How did Satan evolve from being an agent of God to being God's adversary?

Question

As always there is a big difference in the original concept (in Judaism) and with the new concept (christiantiy).

Satan Look up Satan at Dictionary.com

proper name of the supreme evil spirit in Christianity, O.E. Satan, from L.L. Satan (in Vulgate, in O.T. only), from Gk. Satanas, from Heb. satan "adversary, one who plots against another," from satan "to show enmity to, oppose, plot against," from root s-t-n "one who opposes, obstructs, or acts as an adversary." In Septuagint (Gk.) usually translated as diabolos "slanderer," lit. "one who throws (something) across" the path of another (see devil), though epiboulos "plotter" is used once.

"In biblical sources the Hebrew term the satan describes an adversarial role. It is not the name of a particular character. Although Hebrew storytellers as early as the sixth century B.C.E. occasionally introduced a supernatural character whom they called the satan, what they meant was any one of the angels sent by God for the specific purpose of blocking or obstructing human activity." [Elaine Pagels, "The Origin of Satan," 1995]

Satanic "pertaining to Satan" is first recorded 1667 (in "Paradise Lost"); meaning "diabolical" is from 1793. Satanism "worship of Satan" dates from 1896, with ref. to France, where it was said to be active at that time; Satanist is attested from 1559, applied by their enemies to Protestant sects.

http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=270&letter=S

Answer 1

black plague, had to blame it on someone

look up BBC radio4's In Our Time, in the archive there's a programme on the various views of the devil from Hebrew times to present times.

Answer 2

He didn't....it is only Christianity's faulty reading and understanding of the true Scriptures that led to this perception.

Answer 3

When Satan was with God, his name was Lucifer and God put him in charge of the angel of music but Lucifer wanted to be like God and higher than Him but NO ONE is above God, He is the Most High. So for his disobedience, God casts Satan out of heaven and Satan took 1/3 of God's angels with him to dweel in h**l and the Earth.

Answer 4

You have a name for yourself, he had one too, but satan was not an angel, was a cherub, and - more than that - "the cherub that covered", possibly the mayesty of JHWH. The Ark had two cherubs, facing each other, "covering the Ark". Was Jesus (Logos, The Son), the "other one"?. Most likely.

he made himself 'satan': Ezekiel 28:14-19  Thou wast the anointed cherub that covereth: and I set thee, so that thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till unrighteousness was found in thee. By the abundance of thy traffic they filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore have I cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God; and I have destroyed thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thy heart was lifted up because of thy beauty; thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I have cast thee to the ground; I have laid thee before kings, that they may behold thee. By the multitude of thine iniquities, in the unrighteousness of thy traffic, thou hast profaned thy sanctuaries; therefore have I brought forth a fire from the midst of thee; it hath devoured thee, and I have turned thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the peoples shall be astonished at thee: thou art become a terror, and thou shalt nevermore have any being.

God made him perfect and beautiful. his hear was corrupted and thought to become higher than God Himself. He fell.

Answer 5

"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

Yet thou shalt be brought down to h**l, to the sides of the pit."  

Answer 6

Just a disagreement on how things should be run,we have the same with anything here on Earth,the death penalty,crime and punishment,the PC attitude etc etc.The fallen Angel -Gabriel said misdeed should be punished,whereas the other chap was all for forgiveness,look round at the results today.

Answer 7

Satan got promoted for all the brown nosing he performed for God.

Answer 8

By turning against God

Answer 9

Lucifer wanted to be better than God and planned to overthrow him so God threw him out of Heaven and down into h**l where he turned against God more to become his enemy