Camp Gagnon - Satan: Breaking Down The Origin of Lucifer

Episode Date: April 6, 2025

🚨 Make Sure To Rate Us 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟What is the origin of Satan? Join us, as we cover EVERY story, myth, and role surrounding the origin of Satan and his correlation through various religions! WELCOME TO Religion CAMP! 🏕️Shoutout to our sponsor: Ground NewsGround News: https://ground.news/gagnon 👕🧢 GET YOUR CAMP DRIP HERE: https://campgoods.co/🏕️ Get Today In History Email Here (Free): https://camp.beehiiv.com/TIMESTAMP: 0:00 South Park and Tenacious-D Satan 3:54 Camp Merch + Tour Dates5:14 Early Idea of Good vs Evil + Do Women Like Body Hair?7:20 Zoroastrianism 15:20 Mesopotamia and 17:11 Satan's Role As An Adversary + Story of Job + Book of Zechariah24:34 Satan Doesn't rule Hell In The Bible30:53 The Babylonian Exile35:05 Satan’s Transition + Book of Enoch + War Scrolls40:06 Satan In Christianity + Tempting Jesus + Satan In Revelation46:17 Medieval Satan + Dante's Inferno56:29 Satan In Milton’s Paradise1:01:38 The Satanic Panic + The Satanic Temple1:08:52 What Do You Think Of Satan?

The origins of Satan. When you hear the word Satan, you probably think of like this singular malevolent being, this villain and cosmic battle between good and evil. But in the Hebrew Bible, Satan wasn't anything like the devil we know from Christian theology. In fact, Satan wasn't even a name. It was just a title in the book of Job. Satan appears among the sons of God. Satan in the Hebrew Bible isn't some rogue agent against God.

He's firmly under divine control. His role is less about spreading chaos and more about ensuring justice by exposing human weakness. Mastema, a figure equated with Satan, requests permission from God to keep some demons on earth to tempt humans. John's gospel refers to Satan as the ruler of the world, kind of suggesting his influence over the earth. Satan wasn't always portrayed as this terrifying figure in medieval culture. In some medieval mystery plays, he appears as a comedic character.

So we're going to go all the way back through the history of Satan. Where is Satan from? What's his whole vibe? Where did he grow up? We're going to figure it all out today. So sit back, relax. Let's wrap it. What's up, people, and welcome back to Religion Camp.

My name is Mark Gagdon, and welcome my tent, where I explore the most interesting, fascinating, and controversial topics from all religions from around the world from all times. I'm joined today by my friend Christos. How are you? What's up, everybody? Typically producing from beyond the tent. But today, he has entered to the holiest of chambers,

the holiest of holies, to discuss an interesting topic, The Origins of Satan. Diablo. Exactly. It's an interesting question, Satan, right? Because for me, I grew up Catholic. Satan just always was. Right?

Like, it's just, it's like the origin of God. It's like, yeah, there is none. He's God. Or I guess, like, maybe not he always was, but like my conception as like a Catholic is like, all right, God created angels. He made one angel that was like sick as hell, literally. And was like running the show with all the other angels.

He played music. He got very prideful. He didn't want to serve humanity. Got banished out of the kingdom of heaven. Went to hell with a legion of demons. And then, yeah, it just runs hell. And then God is in heaven, run in heaven. And then God gives Satan dominion over the earth.

That's what I was taught as a child. Well, they say Satan was a fallen angel. Exactly. Right. That's what I was just saying. Oh, sorry. Christos. I was lost in your eyes.

What the hell, dude? It's been a dry angel. season. It's okay. It's turning around. That is what people say. He's a fallen angel. And by people, that's what I say, just moments ago. But so yeah, to me, it's like, yeah, it's just fundamental. But again, it seems like Satan or some type of adversary exists in a bunch of different cultures

throughout a bunch of different time periods. It seems like our depiction of a modern Satan with like a pointy tail and red and, you know, a cute high ass. South Park's depiction of the devil is the best, I think. Can you pull that out? Of course. I'd love to see. But like, where did that come from? Like, who was that that's not really in the Bible. It's not like, oh, he's got a pitchfork and he's got, you know, red horns.

So there's all these kinds of things where it's like, you think you know. Oh, with the goat feet. That's sort of sick. Sick little bell buckle. That's the best. Yeah, that one's pretty good. I like Tenacious D. Satan. Tenacious D.

Yeah, it's Tenacious D. Tribute Satan. You've never heard of Tenacious D? I've heard of Tenacious D. Jack Black and the other guy. This guy? Yeah. Hmm.

It's a sick-ass Satan. But yeah, it's actually kind of a similar vibe. He's got the goat feet, too. Oh, does he? Yeah. Look at that. You click on the right one. Wait, Dave Grohl says what?

It was pretty fun dressing up like the devil. Hold on. Did Dave Grohl play Satan in the music video? Apparently. No way. I mean, that's, what a world. So Dave Grohl is my favorite Satan. Anyway, so we're going to go all the way back through the history of Satan,

going all the way back to Zorian Astonism, Canaanites, the Hebrew Bible, all the way into Christianity, the New Testament. We're talking about Enoch and the Dead Sea Swirls and how Satan exists in those ancient texts. And then what Satan was really up to, tempting Jesus in the wilderness. And then medieval Satan, like how it got blended

with pagan gods and, you know, kind of takes on this idea in like Dante's Inferno and like the, that there's this pit in the center of the earth where, you know, the evil incarnate resides. So if you believe in Dante's inferno, the devil is kind of the final boss of hell. I think. I've never actually read the works of Dante.

So I don't really know the order of hell. That's probably what the book is about. But I assume, I mean, I don't know what's more evil than the devil, right? Like if you're writing a book and you're like, well, what's the evils thing? You'd be like, yeah, the devil is evil. Right. Regardless. We're going to figure it all out today.

So sit back, relax. it's wrap in. But before we do that, I also just want to give a quick shout out. We have merch on the website, Campgoods.co, soon to be renamed. I think in the new drop, we should do some religious merch.

Hmm. We should do something sick. Biblically accurate angel. You on the crucifix? That'd be great. That would be great. It might be sacrilegious. But also, without even really meaning to do that,

people have already said that, like, I did that, we did one episode about the, you know, all the evidence that Christ existed as a person on earth. and all the comments were like, why did you guys put Jesus as a white guy in the thumbnail? And I was like, that is just me.

Like, they thought that I was trying to be, I was like, bro, that's just what I look like. Yeah. But, you know, dress for the job you want. And then additionally, I'm on the road. So if you would like to come see me, do one singular hour of stand-up comedy, you can catch tickets at the markyagon.com.

I'm going all over. A bunch of tour dates. Maybe we plug that later. Maybe now. a bunch of cities. I mean, should I go through them right now? Charleston, Atlanta, Strodsburg, Hoboken, Indianapolis, Buffalo, Raleigh, Portland, Fort Worth, Austin, Stanford, Philadelphia, Levittown, Town, Chandler, Arizona, San Diego, Toronto, Montreal, Poughkepsy, and probably a few more are going to get added along the way. You can get all those tickets at Dmarkaggon.com. Now let's get into it, all right? Where is Satan from? What's his whole vibe? Where did he grow up? You know? What town is Chicago? What's your guess? I don't know. I don't know where Satan's really from. Long before the Bible was written, ancient civilizations, we're trying to figure out this concept of good versus evil, right? Like, people can just naturally deduce, we live in a world with good, right? You have children, you have a nice meal, your friend farts near fire, you're having a nice laugh. So that's pretty good. But then also, there's disease, war, death, all this evil stuff that exists. Innocent people, just, you know, getting illnesses or an arrow flies over. your campsite and just hits your mom in the head and you're like, damn, that sucks. Why would that

happen to me? And from an early, early time in human history, people try to figure it out. Where does evil come from? And these early adversarial beings that people were kind of putting together weren't necessarily the ultimate embodiment of evil, but they played a role within their specific pantheons. So we're going to Persia. You know about Persia? A little bit, aka Iran, modern day, A.k.a. Persian. I don't know any Iranian that says they're Iranian. They're all like, yeah, I'm Persian. Like, where are you from? They're like Iran. That is interesting. There's this influencer guy. Have you seen him? He's like super hairy, but he walks around without a shirt on. He's like one of these Riz gods. No. And he, yeah, do you want to see him? I mean, yeah, I'm on the edge of my seat. What kind of, what kind of a cliffhanger is this? What does he do? He rizzes up girls, even though he has a sweater of hair on his body.

