{"id":4797,"date":"2026-04-21T11:08:43","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T11:08:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/satan\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T14:29:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T14:29:24","slug":"satan","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/satan\/","title":{"rendered":"Satan"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"4797\" class=\"elementor elementor-4797 elementor-1018\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-10fdade e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"10fdade\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-herohlft0 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"herohlft0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c3ceb64 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"c3ceb64\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-96ae5e1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"96ae5e1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Satan, God of the Christian Tradition<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e45238a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e45238a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>The adversary, central figure of Christian demonology.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klsbdg01 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"klsbdg01\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klshtm01 elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"klshtm01\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"iwg-pill-row\"><span class=\"iwg-klasse-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"God \/ Goddess: Personified supreme power in the pantheon of a culture, with clear areas of responsibility, forces of nature, fate, war, fertility. Venerated through cults, sacrifices and temple institutions.\">God<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/christianity\/\" class=\"iwg-kultur-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Christian tradition with its angels, demons and mystical beings.\">Christianity<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/anti-gods\/\" class=\"iwg-tradition-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Powers of chaos and cosmic adversaries, opponents in the history-of-religions dualism.\">Anti-God<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f74855 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3f74855\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1c30362 elementor-toc--minimized-on-tablet elementor-widget elementor-widget-table-of-contents\" data-id=\"1c30362\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;exclude_headings_by_selector&quot;:[],&quot;no_headings_message&quot;:&quot;Es wurden keine \\u00dcberschriften auf dieser Seite gefunden.&quot;,&quot;headings_by_tags&quot;:[&quot;h2&quot;,&quot;h3&quot;],&quot;marker_view&quot;:&quot;bullets&quot;,&quot;icon&quot;:{&quot;value&quot;:&quot;fas fa-circle&quot;,&quot;library&quot;:&quot;fa-solid&quot;,&quot;rendered_tag&quot;:&quot;&lt;svg class=\\&quot;e-font-icon-svg e-fas-circle\\&quot; viewBox=\\&quot;0 0 512 512\\&quot; xmlns=\\&quot;http:\\\/\\\/www.w3.org\\\/2000\\\/svg\\&quot;&gt;&lt;path d=\\&quot;M256 8C119 8 8 119 8 256s111 248 248 248 248-111 248-248S393 8 256 8z\\&quot;&gt;&lt;\\\/path&gt;&lt;\\\/svg&gt;&quot;},&quot;minimize_box&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;minimized_on&quot;:&quot;tablet&quot;,&quot;hierarchical_view&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;min_height&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]}}\" data-widget_type=\"table-of-contents.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-toc__header-title\">\n\t\t\t\tTable of Contents\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--expand\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Open table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-down\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M207.029 381.476L12.686 187.132c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941l22.667-22.667c9.357-9.357 24.522-9.375 33.901-.04L224 284.505l154.745-154.021c9.379-9.335 24.544-9.317 33.901.04l22.667 22.667c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941L240.971 381.476c-9.373 9.372-24.569 9.372-33.942 0z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--collapse\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-up\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M240.971 130.524l194.343 194.343c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941l-22.667 22.667c-9.357 9.357-24.522 9.375-33.901.04L224 227.495 69.255 381.516c-9.379 9.335-24.544 9.317-33.901-.04l-22.667-22.667c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941L207.03 130.525c9.372-9.373 24.568-9.373 33.941-.001z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" class=\"elementor-toc__body\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__spinner-container\">\n\t\t\t\t<svg class=\"elementor-toc__spinner eicon-animation-spin e-font-icon-svg e-eicon-loading\" aria-hidden=\"true\" viewBox=\"0 0 1000 1000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M500 975V858C696 858 858 696 858 500S696 142 500 142 142 304 142 500H25C25 237 238 25 500 25S975 237 975 500 763 975 500 975Z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-herorght0 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"herorght0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-heroimg00 iwg-hero-image elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"heroimg00\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_christentum_satan-683x1024.webp\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-4798\" alt=\"Satan - Gods from the Christian tradition, historical and illustrative\" srcset=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_christentum_satan-683x1024.webp 683w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_christentum_satan-200x300.webp 200w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_christentum_satan-768x1152.webp 768w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_christentum_satan.webp 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-32917199 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"32917199\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-26e916cb e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"26e916cb\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-253a40d4 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"253a40d4\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1200c304 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1200c304\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Satan<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-11758e7f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"11758e7f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Satan is the central adversary figure of the Christian <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The passing on of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">tradition<\/span>. From the Hebrew <em>ha-satan<\/em> (&#8220;the accuser&#8221;) in the Book of Job to the personified &#8220;devil&#8221; of the New Testament, a shift in meaning takes place, from a functional role at God&#8217;s throne to a fallen <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In the Abrahamic religions, a heavenly messenger being of God.\" tabindex=\"0\">angel<\/span> and lord of hell.<\/p><p>In <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Theology and writings of the Church Fathers (2nd-8th c.), e.g. Augustine, Jerome, Origen, Chrysostom.\" tabindex=\"0\">patristics<\/span> and the Middle Ages he becomes the cosmic adversary and leader of all <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A spiritual being to which harmful or ambivalent effect is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">demons<\/span>.<\/p><p>Structurally, Satan remains within the monotheistic framework: he is a creature, not a counter-god. His power is derived and in the end can be overcome. Nevertheless he develops an enormous iconographic and narrative presence, in art, literature (Dante, Milton, Goethe) and popular culture, where he transforms from an infernal monster into a tragic, rebellious figure.