STORY OF THE WEEK: The Evolution of Good and Evil
Modern Christianity’s misconceptions about Satan
Let me ask you a question.
How many times do you think Satan is mentioned in the Old Testament?
Take a guess!
Don’t let the silence of your mind’s dusty shelves deceive you. The answer may surprise you. Despite the modern-day evangelical obsession with the personification of evil, his appearances in the Old Testament are about as rare as unicorn sightings in downtown Manhattan.
In fact, you’ll find Satan only appears four times in the more than half a million words of the Old Testament.
Surprised?
I certainly was.
And that’s because when I was brought up in the church, Satan seemed like such a central character in the Biblical drama of good versus evil. From fiery sermons warning me of his plot to personally destroy me to vivid Sunday school illustrations depicting him as a horned, pitchfork-wielding adversary, Satan loomed large in my imagination. Yet, as I dived deeper into the pages of the Old Testament during my theological training, I found myself confronted with a surprising reality: Satan’s role in these ancient texts is far more nuanced and limited than I had been led to believe.
In fact, in the few instances where Satan does make an appearance in the Old Testament, he is not the diabolical mastermind orchestrating all evil but rather a subtle adversary or accuser, challenging the righteousness of a few individuals. He’s a far cry from the nefarious archvillain of popular imagination, and it has forced me to reconsider my understanding of the nature of evil in the biblical narrative.
If Satan isn’t the primary antagonist in the Old Testament, where does that leave us in our quest to understand the origins of good and evil? To unravel this mystery, we must travel back in time and examine the evolution of the character apparently responsible for evil: Satan.
Let’s start at the beginning.
Satan Didn’t Exist at First
In the Old Testament, the term “Satan” with a capital “S” is not explicitly used to refer to a specific supernatural figure as it is commonly understood in later Jewish and Christian theology.
Satan didn’t exist — at least not in the way that modern Christians understand him.
Instead, the term “satan” usually appears in the Old Testament and is translated as “adversary” or “accuser.” In fact, there are no instances in the Old Testament where “Satan” is mentioned with a capital “S” in the sense of referring to a single malevolent entity.
Surprised?
But Wasn’t Satan in the Garden of Eden?
I can already hear the objections! Ask any Christian where Satan makes his first appearance in Scripture, and they will tell you with some confidence that it’s Genesis 3, where an enigmatic serpent leads Adam and Eve astray and precipitates humanity’s fall from grace.
In the biblical account, the serpent is depicted as a crafty creature, tempting Adam and Eve with the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. And while the serpent’s role in the story is pivotal, the text itself does not explicitly identify it as Satan.
Instead, the association between the serpent and Satan emerged sometime later — much later actually — as interpreters sought to make sense of the complexities of the human condition and the nature of evil. You may choose to extrapolate that the serpent is Satan, but here’s the thing: The original author of the text didn’t make that connection.
What about the Story of Job?
Now, I’m waiting for the backyard theologians among you to bring up the story of Job. It is true that, in the book of Job, Satan appears in the prologue (Job 1–2) as a member of the divine council, presenting himself before God along with other heavenly beings.
However, in this context, “Satan” is not necessarily a proper name but, again, a title meaning “adversary” or “accuser.” Satan challenges God, suggesting that Job’s faithfulness is contingent upon his blessings and that he would curse God if those blessings were removed.
Here, Satan acts more as a celestial prosecutor or tester rather than the malevolent figure commonly associated with later Christian theology. What’s really interesting here is that Satan is part of the heavenly court and operates within the parameters set by God, testing Job’s faith under divine permission. It’s almost as if he belongs.
So, while Satan does indeed appear in the Book of Job, this portrayal of Satan isn’t as the ultimate evil mastermind either, but again as more of an adversary or accuser, fitting with how the term “satan” is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Isn’t “Accuser” just another name for Satan?
You might be thinking that I haven’t proven anything. After all, isn’t the word “accuser” just another name for “satan” anyway?
Not exactly.
While “satan” does mean “accuser” in Hebrew, it’s essential to understand that the term itself doesn’t refer to a being. In the Old Testament, “satan” is used more broadly to describe any adversary or accuser, whether human or divine.
In fact, in the Old Testament, there is a passage where the term “satan” is even used to describe an angel. That’s right — an angel from God! In the book of Numbers, specifically in Numbers 22:22, we encounter an instance where an angel is referred to as a “satan” (adversary or accuser) in the Hebrew text.
In this passage, the prophet Balaam is on a journey, and his path is obstructed by an angel of the Lord standing in his way with a drawn sword. The angel is described as a “satan” (adversary) because it opposes or acts as an obstacle to Balaam’s progress.
And, of course, we can’t forget that even Jesus said to his own disciple, Peter, “Get behind me, Satan!” when he got in the way of God’s plans.
If Not Satan, Then What?
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