Connecticut western news., 1888-09-19
WHO IS SATAN2
The Question Discussed by a Learned
 Jewish Rabbi.
From the Menorah Mouthly,1

From the MenOran MOutulv.l
 Taking the word Satan in its specific sense, as proper name, we find 1t in the Bible signifying as a spiritual in visible being, whose vocation is to tempt and mislead mankind, and who delights in mans destruction and degradation. In the Book of Job Satan is described as being familiar with the Almighty: "And the Lord said unto Satan, whence comest thou?" Uob l., 7.) Dur ing the reign of David, Satan is report ed to have worked against Israel. "And Satan stood up against Israel" (Chron- icles xxii.) When the prophet Zech- ariah beheld in vision the high priest Joshua standing before an angel he saw Satan by his side to resist him (Zech- ariah iii, 1.)
 These biblical passages have given rise to superstitious belief which has taken deep root, not only in the hearts of our people, but also in those of the numerous adherers of Christianity and Islam.
 In the New Testament Satan is iden- tified with the devil, derived from the Greek Diabolos, and is believed to be as ubiquitous and powerful as God him. self. In Matthew iv., l., Satan is re- ported as having tempted Jesus. St. John calls Satan murderer, liar. And in. Revelation Xii, 7S., 1t is said: "And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, &c. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the devil and Satan, &c." It is most astonishing that Jesus, in whom Christians believe as having been God himself, was powerless in the presence of Satan, while Michael and his angels vanquished him3 In the second seventh chapter of the Koran we read that "Satan, who is called there Eblis, having disobeyed Gods order to worship Adam, was hurled down from heaven, &c." Thus has Satan become the invisible ruler of Europe, Western Asia and America, corrupting the inno- cent, defiling the pure, and degrading individuals as well as communities.
 But the question arises spontaneously: Who is Satana Has Judaism given birth to such phantom Are the peo- pie of Israel responsible for the exis- tence of such a demonl In order to solve these questions, we must concur ill the conclusions to which our great historians and modern Bible critics have arrived, with reference to the pe- riod when thooe books which mention Satan as proper name were discovered. It has been ascertained that the books Job, Daniel, Chronicles, and Kings be- long to that time when the children of Israel, with exception of a few who were permitted to remain in Jerusalem, were transported by Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon. There they came in contact with the Persians, whose religion con- sisted in fire worshipping and believing in deity of dual form in Ormuzd, the creater of light and good. and Ahriman, the originator of darkness and evil. This belief of the Persians was during the time of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, i'm proved by Zoroaster, who was the prop agator of Monotheism, teaching that there was before the worlds creation but one omnipotent God who, by his word, called into being two good angels, Ormuzd and Ahriman. But the latter corrupted his ways, and thus became ruler of darkness and evil.
 Now, as the people of Israel found in whose principal belief in God bore such they soon became closely attached to
  Ahriman, whose name they changed trance in the Bible. Persian super stitious religious ideas took strong hold of our peoples imagination, yes, even that of our prophets. ''The names of, the angels the Talmud Jer- ushalmi of Rosh Hashana-" did the people of Israel bring with them from Babylon during the reign of Cyrus"
 Thus the Christian world is indebted for the invention of Satan, who embel- fishes their Testament not to the Jews, but to the Persians. Also the believers in Kabbalah are indebted for the no- menclature of angels and demons which they possess to nobody else but to the Persians. The Persian doctrines of an gelology and demonology have impress ed the majority of our people so that they adhere to it up to the present day. This doctrine has become the nucleus of many of our prayers. The Kabbalistic rabbis have even gone a step further, and have identified Satan with the ser pent which enticed Adam and Eve to trespass against Gods commandment And gradually they have advanced him to the high position of "NIalach Hamo- vess," angel of death. Hence, one of the sages says: "Hu, Hasatan, Hu, Ha- jezer hora, Hu Hamalach hamovess. J ''The Satan, the enticer to evil, and the angel of death are one and the same being"
 This view, however, was not shared by all rabbis. There were many who bitterly opposed it. The Talmud B'rach. oth, page B, relates: "In the place where Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa resided serpent endangered the lives of the people. The rabbi succeeded in doing away with the serpent and convincing the people that not the serpent killeth, but sin" This story intimates the idea that Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa worked tc destroy the prevalent belief that the old serpent '.Nachash, Hakadmony," was the "Malach Hamovess" who hurls peo- pie into nntimely graves. The rabbi en deavored to show that the untimely death is due to some ''cheth," yes, some deviation from Gods precepts which are compatible with the laws of nature.