Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "Destructors" to "Diameter" by Various
2. The first two passages represent Moses as addressing the generation
5215 words | Chapter 12
that was alive at Horeb, whereas the last represents him as speaking to
those who were about to pass over Jordan a full generation later; and it
may well be that the one author may, in the historical and hortatory
parts, have preferred the 2nd plural and the other the 2nd singular;
without the further inference being justified that every law in which
the 2nd singular is used must be assigned to the latter, and every law
in which the 2nd plural occurs must be due to the former.
The law of the Single Sanctuary, one of D's outstanding characteristics,
is, for him, an innovation, but an innovation towards which events had
long been tending. 2 Kings xxiii. 9 shows that even the zeal of Josiah
could not carry out the instructions laid down in D xviii. 6-8. Josiah's
acceptance of D made it the first canonical book of scripture. Thus the
religion of Judah became henceforward a religion which enabled its
adherents to learn from a book exactly what was required of them. D
requires the destruction not only of the high places and the idols, but
of the Asheras (wooden posts) and the Mazzebas (stone pillars) often set
up beside the altar of Jehovah (xvi. 21). These reforms made too heavy
demands upon the people, as was proved by the reaction which set in at
Josiah's death. Indeed the country people would look on the destruction
of the high places with their Asheras and Mazzebas as sacrilege and
would consider Josiah's death in battle as a divine punishment for his
sacrilegious deeds. On the other hand, the destruction of Jerusalem and
the exile of the people would appear to those who had obeyed D's
instructions as a well-merited punishment for national apostasy.
Moreover, D regarded religion as of the utmost moment to each individual
Israelite; and it is certainly not by accident that the declaration of
the individual's duty towards God immediately follows the emphatic
intimation to Israel of Yahweh's unity. "Hear, O Israel, Yahweh is our
God, Yahweh is one: and thou shalt love Yahweh thy God with all thine
heart and with all thy soul and with all thy strength" (vi. 4, 5).
In estimating the religious value of Deuteronomy it should never be
forgotten that upon this passage the greatest eulogy ever pronounced on
any scripture was pronounced by Christ himself, when he said "on these
words hang all the law and the prophets," and it is also well to
remember that when tempted in the wilderness he repelled each suggestion
of the Tempter by a quotation from Deuteronomy.
Nevertheless even such a writer as D could not escape the influence of
the age and atmosphere in which he lived; and despite the spirit of love
which breathes so strongly throughout the book, especially for the poor,
the widow and the fatherless, the stranger and the homeless Levite
(xxiv. 10-22), and the humanity shown towards both beasts and birds
(xxii. 1, 4, 6 f., xxv. 4), there are elements in D which go far to
explain the intense exclusiveness and the religious intolerance
characteristic of Judaism. Should a man's son or friend dear to him as
his own soul seek to tempt him from the faith of his fathers, D's
pitiless order to that man is "Thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand
shall be first upon him to put him to death." From this single instance
we see not only how far mankind has travelled along the path of
religious toleration since Deuteronomy was written, but also how very
far the criticism implied in Christ's method of dealing with what "was
said to them of old time" may be legitimately carried. (J. A. P.*)
DEUTSCH, IMMANUEL OSCAR MENAHEM (1829-1873), German oriental scholar,
was born on the 28th of October 1829, at Neisse in Prussian Silesia, of
Jewish extraction. On reaching his sixteenth year he began his studies
at the university of Berlin, paying special attention to theology and
the Talmud. He also mastered the English language and studied English
literature. In 1855 Deutsch was appointed assistant in the library of
the British Museum. He worked intensely on the Talmud and contributed no
less than 190 papers to _Chambers's Encyclopaedia_, in addition to
essays in Kitto's and Smith's Biblical Dictionaries, and articles in
periodicals. In October 1867 his article on "The Talmud," published in
the _Quarterly Review_, made him known. It was translated into French,
German, Russian, Swedish, Dutch and Danish. He died at Alexandria on the
12th of May 1873.
His _Literary Remains_, edited by Lady Strangford, were published in
1874, consisting of nineteen papers on such subjects as "The Talmud,"
"Islam," "Semitic Culture," "Egypt, Ancient and Modern," "Semitic
Languages," "The Targums," "The Samaritan Pentateuch," and "Arabic
Poetry."
