# Canonical Information on Lucifer/Satan

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canonical-information-on-lucifer-satan/393266>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 22, 2007, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canonical-information-on-lucifer-satan/393266 "2007-02-22T19:43:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Spiral\_Stairs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Spiral\_Stairs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiral_Stairs)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2007, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canonical-information-on-lucifer-satan/393266/21 "2007-02-23T16:24:05Z")

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For a brief moment, I thought this thread was seeking “contact information” for Lucifer/Satan.

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**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2007, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canonical-information-on-lucifer-satan/393266/22 "2007-02-23T16:27:04Z")

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[QUOTE=Spiral Stairs]  
For a brief moment, I thought this thread was seeking “contact information” for Lucifer/Satan.  
[/QUOTE]

MSN: [pure.evil@hotashellmail.com](mailto:pure.evil@hotashellmail.com)😛

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**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2007, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canonical-information-on-lucifer-satan/393266/23 "2007-02-23T16:41:10Z")

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Chronos:

> [@](#):
>
> Satan’s (only, so far as I know) credited appearance in the Old Testament is in the Book of Job, where he’s in sufficiently good standing with God that he can come before the Throne to make wagers with Him. His role in Job isn’t presented so much as an enemy, as a tester of sorts.

Nitpick: He’s in the book of Zachariah as well.

Otherwise accurate. He’s the “prosecutor” in the “heavenly court”, not an enemy of G-d, but a servant of his, fulfilling an assigned role.

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**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2007, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canonical-information-on-lucifer-satan/393266/24 "2007-02-23T18:07:37Z")

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[QUOTE=cmkeller]  
Chronos:

Nitpick: He’s in the book of Zachariah as well.

Otherwise accurate. He’s the “prosecutor” in the “heavenly court”, not an enemy of G-d, but a servant of his, fulfilling an assigned role.  
[/QUOTE]  
which brings up the Book of Job. According to the above interpretation, God is the one who put Job through all of those tribulations via Satan as a proxy.

My understanding is that there is no direct mention of Satan before the post exilic parts of the Bible. Mentions of Satan in pre-exilic works are additions made after the exile and the Israelites exposure to the dualism of Zoroaster.

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**Author:** ![enigm4tic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@enigm4tic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enigm4tic)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2007, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canonical-information-on-lucifer-satan/393266/25 "2007-02-23T19:35:08Z")

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[QUOTE=Spiral Stairs]  
For a brief moment, I thought this thread was seeking “contact information” for Lucifer/Satan.  
[/QUOTE]

well sure, if I can go straight to the source, why not! 😃

Thanks for the replies so far, a lot of interesting reading.

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