What is the adversary called in each book?
Almost every book has its own name for him. In the Book of Enoch the leaders of the fallen Watchers are Semjaza and Azazel, and it is Azazel who teaches men to make swords and armour. In Jubilees the chief of the hostile spirits is Mastema.
The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs usually call the enemy Beliar, who rules the mind turned to evil, though Dan also names Satan as the prince of his erring descendants. The Ascension of Isaiah uses several names for one figure: Sammael, Sammael Malchira and Beliar, "the ruler of this world", whose seat is the firmament below the first heaven.
The Life of Adam and Eve speaks of the devil, who recruits the serpent as his instrument and speaks through its mouth. The Cave of Treasures says the prince of the lower order of angels fell because he refused to worship Adam, and was then named Satana, Sheda and Daiwa. In the Kebra Nagast he is Satan or the Devil, and God says of him that he can only make thoughts grow silently in the mind.
Explore the sources
- The Book of Enoch 8 Facts
- The Book of Jubilees 10 Facts
- The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs 83 Facts
- The Ascension of Isaiah 2 Facts
- The Life of Adam and Eve 4 Facts
- The Cave of Treasures 7 Facts
- The Kebra Nagast 100 Facts