<\/p><div><p><strong>Layers in the history of religions<\/strong><\/p><p>Satan is not a homogeneous figure but a layered complex from the history of religions, composed of at least four different lines of tradition. The Jewish layer (Tanakh) shows <em>ha-satan<\/em> as the &#8220;accuser&#8221; at the heavenly throne, with a positive function within the divine administration (Job 1, 2; Zechariah 3; Numbers 22).<\/p><p>The intertestamental layer (1 Enoch, the Book of Jubilees, the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs) makes this figure independent and connects it with the fallen Watchers of Genesis 6. The New Testament layer turns the accuser into the chief enemy of Christ and the church (Matthew 4, Luke 4, Revelation 12, 20).<\/p><p>The <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The theology and writings of the Church Fathers (2nd to 8th c.), e.g. Augustine, Jerome, Origen, Chrysostom.\" tabindex=\"0\">patristic<\/span> and medieval layer develops this conception into an elaborate demonology in which Satan is the supreme commander of the fallen <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In the Abrahamic religions, a heavenly messenger being of God.\" tabindex=\"0\">angels<\/span>.<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-159dcf9a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"159dcf9a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-48cee66f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"48cee66f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Brief Profile: Satan<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f50d82c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3f50d82c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Chief adversary, fallen <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In the Abrahamic religions, a heavenly messenger being of God.\" tabindex=\"0\">angel<\/span><br>Origin: Originally divine accuser; later tradition: the fall of Lucifer<br>Texts: Job, the Gospels, Revelation, patristics, scholasticism<br>Period: 1st century AD to the present<br>Defense: Sacraments, <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Ritual expulsion of a spirit or demon understood as harmful.\" tabindex=\"0\">exorcism<\/span>, <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The verbal turning of a person toward a deity.\" tabindex=\"0\">prayer<\/span>, <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The petitioning or conjuring address of a deity or power.\" tabindex=\"0\">invocation<\/span> of saints<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klaerung1777534989 e-con-boxed e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"klaerung1777534989\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klar1777534989 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"klar1777534989\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><em><strong>Distinction from Leviathan:<\/strong> Unlike the <a href=\"\/en\/leviathan\/\">Leviathan<\/a>, the cosmic sea monster as a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sign that stands in place of a concept or meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">symbol<\/span> of untamed chaos, Satan is a <strong>personified figure<\/strong>, the adversary who enters into dialogue with God and with humanity and who appears in the Jewish-Christian tradition as an acting agent.<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-18613602 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"18613602\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-262b8a9f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"262b8a9f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Classification<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-46dcb7d e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"46dcb7d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-61d3ab3 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"61d3ab3\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-117c166 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"117c166\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Period of the Texts<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-73997a0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"73997a0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In the Old Testament as the &#8220;accuser&#8221; (Job, Zechariah), without clear personal definition. In the New Testament as an unambiguously evil adversary (the temptation of Jesus, Revelation). Patristics and the Middle Ages develop the figure systematically. The Reformation and the modern era reinterpret it.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d47b156 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d47b156\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ff38c2b elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ff38c2b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Area of Diffusion<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4e49fcc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4e49fcc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Starting from the eastern Mediterranean, spreading with the Christian mission into the whole inhabited world. Each Christian region develops its own popular images of Satan, which in part take up indigenous <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A spiritual being to which harmful or ambivalent effects are attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">demon<\/span> traditions.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-db03c39 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"db03c39\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-229a87b e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"229a87b\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1f471fc elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1f471fc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Source Situation<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36b1201 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"36b1201\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The New Testament, apocalypses, patristic homilies, medieval visionary literature (Tundalus, Dante), collections of exempla, grimoires, witch trials, Milton and Goethe in literature.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3ae0637c e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"3ae0637c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-31d07739 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"31d07739\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Name and Variants<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b7642947 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"b7642947\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a086266 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a086266\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Hebrew:<\/strong> <em>ha-satan<\/em> (&#8220;the accuser&#8221;, Job).<br>Greek: <em>ho Satanas<\/em>, <em>ho diabolos<\/em> (&#8220;the one who throws into confusion&#8221;).<br>Latin: <em>Satanas<\/em>, <em>diabolus<\/em>.<br>Epithets: prince of this world, father of lies, the old serpent, the dragon, Beelzebul.<\/p><p>The multitude of names reflects the process by which Satan became a collective figure of various traditions. Identifications with Lucifer (Isaiah 14, late), with the primeval serpent (Genesis 3, in the New Testament), with Beelzebul (the Gospels) and with the dragon (Revelation) yield a consistently personal figure out of what were originally separate aspects.