De Moor IX:21: Terms for Evil Angels, Part 3

[A fundraising update: We are a little more than 30% of the way to our fundraising goal of 25 new $100/month subscribers! Thanks be to God. If you are being blessed by the translation work, please consider supporting the work and speeding it on its way.  Click here to watch a brief video on the project.]

Moreover, elsewhere the Prince of the Evil Angels is called the god of this World, 2 Corinthians 4:4, where by the god of this World we ought not to understand worldly lusts seducing worldly men, with Bekker, book II Mundi, chapter XXXI, § 12; these rather are comprehended under that τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, this world; but by the ἀλληλουχίᾳ/ coherence of Scripture Satan comes to be understood, who is catachrestically/improperly called the god of this Age or World, namely, the World which lies in wickedness,[1] and which is judicially delivered by God into the power of Satan as its Torturer, who nevertheless in all things depends upon the government of divine Providence, and, by seducing the men of this age, aggravates his final punishment and condemnation; at the same time, the men of this world have also willingly given themselves to the worship and obedience of him:  compare John 14:30; Ephesians 2:2.

He is called the Father of Lies, John 8:44, because in the beginning he seduced man by lying, Genesis 3, and has always been devoted to forging lies, John 8:44.  Except in the words καὶ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ, and the father of it/him, the Devil would be here signified to be the Father of the Liar, rather than of the Lying; seeing that, α.  ψεύστης/ liar more nearly precedes than ψεῦδος/lie.  β.  These two assertions, ψεύστης ἐστὶ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ, he is a liar and the father of it/him, will be more clearly distinguished from each other, which would otherwise nearly coincide in signification.  γ.  The notion of a Father will be fuller and more proper, which has regard to a similitude instilled by the other.  δ.  Thus the expression will be especially apt for proving the sentence of Christ, who had formerly said that the Jews, loving falsehood and shunning the truth, were of their father the Devil; and now He confirms the same, that the Devil is not only a liar himself, but also the father of every liar.  Which argument of our AUTHOR in favor of this exegesis, see in Exercitationibus Textualibus XXXV, Part I, § 1.

He is called the Devil κατ᾽ ἐξοχὴν, par excellence:  for διάβολος/diabolos/devil is a Greek name, which in general denotes a Calumniator,[2] 2 Timothy 3:3;[3] 1 Timothy 3:11:[4]  but it is used antonomastically[5] of the Prince of the Evil Angels, Matthew 25:41, etc.:  he is indeed the Calumniator of God before men, as it is evident in the first temptation of Eve, Genesis 3:4, 5; and of men before God, as it is apparent in the example of Job, Job 1:9-11, whence in Revelation 12:10 he is called by the blessed ὁ κατήγορος τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν, the accuser of our brethren:  if he is not in addition to be called the calumniator of men before each other, inasmuch as he continually sows disputes and quarrels, James 3:14-16, and especially of the pious and innocent before others; indeed, the calumniator of a man before himself, inasmuch as he would drive man to desperation; certainly the word of the Lord teaches this, John 8:44:  compare CHRYSOSTOM’S homily II de Diablo Tentatore, opera, tome 2, page 262.

