Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!psuvax1!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: mike@unmvax.cs.unm.edu (Michael I. Bushnell) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Music Message-ID: Date: 1 Mar 90 08:09:37 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: University of No Money, Albuquerque, New Mexico Lines: 51 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article Laura Smith writes: >Are you not aware of the fact that this whole issue begins with how Satan was >created by God, etc...? The Bible tells us that he was the most beautiful of >all that God had created. It goes into great detail about not only his >appearance, but also about the myriad of instruments that made up his body. >Lucifer, as he was then referred to, not only knew how to play instruments >but he was a one being orchestra. He was created for the purpose of leading >worship in Heaven. Then he saw the praise that the Almighty was receiving >and decided that he would like to have that same kind of worship. I think >you know the rest of the story. To say that Satan has no creative ability >does not mean that all music comes from God. Yes, I did see that you used >the word nearly, but I think that as time draws closer to Jesus' return we >will see that more and more music is coming out twisted and tainted by >Satan's grasp. It's a sign of the times. Ack! The OT has about 3 references to Satan total...Genesis, Job, and in, I think Isaiah (or another of the prophets) about "Lucifer". The term "Satan" was a synonym of "tempter"...Jesus refers to Peter as "Satan" in just that context: Peter is expressing an idea which is tempting (in a bad way) to people and must be rejected. The whole idea of music, etc., comes from _Paradise_Lost_, by John Milton. While a wonderful poem, the whole idea of Satan as a fallen angel is extra-biblical. Please tell me where the Bible supposedly "goes into great detail about not only his appearance, but also about the myriad of instruments that made up his body." Michael I. Bushnell \ This above all; to thine own self be true LIBERTE, EGALITE, FRATERNITE \ And it must follow, as the night the day, mike@unmvax.cs.unm.edu /\ Thou canst not be false to any man. CARPE DIEM / \ Farewell: my blessing season this in thee! [In the RSV, the word Satan appears in I Chr 21:1, several places in the first 2 chapters of Job, Zechariah 3:1-2. No "Lucifer". Gem 2 doesn't use the word Satan. It's just a serpent, though from Gen 3 it seems reasoable to think that there were more implications there. The derivation of Satan as "tempter" has been a useful insight. It protects us from uncritically importing Dante into the Bible. However it's possible to carry this insight too far. The Jewish concept of Satan appears to have developed over time. Even in Job -- where he does sort of look like God's prosecuting attorney -- Satan seems at the very least ill-disposed to humans. By NT times, the concept seems much closer to the present one (though you are certainly right that much of the original posting is from extra-Biblical literary imagination). E.g. Mat 12:26 implies that Satan has a kingdom. --clh]