DEUTSCHKRONE, a town of Germany, kingdom of Prussia, between the two
lakes of Arens and Radau, 15 m. N.W. of Schneidemühl, a railway junction
60 m. north of Posen. Pop. (1905) 7282. It is the seat of the public
offices for the district, possesses an Evangelical and a Roman Catholic
church, a synagogue, and a gymnasium established in the old Jesuit
college, and has manufactures of machinery, woollens, tiles, brandy and
beer.
DEUTZ (anc. _Divitio_), formerly an independent town of Germany, in the
Prussian Rhine Province, on the right bank of the Rhine, opposite to
Cologne, with which it has been incorporated since 1888. It contains the
church of St Heribert, built in the 17th century, cavalry barracks,
artillery magazines, and gas, porcelain, machine and carriage factories.
It has a handsome railway station on the banks of the Rhine, negotiating
the local traffic with Elberfeld and Königswinter. The fortifications of
the town form part of the defences of Cologne. To the east is the
manufacturing suburb of Kalk.
The old castle in Deutz was in 1002 made a Benedictine monastery by
Heribert, archbishop of Cologne. Permission to fortify the town was in
1230 granted to the citizens by the archbishop of Cologne, between whom
and the counts of Berg it was in 1240 divided. It was burnt in 1376,
1445 and 1583; and in 1678, after the peace of Nijmwegen, the
fortifications were dismantled; rebuilt in 1816, they were again razed
in 1888.
DEUX-SÈVRES, an inland department of western France, formed in 1790
mainly of the three districts of Poitou, Thouarsais, Gâtine and
Niortais, added to a small portion of Saintonge and a still smaller
portion of Aunis. Area, 2337 sq. m. Pop. (1906) 339,466. It is bounded
N. by Maine-et-Loire, E. by Vienne, S.E. by Charente, S. by
Charente-Inférieure and W. by Vendée. The department takes its name from
two rivers--the Sèvre of Niort which traverses the southern portion, and
the Sèvre of Nantes (an affluent of the Loire) which drains the
north-west. There are three regions--the Gâtine, occupying the north and
centre of the department, the Plaine in the south and the
Marais,--distinguished by their geological character and their general
physical appearance. The Gâtine, formed of primitive rocks (granite and
schists), is the continuation of the "Bocage" of Vendée and
Maine-et-Loire. Its surface is irregular and covered with hedges and
clumps of wood or forests. The systematic application of lime has much
improved the soil, which is naturally poor. The Plaine, resting on
oolite limestone, is treeless but fertile. The Marais, a low-lying
district in the extreme south-west, consists of alluvial clays which also
are extremely productive when properly drained. The highest points,
several of which exceed 700 ft., are found in a line of hills which
begins in the centre of the department, to the south of Parthenay, and
stretches north-west into the neighbouring department of Vendée. It
divides the region drained by the Sèvre Nantaise and the Thouet (both
affluents of the Loire) in the north from the basins of the Sèvre
Niortaise and the Charente in the south. The climate is mild, the annual
temperature at Niort being 54° Fahr., and the rainfall nearly 25 in. The
winters are colder in the Gâtine, the summers warmer in the Plaine.
Three-quarters of the entire area of Deux-Sèvres, which is primarily an
agricultural department, consists of arable land. Wheat and oats are the
main cereals. Potatoes and mangold-wurzels are the chief root-crops.
Niort is a centre for the growing Of vegetables (onions, asparagus,
artichokes, &c.) and of angelica. Considerable quantities of beetroot
are raised to supply the distilleries of Melle. Colza, hemp, rape and
flax are also cultivated. Vineyards are numerous in the neighbourhood of
Bressuire in the north, and of Niort and Melle in the south. The
department is well known for the Parthenay breed of cattle and the
Poitou breed of horses; and the mules reared in the southern
arrondissements are much sought after both in France and in Spain. The
system of co-operative dairying is practised in some localities. The
apple-trees of the Gâtine and the walnut-trees of the Plaine bring a
good return. Coal is mined, and the department produces building-stone
and lime. A leading industry is the manufacture of textiles (serges,
druggets, linen, handkerchiefs, flannels, swan-skins and knitted goods).