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-709a44a8 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"709a44a8\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2f585873 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2f585873\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Characteristics<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-70621c12 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"70621c12\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4296eb49 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4296eb49\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Appearance<\/strong><\/p><p>In the New Testament largely without visual description, &#8220;prowls around like a roaring lion&#8221; (1 Peter 5:8), &#8220;<span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In the Abrahamic religions, a heavenly messenger being of God.\" tabindex=\"0\">angel<\/span> of light&#8221; (2 Corinthians 11:14). Medieval <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The study of the content of images and their meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">iconography<\/span>: horned, with a cloven hoof, winged, red or black, with bat wings. Dante: three-headed in the ice palace of the ninth circle of hell.<\/p><p><strong>Behavior<\/strong><\/p><p>He tempts, accuses, seduces, deceives. He has no brute force; his power is influence and suggestion. In Revelation he fights with Michael and is bound in the end. In between: a constant presence in the believer&#8217;s daily life as temptation.<\/p><p><strong>Sphere of Influence<\/strong><\/p><p>The entire world (&#8220;prince of this world&#8221;), with emphases: temptation of individuals, seduction of whole peoples, political power (from an apocalyptic perspective), rule over hell.<\/p><p><strong>Mythological Origin<\/strong><\/p><p>Origin in Hebrew court-of-law metaphor (Job: the accuser before God&#8217;s throne). In the Second <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A structure that serves the veneration of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">Temple<\/span> period a merging with Iranian dualism motifs (Ahriman). Later patristic identification with the fall of Lucifer (Isaiah 14, originally polemic against a Babylonian king).<\/p><div><p><strong>Patristic <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The scholarly study of God and of the faith of a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">theology<\/span><\/strong><\/p><p>Origen discusses in <em>De principiis<\/em> (ca. 230) the question of whether Satan could be redeemed at the end of the world (the doctrine of <em>apokatastasis<\/em>); this position was later rejected as <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A belief that deviates from the recognized teaching of the church.\" tabindex=\"0\">heresy<\/span>, yet it has its own lines in the Eastern Church tradition.<\/p><p><span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Augustine of Hippo (354-430); Christian Church Father, principal works Confessiones and De civitate Dei.\" tabindex=\"0\">Augustine<\/span> argues in <em>De civitate Dei<\/em> (XI, XIV) against Manichaean dualism and insists on the ontological secondariness of evil: Satan is not a competing god but a fallen creature whose existence is possible only as a privation of the good.<\/p><p>This position remains binding for Catholic <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The scholarly study of God and of the faith of a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">theology<\/span>. The scholastic refinement in the <em><span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Principal work of Thomas Aquinas (1265-1274); systematic compendium of scholastic theology.\" tabindex=\"0\">Summa Theologiae<\/span><\/em> (I, q. 63, 64) systematizes the doctrine of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In the Abrahamic religions, a heavenly messenger being of God.\" tabindex=\"0\">angels<\/span> and places Satan at the head of the fallen hierarchy.<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-44e71476 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"44e71476\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3c1fc3f0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3c1fc3f0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Profile: Satan<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-84f33b8e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"84f33b8e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-hqkdc67p elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"hqkdc67p\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The most important aspects of Satan at a glance. The detailed treatment of name, description, defense and parallels can be found in chapters 2, 3, 5 and 6.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c5 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c5\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c1 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c1\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-qh9oavvu iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"qh9oavvu\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-awzx8k2k elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"awzx8k2k\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Tradition<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-x6rowhv0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"x6rowhv0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>From the Hebrew &#8220;accuser&#8221; <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A recurring thematic element in art or narrative.\" tabindex=\"0\">motif<\/span>; later identification with the fallen Lucifer. In the Second Temple period, the influence of Iranian dualism ideas.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8e3o4kxs iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"8e3o4kxs\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-08rkdgov elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"08rkdgov\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Addressees<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-uwjelx8s elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"uwjelx8s\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>All people; emphasis: individuals under temptation, peoples and political powers in apocalyptic interpretation.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-jm2n74ec iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"jm2n74ec\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8vufse4c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"8vufse4c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Form<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-mwb9u015 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"mwb9u015\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>NT without an image. Medieval: horned, with a cloven hoof, bat wings, red\/black. Dante: three-headed in the ice palace.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c2 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c2\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-37ss2yr6 iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"37ss2yr6\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3v0wp3wx elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3v0wp3wx\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Activity<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-w3247g2m elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"w3247g2m\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Temptation, seduction, accusation, deception. Influence rather than brute force. In the end overcome through Christ.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0qpjal9w iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"0qpjal9w\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6ndoih0o elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6ndoih0o\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Forms of Defense<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6684tyh9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6684tyh9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Sacraments (baptism, Eucharist), <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Ritual expulsion of a spirit or demon understood as harmful.\" tabindex=\"0\">exorcism<\/span>, <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The verbal turning of a person toward a deity.