The girls like that, Chris. That's what we need to know. You should know this as a swear to the Greek. I can tell you that they don't. No, they just don't like you. But they like the hair. That's a good point. They really like the hair, to be honest with you.

I'll tell you this about body hair. The girls that don't like it really don't like it, but the girls that do like it, like it a lot. That's great. So it just weeds them out. Yeah. Literally, like they're going to be weeding in your body hair. I'll be honest. Let me get to it.

I think this is the lost cause. If you can't find it within a 60-second Google search, I think we just got to keep on moving. Okay. So we're going to Persia, and we're going to talk about Zoroastrianism, one of the world's oldest continuously practiced religions. That's what I've always been told is like arguably the oldest. This will be contested, though. People don't like it when you say that. Specifically Hindus and Buddhists, they're like, no, no, we're the oldest. At the heart of Zoroastrianism belief that there is a battle between good and evil,

personified by two primordial spirits at Hurah Mazda and Angra Manu. Ahorah Mazda is the wise lord and basically represents everything that's good. The light, order, you know, is the creator god, the source of wisdom. And on the other hand, you have the Angra Manu, whose name literally means destructive spirit. And this entity just is everything evil, dark, and shitty that exists in the world. The Angra Manu isn't just a minor nuisance. This is a powerful force that actively opposes the Ahorah Mazda. and all of its creation.

The main you is responsible for death disease and literally all the suffering in the world. So in many ways, the Angra Man Yu serves as a prototype for later concepts of Satan. He's not seen as a lesser, you know, to the good God, but exists as an independent primordial force of evil. It's also worth noting before we get any deeper in this. This is kind of going to be examined from a quasi-secular worldview if you believe that Satan is, you know, this eternal. evil being that has no, you know, source other than God, then some of this examination might be, you know, outside of your faith background. Additionally, a lot of this information was put together by my friend Zach. Good old Zach, just a country bore from Mississippi. And he put together this

sick script. So I'm going to be learning along with you and then fact checking as I'm going along. If I miss anything, please don't hesitate to call me out. So the Zoroastrian worldview presents a dualistic cosmos where good and evil are locked in this eternal struggle. The idea of cosmic dualism later influences Judaism, obviously Christianity, basically all the Abrahamic religions. And as we move westward to the land of Canaan, we see another fascinating figure, Reischoff. Unlike Angra Mayneu, Reischoff isn't only evil. In fact, his role is like kind of complicated. Can we get a picture of Reischoff? This is an ancient West Semitic God

associated with plague, war, and just like kind of ruled hell. And his name appears in text dating back to I mean, I think it's like the third millennium BC. Showing just how ancient this Rishchev is. And Rishchev was likely worshipped across the near

east from Anatolia in modern day Turkey. It's a Cyprus and some people say even in Egypt. Oh wow. This is a creepy looking guy. Oh, it's a Egyptian vibes, Reischoff? Oh, wow. I mean, that's pretty crazy.

From Turkey to Egypt. I mean, that's a long way for people to be worshipping this god of plague and war. There are some ancient texts from the city of Ugarit, which is in Syria, that describe Reischief as a gatekeeper of the sun goddess and the guardian of the nether world.

He's also portrayed as the Lord of Battle, fire, and disease. I mean, that's crazy. He's a deity that's unleashing plagues with a bow and arrow. And this association with arch wasn't just metaphorical. In the Egyptian icons, Reischoff is often depicted as a warrior god, brandishing weapons. The Pharaoh Amenhotep 2 even considered Reischoff, his personal military protector. That's crazy. Do we get the image of him, or is the screen still bugging out?

Ray Chef. Yeah. Can you just highlight one of those? Okay, with a sick, oh, he's from Philly or something? He got a sick beard. I mean, he looks like full. fully Egyptian. Looks like it was a time before... Yeah, he's an Egyptian, dude. Yeah, I mean, that's... I mean, yeah, they said third century BC. So it's been a minute.

But yeah, that's wild. So this guy was just a god of war. And he had a special connection to the city of Shaquem, an important Canaanite city that later became the capital of Samaria. According to the text from Ebla, Rischoff was the patron

god of Shakem. This local connection shows how deeply embedded these deities were in the daily lives of these ancient people. That's interesting. And Rieshap wasn't only a war god. In some context, he was associated with not only war, but also of fertility and well-being. And the duality of the deity showcased the nature of how people kind of viewed these gods as often, you know, both destructive and beneficial to the people. The worship of Rachev spread far and wide. In the second millennium, the cult of Russia, moved from Syria to Palestine and then to Egypt.

In later periods, it was sometimes identifying with other gods like the Babylonian Nergal or the Greek Apollo, showing how religious ideas blend and evolve over time. What's up, camp family? What's up, campers? Two big announcements.

Don't skip this. Two massive announcements. The merch store is back open. That's right. Camp goods is back in stock. We got these hats that I'm wearing right now. I've been rocking them both on here,

on flagrant. I've been wearing them on stage. We got a bunch more hats like the ones behind me. You can see them all here on the website. We also got some shirts. Oh, man, what is this one right here? Come on now. Come on now.

Camp gear for all terrain. We got some other ones. What is this one right here? Oh, this one's beautiful. This one might be one of my favorites. The colors are absolutely crazy. This is Camp Gagnon, vintage wisdom across the globe. Come on now.

We got all that and more on the store. We also got these sick mugs right here. You might have seen me maybe sipping from one of these in some of the recent episodes. These are sick. They are all available on the website, campgoids.com. Check it out.

The link is in the description and by supporting the merchandise who are obviously supporting the show. You're supporting me and you're obviously supporting all the amazing people to make the show happen like Christos,

who is currently throwing me t-shirts from underneath this desk here. So please check that out. Additionally, I'm on the road. That's right. I'm doing my one hour of stand-up comedy. Some of the greatest jokes ever written, okay?

That's not true. But they are my jokes. I wrote them. I'll be in Portland, Maine on April 27th. And that one, I'm doing with Joey Avery. You know Joey Avery, a friend of the show. He sat across from me many times. I've explained some things to him. And he might be my dumb friend, but he is a brilliant stand-up comedian. And we will be there in Portland, Maine. If you are in these areas, please come out and we're adding a ton of dates all through the summer. So check out my website, the markgagnon.com for all tour dates and updated info. Come hang out with me. I talk to every single person after the show. If you want to kick it

with me, maybe have a drink. I'll be there. And I will see you guys. On the road. Now let's get back to the show. Imagine this. You're 30 feet underground digging through frozen earth with spoons and mess hall plates. Nazi guards patrol overhead. One wrong move, one loose pebble, and it's over. But on this night in 1944, 76 Allied prisoners would attempt the impossible,

tunneling their way to freedom in the largest prisoner of war escape of World War II. And centuries earlier in a cold stone chamber, a teenage girl in armor stood before her accusers. Her crime, leading armies speaking to angels, and daring to challenge the most powerful men in Europe. Joan of Arc's trial would become one of history's most infamous moments. These are just two stories from today in history, the newsletter that brings you the most fascinating events

from the past delivered fresh to your inbox. From epic wars to religious rebellions, ancient mysteries to modern marvels, don't miss another piece of history. QR code now or click the link in the description to sign up for today in history. And then there's Mesopotamia. And this is basically the breadbasket of American, or of global civilization, also American civilization. Here we find basically a rich tapestry of beliefs about demons, evil spirits that would later influence Christianity.