Tanning and leather-dressing are carried on at Niort and other places,
and gloves are made at Niort. Wool and cotton spinning, hat and shoe
making, distilling, brewing, flour-milling and oil-refining are also
main industries. The department exports cattle and sheep to Paris and
Poitiers; also cereals, oils, wines, vegetables and its industrial
products.
The Sèvre Niortaise and its tributary the Mignon furnish 19 m. of
navigable waterway. The department is served by the Ouest-État railway.
It contains a large proportion of Protestants, especially in the
south-east. The four arrondissements are Niort, Bressuire, Melle and
Parthenay; the cantons number 31, and the communes 356. Deux-Sèvres is
part of the region of the IX. army corps, and of the diocese and the
académie (educational circumscription) of Poitiers, where also is its
court of appeal.
Niort (the capital), Bressuire, Melle, Parthenay, St Maixent, Thouars
and Oiron are the principal places in the department. Several other
towns contain features of interest. Among these are Airvault, where
there is a church of the 12th and 14th centuries which once belonged to
the abbey of St Pierre, and an ancient bridge built by the monks;
Celles-sur-Belle, where there is an old church rebuilt by Louis XI., and
again in the 17th century; and St Jouin-de-Marnes, with a fine
Romanesque church with Gothic restoration, which belonged to one of the
most ancient abbeys of Gaul.
DEVA (Sanskrit "heavenly"), in Hindu and Buddhist mythology, spirits of
the light and air, and minor deities generally beneficent. In Persian
mythology, however, the word is used for evil spirits or demons.
According to Zoroaster the devas were created by Ahriman.
DEVA (mod. _Chester_), a Roman legionary fortress in Britain on the Dee.
It was occupied by Roman troops about A.D. 48 and held probably till the
end of the Roman dominion. Its garrison was the Legio XX. Valeria
Victrix, with which another legion (II. Adjutrix) was associated for a
few years, about A.D. 75-85. It never developed, like many Roman
legionary fortresses, into a town, but remained military throughout.
Parts of its north and east walls (from Morgan's Mount to Peppergate)
and numerous inscriptions remain to indicate its character and area.
See F. J. Haverfield, _Catalogue of the Grosvenor Museum, Chester_
(Chester, 1900), Introduction.
DEVADATTA, the son of Suklodana, who was younger brother to the father
of the Buddha (_Mah[=a]vastu_, iii. 76). Both he and his brother
[=A]nanda, who were considerably younger than the Buddha, joined the
brotherhood in the twentieth year of the Buddha's ministry. Four other
cousins of theirs, chiefs of the S[=a]kiya clan, and a barber named
Up[=a]li, were admitted to the order at the same time; and at their own
request the barber was admitted first, so that as their senior in the
order he should take precedence of them (_Vinaya Texts_, iii. 228). All
the others continued loyal disciples, but Devadatta, fifteen years
afterwards, having gained over the crown prince of Magadha,
Aj[=a]tasattu, to his side, made a formal proposition, at the meeting of
the order, that the Buddha should retire, and hand over the leadership
to him, Devadatta (_Vinaya Texts_, iii. 238; _J[=a]taka_, i. 142). This
proposal was rejected, and Devadatta is said in the tradition to have
successfully instigated the prince to the execution of his aged father
and to have made three abortive attempts to bring about the death of the
Buddha (_Vinaya Texts_, iii. 241-250; _J[=a]taka_, vi. 131), shortly
afterwards, relying upon the feeling of the people in favour of
asceticism, he brought forward four propositions for ascetic rules to be
imposed on the order. These being refused, he appealed to the people,
started an order of his own, and gained over 500 of the Buddha's
community to join in the secession. We hear nothing further about the
success or otherwise of the new order, but it may possibly be referred
to under the name of the Gotamakas, in the _Anguttara_ (see _Dialogues
of the Buddha_ i. 222), for Devadatta's family name was Gotama. But his
community was certainly still in existence in the 4th century A.D., for
it is especially mentioned by Fa Hien, the Chinese pilgrim (Legge's
translation, p. 62). And it possibly lasted till the 7th century, for
Hsüan Tsang mentions that in a monastery in Bengal the monks then
followed a certain regulation of Devadatta's (T. Watters, _On Yuan
Chwang_, ii. 191). There is no mention in the canon as to how or when
Devadatta died; but the commentary on the _J[=a]taka_, written in the
5th century A.D., has preserved a tradition that he was swallowed up by
the earth near S[=a]vatthi, when on his way to ask pardon of the Buddha
(_J[=a]taka_, iv. 158). The spot where this occurred was shown to both
the pilgrims just mentioned (Fa Hien, loc. cit. p. 60; and T. Watters,
_On Yuan Chwang_, i. 390). It is a striking example of the way in which
such legends grow, that it is only the latest of these authorities,
Hsüan Tsang, who says that, though ostensibly approaching the Buddha
with a view to reconciliation, Devadatta had concealed poison in his
nail with the object of murdering the Buddha.
