The Origin of Satan: How Christians Demonized Jews, Pagans and Heretics

by Elaine Pagels

As Satan became an increasingly important and personified figure, stories about his origin proliferated. One group tells how one of the angels, himself high in the heavenly hierarchy, proved insubordinate to his commander in chief and so was thrown out of heaven, demoted, and disgraced, an echo of Isaiah’s account of the fall of a great prince: How are you fallen from heaven, day star, son of the dawn! How are you fallen to earth, conqueror of the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven, above the stars of God; I will set my throne on high … I will ascend upon the high clouds.…” But you are brought down to darkness [or: the underworld, sheol], to the depths of the pit (Isa. 14:12–15). Nearly two and a half thousand years after Isaiah wrote, this luminous falling star, his name translated into Latin as Lucifer (“light-bearer”) was transformed by Milton into the protagonist of Paradise Lost.