\" tabindex=\"0\">prayer<\/span>, invocation of saints, <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Belonging to the divine and thereby withdrawn from everyday use.\" tabindex=\"0\">holy<\/span> water, the sign of the cross. The Orthodox churches with their own exorcism <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A fixed, recurring religious act.\" tabindex=\"0\">rite<\/span>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3lfi7x32 iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3lfi7x32\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0kg99ga1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0kg99ga1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Related Beings<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-n0fum6kp elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"n0fum6kp\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Azazel (Judaism), <a href=\"\/en\/apophis\/\">Apophis<\/a> (Egypt), Ahriman (Zoroastrian), Iblis (Islam), Mara (Buddhism).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7533bc7a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"7533bc7a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2447d18d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2447d18d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Defense in Everyday Life<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d5d0260c e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d5d0260c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-341be2ac elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"341be2ac\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Rituals of defense<\/strong><\/p><p>Baptism as basic protection (abrenuntiatio diaboli). Regular sacramental practice, personal <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The verbal turning of a person toward a deity.\" tabindex=\"0\">prayer<\/span>, the sign of the cross. <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Ritual expulsion of a spirit or demon understood as harmful.\" tabindex=\"0\">Exorcism<\/span> in cases of recognized possession, regulated in the Catholic Church to this day by the Rituale Romanum.<\/p><p><strong>Invocations<\/strong><\/p><p>Ecclesiastical exorcism formulas (Rituale Romanum, Orthodox euchologia), popular <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Warding off evil: of signs and objects intended to keep harmful influences away.\" tabindex=\"0\">apotropaic<\/span> sayings (&#8220;Begone, Satan&#8221;), everyday <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An invocation of well-being and protection, often in fixed verbal form.\" tabindex=\"0\">blessing<\/span> formulas. In the grimoire tradition, <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Practices that seek to intervene in the course of events through special actions or formulas.\" tabindex=\"0\">magical<\/span> binding formulas, condemned by the church.<\/p><p><strong><span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A worn object to which a protective, misfortune-averting effect is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">Amulets<\/span> and protective symbols<\/strong><\/p><p>Cross, crucifix, the Benedictine medal with the &#8220;Vade retro Satana&#8221; formula, Agnus Dei, images of saints. Holy water as a daily means of protection.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a584676 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"5a584676\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6d0757bf elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6d0757bf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Satan, Parallels in Other Cultures<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-60563f68 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"60563f68\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a93fdd6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5a93fdd6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Jewish tradition and prehistory:<\/strong> Job, Zechariah, ha-satan as the accuser. Qumran and apocalyptic literature radicalize the figure. Azazel as a related fallen <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In the Abrahamic religions, a heavenly messenger being of God.\" tabindex=\"0\">angel<\/span>.<\/p><p><strong>Islam:<\/strong> Iblis parallels the Satan <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A recurring thematic element in art or narrative.\" tabindex=\"0\">motif<\/span> but is structurally conceived differently (a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In the Quran, beings made of smokeless fire with free will, neither angel nor demon, but an independent creation with their own morality.\" tabindex=\"0\">jinn<\/span>, not a fallen <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In the Abrahamic religions, a heavenly messenger being of God.\" tabindex=\"0\">angel<\/span>). In Muslim <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Religiosity as lived in everyday life, often alongside official doctrine.\" tabindex=\"0\">popular piety<\/span> he is a constant adversary.<\/p><p><strong>Further traditions:<\/strong> Zoroastrian Ahriman as a possible model. Buddhist Mara as the tempter at the tree of enlightenment. Egyptian Apophis as the cosmic enemy of chaos.<\/p><div><p><strong>Reformation and modernity<\/strong><\/p><p>In the Reformation, Satan gains a considerable standing in Luther&#8217;s <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The scholarly study of God and of the faith of a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">theology<\/span>. Luther&#8217;s own accounts of encounters with Satan (such as the inkwell-throwing episode at the Wartburg) are characteristic, from a history-of-religions point of view, of the strong personality of Satan in the Protestant discourse of the 16th century.<\/p><p>The Catholic Counter-Reformation responds with the elaborate <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Ritual expulsion of a spirit or demon understood as harmful.\" tabindex=\"0\">exorcism<\/span> apparatus of the <em>Rituale Romanum<\/em> (1614).<\/p><p><span data-nosnippet>In the modern era (since the 18th century) Satan undergoes a secularization in the literary-philosophical tradition (Milton, <em>Paradise Lost<\/em>, 1667; Goethe, <em>Faust<\/em>, 1808, 1832; Baudelaire, <em>Les Fleurs du Mal<\/em>, 1857), which turns him from a primary <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The academic study of God and the doctrines of a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">theological<\/span> function into a literary topos.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpcb31e9f e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cpcb31e9f\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp93c4741 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp93c4741\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Accuser in the Heavenly Court: Satan in the Old Testament<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp952ef1d e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp952ef1d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp77d4a38 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp77d4a38\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The Hebrew word <em>satan<\/em> simply means &#8222;adversary&#8220; &#8222;opponent&#8220; or &#8222;accuser&#8220;. In the Old Testament it can also denote, quite unspecifically, a human opponent. Where it refers to a heavenly figure, it usually appears with the article, <em>ha-satan<\/em>, that is &#8222;the accuser&#8220; which is more a designation of function than a proper name.<\/p><p>The best-known passage is in the Book of Job. There <em>ha-satan<\/em> appears among the &#8222;sons of God&#8220; who come before God. Here he is not a counter-god but a member of the heavenly court, comparable to a prosecuting official.<\/p><p>He doubts that Job&#8217;s <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The lived religious attitude and practice of a person.\" tabindex=\"0\">piety<\/span> is genuine and receives from God permission to test it. The Satan acts only within the framework of what God permits.