AUTHORITIES.--_Vinaya Texts_, translated by Rhys Davids and H.
Oldenberg (3 vols., Oxford, 1881-1885); _The J[=a]taka_, edited by V.
Fausböll (7 vols., London, 1877-1897); T. Watters, _On Yuan Chwang_
(ed. Rhys Davids and Bushell, 2 vols., London, 1904-1905); _Fa Hian_,
translated by J. Legge (Oxford, 1886); _Mah[=a]vastu_ (ed. Tenant, 3
vols., Paris, 1882-1897). (T. W. R. D.)
DEVAPRAYAG (DEOPRAYAG), a village in Tehri State of the United
Provinces, India. It is situated at the spot where the rivers Alaknanda
and Bhagirathi unite and form the Ganges, and as one of the five sacred
confluences in the hills is a great place of pilgrimage for devout
Hindus. Devaprayag stands at an elevation of 2265 ft. on the side of a
hill which rises above it 800 ft. On a terrace in the upper part of the
village is the temple of Raghunath, built of huge uncemented stones,
pyramidical in form and capped by a white cupola.
DEVENS, CHARLES (1820-1891), American lawyer and jurist, was born in
Charlestown, Massachusetts, on the 4th of April 1820. He graduated at
Harvard College in 1838, and at the Harvard law school in 1840, and was
admitted to the bar in Franklin county, Mass., where he practised from
1841 to 1849. In the year 1848 he was a Whig member of the state senate,
and from 1849 to 1853 was United States marshal for Massachusetts, in
which capacity he was called upon in 1851 to remand the fugitive slave,
Thomas Sims, to slavery. This he felt constrained to do, much against
his personal desire; and subsequently he attempted in vain to purchase
Sims's freedom, and many years later appointed him to a position in the
department of justice at Washington. Devens practised law at Worcester
from 1853 until 1861, and throughout the Civil War served in the Federal
army, becoming colonel of volunteers in July 1861 and brigadier-general
of volunteers in April 1862. At the battle of Ball's Bluff (1861) he was
severely wounded; he was again wounded at Fair Oaks (1862) and at
Chancellorsville (1863), where he commanded a division. He later
distinguished himself at Cold Harbor, and commanded a division in
Grant's final campaign in Virginia (1864-65), his troops being the first
to occupy Richmond after its fall. Breveted major-general in 1865, he
remained in the army for a year as commander of the military district of
Charleston, South Carolina. He was a judge of the Massachusetts superior
court from 1867 to 1873, and was an associate justice of the supreme
court of the state from 1873 to 1877, and again from 1881 to 1891. From
1877 to 1881 he was attorney-general of the United States in the cabinet
of President Hayes. He died at Boston, Mass., on the 7th of January
1891.
See his _Orations and Addresses_, with a memoir by John Codman Ropes
(Boston, 1891).
DEVENTER, a town in the province of Overysel, Holland, on the right bank
of the Ysel, at the confluence of the Schipbeek, and a junction station
10 m. N. of Zutphen by rail. It is also connected by steam tramway S.E.
with Brokulo. Pop. (1900) 26,212. Deventer is a neat and prosperous town
situated in the midst of prettily wooded environs, and containing many
curious old buildings. There are three churches of special interest: the
Groote Kerk (St Lebuinus), which dates from 1334, and occupies the site
of an older structure of which the 11th-century crypt remains; the Roman
Catholic Broederkerk, or Brothers' Church, containing among its relics
three ancient gospels said to have been written by St Lebuinus (Lebwin),
the English apostle of the Frisians and Westphalians (d. c. 773); and
the Bergkerk, dedicated in 1206, which has two late Romanesque towers.
