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-----Original Message----- Shalom friends, Many Christians believe that there is a devil and that his name is "Lucifer." This "name" first appeared in the King James version of the Bible in Isaiah 14:12. It had not appeared in any of the previous English translations. "Lucifer" is a Latin word which comes from the roots "lux" (light) and "ferous" (to carry). It merely means "shining one" or "bright one." It was borrowed for Jerome's Latin translation where Jerome capitalized the word which changed it from a description to a proper name. Isaiah 14:4-21 is not a description of "the devil." It is a sarcastic song about the king of Babylon. It is not literal -- it is sarcasm. Much is made by "Messianics" today about "HaSatan;" which the Messianics call "the enemy." But hasatan is not a name either; it is a function. Hasatan does not mean enemy; it means "opposer" or "challenger." In most cases "hasatan" is our own "evil inclination." In other cases it is just the circumstances of life. In a few cases it may be a person or people around us. I can hear those Christians howling right now, "But what about Job?" Job is an allegorical midrash. It is not a historical event -- but rather it is a story that conveys a lesson (or rather a number of lessons). Kol tov, |