Editing Devil (section)

== Judaism ==
{{Further|Satan#Judaism}}
[[Yahweh]], the god in pre-exilic [[Judaism]], created both good and evil, as stated in [[Book of Isaiah|Isaiah]] 45:7: "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things." The Devil does not exist in Jewish scriptures. Satan, who will later become a representative for the Devil in Christian tradition, is not yet the Devil. The Hebrew term śāṭān (Hebrew: שָּׂטָן), meaning "accuser" or "adversary", was applied to both human and heavenly adversaries.<ref>Kelly, Henry Ansgar (2006). Satan: A Biography. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-84339-3.p. 1-13</ref><ref>Campo, Juan Eduardo (2009). Encyclopedia of Islam. Facts On File. ISBN 978-1-438-12696-8. p. 603</ref></ref> However, even when the term is referring to a supernatural adversary, such as in Numbers 22:22 and in Job 1–2, Satan is merely one "of the Sons of God", a manifestation of God's will.<ref>Jeffrey Burton Russell, ''The Devil: Perceptions of Evil from Antiquity to Primitive Christianity'', Cornell University Press 1987 {{ISBN|978-0-801-49409-3}}, pp. 189-191</ref>

Under influence of [[Zoroastrianism]] during the [[Achaemenid Empire]], which introduced the idea of Evil as a separate principle into the Jewish belief system, Satan gradually developed into an independent principle, abolishing the Godhead from evil actions.<ref>Jeffrey Burton Russell, ''The Devil: Perceptions of Evil from Antiquity to Primitive Christianity'', Cornell University Press 1987 {{ISBN| 978-0-801-49409-3}}, p. 58</ref> In the [[Book of Jubilees]], the evil angel [[Mastema]] substitutes deprecated actions of Yahweh.<ref>Löfstedt, Torsten. "Who is the Blinder of Eyes and Hardener of Hearts in John 12: 40?." Svensk Exegetisk Årsbok 84 (2019): 191.</ref><ref>Russell, Jeffrey Burton. The devil: Perceptions of evil from antiquity to primitive Christianity. Cornell University Press, 1987. p. 204</ref> Nonetheless, Mastema can only act with God's permission<ref>Russell, Jeffrey Burton. The devil: Perceptions of evil from antiquity to primitive Christianity. Cornell University Press, 1987. p. 194</ref> and only succeeds then attacking non-Jewish nations.<ref>Hanneken, Todd R. The Subversion of the Apocalypses in the Book of Jubilees. Vol. 34. Society of Biblical Lit, 2012. p. 63-64</ref>

In the [[Book of Enoch]], there is an entire class of angels called satans.<ref>Russell, Jeffrey Burton. The devil: Perceptions of evil from antiquity to primitive Christianity. Cornell University Press, 1987. p. 206</ref> According to Jeffrey Burton Russell, Satan is yet another name for [[Azazel]], the leader of the rebel [[Fallen angel|rebel angel]] of the story.<ref>Russell, Jeffrey Burton. The devil: Perceptions of evil from antiquity to primitive Christianity. Cornell University Press, 1987. p. 206</ref> Derek R. Brown argues that here, the Devil and the satans are still distinct: while Azazel and his angels rebel against God, the satans act on God's behalf as God's executioners of Divine Judgement.<ref>Derek R. Brown The Devil in the Details: A Survey of Research on Satan in Biblical Studies, Currents in Biblical Research 9, no.22 (Mar 2011): 200–227</ref> The fallen angels are blamed for introducing the forbidden arts of war into the world and sire demonic offspring with human women.<ref>Laurence, Richard (1883). "The Book of Enoch the Prophet". from the original on 5 February 2022.</ref> By ascirbing the origin of evil to angels acting from God independently, evil is attributed to something supernatural from without; external to the prevailing belief-system.<ref>Annette Yoshiko Reed Fallen Angels and the History of Judaism and Christianity: The Reception of Enochic Literature Cambridge University Press 2005 ISBN 978-0-521-85378-1 p. 6</ref> Due to resemblance of the fallen angels with creatures of Greek mythology, the fallen angels might be a reaction invading Hellenistic culture, resulting in perceived oppression of the Jews.<ref>George W. E. Nickelsburg. "Apocalyptic and Myth in 1 Enoch 6–11." Journal of Biblical Literature, vol. 96, no. 3, 1977, pp. 383–405</ref>

The story of fallen angels, proposing a second independent power in heaven, was at odds with later [[Rabbinic Judaism]].<ref>SUTER, DAVID. Fallen Angel, Fallen Priest: The Problem of Family Purity in 1 Enoch 6—16. Hebrew Union College Annual, vol. 50, 1979, pp. 115–135. JSTOR,</ref> Therefore, the Book of Enoch, which depicted the evil as an independent force besides God were rejected.<ref>Jackson, David R. (2004). ''Enochic Judaism. London: T&T Clark International.'' pp. 2–4. {{ISBN|0-8264-7089-0}}</ref> After the [[Apocalyptic literature|apocalyptic period]], references to [[Satan#Judaism|Satan]] in the [[Tanakh]] are thought to be [[allegorical]].<ref>Jeffrey Burton Russell, ''The Devil: Perceptions of Evil from Antiquity to Primitive Christianity'', Cornell University Press 1987 {{ISBN|978-0-801-49409-3}}, p. 29</ref>