The town hall (1693) contains a remarkable painting of the town council
by Terburg. In the fine square called the Brink is the old weigh-house,
now a school (gymnasium), built in 1528, with a large external staircase
(1644). The gymnasium is descended from the Latin school of which the
celebrated Alexander Hegius was master in the third quarter of the 15th
century, when the young Erasmus was sent to it, and at which Adrian
Floreizoon, afterwards Pope Adrian VI., is said to have been a pupil
about the same time. Another famous educational institution was the
"Athenaeum" or high school, founded in 1630, at which Henri Renery (d.
1639) taught philosophy, while Johann Friedrich Gronov (Gronovius)
(1611-1671) taught rhetoric and history in the middle of the same
century. The "Athenaeum" disappeared in 1876. In modern times Deventer
possessed a famous teacher in Dr Burgersdyk (d. 1900), the Dutch
translator of Shakespeare. The town library, also called the library of
the Athenaeum, includes many MSS. and _incunabula_, and a 13th-century
copy of _Reynard the Fox_. The archives of the town are of considerable
value. Besides a considerable agricultural trade, Deventer has important
iron foundries and carpet factories (the royal manufactory of Smyrna
carpets being especially famous); while cotton-printing, rope-making and
the weaving of woollens and silks are also carried on. A public official
is appointed to supervise the proper making of a form of gingerbread
known as "_Deventer Koek_," which has a reputation throughout Holland.
In the church of Bathmen, a village 5 m. E. of Deventer, some
14th-century frescoes were discovered in 1870.
In the 14th century Deventer was the centre of the famous religious and
educational movement associated with the name of GERHARD GROOT (q.v.),
who was a native of the town (see BROTHERS OF COMMON LIFE).
DE VERE, AUBREY THOMAS (1814-1902), Irish poet and critic, was born at
Curragh Chase, Co. Limerick, on the 10th of January 1814, being the
third son of Sir Aubrey de Vere Hunt (1788-1846). In 1832 his father
dropped the final name by royal licence. Sir Aubrey was himself a poet.
Wordsworth called his sonnets the "most perfect of the age." These and
his drama, _Mary Tudor_, were published by his son in 1875 and 1884.
Aubrey de Vere was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, and in his
twenty-eighth year published _The Waldenses_, which he followed up in
the next year by _The Search after Proserpine_. Thenceforward he was
continually engaged, till his death on the 20th of January 1902, in the
production of poetry and criticism. His best-known works are: in verse,
_The Sisters_ (1861); _The Infant Bridal_ (1864); _Irish Odes_ (1869);
_Legends of St Patrick_ (1872); and _Legends of the Saxon Saints_
(1879); and in prose, _Essays chiefly on Poetry_ (1887); and _Essays
chiefly Literary and Ethical_ (1889). He also wrote a picturesque volume
of travel-sketches, and two dramas in verse, _Alexander the Great_
(1874); and _St Thomas of Canterbury_ (1876); both of which, though they
contain fine passages, suffer from diffuseness and a lack of dramatic
spirit. The characteristics of Aubrey de Vere's poetry are "high
seriousness" and a fine religious enthusiasm. His research in questions
of faith led him to the Roman Church; and in many of his poems, notably
in the volume of sonnets called _St Peter's Chains_ (1888), he made rich
additions to devotional verse. He was a disciple of Wordsworth, whose
calm meditative serenity he often echoed with great felicity; and his
affection for Greek poetry, truly felt and understood, gave dignity and
weight to his own versions of mythological idylls. But perhaps he will
be chiefly remembered for the impulse which he gave to the study of
Celtic legend and literature. In this direction he has had many
followers, who have sometimes assumed the appearance of pioneers; but
after Matthew Arnold's fine lecture on "Celtic Literature," nothing
perhaps did more to help the Celtic revival than Aubrey de Vere's tender
insight into the Irish character, and his stirring reproductions of the
early Irish epic poetry.
A volume of _Selections_ from his poems was edited in 1894 (New York
and London) by G. E. Woodberry.