Also Judaism, but mostly Christianity. And Mesopotamian thought demons weren't necessarily the embodiment of pure evil, as we might think of them. Instead, they were often seen as like spirits of lesser power. than the major deities. These demons could be hostile, causing, you know, trouble for humans to disease and even giving people,

like, random headaches. Oh, that's a, that's not that far. Mesopotamia. From Egypt? Yeah, I mean, it's like a stone's throw. You could walk that.

Where is, I mean, Mesopotamia, I mean, what, the tigers and the Euphrates, right? That's the, the two rivers. Yep.

That's where, that's the reason they had all that rich soil or silt. Yeah, yeah, you could farm like hella, hell of shit on that, right? Hell of shit. Yeah, that's wild.

Yeah, we kind of go to Mesopotamia. That should be fire. What is modern Mesopotamia? What's the vibe with that now? Turkey, Iran, and Syria. Kuwait also. Wow. The cradle of civilization.

That's where it started. That's what I've always heard. Is this also where Tino Tiklian was? Tino Chitlan? Yeah. It's in South America, or Central America. In Mexico, I believe. Never mind.

But there's probably some. versions of it over there. And where was Hamarabi from? Himarabi is, I think, Egyptian, I want to say. Maybe Mesopotamian. Gotcha. But he wrote that whole code, I guess. Aye for an eye.

But where was he, where was he from, Himrabi? The Babylonian Empire. Ah. Where's modern day Babylonia? Modern day, why is everything in Iraq? Wow. Oh, that's right. Yeah.

It is Iraq. Yeah. So let's jump in. Obviously, the idea of good versus evil, the idea of, some type of evil force that controlled the world is ancient. It's been going on for a long time. I mean, all the way back to Mesopotamia, to Persia, Zoraastrian faith traditions had an evil spirit, the Angra Manu that opposed the creator spirit, the Ahura Mazda. Canaanite mythology had Reischeph, the god of plague and war, but also was the god of fertility

and of plenty. And all throughout Mesopotamian beliefs, there were all sorts of different demons that were battling each other. And people say, or scholars rather, suggest that these early prototypical versions of Satan actually influenced what authors and, you know, artists would understand as the Jewish or the Christian version of Satan as it appears in the Torah or in the Bible. So when you hear the word Satan, you probably think of like this singular malevolent being, this villain in the, you know, cosmic battle between good and evil. But, In the Hebrew Bible, Satan wasn't anything like the devil we know from Christian theology. In fact, Satan wasn't even a name. It was just a title.

So the Hebrew word, satan literally means adversary or accuser. It comes from the root verb that means to oppose or to obstruct. In its earliest use, the term didn't refer to specific beings, but was more of a general term for anyone or anything that acted as an opponent. So, for example, 1 Samuel 294, the Philistines called David a potential Satan because they fear he may turn against them in battle. Here, David is simply an adversary, not a supernatural force. Numbers 2222. The angel of Yahweh is described as acting as a satan to Balam standing in his way to oppose him. Again, this is to obstruct and not necessarily malevolence.

So that's interesting because the angel of Yahweh is obviously not evil, but is acting as an adversary, a satanian. Satan. However, when the term appears with the definite article, Ha Satan, the the adversary, it takes a more specific role. This isn't just any adversary. It is the figure operating within God's divine counsel tasked with testing or accusing individuals. So, the clearest example of ha satan appears in the book of Job and Zachari. In these texts, Satan isn't an independent being working against God. Instead, he is a part of God's heavenly court. That's interesting. Think of him is like a prosecuting attorney. So people will say that in the book of Job, the accuser, Hasatan, Satan, as we understand him to be, appears among the sons of God, a term often used for divine

beings in the Hebrew Bible. Maybe because he was an angel that was fallen. That's interesting. Satan challenges Job's righteousness, arguing that Job is only faithful because he's been blessed with wealth and comfort. He essentially says to God, take it all away, and Job will curse you. What happens next? God allows Satan to test Job by taking away his wealth, killing his children, and afflicting him with painful sores, all without directly harming Job himself. But despite these trials, Job remains faithful. Here, Satan isn't acting necessarily out of rebellion or hatred for humanity. He's fulfilling a role within God's system, a role that involves questioning and testing human loyalty to God. That's interesting. I never knew that story through that lens. I never heard it that way. How did you hear it?

I always heard it that, you know, Satan was like, the only reason this guy's faithful is because he's got all this money. Let me take it all away. And I'll prove that he's not faithful. And then Satan tested Job over and over and over, took everything away, and yet Job remained faithful. And God allowed this to happen because he allows Satan to operate, you know, with impunity on Earth and kind of spread malevolence as he wishes. Because at the end of time, God will get real Satan. That's what I heard as a kid. But it wasn't necessarily like God employed Satan to do this or asked Satan or kind of sent Satan to go do his bidding and challenge Job.

Whereas it seems like in this interpretation it is that way. Contracted. Jesus contracted the devil. Exactly. Subbed him out. You know what I mean? Went to, you know, got a subcontractor from like his brother-in-law. Right. It was like, hey, you're the devil. Hook it up.

You know what I mean? So there's another one. The book of Zachariah, Zachariah 3, 1, and 2, Satan stands at the right hand of Joshua, the high priest to accuse him before God. Joshua represents Israel as a nation, returning from exile and seeking restoration. Satan argues that Joshua, and by extension, Israel, is unworthy of this restoration due to their sins. However, God rebukes Satan and declares Joshua clean. Again, we see Satan functioning as an accuser rather than an independent force of evil. He's there to challenge and test, but ultimately operates under God's authority.

I feel like that's always what I was kind of taught that Satan can't do anything without God's will. Like, God lets it happen. He doesn't require it or make it happen. He just allows it to happen. Right. Which is kind of also the way he acts in every movie that he's depicted in. Right, that God has the ultimate power but allows Satan to do as he wishes. I'm saying like Satan is the precipitator.

Right. He allows certain things to happen. Think of him in where Elizabeth Hurley plays him. She just grants three wishes and then takes someone's soul. She's the devil. Interesting. Those wishes are inherently evil. And then the devil's advocate with Keanu Ruiz.

Same kind of deal. It's actually about to get a little bit spicier here. One detail about Ha Seitan of these stories is that he doesn't act on his own initiative. He requires permission from God to carry out the task. For example, in Job, God explicitly grace. Satan permission to test Job, but sets clear limits on what he can do. And in Zachariah, God directly intervenes to shut down Satan's accusation against Joshua. I feel like that contradicts.

God intervening to shut down Satan's accusation, that seems like that's what God's supposed to do. Right. And then God allowing Satan to test, it's like, all right, God could do that hypothetically to teach some type of point. But that still doesn't seem like Satan is operating with, you know, his own volition. It feels like he's limiting Satan's power to do what he does. Right. This dynamic underscores that Satan in the Hebrew Bible isn't some rogue agent against God.

He's firmly under divine control. His role is less about spreading chaos and more about ensuring justice by exposing human weakness. I don't know. Based off of this, I don't feel like that's a compelling argument personally. Why? Like what, like, I don't see how, like, it's not like God is like, hey, Satan, go and test just. Job. Satan's going to God being like, hey, I need a test Job, and he lets it happen.

And then in Zachariah, it just seems like Satan is accusing Joshua and then God intervenes. So that feels like it has almost nothing to do with it. It seems like God comes and saves the day, good versus evil. Right. And so this idea that his role isn't about spreading chaos, it's about ensuring justice. I'm like, I don't know, that seems like a stretch based off the interpretation. Maybe there's something I'm missing here, but I don't know. It's also worth noting that the early versions of Satan is far removed from

the horn figure over hell today. The Hebrew Bible never described Satan as ruling over hell or any realm at all. I didn't know that. There's no mention of him being a fallen angel or leading a rebellion against God. That idea comes much later in Jewish and Christian thought during the second temple period. That's interesting. The term Satan is used sparingly in the Hebrew Bible only 26 times, and most occurrences don't even refer to a supernatural being, but rather human adversaries.

