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When God created
humankind, He required all angels to bow down before the new creation.
Satan (or Eblis, in Islamic lore) refused to humble himself, and
led his followers into rebellion.
Satan in his
original angelic form is sometimes equated with Samael, one of the
highest-ranking archangels. The angel Samael is described as having
twelve wings, and is associated with poison and death.
The Order of
Powers and the Order of Potentates supplied a large proportion of
Satan's followers.
The idea that
Satan became -- or controlled -- the serpent which tempted Eve does
not feature in the Bible. The identification was made by later theologians
of the Middle Ages.
Although Satan
is sometimes called Beelzebub and Mephistopheles, these names really
belong to two of his chief lieutenants in Hell. Beelzebun was one
of the cherubim before his fall. Other important figures in Hell
include:
- Belphegor (originally from the Order of Principalities)
- Leviathan
(originally a seraph), and
- Lilith (a
kind of demon who was Adam's first wife, before Eve)
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