Satan , Israelite`s /Jews view ./ Satan Christendom`s views .

by smiddy3 8 Replies latest jw friends

  • smiddy3
    smiddy3

    Over the years I have come across different writings that suggest a total difference in how the chosen people of Israel and the Jewish religion of today with the "Old Testament" viewed "Satan" and how the many of Christendoms religions including the Jehovah`s Witnesses view Satan in the Bible .

    They seem to be at odds with each other ?

    Does the Christian Greek Scriptures " New Testament" contradict the Hebrew scriptures of the "Old Testament " about who or what Satan is ?

    The Israelite`s /Jews were Gods Chosen people for 4,000 years wouldn`t /shouldn`t they know better about Satan than the Christian religion that usurped the Jewish religion ?

  • Bobcat
    Bobcat

    Hi smiddy,

    What were some of the differences in opinion that you noted?

  • nowwhat?
    nowwhat?

    Come to think of it it why was it never taught that by worshipping false gods the Israelites were in effect worshipping Satan?

  • LostAdam
    LostAdam

    I've been always wondering why the OT says almost nothing about Satan and the NT includes so many details about him. Seems like Satan was sleeping all the time and suddenly got very active around the first century lol.

  • smiddy3
    smiddy3

    Bobcat ,My understanding is that the Jewish religion does not recognise Satan as a personal being as taught in the New Testament.

    "my Jewish Learning" Beliefs and practices of Jews is a site to look up regarding Satan.

    Maybe one of our Jewish friends here can articulate the thought better than I can

  • Whynot
    Whynot

    I was just discussing this with my husband last week. I went to My Jewish Learning and beliefnet to see what they say about satan. Christians and Jews definitely have different views on the matter.

    I also found these links helpful

    http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/mike_uram/Angels_Satan_amulets_3_things_most_dont_know_about_Judaism.html?mobi=true

    https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/satan

  • smiddy3
    smiddy3

    One line of thought that intrigued me was that since GOD was Almighty the Alpha and Omega evil is just another part of his makeup .He is the the GOD of good in the world and he is also responsible for evil.

    That`s why he put the tree of the knowledge of good and bad in the garden of Eden to test Adam and Eve.

    However like Christendom`s disunity of beliefs , their is no unity of belief in Jewish thinking regarding Satan.

    Thanx for that link Whynot.

  • Old Navy
    Old Navy

    One day we shall know. Satan exists for a reason. Ultimately, for our benefit.

  • fulltimestudent
    fulltimestudent

    What seem to be the earliest (it is difficult to assign a date to the various documents that have been preserved as part of the OT) documents that form the OT, do not seem to provide much information about 'Satan.' And, for example. was the 'serpent' story of Genesis 3 really a later interpolation added between chapter two and four? If so, there does not seem to be much knowledge of this character in early judaism.

    Perhaps the document known as Job, marks the first real introduction of Satan to Jewish thought. Out former brothers, claiming guidance by holy spirit (though they still seem prone to error) claim that it was written by Moses, though they offer no evidence for that in the Aid book. But what if it was really written during the Babylonish captivity? The Wikipedia entry suggests that time period.

    Quote: "Rabbinic tradition ascribes the authorship of Job to Moses, but scholars generally agree that it was written between the 7th and 4th centuries BCE, with the 6th century BCE as the most likely period for various reasons."

    Such a date makes it possible that the writer may have been a Jewish scribe exposed to Zoroastrian thought , particularly if it was later in that time during the the initial Persian period. In Zorastrian thought we find a much greater detail about the opposing forces of darkness and light.

    By the time we get closer to the Jesus time, we may observe in the writings of the Qumran community (The Dead Sea Scrolls) even more detail about the opposition of light and darkness. Satan now is a much more developed personality.

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