The Devil You Say?

The word ‘devil’ grew out of the same root word for ‘divinity’ (devi/deva). The most ancient teachings tell us that originally there were twin gods. 

One ruled over heaven. And the other ruled over earth.

Managing Creation is a big job. So this division of duties is at least practical. The twins work in partnership. Like Yin and Yang. They’re not really separate. One heads up corporate office. The other works in the field.

Traditionally, the devil is responsible for the material world. All the stuff of our earthly, physical existence is the domain of the devil. 

So if there is a hell, this is it.

The ancients believed that to get what you wanted you needed to petition the correct god. If you wanted the things of heaven – intangibles like peace, love, joy, gratitude - you had to go upstairs. If you wanted material stuff – gold, success on the battlefield, physical healing, a new ass - you went to the devil.

The devil, as we know it, can be found in the monotheistic Hebrew cult of YVHV. Originally, they had a pantheon of gods and goddesses known as ‘elohim.’ There was a god for everything.

Downsizing to a single god certainly simplified things. But the one all-powerful, all-good god idea created a logistical problem. The fact that all life is pain and suffering didn’t escape the early Hebrews. An all-powerful god could surely make life without all the hurt and pain and suffering. If he wouldn’t, then logically he couldn’t be all-good. If he wanted to make a world free of pain and suffering, and could not, then logically he couldn’t be all-powerful.

Solution – put a new spin on the twin gods. Keep the all-powerful, all-good god. And make the other one a little sh*t-disturber on which to hang the blame!

Introducing the devil, a.k.a. ‘Sa-tan.’ The word means “adversary.” Enemy.  That which opposes or resists is, by definition, the devil.

"Pleased to meet you. / Hope you guessed my name. / But what’s puzzling you is the nature of my game." – From ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ by The Rolling Stones

In Biblical lore the devil is not all bad. Take the story of Job.

One day Satan is talking to God. Satan says he thinks Job’s loyalty to God is merely brown-nosing. God disagrees. But He gives Satan permission to go ahead and test Job through adversity.

Apparently God and the devil are not equally matched. God is clearly the C.E.O. while the devil is management. 

And Job? 

A humble servant who ends up raising the bar on patience!