustrations+for+Paradise+Lost|location=Cranbury, New Jersey, London, England, and Mississauga, Ontario|publisher=Associated University Presses|isbn=0-8387-5084-2}}
* Wray, T. J. and Gregory Mobley. ''The Birth of Satan: Tracing the Devil's Biblical Roots'' (2005) [https://www.amazon.com/dp/1403969337 excerpt and text search]

{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|Satan}}
{{wikiquote}}
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p005494p The Devil], BBC Radio 4 discussion with Martin Palmer, Alison Rowlands and David Wootton (''In Our Time'', Dec. 11, 2003)

{{Satan}}
{{Christianity footer}}
{{New Testament people}}
{{Characters and names in the Quran}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Satan| ]]
[[Category:Angels in Judaism]]
[[Category:Characters in the Divine Comedy]]
[[Category:Demons in Christianity]]
[[Category:Demons in Islam]]
[[Category:Fallen angels]]
[[Category:New religious movement deities]]
[[Category:People in the canonical gospels]]
[[Category:People in the Pauline epistles]]
[[Category:Jinn]]
[[Category:Book of Job]]
[[Category:Book of Zechariah]]
[[Category:Deities in the Hebrew Bible]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Book of Jubilees]]
[[Category:Male stock characters]]
[[Category:Good and evil]]