<\/p><p>The accuser appears similarly in the Book of Zechariah, where he accuses the high priest Joshua before the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In the Abrahamic religions, a heavenly messenger being of God.\" tabindex=\"0\">angel<\/span> of the Lord and is rebuked.<\/p><p>A special case is a passage in Chronicles that rephrases an older narrative from the Book of Samuel: where there God incites David to a census, in Chronicles it is a <em>satan<\/em>. Scholarship sees in this an early step toward shifting uncomfortable actions away from God onto another figure.<\/p><p>It should be noted: in the Hebrew <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The collection of sacred scriptures recognized as binding by a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">canon<\/span>, the Satan is not an independent power of evil and not the ruler of a hell. He is a subordinate figure with a limited function in the heavenly apparatus. The later notion of the cosmic adversary of God is not yet developed in the Old Testament.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpb44b7a5 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cpb44b7a5\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp7b6294a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp7b6294a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Intertestamental Turn: From Accuser to Prince of Darkness<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp07b8ca8 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp07b8ca8\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp59fbda8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp59fbda8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The decisive development took place in the centuries between the Old and the New Testament, in the so-called intertestamental literature. During this time, shaped by foreign rule and religious crises, the idea gained ground that the good is confronted by an evil power of its own.<\/p><p>Texts such as the Ethiopic Book of Enoch developed the narrative of the fallen angels who rose up against the divine order.<\/p><p>The Dead Sea scrolls, the texts of the community of Qumran, know a figure named <em>Belial<\/em> or <em>Beliar<\/em> and a pronounced doctrine of two <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A bodiless being to which agency in the world is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirits<\/span>, the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which an effect in the world is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirit<\/span> of light and the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which an effect in the world is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirit<\/span> of darkness, who contend for the human being.<\/p><p>Scholarship debates the influence of Persian dualism, which knows a good and an evil primal power. Whether there was a direct borrowing or an independent inner-Jewish development under external pressure is contested; much speaks for a combination of the two.<\/p><p>The result is that in the New Testament a markedly developed figure appears. There Satan appears as the tempter of Jesus in the wilderness, as the &#8222;prince of this world&#8220; as the opponent of the kingdom of God.<\/p><p>The Revelation of John explicitly identifies him with the &#8222;old serpent&#8220; and the dragon and describes his final downfall. The heavenly prosecuting official of the Book of Job has thus become the adversary of God, even though, unlike in the later popular image, he remains subordinate to God&#8217;s power.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp7b84e2a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp7b84e2a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpe3de033 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cpe3de033\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Horns and the Cloven Hoof: How the Devil Got His Appearance<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp14f8fa3 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp14f8fa3\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp7a09c7a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp7a09c7a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The Bible does not describe Satan&#8217;s appearance. The familiar image of the devil with horns, goat&#8217;s legs, a tail, a pitchfork and reddish skin is a creation of post-biblical, above all medieval, art. Scholarship can identify several sources of this image.<\/p><p>One role was played by the adoption of features of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Originating from the period before the spread of Christianity.\" tabindex=\"0\">pre-Christian<\/span> deities and nature beings. The Greek shepherd god Pan and the satyrs were equipped with horns, goat&#8217;s legs and an unruly nature.<\/p><p>As Christianity established itself, such figures were demonized; their external features passed over to the devil. Fauns and other <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A being that unites the features of various creatures in itself.\" tabindex=\"0\">hybrid creatures<\/span> also supplied components.<\/p><p>Added to this were biblical images that were taken literally. The parable of the Last Judgment speaks of the separation of the &#8222;sheep&#8220; from the &#8222;goats&#8220;; the goat thus became the animal of the damned.<\/p><p>The fire of hell explained the red color and the connection with smoke and pitch. The bat wings, which often distinguish the devil from the feathered angels, emphasized his fall and his inversion of the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In the Abrahamic religions, a heavenly messenger being of God.\" tabindex=\"0\">angelic<\/span>.<\/p><p>Medieval visual art, from church portals through tympana and wall paintings to manuscript illumination, consolidated and spread this appearance. In the theater, in the religious plays, the devil appeared in corresponding costumes.<\/p><p>From a history-of-religions point of view it is important: the devil&#8217;s appearance is not a revealed datum but a cultural product, assembled from <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Synonymous with heathen; belonging to a pre-Christian religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">pagan<\/span> heritage, literally read pictorial expressions and the pictorial tradition of the church.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpa425a16 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cpa425a16\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpf4291e7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cpf4291e7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Satan in the History of Theology: Tempter, Executioner, Myth<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp5068f65 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp5068f65\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp3a588a5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp3a588a5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The theological interpretation of Satan was never uniform. The Church Fathers already wrestled with the question of where evil comes from if God is good and has created everything.<\/p><p>A common answer was that Satan was an originally good <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In the Abrahamic religions, a heavenly messenger being of God.\" tabindex=\"0\">angel<\/span> who fell through pride and a free decision of the will; evil was not a being of its own but a deficiency of the good. This line, associated especially with Augustine, shaped Western <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The scholarly study of God and of the faith of a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">theology<\/span> for centuries.<\/p><p>In the Middle Ages the doctrine was further elaborated, for instance by <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Italian theologian (1225-1274); principal work Summa Theologiae; Aristotelian synthesis of Christian philosophy.