Origins of Lucifer and other Xtian Rituals

Why do people call Satan "Lucifer" when in fact the Bible was supposedly written before the Latin language came about? And why is Satan only one person in the New Testament, when he was "many" in the Old Testament? Did you know that in the early 3rd century, pagans and Christians co-existed with no problems in and among Rome?

Just asking.......I'd like to get a discussion going. :bird4:

 

Interesting questions. I'll just add that this is a forum that welcomes different and unorthodox questions... so long as you play nice.

Have fun.

 

Care to quote some chapter and verse examples for your bible references?

 

He was the pointy headed dude with the Christmas lights for brains on Battlestar Galactica.

 

Why are humans called homo sapiens? I'm pretty sure they were around way before the Latin language also.

 

Constantine granted Christians toleration in 313 (which is the 4th century if I am not mistaken). Being that he was born a pagan it is understandable that both lived in peace during the majority of his rule. Later, though, the pagan temples were closed and Christianity became the state religion. He was baptized shortly before his death.

 

According to the Bible, Lucifer was an angel of light, created by God as superior to every other angel. When Lucifer stood against God and was cast out of heaven, and later contributed to the fall of mankind in Eden, God renamed him Satan, from the Hebrew word for "accuser" or "adversary".

[source: www.searchgodsword.org]

 

I don't think I'm familiar with what you're referring to. Can you produce a quote or a link for that?

 

You have no idea how hard it was for me to find those quotes I had read awhile ago. It's been years since I read the bible. I think I threw out the one that I had all my notes in by accident.
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"Lucifer makes his appearance in the fourteenth chapter of the Old Testament book of Isaiah, at the twelfth verse, and nowhere else: "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!"

"The first problem is that Lucifer is a Latin name. So how did it find its way into a Hebrew manuscript, written before there was a Roman language?

"The answer was a surprise. In the original Hebrew text, the fourteenth chapter of Isaiah is not about a fallen angel, but about a fallen Babylonian king, who during his lifetime had persecuted the children of Israel. It contains no mention of Satan, either by name or reference. The Hebrew scholar could only speculate that some early Christian scribes, writing in the Latin tongue used by the Church, had decided for themselves that they wanted the story to be about a fallen angel, a creature not even mentioned in the original Hebrew text, and to whom they gave the name "Lucifer."



"The answer was a surprise. In the original Hebrew text, the fourteenth chapter of Isaiah is not about a fallen angel, but about a fallen Babylonian king, who during his lifetime had persecuted the children of Israel. It contains no mention of Satan, either by name or reference. The Hebrew scholar could only speculate that some early Christian scribes, writing in the Latin tongue used by the Church, had decided for themselves that they wanted the story to be about a fallen angel, a creature not even mentioned in the original Hebrew text, and to whom they gave the name "Lucifer."

"Why Lucifer? In Roman astronomy, Lucifer was the name given to the morning star (the star we now know by another Roman name, Venus). The morning star appears in the heavens just before dawn, heralding the rising sun. The name derives from the Latin term lucem ferre, bringer, or bearer, of light." In the Hebrew text the expression used to describe the Babylonian king before his death is Helal, son of Shahar, which can best be translated as "Day star, son of the Dawn." The name evokes the golden glitter of a proud king's dress and court (much as his personal splendor earned for King Louis XIV of France the appellation, "The Sun King").

"The scholars authorized by ... King James I to translate the Bible into current English did not use the original Hebrew texts, but used versions translated ... largely by St. Jerome in the fourth century. Jerome had mistranslated the Hebraic metaphor, "Day star, son of the Dawn," as "Lucifer," and over the centuries a metamorphosis took place. Lucifer the morning star became a disobedient angel, cast out of heaven to rule eternally in hell. Theologians, writers, and poets interwove the myth with the doctrine of the Fall, and in Christian tradition Lucifer is now the same as Satan, the Devil, and --- ironically --- the Prince of Darkness.