DEVICE, a scheme, plan, simple mechanical contrivance; also a pattern or
design, particularly an heraldic design or emblem, often combined with a
motto or legend. "Device" and its doublet "devise" come from the two Old
French forms _devis_ and _devise_ of the Latin _divisa_, things divided,
from _dividere_, to separate, used in the sense of to arrange, set out,
apportion. "Devise," as a substantive, is now only used as a legal term
for a disposition of property by will, by a modern convention restricted
to a disposition of real property, the term "bequest" being used of
personalty (see WILL). This use is directly due to the Medieval Latin
meaning of _dividere_ = _testamento disponere_. In its verbal form,
"devise" is used not only in the legal sense, but also in the sense of
to plan, arrange, scheme.
DEVIL (Gr. [Greek: diabolos], "slanderer," from [Greek: diaballein], to
slander), the generic name for a spirit of evil, especially the supreme
spirit of evil, the foe of God and man. The word is used for minor evil
spirits in much the same sense as "demon." From the various
characteristics associated with this idea, the term has come to be
applied by analogy in many different senses. From the idea of evil as
degraded, contemptible and doomed to failure, the term is applied to
persons in evil plight, or of slight consideration. In English legal
phraseology "devil" and "devilling" are used of barristers who act as
substitutes for others. Any remuneration which the legal "devil" may
receive is purely a matter of private arrangement between them. In the
chancery division such remuneration is generally in the proportion of
one half of the fee which the client pays; "in the king's bench division
remuneration for 'devilling' of briefs or assisting in drafting and
opinions is not common" (see _Annual Practice_, 1907, p. 717). In a
similar sense an author may have his materials collected and arranged by
a literary hack or "devil." The term "printer's devil" for the errand
boy in a printing office probably combines this idea with that of his
being black with ink. The common notions of the devil as black,
ill-favoured, malicious, destructive and the like, have occasioned the
application of the term to certain animals (the Tasmanian devil, the
devil-fish, the coot), to mechanical contrivances (for tearing up cloth
or separating wool), to pungent, highly seasoned dishes, broiled or
fried. In this article we are concerned with the primary sense of the
word, as used in mythology and religion.
The primitive philosophy of animism involves the ascription of all
phenomena to personal agencies. As phenomena are good or evil, produce
pleasure or pain, cause weal or woe, a distinction in the character of
these agencies is gradually recognized; the agents of good become gods,
those of evil, demons. A tendency towards the simplification and
organization of the evil as of the good forces, leads towards belief in
outstanding leaders among the forces of evil. When the divine is most
completely conceived as unity, the demonic is also so conceived; and
over against God stands Satan, or the devil.
Although it is in connexion with Hebrew and Christian monotheism that
this belief in the devil has been most fully developed, yet there are
approaches to the doctrine in other religions. In Babylonian mythology
"the old serpent goddess 'the lady Nina' was transformed into the
embodiment of all that was hostile to the powers of heaven" (Sayce's
_Hibbert Lectures_, p. 283), and was confounded with the dragon Tiamat,
"a terrible monster, reappearing in the Old Testament writings as Rahab
and Leviathan, the principle of chaos, the enemy of God and man"
(Tennant's _The Fall and Original Sin_, p. 43), and according to Gunkel
(_Schöpfung und Chaos_, p. 383) "the original of the 'old serpent' of
Rev. xii. 9." In Egyptian mythology the serpent Apap with an army of
monsters strives daily to arrest the course of the boat of the luminous
gods. While the Greek mythology described the Titans as "enchained once
for all in their dark dungeons" yet Prometheus' threat remained to
disturb the tranquillity of the Olympian Zeus. In the German mythology
the army of darkness is led by Hel, the personification of twilight,
sunk to the goddess who enchains the dead and terrifies the living, and
Loki, originally the god of fire, but afterwards "looked upon as the
father of the evil powers, who strips the goddess of earth of her
adornments, who robs Thor of his fertilizing hammer, and causes the
death of Balder the beneficent sun." In Hindu mythology the Maruts,
Indra, Agni and Vishnu wage war with the serpent Ahi to deliver the
celestial cows or spouses, the waters held captive in the caverns of the
clouds. In the _Trimurti_, Brahm[=a] (the impersonal) is manifested as
Brahm[=a] (the personal creator), Vishnu (the preserver), and Siva (the
destroyer). In Siva is perpetuated the belief in the god of Vedic times
Rudra, who is represented as "the wild hunter who storms over the earth
with his bands, and lays low with arrows the men who displease him"
(Chantepie de la Saussaye's _Religionsgeschichte_, 2nd ed., vol. ii. p.