\" tabindex=\"0\">Thomas Aquinas<\/span>, who treated the nature of angels and the fall of the angels systematically.<\/p><p>At the same time, in <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Religiosity as lived in everyday life, often alongside official doctrine.\" tabindex=\"0\">popular piety<\/span> and in the practice of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Ritual expulsion of a spirit or demon understood as harmful.\" tabindex=\"0\">exorcism<\/span> and later <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Early modern persecution of persons accused of a witches' pact with the devil; 1450 to 1750.\" tabindex=\"0\">witch persecution<\/span>, a far more concrete, drastic image of Satan gained weight, one that often overlaid the more sober theological statements.<\/p><p>The reformers, above all Martin Luther, spoke very directly and personally of the devil as a real adversary of faith. In the modern era, by contrast, a critical distancing set in, especially since the Enlightenment. Many theologians increasingly interpreted Satan as <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sign that stands representatively for a concept or meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">symbolic<\/span> or mythological language for the power of evil, not as a personal being.<\/p><p>In present-day <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The scholarly study of God and of the faith of a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">theology<\/span> both views exist side by side, from an adherence to a personal evil power to a thoroughly symbolic interpretation.<\/p><p>From the standpoint of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The discipline that studies religions comparatively and without confessional commitment.\" tabindex=\"0\">religious studies<\/span> this question cannot be decided; one can only hold fast to the historical finding of a long, many-voiced history of interpretation in which Satan has taken on very different forms, from the heavenly accuser through the prince of darkness to a contested theological concept.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36dd7469 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"36dd7469\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-13760ab4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"13760ab4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Further Links<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-28c87796 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"28c87796\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5d6538df elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5d6538df\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Recommended internal links:<\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/christianity\/\">Christianity<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/en\/lucifer\/\">Lucifer<\/a>, <a href=\"\/en\/beelzebub\/\">Beelzebub<\/a>, <a href=\"\/en\/leviathan\/\">Leviathan<\/a>, <a href=\"\/en\/legion-possession-and-collective-demons\/\">Legion<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/azazel\/\">Azazel<\/a> (prehistory)<\/li><li><a href=\"\/en\/apophis\/\">Apophis<\/a> (structural parallel)<\/li><li><span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Ritual expulsion of a spirit or demon understood as harmful.\" tabindex=\"0\">Exorcism<\/span> and rituals<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-grl4kl40 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"grl4kl40\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bzsbfrmh elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"bzsbfrmh\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Literature (Selection)<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2c13224a e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"2c13224a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0eymh9ub elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0eymh9ub\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<footer class=\"iwg-literatur\" data-nosnippet=\"true\"><p>A selection of central works on Satan and Christian demonology:<\/p><ul><li><span data-nosnippet>Russell, Jeffrey Burton: <em>Satan. The Early Christian Tradition<\/em>. Ithaca 1981 (four-volume standard work).<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Pagels, Elaine: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/originofsatan00page\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Origin of Satan<\/a><\/em>. New York 1995.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Forsyth, Neil: <em>The Old Enemy. Satan and the Combat <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A transmitted narrative about gods, origins and the order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">Myth<\/span><\/em>. Princeton 1987.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Kelly, Henry Ansgar: <em>Satan. A Biography<\/em>. Cambridge 2006.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Ratzinger, Joseph \/ Messori, Vittorio: <em>The Ratzinger Report<\/em>. Munich 1985 (theological positions).<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/footer>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fd92fee e-con-boxed e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"fd92fee\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-441e49a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"441e49a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>Frequently Asked Questions about Satan<\/h2><div class=\"iwg-faq-q\"><h3>Who is Satan in the Jewish-Christian tradition?<\/h3><p>Satan (Hebrew ha-Satan, the accuser) is initially not an opponent of God in the Hebrew Bible but a divine court servant who tests people, as in the Book of Job.<\/p><p>Only in early Jewish apocalyptic and in the New Testament does Satan become the adversary of God and leader of the fallen <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In the Abrahamic religions, a heavenly messenger being of God.\" tabindex=\"0\">angels<\/span>. In the Christian Middle Ages the figure merged with various demon conceptions into the personified evil.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"iwg-faq-q\"><h3>What is the difference between Satan, Lucifer and the devil?<\/h3><p>The three terms have different roots: Satan comes from Hebrew (accuser), Lucifer from Latin (light-bearer, actually the morning star Venus) and devil from the Greek diabolos (slanderer).<\/p><p>Only in medieval <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The scholarly study of God and of the faith of a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">theology<\/span> were all three merged into one figure, the fallen archangel who rebelled against God. In modern <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The scholarly study of God and of the faith of a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">theology<\/span> the terms are once again treated in a differentiated way.<\/p><\/div><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Who is Satan in the Jewish-Christian tradition?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Satan (Hebrew ha-Satan, the accuser) is initially not an opponent of God in the Hebrew Bible but a divine court servant who tests people, as in the Book of Job. Only in early Jewish apocalyptic and in the New Testament does Satan become the adversary of God and leader of the fallen <span class=\\\"iwg-fachbegriff\\\" data-tooltip=\\\"In the Abrahamic religions, a heavenly messenger being of God.\\\" tabindex=\\\"0\\\">angels<\/span>. In the Christian Middle Ages the figure merged with various demon conceptions into the personified evil.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What is the difference between Satan, Lucifer and the devil?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The three terms have different roots: Satan comes from Hebrew (accuser), Lucifer from Latin (light-bearer, actually the morning star Venus) and devil from the Greek diabolos (slanderer). Only in medieval <span class=\\\"iwg-fachbegriff\\\" data-tooltip=\\\"The scholarly study of God and of the faith of a religion.