Kenneth Ocasio
4/27/14 Bible as Literature
Research Paper
Although static as a character, set in his goals to tempt men and hunt for souls, the
transformation of Satan into the demonic persona most have come to know him as is quite
dynamic. The devil is a being of many names (Satan, Luficer, Prince of Darkness, etc) and
identities alike his most common being an angel who fell from heaven by rebelling against
God. Throughout the Old Testament he takes on differing roles and forms which lead up to
him as the full realized opposition of Christ in the New Testament. The function of Satan
in popular opinion varies with the most commonly held belief being he is a figure meant to
challenge god and undermine the morality of his greatest creation. In this sense Satan is a
reverend of sorts, unbiasedly turning all members of mankind toward the church of sin.
Whereas the horns, hooves and pitchfork may be for aesthetic purposes a major theme of
Satan is one that centers on the opposite. The devil much like his creator works in
mysterious ways, his subtle manipulation, and talent for temptation being the strongest
weapons in his arsenal. However to truly understand who or what exactly Satan is,
examining his personas along with his emergence in the bible could give one a better idea.
In Hebrew, Satan means adversary, it is not a name but a position or a role. The name does
not suggest a malevolent or nefarious nature but one of resistance, such as a force, that has