Also interesting. This early portrayal shows that ancient Jewish theology didn't have a fully developed concept of cosmic dualism where God and evil are locked in this conflict. Instead, Ha Seitan was a part of a larger divine system designed to test humanity. If Ha Seitan wasn't originally the devil, how do we go from this kind of, you know, justice figure to evil? And again, that's, I mean, I don't necessarily even buy that. It seems like from this, I mean, I don't know the details of the Hebrew Bible's description of Satan. I don't know if they have that. I actually don't even know if it's in, like, the Christian Bible, like where that's Satan rules hell.

Can you Google that? Can you just check if that's a thing? I don't know where that would be. It seems like during the Second Temple period, this is 539 BC to 70 BC or 70 AD. Jewish communities were exposed to Persian Zoroastrians. which featured a clear dualistic struggle between good and evil. Apocalyptic literature like the book of Enoch began exploring ideas about fallen angels, corrupting humanity. These influences gradually reshape how Jews understood figures like Ha Satan,

transforming him something closer to what we understand as the devil. Interesting, the Christian Bible does not state that the devil or Satan rules hell. That's fascinating. The Bible describes Satan as being cast into a lake of fire as punishment for his rebellion against God. The Bible portrays hell as a place of eternal torment and punishment for those who reject God. Oh, okay. So Matthew 25,

then he will say to those who is left apart from me, you are cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into a lake of fire where the beast and false prophet had been thrown. They'll be tormented day and night forever and ever. Whoa, there's no biblical basis for,

Satan ruling hell. That's fascinating. I did not know that. So it is now kind of pointed out that in this Second Temple period, Jewish communities face political upheaval and foreign domination during this period. Their theological ideas evolved to address questions about suffering and divine intervention. Why was Yahweh allowing bad things to happen to Israel? Why were they removed from their home during this period? As we move forward into the Second Temple, we'll see how Ha Satan began to shedding his role as God's prosecutor and taking on new characteristics, those of a rebellious angel who defied divine authority. If you're like me, you probably read a news story and you're like, this is crazy. What is the truth about this? Is this a partisan spin? Is this funded by some

media company or some country by their state-sponsored media to try to warp my brain? I genuinely read news articles now with so much skepticism because I have no idea if this is from the right or the left and what the agenda is and why it's being presented in front of me. And that is why I follow and support ground news. That's right. So even before I started working with this company on the podcast, I've been following them on Instagram because I just thought they gave a very, very great, unbiased, nonpartisan approach to media. It's awesome. Basically, you're going to get a headline and they will show you sort of the different media splits as it comes to understanding the story. They will compare the reporting from different outlets across the political spectrum in one place.

to show you how the framing and word choice can affect our understanding of a story. I mean, here's a story that my mom sent me from a couple months ago. Robberies, assaults surge in Central Park, leaving New Yorkers and NYC tourists terrified. What is the purpose of this story? Who is writing it? Where is it coming from? Now I can go to ground news, read this headline, and be able to make an assessment as to whether or not this is predominantly being reported by the right wing or by the left wing and make some type of deduction like, oh, this is actually being used, you know, as some sort of sort of political apparatus. So if you're like me, if you're a truth seeker, if you're trying to find unbiased news, I would absolutely recommend ground news. It is a completely independent, nonpartisan

subscriber funded. It allows readers to think critically about the world around them and it doesn't tell them what to think, but instead lets them think for themselves. And ultimately it avoids misinformation and tries to heal polarization within our country, which I think is absolutely amazing. So don't let misinformation and sensationalism influence how you think. Save a massive 40% on Ground News's top-tier vantage plan with my link, ground. dot news slash Gagnon, J-A-G-N-O-N-N, or scan my QR code right here, or go to the description and click on the link. This unlocks access to all of their news analysis features,

something that I think is, I don't know, super important to have. Yeah, make decisions based on facts, not spin this November. Check them out. Imagine this. You're 30 feet underground digging through frozen earth with spoons and mess hall plates. Nazi guards patrol overhead.

One wrong move, one loose pebble, and it's over. But on this night in 1944, 76 allied prisoners would attempt the impossible, tunneling their way to freedom in the largest prisoner of war escape of World War II. And centuries earlier, in a cold stone chamber, a teenage girl in armor stood before her accusers, her crime, leading armies speaking to angels, and daring to challenge the most powerful men in Europe. Joan of Arc's trial would become one of history's most infamous moments. These are just two stories from today in history, the newsletter that brings you the most

fascinating events from the past delivered fresh to your inbox. From epic wars to religious rebellions, ancient mysteries to modern marvels, don't miss another piece of history. Scan the QR code now or click the link in the description to sign up for today in history. Okay, now if we need to understand Jewish theology, we have to look at the Babylon. exile. And Babylonian exile. And Babylon is in Iraq. Iraq. Look at you, Christos for remembering shit. This period wasn't just political upheaval. It was a crucible that transformed how the Jewish people understood their relationship with God, the nature of evil, and the cosmic forces at play.

The exile didn't just displace a nation. It uprooted ideas and planted seeds for new ones, including the evolution of Satan from this accuser to an actual rebellious, like, you know, devil, as we understand it. So the Babylonian exile, begins in 586 BC when King Nebuchadnezzar the second of Babylon conquers Jerusalem. Why did you give me that phase? You pronounced that great? Oh, I've just, I've heard that growing up. Nebuchadnezzar.

Gotcha. Yeah, he conquers Jerusalem, destroys Solomon's temple, and deported much of the Jewish population to Babylon. For the Jewish people, this was more than just a military defeat. It was a theological crisis. The temple is gone. The destruction of the temple isn't just a physical law, it is a spiritual catastrophe. The temple is God's dwelling on earth, the center of worship and sacrifice.

And this destruction raises a lot of questions. Has God abandoned his people? Why were they defeated by the Babylonians and their gods? Is any of this real? What's going on? They're also exiled from the promised land, being forced out of their homeland, the land that God gave them, according to the theology. This felt like a divine punishment. For many Jews, this, you know, they struggle to reconcile their suffering with their belief in a just God. And now exposure to new ideas. They're living in Babylon, and they're surrounded by foreign cultures and religions, and it introduces new concept about cosmic dualism in the battle of good and evil. One of the biggest challenges during the exile was understanding why this devastation had occurred, right? The Jewish people believe that they were

the chosen people, so why would they get conquered? So you have prophets like Jeremiah and Ezekiel interpreting the exile as punishment for Israel's sins, idolatry and justice, failure to uphold God's covenant, and they emphasize repentance and faithfulness as the past towards restoration. So there's now this shift from the Babylonian exile into individual responsibility. So the pre-exile theology often focused on collective punishments, so the entire nation will suffer for the sins. Whereas during the exile, there was an emphasis on individual accountability, a theme that would later influence a ton of ideas about Satan in his role, you know, leading people astray and temptation. And then the question of evil.

This is like a fundamental theological question. Why does evil exist? And obviously with the Israelites getting conquered, this question comes up. Why would God let this happen? So the exile forces the Jews to grapple with the presence of evil in the world. If God is all powerful, all good, why does he allow this suffering to occur? So while in Babylon, the Jews come in contact with Zoro, Orastrianism, like we talked about briefly at the beginning, after Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon,

Zoroastrianism introduces a radically different worldview that some people suggest influences Jewish thought in this time. So you have, you know, the Ahorah Mazda, the good god, the Angramanu, the polar opposite and evil god, and the cosmos is a battleground for these two forces. And this dualistic framework is, you know, different from the traditional Jewish monotheism where God holds absolute power over good and evil. So now you're introducing this idea of an adversary that they already have that now exists as a contrary force to the monotheistic power of the singular God. It's also worth noting that Zoroastrianism features a rank of spiritual entities that serve both the good God and the bad god, basically like a hierarchy that some people suggest influences people's ideas about, you know,

angels and demons. And so in apocalyptic literature, Zoroa Astrians, you know, depict end-time battles between good and evil, a theme that becomes central to Jewish apocalyptic writing, you know, like Daniel and, you know, first, second, and third, Enoch. So where does this idea of Satan being, you know, an evil angel? Where does that, where does that come from? That's what I was always taught growing up. That's what I thought.