\\\" tabindex=\\\"0\\\">theology<\/span> were all three merged into one figure, the fallen archangel who rebelled against God. In modern <span class=\\\"iwg-fachbegriff\\\" data-tooltip=\\\"The scholarly study of God and of the faith of a religion.\\\" tabindex=\\\"0\\\">theology<\/span> the terms are once again treated in a differentiated way.\"}}]}<\/script>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Satan, God of the Christian Tradition The adversary, central figure of Christian demonology. GodChristianityAnti-God Table of Contents Satan Satan is the central adversary figure of the Christian tradition. From the Hebrew ha-satan (&#8220;the accuser&#8221;) in the Book of Job to the personified &#8220;devil&#8221; of the New Testament, a shift in meaning takes place, from a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4798,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"Satan adversary","_yoast_wpseo_title":"Satan: God of the Christian Tradition | iWell Guard","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Satan is the central adversary figure of the Christian tradition. From the Hebrew ha-satan (\"the accuser\") in the Book of Job to the personified...","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_angie_page":false,"gefaehrdungsstufe":"","wesen_kultur":"","wesen_klasse":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[106,79,86],"class_list":["post-4797","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-christianity","category-cultures","category-gods"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Satan: God of the Christian Tradition | iWell Guard<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Satan is the central adversary figure of the Christian tradition. From the Hebrew ha-satan (&quot;the accuser&quot;) in the Book of Job to the personified...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/satan\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Satan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Satan is the central adversary figure of the Christian tradition. From the Hebrew ha-satan (&quot;the accuser&quot;) in the Book of Job to the personified...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/satan\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"iWell Guard\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-05T14:29:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_christentum_satan.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1536\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"12 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/satan\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/satan\\\/\",\"name\":\"Satan: God of the Christian Tradition | iWell Guard\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/satan\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/satan\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/goetter_christentum_satan.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-21T11:08:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-05T14:29:24+00:00\",\"description\":\"Satan is the central adversary figure of the Christian tradition. From the Hebrew ha-satan (\\\"the accuser\\\") in the Book of Job to the personified...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/satan\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/satan\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/satan\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/goetter_christentum_satan.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/goetter_christentum_satan.webp\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":1536,\"caption\":\"Gods from the Christian tradition.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/satan\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Start\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/home\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Satan\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"iWell Guard\",\"description\":\"Schutz vor dunklen Einfl\u00fcssen\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Ittermann electronic GmbH\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/Ittermann-Logo-1182x237-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/Ittermann-Logo-1182x237-1.png\",\"width\":1182,\"height\":237,\"caption\":\"Ittermann electronic GmbH\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/pantip.com\\\/profile\\\/9367242\",\"https:\\\/\\\/micro.blog\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diggerslist.com\\\/iwellguard\\\/about\",\"https:\\\/\\\/skitterphoto.com\\\/photographers\\\/2870314\\\/iwell-guard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/iwellguard.wordpress.com\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/06\\\/iwell-guard\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/hub.docker.com\\\/u\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/iwellguard\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/bit.ly\\\/m\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/entre-vos-mains.alsace.eu\\\/profiles\\\/iwellguard\\\/activity\",\"https:\\\/\\\/gravatar.com\\\/reallybeded8fd34\",\"https:\\\/\\\/naijamatta.com\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.goodreads.com\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/profile.hatena.ne.jp\\\/iwellguard\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/experiment.com\\\/users\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/wakelet.com\\\/@iWellGuard82270\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.chordie.com\\\/forum\\\/profile.php?id=2555664\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instapaper.com\\\/p\\\/17757966\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mapleprimes.com\\\/users\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/businesslistingplus.com\\\/profile\\\/iwell-guard\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/telegra.ph\\\/iWell-Guard-06-06\",\"https:\\\/\\\/pbase.com\\\/iwellguard\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/b.hatena.ne.jp\\\/iwellguard\\\/20260607#bookmark-4788405196491818882\",\"https:\\\/\\\/fliphtml5.com\\\/home\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/anyflip.com\\\/homepage\\\/cmiwl#About\",\"https:\\\/\\\/transfur.com\\\/Users\\\/iwellguard\",\"http:\\\/\\\/delphi.larsbo.org\\\/user\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/jobs.lajobsportal.org\\\/profiles\\\/8380803-iwell-guard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/md.chaosdorf.de\\\/s\\\/jfbe5SBdJD\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lingvolive.com\\\/en-us\\\/profile\\\/9ecaeaca-ce11-4e51-9e71-01d55e2bff36\\\/translations\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fitday.com\\\/fitness\\\/forums\\\/members\\\/iwellguard.html\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mymeetbook.com\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/pxhere.com\\\/en\\\/photographer-me\\\/5040798\",\"https:\\\/\\\/disqus.com\\\/by\\\/iwellguard\\\/about\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/pastelink.net\\\/hjwciqwq\",\"https:\\\/\\\/pubhtml5.com\\\/homepage\\\/scjhn\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bitchute.com\\\/channel\\\/2O2eOKzNqujT\",\"https:\\\/\\\/audiomack.com\\\/iwellguard\"]},{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/satan\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/satan\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ralf Ittermann\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ee2a27f1cac3406c7c6fb5820cb7349f\"},\"headline\":\"Satan\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-21T11:08:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-05T14:29:24+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/satan\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2488,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/satan\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/goetter_christentum_satan.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Christianity\",\"Cultures\",\"Gods\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"description\":\"Satan is the central adversary figure of the Christian tradition. From the Hebrew ha-satan (\\\"the accuser\\\") in the Book of Job to the personified...