25). The evil character of Siva is reflected in his wife, who as Kali
(the black) is the wild and cruel goddess of destruction and death. The
opposition of good and evil is most fully carried out in Zoroastrianism.
Opposed to Ormuzd, the author of all good, is Ahriman, the source of all
evil; and the opposition runs through the whole universe (D'Alviella's
_Hibbert Lectures_, pp. 158-164).
The conception of _Satan_ (Heb. [Hebrew: Satan], the adversary, Gr.
[Greek: Satanas], or [Greek: Satan], 2 Cor. xii. 7) belongs to the
post-exilic period of Hebrew development, and probably shows traces of
the influence of Persian on Jewish thought, but it has also its roots
in much older beliefs. An "evil spirit" possesses Saul (1 Sam. xvi. 14),
but it is "from the Lord." The same agency produces discord between
Abimelech and the Shechemites (Judges ix. 23). "A lying spirit in the
mouth of all his prophets" as Yahweh's messenger entices Ahab to his
doom (1 Kings xxii. 22). Growing human corruption is traced to the
fleshy union of angels and women (Gen. vi. 1-4). But generally evil,
whether as misfortune or as sin, is assigned to divine causality (1 Sam.
xviii. 10; 2 Sam. xxiv. 1; 1 Kings xxii. 20; Isa. vi. 10, lxiii. 17).
After the Exile there is a tendency to protect the divine transcendence
by the introduction of mediating angelic agency, and to separate all
evil from God by ascribing its origin to Satan, the enemy of God and
man. In the prophecy of Zechariah (iii. 1-2) he stands as the adversary
of Joshua, the high priest, and is rebuked by Yahweh for desiring that
Jerusalem should be further punished. In the book of Job he presents
himself before the Lord among the sons of God (ii. 1), yet he is
represented both as accuser and tempter. He disbelieves in Job's
integrity, and desires him to be so tried that he may fall into sin.
While, according to 2 Sam. xxiv. 1, God himself tests David in regard to
the numbering of the people, according to 1 Chron. xxi. 1 it is Satan
who tempts him.
The development of the conception continued in later Judaism, which was
probably more strongly influenced by Persian dualism. It is doubtful,
however, whether the Asmodeus (q.v.) of the book of Tobit is the same as
the A[=e]shma Da[=e]wa of the Bundahesh. He is the evil spirit who slew
the seven husbands of Sara (iii. 8), and the name probably means
"Destroyer." In the book of Enoch Satan is represented as the ruler of a
rival kingdom of evil, but here are also mentioned Satans, who are
distinguished from the fallen angels and who have a threefold function,
to tempt, to accuse and to punish. Satan possesses the ungodly
(Ecclesiasticus xxi. 27), is identified with the serpent of Gen. iii.
(Wisdom ii. 24), and is probably also represented by Asmodeus, to whom
lustful qualities are assigned (Tobit vi. 14); Gen. iii. is probably
referred to in Psalms of Solomon xvii. 49, "a serpent speaking with the
words of transgressors, words of deceit to pervert wisdom." The _Book of
the Secrets of Enoch_ not only identifies Satan with the Serpent, but
also describes his revolt against God, and expulsion from heaven. In the
Jewish _Targums_ Sammael, "the highest angel that stands before God's
throne, caused the serpent to seduce the woman"; he coalesces with
Satan, and has inferior Satans as his servants. The birth of Cain is
ascribed to a union of Satan with Eve. As accuser affecting man's
standing before God he is greatly feared.
This doctrine, stripped of much of its grossness, is reproduced in the
New Testament. Satan is the [Greek: diabolos] (Matt. xiii. 39; John
xiii. 2; Eph. iv. 27; Heb. ii. 14; Rev. ii. 10), slanderer or accuser,
the [Greek: peirazôn] (Matt. iv. 3; 1 Thess. iii. 5), the tempter, the
[Greek: ponêros] (Matt. v. 37; John xvii. 15; Eph. vi. 16), the evil
one, and the [Greek: echthros] (Matt. xiii. 39), the enemy. He is
apparently identified with Beelzebub (or Beelzebul) in Matt. xii. 26,
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