So by the time the second temple period comes around, Jewish thought has this dramatic transformation, and there's an era of rebuilding, not just physically, but the Jewish people return. turned from Babylon, you know, and their exile there to rebuild the temple, but also, you know, to rebuild their spiritual core. It was during this time that the concept of Satan shifts from a divine prosecutor to this actual, like, you know, rebellious figure. So you have a lot of theological questions that emerge during the period, and the book of Enoch and many of the Dead Sea Scrolls introduced the idea of this fallen angel, corrupting humanity, setting the stage for Satan's evolution as a rebel.

One of the most influential texts is the book of Enoch in its first sections, known as the Book of the Watchers. I've talked about this a lot. I find this to be a fascinating old text. The text expands on a cryptic passage in Genesis, which mentions the sons of God. What does that mean the sons of God? Taking human women as wives and producing offspring known as Nephilim. The book of Enoch turns this brief mention into an elaborate narrative about angelic rebellion. Here's how it unfolds, right? Here's the, the brief of it, if you don't know anything about the book of Enoch. You got 200 angels.

They're called Watchers. They're tasked with watching over humanity. They're led by one angel named Semjaza. They descend to Earth, violate divine law by taking human women as wives. We got the baddest women in the universe. Their union produces giants, known as Nephilim, who wreak havoc on Earth. And the Watchers also corrupt humanity by teaching forbidden knowledge, such as, you know, astrology, cosmetics, you know, makeup, weapon making, all that stuff.

Almost like Prometheus, you can imagine. And then the story introduces a ton of key ideas, right? So you have these people, sons of God, that are tasked with a job, they deviate from their task and then corrupt humanity. Sounds very similar to Satan, right? So while Semjazz is the leader of the rebellion in Enoch, there's another figure that appears Azazel, who is singled out for teaching humans how to make weapons and jewelry,

fueling both violence and vanity. In Jewish tradition, Azizel becomes associated with Satan himself and is seen as his chief lieutenant. The Dead Sea Scrolls, which was discovered in Qumran in the mid-20th century, also provide additional insights into the Second Temple period of Jewish beliefs about these fallen angels. One scroll in particular, the War Scroll describes an apocalyptic battle between the Sons of Light, led by Michael, and the Sons of Darkness associated with Belial. Belial is another name for a malevolent being equated with Satan in later traditions. Belial is the leader of the demons, and he's associated with corruption, deceit, lawlessness, qualities that align closely with Satan's emerging role.

And in the Qumran community, that preserved all these fragments of these, you know, Escian Jews of, you know, that put the Dead Seats rolls together, they echo themes from Enoch, including references to, you know, the angelic rebellion and things like that. In second Enoch, there's actually an interesting reference to Satan. He appears as Satanale, the leader of the fallen angels who refuses to venerate Adam, a precursor to later Christian ideas about prideful rebellion against God. Oh, that's so interesting. Can you look up that idea of like where in the Bible, Satan being a fallen angel comes from? Because being an Enoch that he refuses to venerate Adam. Like that's what I believe, but I'm like, is that even in the Bible? And then in the Jubilee, another second temple text. Max Mastema, a figure equated with Satan, requests permission from God to keep some demons on earth to tempt humans as an example of how evil was seen as both autonomous but also divinely permitted. Okay, so in Isaiah, there's a passage that describes the fall of the king of Babylon and uses language that suggests a fall from position of power saying, how you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning. Whoa. This passage describes the fall of the King of Tyre, who's, you know, represents Satan, having been a cherub and being full of wisdom, who's later filled with pride, which leads to its downfall.

I saw Satan fall from fall like lightning from heaven, Jesus says, in Luke 10. And then this revelation passage describes a war in heaven where Michael and his angels fight against the dragon and his angels resulting in their defeat and expulsion from heaven. And then Matthew mentions the devil. and his angels being thrown into hell implying that they were once angels. Interesting. So it's not as explicit, it seems like. It seems like it's kind of pulled together.

Right. And Enoch doesn't seem like it's that far off. It seems like they were all saying the same thing. All right, now let's talk about Christian Satan, shall we? This is the one that I'm probably the most familiar with growing up as a Catholic. In the New Testament, it seems like Satan transforms into a full-on cosmic villain that's very different and departs from a lot of the other intervie. interpretations of Satan and the other text. So one of the most iconic moments in the New Testament

is Satan that tempt Jesus in the wilderness. This event occurs in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and occurs right after Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist. It's a pivotal moment that showcases Satan's audacity and Jesus' unwavering commitment to God. So Jesus led by the Spirit, ventures into the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights of fasting. He's weakened, and that's when Satan strikes. The devil approaches Jesus with three temptations, each more cunning than the last. He tempts him with bread, saying that he can turn the stones into bread appealing to his hunger, but Jesus counters and says that man does not live on bread alone. And then the temple jump. Satan takes Jesus to the highest point of the temple in Jerusalem, daring him to throw himself

down and the angels catch him. Again, Jesus refuses. And then the kingdoms of the world. In a bold move, Satan offers Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if he just bows down and worships him, but Jesus firmly rejects this offer commanding Satan to leave. Wow. I'm I mean, yeah, I need to go back and read that. It's like such a bizarre text. Do you have like these two deities actually corresponding? So in it, Satan is brazen attempting to, you know, tempt the son of God, God himself. It reveals Satan's tactics using physical needs, spectacle, and power to tempt humans.

And intriguingly, Satan's offer of all the kingdoms applies that he has some authority over the kingdoms of Earth. Jesus doesn't dispute the claim, suggesting that the gospel authors believe Satan has some control over earthly powers. So while the temptation narrative gives us a close view of Satan's method, other parts of the New Testament provide glimpses into the origins of the fall. So Jesus makes the striking statement that we just read before that he saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. This brief yet dramatic line hints at the backstory where Satan is cast out of heaven. And the idea of Satan as a fallen angel, again goes back to Isaiah and Ezekiel, like we had mentioned. mentioned before, you have fallen from the heavens, morning star, son of dawn. The narrative that emerges from this text is one of pride and ambition. Satan, you know, possibly, this is again,

what I heard, I thought this was just word for word in the Bible. It turns out it's more of an interpretation is the highest and the most beautiful of the angels becomes dissatisfied with his position, driven by pride, rebels against God, tries to usurp the throne, and then as a punishment is cast out of heaven and many angels follow him. The cosmic drama sets the stage for Satan's role as God's adversary and the source of evil in the world. It's a powerful origin story. I'll give you that. I mean, that's kind of a banger, to be honest with you. In the Gospels, again, they show Satan as this tempter, and, you know, many of the Gospels hint at this fall. And the book of Revelation shows Satan in his final most terrifying form, the great red dragon. Revelation 12 says,

And another sign appears in heaven. Behold, a great red dragon with seven, heads, ten horns, and on his head seven crowns, his tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to earth. I mean, there's a ton of symbolism and imagery. The crowns suggesting his rule over the kingdoms of earth, the dragons, multiple heads and horns representing power and authority, the tail sweeping down to take a third of the stars, perhaps as Satan's rebellion and taking the legion of angels. Revelation specifically identifies this dragon as an ancient serpent who is called the devil and Satan the deceiver of the whole world.