\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Satan: God of the Christian Tradition | iWell Guard","description":"Satan is the central adversary figure of the Christian tradition. From the Hebrew ha-satan (\"the accuser\") in the Book of Job to the personified...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/satan\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Satan","og_description":"Satan is the central adversary figure of the Christian tradition. From the Hebrew ha-satan (\"the accuser\") in the Book of Job to the personified...","og_url":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/satan\/","og_site_name":"iWell Guard","article_modified_time":"2026-06-05T14:29:24+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":1536,"url":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_christentum_satan.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"12 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/satan\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/satan\/"},"author":{"name":"Ralf Ittermann","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/ee2a27f1cac3406c7c6fb5820cb7349f"},"headline":"Satan","datePublished":"2026-04-21T11:08:43+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-05T14:29:24+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/satan\/"},"wordCount":2488,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/satan\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_christentum_satan.webp","articleSection":["Christianity","Cultures","Gods"],"inLanguage":"en-US","description":"Satan is the central adversary figure of the Christian tradition. From the Hebrew ha-satan (\"the accuser\") in the Book of Job to the personified..."},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/satan\/","url":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/satan\/","name":"Satan: God of the Christian Tradition | iWell Guard","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/satan\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/satan\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_christentum_satan.webp","datePublished":"2026-04-21T11:08:43+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-05T14:29:24+00:00","description":"Satan is the central adversary figure of the Christian tradition. From the Hebrew ha-satan (\"the accuser\") in the Book of Job to the personified...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/satan\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/satan\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/satan\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_christentum_satan.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_christentum_satan.webp","width":1024,"height":1536,"caption":"Gods from the Christian tradition."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/satan\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Start","item":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/home\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Satan"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/","name":"iWell Guard","description":"Schutz vor dunklen Einfl\u00fcssen","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#organization","name":"Ittermann electronic GmbH","url":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ittermann-Logo-1182x237-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ittermann-Logo-1182x237-1.png","width":1182,"height":237,"caption":"Ittermann electronic GmbH"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/pantip.com\/profile\/9367242","https:\/\/micro.blog\/iwellguard","https:\/\/www.diggerslist.com\/iwellguard\/about","https:\/\/skitterphoto.com\/photographers\/2870314\/iwell-guard","https:\/\/iwellguard.wordpress.com\/2026\/06\/06\/iwell-guard\/","https:\/\/hub.docker.com\/u\/iwellguard","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/iwellguard\/","https:\/\/bit.ly\/m\/iwellguard","https:\/\/entre-vos-mains.alsace.eu\/profiles\/iwellguard\/activity","https:\/\/gravatar.com\/reallybeded8fd34","https:\/\/naijamatta.com\/iwellguard","https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/iwellguard","https:\/\/profile.hatena.ne.jp\/iwellguard\/","https:\/\/experiment.com\/users\/iwellguard","https:\/\/wakelet.com\/@iWellGuard82270","https:\/\/www.chordie.com\/forum\/profile.php?id=2555664","https:\/\/www.instapaper.com\/p\/17757966","https:\/\/www.mapleprimes.com\/users\/iwellguard","https:\/\/businesslistingplus.com\/profile\/iwell-guard\/","https:\/\/telegra.ph\/iWell-Guard-06-06","https:\/\/pbase.com\/iwellguard\/iwellguard","https:\/\/b.hatena.ne.jp\/iwellguard\/20260607#bookmark-4788405196491818882","https:\/\/fliphtml5.com\/home\/iwellguard","https:\/\/anyflip.com\/homepage\/cmiwl#About","https:\/\/transfur.com\/Users\/iwellguard","http:\/\/delphi.larsbo.org\/user\/iwellguard","https:\/\/jobs.lajobsportal.org\/profiles\/8380803-iwell-guard","https:\/\/md.chaosdorf.de\/s\/jfbe5SBdJD","https:\/\/www.lingvolive.com\/en-us\/profile\/9ecaeaca-ce11-4e51-9e71-01d55e2bff36\/translations","https:\/\/www.fitday.com\/fitness\/forums\/members\/iwellguard.html","https:\/\/www.mymeetbook.com\/iwellguard","https:\/\/pxhere.com\/en\/photographer-me\/5040798","https:\/\/disqus.com\/by\/iwellguard\/about\/","https:\/\/pastelink.net\/hjwciqwq","https:\/\/pubhtml5.com\/homepage\/scjhn\/","https:\/\/www.bitchute.com\/channel\/2O2eOKzNqujT","https:\/\/audiomack.com\/iwellguard"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/ee2a27f1cac3406c7c6fb5820cb7349f","name":"Ralf Ittermann","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/073c0153e350a5005b68eb752b445fea71f6b24a26da9449ad7e155e6b446c9d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/073c0153e350a5005b68eb752b445fea71f6b24a26da9449ad7e155e6b446c9d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/073c0153e350a5005b68eb752b445fea71f6b24a26da9449ad7e155e6b446c9d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Ralf Ittermann"},"givenName":"Ralf","familyName":"Ittermann","jobTitle":"Gesch\u00e4ftsf\u00fchrer und redaktioneller Verantwortlicher","url":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/author\/claude\/","description":"Ralf Ittermann ist Gesch\u00e4ftsf\u00fchrer der Ittermann electronic GmbH und redaktioneller Verantwortlicher des iWell-Guard-Lexikons. Er verbindet langj\u00e4hrige Erfahrung in der Pr\u00e4zisionsfertigung mit medialer Praxis und religionsgeschichtlicher Quellenarbeit.","worksFor":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Ittermann electronic GmbH","url":"https:\/\/ittermann.de\/","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"K\u00f6hlergasse 16-18","postalCode":"99842","addressLocality":"Ruhla","addressCountry":"DE"}},"knowsAbout":["Religionsgeschichte","Mythologie","Mediale Praxis","Energetische Diagnostik","Schutzpraxis","Volksglauben","Westliche Esoterik"]},{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/satan\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/satan\/"},"author":{"name":"Ralf Ittermann","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/ee2a27f1cac3406c7c6fb5820cb7349f"},"headline":"Satan","datePublished":"2026-04-21T11:08:43+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-05T14:29:24+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/satan\/"},"wordCount":2488,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/satan\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_christentum_satan.webp","articleSection":["Christianity","Cultures","Gods"],"inLanguage":"en-US","description":"Satan is the central adversary figure of the Christian tradition. From the Hebrew ha-satan (\"the accuser\") in the Book of Job to the personified..."}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4797","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4797"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4797\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7296,"href":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4797\/revisions\/7296"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}