Satan as Evil is a Recent Development
Satan, as he is known today – i.e. the evil-doer in the Christian world - is a recent invention. The word Satan (in Hebrew, ha satan) means the “adversary”, “opposer” or “obstructor”. This was a supernatural being who was part of God’s court, one of his obedient servants. In Hebrew, Satan was called malakim, a member of the heavenly court. The word malak, translated into Greek becomes angelos, from which the word angel comes. There is nothing of evil in any of these definitions. Satan is seen as... Sign in to see full entry.