The connection links Satan back to the serpent in the Garden of Eden, creating a narrative arc that spans from creation to end times. Whoa. I mean, that's a pretty freaky picture. I mean, I couldn't imagine being like just some 1,200s, you know,

peasant reading the Bible for the first time, being like, what the fuck? This is what awaits me if I'm a bad person. I mean, dude, I mean, that's crazy. Maybe it does. That's wild. The dragon imagery, again, draws on Old Testament traditions, you know, echoing the Leviathan, a mystical sea monster, often associated with evil,

by portraying Satan as this dragon, Revelation, emphasizes his role as the embodiment of chaos. In the New Testament, there's a ton of references to Satan. Here are just a few of them. Jesus is in the wilderness, getting tempted. That's Satan the tempter. John's Gospel refers to Satan as the ruler of the world, kind of suggesting his influence over the earth. Paul calls Satan the god of this age who blinds the mind of unbelievers. Jesus describes Satan as a liar and the father of lies.

Revelation refers to Satan as the accuser of our brothers, echoing again that role in the Old Testament. And finally, New Testament authors just refer to Satan as the evil one, encapsulating his nature as a source of wickedness, almost like Voldemort. Don't even want to say the name, you know. And the New Testament's patrol of Satan culminates in this, final vision, the revelation, this apocalyptic literature presents, history is moving towards this climactic showdown. I mean, many people still believe in the revelation. It's going to, it's a real thing that's going to happen. I don't know. I'm like, it's just, it's too hard to even

wrap your head around. Happened in South Park. What happens? Satan rises. Comes back? Yeah. And then what? And he has to fight with Jesus in a boxing match. To Jesus what? I don't want to spoil it for anyone out there. The movie is 15 years old. What movie is this? Bigger, longer, and uncut, South Park. I might need to watch that. I might need to watch that.

Maybe we do an episode on that. Yeah. So throughout the book of Revelation, obviously you see Satan and, you know, good, God, the spirit that controls heaven as having this huge battle, right? You know, Satan is gathering his forces against God and his people,

and then there's this battle called Armageddon, and Satan and his followers are defeated and face a final judgment. just kind of, you know, that's how the Bible ends. Pretty good story. The New Testament's portrayal of Satan as a fallen angel, this rebel, and this adversary of God has a profound impact on Christian theology and then obviously Western culture. And as you can imagine, influences a lot of the art and literature that comes out of medieval

Europe, which is kind of where we get this idea of Satan with horns, hooves, and the ruler of hell. So in the Middle Ages, you have this dramatic transformation in how Satan is portrayed, both Christian theology and art. And the earliest known depiction of Satan comes from the sixth-century mosaic in the Basilica of Saint-Apollinaire in Ravenna, Italy. Can you pull that up? That'd be interesting to see it.

The image shows Satan as this ethereal blue angel, far from red-skinned, horned, or with hooves. Wow. So this angelic portrayal was abandoned in favor of a more demonic appearance. I'd be curious to see what this looks like, because I'm not even sure. How do we know if it's the devilish things about them? I mean, I'm sure someone did the research and figured out what the, you know, Basilica was pointing at. So as you move into the late medieval periods, Satan's image becomes more beastly, you could say. Dragons were a common representation, symbolizing, you know, evil.

And for instance, there's even a legend about Pope St. Sylvester slaying a dragon, which impressed a group of pagan priests and confirmed the Christian faith of the Roman Emperor Constantine. is this this is the one in the basilica where Satan is that's the is right there on the right I would assume it's this one no it's a blue angel oh maybe it's this one though whoa maybe the blue angels

whoa the blue angels are satanic who are the blue angels the pilots oh oh yeah that's right whoa so that's the blue angel right there that's the one that's can you click on this? The earliest depiction of Lucifer can be traced to a mosaic in this basilica which shows two

angels, a red angel of sheep and a blue angel of goats with Jesus in between. Here the blue angel seems to be Lucifer uncharacteristically portrayed. Wow, that's fascinating. So as you move into this late medieval period, you have all these dragons, but it wasn't just the mythical creatures that influence Satan's image. Real animals play a significant role. Many medieval portrayals show him having, you know, cloven hooves, tails, talons, and even webbed hands. Fourteenth-century French manuscripts known as the Smithfield Decretals showed the devil with various animal parts depicting him as a monstrous beast. Bears, lions, and foxes were amongst the animals once attributed to Satan. One of the most significant influences on Satan's medieval

image was the Greek god Pan, with goat legs, horns associated with wild nature and carnal desires. Pan provided a ready-made template for Christian artists and theologians to adapt. Wow. So it's really just Pan. Can you search a Greek God Pan and get an image of that? That'd be interesting. Oh, wow. So that's how we understand the devil. Well, yeah, look at that. Yeah, it's basically just a he's got horns, he's got hooves, got a six-pack, got a six-pack. I mean, yeah, that's the devil. That's interesting. And what was Pan the god of? Goats, I think. just the god of ghosts? I mean, did he do any evil stuff?

How did he get wrapped up with being Satan? It's the god of wild, shepherds, flocks, and rustic music. Wow, often depicted as a sater. He's associated with nature and forests. He had the lower body of a goat. The word panic is believed to have originated from Pan's name, as he was known to inspire fear

in those who encountered him. Whoa. Oh, this is so interesting. I'm curious why they just chose that. So the church incorporated local pagan beliefs and imagery into his teachings as a way to make Christianity more accessible. So in Satan's case, this resulted in a figure that combined the fallen angel of Christian tradition and with the wild animalistic aspects of pagan culture. So as Satan's physical appearance evolves, so does this idea about his domain. The concept of hell as a

place of eternal fire and torment becomes firmly established during the period. This wasn't just a theological concept, it was vividly depicted in art and literature. So then we have Dante Allegheri, divine comedy, known as, you know, with a specific section known as, you know, Dante's inferno. The Inferno section marks a significant point in understanding Satan's portrayal. So unlike the fiery ruler of hell often depicted in popular imagination, Dante's Satan is a figure trapped in ice at the center of hell. In this 14th,000, century work, Satan appears as a monstrous giant with three faces, each a different color, red, yellow, black. He has six bat-like wings. As he beats them, he creates icy winds that

keep him and other sinners frozen in place. I could read Dante's Inferno. That shit is fire. The imagery combines both animalistic and human elements reflecting Satan's fall from grace. Dante Satan also doesn't speak. He only weeps and chews on history's greatest traitors in his three mouths, Judas, Brutus, and Cassius. This silent weeping devil is a very different from the smooth-talking tempter of earlier traditions. Instead of ruling hell, he's its prisoner, powerless against God's judgment. That's possibly one of the most significant developments in Satan's medieval portrayals, his elevation to the status of hell ruler. This idea isn't found in the Bible. It's widely accepted, though, during this period.

Interestingly, the concept of Satan ruling hell seems to have originated in Dante's divine comedy. Before this, Satan was generally seen as a prisoner of hell, not its master. I see. So in Dante's inferno, despite him being a prisoner of hell, the medieval mind grappled and sort of attached itself to this idea that he was ruling hell. Right. And that is where Satan lives. He runs the show from hell. and despite if you actually read it

he's actually just a prisoner but people still are just like no he's running that shit right interesting and from what I know about the book the seventh circle of hell the last one is reserved for those three people you mentioned Judas Brutus and Cassius Cassius so wouldn't the devil be there

if he was the prisoner yeah I guess they're probably looking at it being like oh he's in charge of something If you're the ultimate prisoner, you've got to be in the last circle. And then not to mention he's chewing on them. Right. So it's like, it seems like he has some dominion over these people that are banished to hell.

Right. It is funny that they put Judas and just a guy that killed Julius Caesar. You know what I mean? Like, like one of them killed the savior of the universe. The other one just killed like a Roman politician. Right. And who's Cassius? I don't even know.

Another Roman politician. I figured out what Cassius did. I don't even know what that's all about. So many theologians continue to see Satan as a prisoner, not its ruler, but tensions between these two views continue into later periods and still exist in some forms today. So for medieval Christians, the devil wasn't just a distant theological concept. It was a real present day danger. They believed in demonic possession and exorcisms and they were practiced commonly not just by Christians, but also Jews and pagans. Did you find it? Yep.

