Devil
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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The Devil is a title given to the supernatural entity, who, in Christianity, Islam, and other religions, is a powerful, evil entity and the tempter of humankind. In conservative Christianity, God and the Devil are usually portrayed as fighting over the souls of humans, with the Devil seeking to lure people away from God and into hell. The Devil commands a force of lesser evil spirits, commonly known as demons.
The Devil is commonly associated with heretics, infidels, and other unbelievers. The Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament) does not assign this level of personification to a devil, but rather identifies all good and evil as originating in the will of God. In humour, concept of something as evil as Satan is often mocked.
This entity is commonly referred to by a variety of names, including Angra Mainyu, Satan, Asmodai, Beelzebub, Lucifer, Belial, or Iblis. Many other religions have a trickster or tempter figure that is similar to the Devil. Modern conceptions of the Devil include the concept that it symbolizes humans' own lower nature or sinfulness.
See
Namesakes
- The Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce
- Devil's Trill sonata by Giuseppe Tartini
See also
- Devil in popular culture
- Devil worship
- Hierarchy of devils
- Names of the demons
- Hell, Hades, Underworld
- Pact with the Devil
- Number of the Beast
- Lawsuits against the Devil