He is also called the Evil One, ὁ πονηρὸς, κατ᾽ ἐξοχὴν, par excellence; thus with the greatest emphasis are explained various passages, in which in the Genitive we read τοῦ πονηροῦ, the Evil, Matthew 6:13;[6] John 17:15;[7] Ephesians 6:16:[8]  and, lest anyone take exception, that it is a Genitive from the Nominative of the neuter gender, τὸν πονηρὸν, the evil thing, we compare in addition Matthew 13:19, where ὁ πονηρός, the wicked/evil one, is found in the Nominative; and, while in verse 38 τὰ ζιζάνια, the tares, are said to be οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ πονηροῦ, the children of the wicked one, in verse 39 is subjoined, ὁ δὲ ἐχθρὸς ὁ σπείρας αὐτά, ἐστιν ὁ διάβολος, but the enemy that sowed them is the devil.  No one has a doubt concerning this epithet applying justly to the Devil:  CHRYSOSTOM, homily XIX, on Matthew 6, opera, tome 7, pages 253, 254:  Πονηρὸν ἐνταῦθα τὸν διάβολον καλεῖ·  κατ’ ἐξοχὴν δὲ οὕτως ἐκεῖνος καλεῖται διὰ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς κακίας, καὶ ἐπειδὴ μηδὲν παρ’ ἡμῶν ἀδικηθεὶς ἄσπονδον πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἔχῃ τὸν πόλεμον, He calls the devil the Wicked One here:  And that one is thus denominated par excellence because of the excess of his wickedness, and because, although injured in no way by us, he carries on an implacable war against us.  Again, in homily II de Diabolo Tentatore, opera, tome 2, page 262:  Καὶ τοι πολλῶν ἀνθρώπον ὄντων πονηρῶν, μόνος ἐκεῖνος πονηρὸς κατ’ ἐξοχὴν λέγεται, and yet, although there are many wicked men, he alone is called the Wicked One par excellence.

The Tempter, ὁ πειράζων, Matthew 4:3.  For Jesus was led up into the wilderness πειρασθῆναι ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου, to be tempted of the devil, verse 1.  And so he was the Tempter of Christ, and also of other men, especially of believers, who resist his lusts, 1 Corinthians 7:5:  consult our AUTHOR’S Exercitationes Textuales XXVIII, Part III; COCQUIUS’ Anatomen Hobbesianismi, locus VIII, chapter XV, pages 145, 146.

The Devil also deserves to be antonomastically called Belial, Βελίαλ, as it is done in 2 Corinthians 6:15, where Paul sets Christ and Belial in opposition to each other; in which sense GUSSETIUS thinks this name also occurs in the Old Testament, because there it is found in construct with the nouns בֵּן/son,[9] ‎בְּנֵי/sons/children,[10]אָדָם /man,[11] ‎אַנְשֵׁי/ men.[12]  And בְּלִיַּעַל/Belial is certainly a Hebraic term, which is compounded from בְּלִי/not/nothing, and יעל, an unused Qal, whence the Hiphil is הוֹעִיל, to be useful/advantageous, or עוֺל/yoke:  and so it denotes either one that is of no worth, who is advantageous to no one; or one that has cast off every yoke, altogether dissolute; in either way in general, wicked, which sort is the Devil with the greatest emphasis:  see GUSSETIUS’ Commentarium Linguæ Hebraicæ, on the root יעל.

Concerning the name עֲזָאזֵל/Hazazel/Scapegoat, see below, Chapter XXI, § 20.

With the appellation of Lucifer derived by the Fathers without justification from Isaiah 14:12:  for there is nothing in that place concerning the Devil; but, as VOGELSANG rightly observes, Exercitationibus theologicis XXIII, § 4, all the circumstances cry out, that in this place the King of the Babylonians is treated.

[1] 1 John 5:19.

[2] Διαβάλλω signifies to slander, or to accuse.

[3] 2 Timothy 3:3:  “Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers (διάβολοι), incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good…”

[4] 1 Timothy 3:11:  “Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers (μὴ διαβόλους), sober, faithful in all things.”

[5] Antonomasia is the use of a descriptive term as a proper name.

[6] Matthew 6:13:  “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ):  For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.  Amen.”

[7] John 17:15:  “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil (ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ).”

[8] Ephesians 6:16:  “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked (τοῦ πονηροῦ).”

[9] 1 Samuel 25:17.

[10] Judges 19:22; 1 Samuel 2:12; 2 Chronicles 13:7.

[11] Proverbs 6:12:  “A naughty person (‎אָדָ֣ם בְּ֭לִיַּעַל, a man of Belial), a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.”

[12] 1 Kings 21:13.