What did Cassius do? He also. Oh, he was a collaborator with Brutus. to kill Caesar. Right. Oh, I knew that. But I just kind of reserved myself. I feel like, who the hell is Julius Caesar for his killers?

Both of them. Like, what about the Romans that killed, you know, or Pontius Pilate that sentenced Christ to death? Yeah. I mean, that's crazy that Julius Caesar was given that much reverence. Or the dude, that speared Jesus on the cross. That's what I'm saying. It's wild. They're just like, all right, one of Jesus' killers, two of Julius Caesar's.

Come on, Dante. I mean, that's just how much these guys live. love Rome. You know what I mean? Oh, that's a good point. Yeah, Dante? You think Dante's easy? You're like, yo, he killed fucking season.

You're not going to let that, come on. The last circle of hell you go. Yeah, it's crazy. So the fear of demonic influence led to a lot of dark chapters in history, some could say. 1430s, the Catholic Church begins to view witchcraft as a part of a vast conspiracy by Satan himself. And this ledger goes into, you know, witch trials and things like that.

So Satan wasn't always portrayed as this terrifying figure. in medieval culture. In some medieval mystery plays, he appears as a comedic character. Those portrayals show Satan as this foolish figure who's frolicking around clumsily and even farting in the background. The comedic Satan was more pathetic than terrifying, reflecting this belief that the devil is powerless against God's plan. In The Golden Legend, a collection of Saints' lives compiled around 1260, it contains numerous stories of encounters between Saints and Satan. And these Satan is outwitted by the saints' cleverness and God's power. These stories serve not only to entertain, but also to reassure believers that faith

overcomes the devil's schemes. The medieval period reimagining Satan has a lasting impact that extends far beyond even the Middle Ages. This idea of this red-skinned horn devil with hooves and a pitchfork becomes so ingrained in Western culture that it's still the default representation of Satan and everything from Halloween costumes to cartoons to cartoons to... you know, South Park and Tenacious Day. So the idea of Satan as a ruler of hell with, you know,

while it's not biblically accurate, becomes this part of biblical or popular theology. That's interesting. Yeah, I'm curious how it like, you know, merges into pop culture more. But this idea that all these girls that dress up as like a slutty Satan and really just dressed up like Pan.

Right. It's very funny to me. You know what we haven't touched on? Hmm. How do we get to the devil? taking over people's bodies. Oh, like exorcism stuff? Yeah.

Yeah, I mean, that's in the Bible a little bit. Oh, is it? There's a few references, if I'm not mistaken. There's a... I think there's actually only one reference, as a matter of fact, that I think it's Christ that does an exorcism and cast evil spirits into a pig

and then sends the pig off to fly off a mountain and it dies running off a cliff. Can you search that exorcism pig Bible? Yeah, in the New Testament, Jesus is a powerful exorcist demonstrating his authority over demonic forces. I forget exactly where, but the demons beg Jesus not to send them away,

but instead to send them into pigs or a nearby hillside, which he does, the herd, about 2,000 a number, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drown. Jesus asked for the name of the demon and they say, I am legion for we are many. Crepe you as though. But yeah, so Satan's journey goes from this medieval period into more pop cultural references.

So John Milton writes this book called Paradise Lost in the 1600s, and it is considered the definitive literary portrayal of Satan. The poem recounts Satan's fall from heaven, his rebellion against God, his role in corrupting humanity through Adam and Eve, and what makes Milton's Satan so can. captivating is the complexity. He's not just a villain. He's an anti-hero whose pride and ambition lead to his downfall. From the very beginning, Satan dominates the narrative. He opens the poem as this defiant figure, rallying his fallen angels in hell with one of literature's most famous lines, better to reign in hell than serve in heaven. I could have read Paradise Lost. That's fire. This declaration encapsulates the immense pride and refusal to submit to God. Milton portrays Satan as this master orator. capable of stirring, you know, loyalty amongst his followers, despite, you know, the damnation forever. Satan is depicted as giving speeches to rally the demons to prepare them for these cosmic battles. He inspires the fallen angels to continue their rebellion by framing their defeat

is temporary. It's like, hey, we're just working through some stuff. We're going to get back to heaven. Don't even worry. And while the pandemonium, which is hell's grand capital built by the demons, Satan declares that they can make hell their own kingdom, a place where they can still exercise free will. Yet beneath this lies this conflicted character. Milton gives a glimpse of Satan's turmoil. In book four, as Satan enters Eden and sees Adam and Eve for the first time, he experiences a moment of regret and longing for God's grace.

Is there no place left for repentance, none for pardon left? The moment humanizes him showing that even the ultimate rebel feels the weight of his choices. John Milton also uses Satan to explore themes of free will and agency, unlike Adam Eve who succumbed to temptation but later seek forgiveness, Satan chooses rebellion knowing its consequences. This line of, you know, the mind is its own place and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven. Reflects the idea of self-determinism that, you know, you can make reality whatever you want to be despite the, you know, threat of eternal suffering. Critics have debated whether Milton intended for readers to sympathize with Satan. Romantic poets like William Blake

and Percy Shelley admired Satan as a heroic figure who defied tyranny. Blake famously remarked that Milton was of the devil's party without knowing it. However, Christian scholars like C.S. Lewis argue that Milton never meant to glorify Satan, but rather show how seductive evil can be. By the end of Paradise Law, Satan's character deteriorates both physically and morally. He begins as an imposing figure, but gradually transforms into lesser forms, a toad, a cherub, and then finally a serpent after corrupting Adam and Eve. His speeches lose their grandeur, and he becomes consumed by self-deception. Melton's portrayal of Satan remains one of literature's most enduring depictions because it captures both the allure, but also the downfall.

He's a being who embodies humanity's greatest flaws, pride, ambition, and inability to reconcile with failure. While Paradise Lost elevated Satan to produce literary prominence, later works continued to explore his character in new ways. writers like Goethe who wrote Faust in this idea of the Faustian bargain, Lord Byron, who wrote Kane, portrayed him as a cunning tempter or a philosophical figure questioning divine justice. But it wasn't just literature that kept Satan relevant. There's, you know, a lot of pop culture around this time that brings Satan into a new light. You know, there's shows, you know, literally like Lucifer Al Pacino creates the devil's advocate. You know, this. charismatic lawyer. And, you know, humorous portrayals in Constantine, you know, obviously tenacious D, the legends, shout out to them, South Park. These portrayals often lean into irony to subvert expectations by making Satan relatable or even likable. So from John Milton's depiction of Satan brings us into the modern day, where you have, you know, generations of, you know, the 70s and the 80s being known as the satanic panic where, you know,

you have this large Christian population in the United States that are terrified of, you know, Satanists like corrupting their children, which, I mean, could happen, I guess. Like, I've talked to some people that apparently, you know, Bob Hamer, apparently, or no, is Mike Cadella that apparently saw some Satanus in a mansion somewhere in New York. I don't know. But the satanic panic doesn't come out of nowhere. It's the culmination of, you know, centuries of fear and fascination with the devil and witch trials. and, you know, all this kind of like, it's almost like neo-paganism,

where people are looking for good and evil and, you know, afraid of this, you know, ever-looming fear. So the roots of the satanic panic can be traced back to the 80s with publications of a book called Michelle Remembers, written by this Canadian psychiatrist, Lawrence Pazder, and his patient, who later becomes his wife, suspect, Michelle Smith. The book claims to uncover repressed memories of Satanic ritual,

abuse that Smith had experienced as a child. Michelle remembers became a bestseller, smash hit, and despite its dubious claims and, you know, some people disputing the corroborating evidence, it tapped into a growing anxiety about child abuse in America. I don't know. I've never heard of this book, Michelle remembers. It's interesting that that's kind of what kicks off the entire thing. Yeah.

