Now the Serpent was the most cunning of the animals that the LORD God had The Serpent asked the woman, “Did God really tell you not to eat from anyof the trees in the garden?” The woman answered the serpent: “We may eat of thefruit of the garden; it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the gardenthat God said, ‘You shall not eat it or even touch it lest you die’.” But the Serpentsaid to the woman: “You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that themoment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods whoknow what is good and what is bad.” (Genesis 3:1-5) Serpent, Devil, Tempter, , Prince of Darkness, Fallen Angel, the Evil One, Lucifer,Diabolus, all of theses titles refer to the same figure, Satan. The name Satan comes from theHebrew for adversary. It is theorized that Satan is a symbolic figure for those who opposed theBiblical writers, in the Old Testament the Satan was meaning the other nations, the idolworshipers, and in the New the Pharisees and the Jews who ejected the growing Christian faithfrom the Jewish community. In the time of the later church, Satan and his works were meaningheretics and such. Anything on the outside that appeared to be a threat became of Satan. It isalso a theory that Satan is a real individual, a real spirit, the fallen angel. Some stories hold that selfish pride and lust for power brought about the fall of Lucifer,“the light bearer”. St. Augustine wrote that the Devil was “inflated with pride, he wished to becalled God”. The words of the prophet Isaiah illustrate this idea: How you are fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! How are youcut down to the ground, you who mowed down the nations! You said in yourheart: ‘I will scale the heavens; above the stars of God I will set up my throne; Iwill take my seat on the mount of assembly, in the recesses of th...
