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From: dmcanzi@watdcsu.UUCP (David Canzi)
Newsgroups: talk.religion
Subject: Re: Lucifer is the patron saint of science and philosophy
Message-ID: <2521@watdcsu.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 5-Sep-86 21:49:13 EDT
Article-I.D.: watdcsu.2521
Posted: Fri Sep  5 21:49:13 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 9-Sep-86 06:11:20 EDT
References: <873@cavell.UUCP>
Reply-To: dmcanzi@watdcsu.UUCP (David Canzi)
Organization: Secular Humanist Conspiracy, Child Corruption Division
Lines: 21

On a hunch, I checked a Latin dictionary and found:

The word "lucifer", as an adjective means light-bearing, or
light-bringing.  As a noun, "Lucifer" was the name of the morning star,
and a couple other less important things.  This squares with what I was
told in grade school about the name "Lucifer" meaning light-bringer.
It's a suitable name for one who brings knowledge.

The parallels between Lucifer and Prometheus may be less superficial
than you think.  The Encyclopedia Britannica reports that, according to
Aeschylus, Prometheus not only brought fire and civilization to
mankind, but also brought the *arts* and *sciences*, ie. knowledge.
Prometheus is also described as a supreme trickster.  Sound like
somebody else we know?

The major difference is that Prometheus is depicted as a benefactor of
man while Lucifer is depicted as evil.  If Zeus got to write the holy
books, Prometheus would have ended up being described as evil, no
doubt.
-- 
David Canzi			"The best things in life are disgusting."