Interesting. Oh, wow. I mean, crazy cover. I mean, that's wild. A year-long contest between innocence. an evil. Oh, I'm absolutely going to read this. But apparently it's disputed, I guess. Can you Google, like, you know, truth? Like, see if there's, like, any, any consensus on the veracity of this? So by the 80s, there was an increasing awareness that child abuse, specifically

sexual abuse, was more prevalent than previously thought, and this realization coincided with societal change that were putting, you know, stress on traditional family structures. More women were entering the workforce, which meant more children were in daycare, and this is what one historian calls a powder keg of anxieties, combining fear of abuse and this comfort of entrusting children to strangers. Oh, that's interesting. So by, if women are now working more and more and they're taking less care of their children, they're more generally anxious. And then they hear these stories of like the most evil thing ever, like Satanist taking your kids. And that is going to create, you know, this cultural fear around Satanism.

By not watching your own kids? Just the idea that your kid is at some daycare all day and you're at work. And then you see something on the news, it's like, are Satan is coming for your kids? It's like the ultimate fear. Right. And so it just like grips the entire American psyche for a specific generation. That's interesting. So the spark that ignites the powder keg comes in 1983 in Manhattan Beach.

A parent accused an employee of Nick Martin preschool of abusing their child. And what follows was a snowball effect of allegations and investigations that would become the longest most expensive criminal trial in American history. Local police send letters to 200 families whose children attended or had attended McMartin asking the questions about their kids and this potential abuse. They brought in therapists to interview the children, often using leading questions. These interviews unearth wild claims of animal sacrifices, levitating employees, and secret tunnels beneath the daycare. Despite the lack of physical evidence, the allegation spread like wildfire soon. Similar cases pop up all over the country. The media latches onto the

stories and now there's a full on public hysteria. 1985, Geraldo Rivera claimed on national television that there were over one million Satanists in the United States in a highly organized secretive network. As the panic spreads, it takes on a life of its own. Therapists begin uncovering repressed memories of satanic ritual abuse in their patients. Police departments across the country start training officers to recognize signs of ritual abuse. Even the FBI gets evolved. and they would later conclude that there was no evidence of widespread satanic conspiracy. Of course they would do feds, right? The allegation becomes crazier.

Some claimed that Satanists were infiltrating all levels of society from daycare workers to politicians. There were stories of human sacrifice, cannibalism, breeding programs. One psychiatrist wrote in a medical journal that there was a hidden Holocaust. The panic wasn't linked to the United States only. Similar waves happen in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and become. a global phenomenon. While the satanic panic is unfolding in real life, Hollywood is churning out movies that reflect and fuels the fears. So they come out with the Exorcist and the Omen, but the 80s it takes it to a new level. Angel Heart, Devil's Advocate portrays Satan as this

manipulator who's able to blend seamlessly into human society. So by the mid-1990s, the satanic panic largely subsides, and investigations fail to turn up, you know, evidence of widespread satanic abuse. and, you know, this McMartin case becomes one of the most high-profile cases ever to end in an acquittal or drop charges. Wow. The recovered memory therapist who fueled many allegations was discredited. But the impact of the satanic panic lingers. No longer just a religious concept, Satan is a real boogeyman in the cultural imagination coming to get your children. And in the wake of the satanic, depictions of Satan and pop culture take on a new look.

Some embrace the over-the-top nature of the panic, turn to the wake. turning Satan into this almost like campy figure that you see in South Park. Some take a more nuanced approach like you see in Lucifer. Satan owns a nightclub that helps, you know, solve crimes. This portrayal taps into the longstanding tradition of Satan as this complex character. That is fascinating. I never really knew anything about this satanic panic McMartin case. I'd heard of it, but I never actually looked into it.

So at the same time, some groups reclaimed satanic imagery as a form of political protest. For example, the satanic temple uses Satan as a symbol for rebellion against religious authoritarianism. Have you ever seen this? This is interesting. Like where people, and specifically like conservative, more religious states will like kind of blur the lines between church and state. So like they'll have like a big Bible in front of like the, you know, capital building in their local state. The satanic temple will say, hey, if you're going to have a Christian statue in front of the capital building, we want a satanic statue as well. And so they're not actually Satanist.

they just antagonize Christians by pretending to be Satanous. Okay. And so then they just put up like, you know, Satan statues at the Capitol building. Like if you search it, like, you know, Satan's stat or like Baphimet like Capitol Building, you'll see like pictures of, you know, this satanic figure like popping up. It's kind of funny, to be honest with you. But if it is separation in church of state, you kind of got to respect the game, right? That's how I feel.

I mean, I mean, it's hilarious. like if they're actual Satanist I don't vibe with that if they're just trying to provoke then you almost have to like respect it you're like oh that's actually kind of funny right so there you have it I guess that is the

origin of Satan starts off in Persia moves its way over to you know Mesopotamia moves its way all the way up to you know the Canaanites and then gets its way into Judeo-Christian values

and you have you know the Jewish version of Satan that exists in the Torah and the Jewish Bible, and it moves all the way up to Christianity where you have like this adversary. And then in Revelation, there's a war between the good guy and the bad guy. You have this fallen angel that comes through in Dante's Inferno. And you see this guy as like the ruler of hell. You get a depiction of him that comes from, you know, Greek mythology, becomes Pan and becomes like this almost like, you know, tumnous-looking motherfucker. And then you have John Milton's Paradise Lost, which then depicts kind of the whole story in like a very

beautiful, well-ridden allegory that then everyone can attach themselves to. And then that brings us into the modern day where you have, you know, satanic fear that then takes it out of this theological little vessel and into just the homes and

hearts of all American people that are now terrified of Satan. Also, you've heard like using it as kind of a term of endearment, kind of. What do you mean? Oh, you devil. I have. Yeah.

But I imagine that's probably just like you're a troublemaker. Or a flirt. Yeah. It's like, oh, yeah, you're trouble. Right. Like, you're flirting with me. Like, you're like a little, you're a little cheeky flirt, you know? Right.

And because you're so troubled, you're the devil. Not only your trouble, you're evil incarnate. Right. But who says that? Has someone said that to you? Not to me. What old girls are you taking after you? That's what, like, crotchy old.

That is the vibe of girls that you see. Henrietta, 90-year-old women, are you taking down? B. Arthur, stuff like that. Yeah, what the hell? Yeah. You devil? You've been watching I Love Lucy? Yeah.

You gotta stop watching that, but I'm trying to talk like, like, Desi Arnais. It's more the old ladies of the laundromat kind of chicks. Yeah, maybe. But there you have it. That's the devil. Stay away from them. Know your enemy. And thank you guys so much for listening.

I appreciate it. I'm curious what you guys think of the devil. Has he always been here? Or is it maybe some type of complex literary metaphor that's been assembled over time across cultures and across religions? Maybe we'll never know. Hopefully we don't. Or actually, maybe we do.

Hopefully we go to heaven, then we can all figure it out. Well, you wouldn't know if you're in heaven. If you're in heaven, I'm sure you could ask. Be like, yeah, what was up with that whole Satan thing? And they send you right down there for asking? No, you think that's how it works. I'm not messing with that.

No, I mean, I would ask. And then God is just like, what? Hey, don't talk about that. He'd be like, who is that? I'm like, Satan? And the Bible's like, I don't know what you're talking about? Like, no, that was the whole thing. If I wasn't good, I'd go to hell.

He's like, what's the hell? I'm like, wait, you're saying everyone's here? He's like, yeah, and he turns around, Hitler's behind him. I'm like, what the fuck? That shit would blow my whole mind. But anyway, thank you guys so much for tuning in to a religion camp. I appreciate you guys for being here. Check out campgoad.com.

Check out the Mark Agnon for tickets. And peace with you. If you've made it to the end of this episode, you are clearly someone who understands that beneath every historical event lies a deeper truth waiting to be uncovered. You're the type of person who knows that real history is more fascinating than any fiction. And we deeply appreciate that about you. I'll be honest. That's exactly why I personally invite you to sign up for today in history. Our free newsletter that goes beyond the surface of historical events, we dive into the stories that textbooks never told you, the secrets that

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