"So "Lucifer" is nothing more than an ancient Latin name for the morning star, the bringer of light. That can be confusing for Christians who identify Christ himself as the morning star, a term used as a central theme in many Christian sermons. Jesus refers to himself as the morning star in Revelation 22 "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star." "And so there are those who do not read beyond the King James version of the Bible, who say 'Lucifer is Satan: so says the Word of God'...."
http://www.lds-mormon.com/lucifer.shtml
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"What is thy name? And he said my name is Legion, for we are many." Mark 5:9

"...in Rabbical writings, Satan's origins began to be linked to Eve and the applie incident. Also it was here that the satan was mentioned as a powerful wicked angel known as Sammael, "chief of the satans." Objecting to God's creation of man, Sammael led a plot against humankind and traveled to earth, using the serpent to start the Fall by tempting Eve. For this, he and his follower angels were cast out of heaven, just as Adam and Eve were cast out of Eden."

Satan is also interchangeable (to some) with Azazel, the demon of the desert.

"And Aaron shall cast lots upon the other two goats, one for the Lord, and the other for Azazel. And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord's lot fell and offer him for a sin offering. But the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel, shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make atonement with him and to let him go to Azazel in the desert." Leviticus 16:8

Eventually, Azazel's notoriety faded away and his place was ultimately usupred by Satan (the adversary, in the Book of Job) whom the New Testament takes up as its most important fallen angel.

In modern Christianity, Asmodeus retains his hybrid shape and powers and is also known as Sammael which is in turn known as Satan.

Satan is also known as Asmodeus, Iblis*, Sammael, Azazel, Set, and the modern name Lucifer, etc.

*Iblis is a fallen angel of Islam and is known as the spirit of doubt. Iblis is a powerful subversive spirit and is the chief of all djinn, in lore, is is closely related to Azazel.

Sammael (Satanil, Samil, Satan, Seir, Salmael, etc)- It's a combination of "Sam" meaning poison, and "el" meaning angel. In rabbinic literature, Samael is chief of the Satans and the angel of death.

Asmodeus ("creature of judgement", Asmoday, Ashmeday, Asmodius, Sydoney)-The name is derived from ashma daeva. Asmodeus is a Persian name rather than a Jewish devil, however, incorporated into Jewish lore, he is regarded as an evil spirit. It was Asmodeus who made Noah drunk, who slew the 7 bridesmaids of Sarah, and was finally overcome by Raphael and was banished to upper Egypt.

Satan (in Hebrew the name means "adversary")-In Numbers 22:22 the angel of the Lord stands against Balaam "for an adversary" (satan). In other Old Testament books (Job, I Chronicles, Psalms, Zechariah) the term likewise designates an office; and the angel investing that office is not fallen. He becomes such starting in the New Testament when he emerges as Satan (capital S), the prince of evil and the enemy of God, and is characterized by such titles as "prince of this world" (John 16:11) and "prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2). When Peter was rebuked by Jesus, he was called Satan (Luke 4:8). In time, according to Jerome, Gregory of Nyssa, Origen, Ambrosiaster, and others, Satan will be reinstated in his "pristine splendor and original rank". This is also cabalistic doctrine.

Iblis, Eblis ("despair")-Persian and Arabic lore. Related to Satan, Sammael, Azazel, etc. Was a high powered angel until he refused to worship Adam. In the Koran, Iblis is spoken of as a djinn rather than a fallen angel.

Azazel (Azza, Azzael)-In the early part of 3 Enoch, Azazel is represented as one of the 3 ministering angels, inhabitants of the 7th heaven, later he is represented as a fallen angel and eventually his name became interchangeable with Satan.

Sources: internet, "A Field Guide to Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels, and other Subversive Spirits" Mack/Mack, "A Dictionary of Angels, including the Fallen Angels" Gustav Davidson
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If you don't fancy all that, feel free to read http://perdurabo10.tripod.com/id338.html I'm sure you'll get a good laugh out of it.

 

Thanks CFG! Wow, that was a misconception I had (re: Lucifer). Thank you for straightening me out on that. And thank you for your effort and willingness to find and post those notes. :xyzthumbs

About Mark 5:9, I think the context of the incident suggests that "Legion" was actually a number of demons who had possessed a man living in a tomb, but speaking in one voice. I don't think Legion is supposed to be Satan.