The Devil (also called Satan, Iblis, Lucifer, and Beelzebub) is a religious personification of evil. He works against God, employing an army of demons to harass humans and attempting to corrupt humans so that they too will follow his orders. Just as he did with famous demons such as Lilith.
Physical Description
He is a shape-shifter, so an exact description of his appearance is impossible. However, he has some classic forms that he uses over and over again. Before becoming “the devil,” he was an angel (or a djinn, according to some Islamic sources) in God’s inner circle. Like other angels, he was beautiful. He may have had wings and an aura of light around him.
After he was cast out of heaven, he began to take on various monstrous forms. Snakes, pigs, and goats were some of his favorite forms. Even when he wasn’t completely disguised as an animal, he liked to add some animal features to his form.
For example, he could appear as a man with goat hooves and horns or with the scaly skin of a snake. His skin was also discolored; it could be blue, green, or black, but red was the most popular color. Perhaps the most sinister form of the Devil is human. He can easily blend into the crowd by posing as a man, usually an attractive and wealthy one.
The Devil’s Personality
The Devil is a troublemaker; this is something very few people dispute. At first, the Devil’s main fault was probably pride. He was cast out of heaven because he refused to bow down to man, reasoning that God had made man from the earth and angels (or djinn) from fire. Therefore, he must be superior to man.
When God denied the Devil’s superiority and banished him to earth, his pride was severely wounded. He vowed to take revenge on God and men. But he was too clever to attack humanity. Instead, he decided that he would corrupt the species, thereby dishonoring God and forcing the creator to punish humanity.
The Devil devised endless ways to tempt humanity into sinful behavior. He offered wealth to greedy men, revenge to angry men, luxury to lazy men, sex to lustful men, and so on.
This scheme, which succeeded in corrupting countless humans and spreading sin throughout the world, earned the Devil a reputation as a purely evil spirit with a powerful gift for temptation and deception. However, a small camp of people admire the Devil for his cunning intelligence and his rebellion against God, an authority who asked him to go against his own beliefs.
Cultural Representation
Evil characters who oppose the order of the good creators can be found in the earliest religions of humanity. In 3000 BC, the ancient Egyptians feared Apep, the god of chaos, who challenged Maat, the god of light and truth.
Zoroastrianism, dating back to the 6th century BC, has a “destructive spirit” called Angra Mainyu, who is the twin spirit of the creator, Spenta Mainyu. And the ancient Greeks, who probably had the greatest influence on the Devil, described the chaotic half-goat satyrs who disrupted the rule of the gods.
Jewish demon
Although most Jews today could tell us who the Devil is, he was not a prominent figure in early Judaism at all. In fact, he appears only once in the Torah, as a tempter who convinces God to test Job by taking away his wealth and family. The idea of a powerful devil contradicts the Jewish faith, which asserts that there is only one deity and that no one can approach his power.
However, there are some Jewish religious texts that expand on his existence. The Book of Enoch gives several examples of how the Devil (Satan) tempts God or humans to behave badly. It also describes Satan being cast out of heaven, along with a troop of other angels.
Christian Devil
The Christian Devil is much more powerful than the Jewish Devil. Throughout the Bible, he is described as “the prince of this world” and even “the god of this world,” and is seen tempting humans from the beginning, when he appears as a serpent to convince Adam and Eve to eat forbidden fruit. He also tempts powerful beings, including the apostles and even Jesus himself.
The early Christian church believed in the Devil and his demons as a very real force, constantly trying to corrupt humanity. The church’s belief in a literal devil led to many horrible events.
The church felt justified in attacking people who were “possessed” by the Devil, usually heretics or witches. The Church also claimed that anyone who disobeyed its rules would be forced to join the Devil in Hell, which God had created to punish him.
Modern appearances
Today, the Devil is so well known that his name can be used to describe anyone or anything that causes frustration (“that man is a devil” or “this is a devilish puzzle”). Countless horror movies, television shows, and books use the Devil as the ultimate villain, usually detectable only through his influence over lesser villains.
