What Early Christians Taught About Satan

Justin Martyr, The First Apology Direct teaching

For among us the prince of the wicked spirits is called the serpent, and Satan, and the devil, as you can learn by looking into our writings.

Tertullian, De Fuga in Persecutione Direct teaching

... persecution comes to pass, no question, by the devil's agency, but not by the devil's origination. Satan will not be free to do anything against the servants of the living God unless the Lord grants permission, either that He may overthrow Satan himself by the faith of the elect, which proves victorious in the trial, or in the sight of the world show that those who apostatize to the devil's cause have in reality been His servants. You have the case of Job, whom the devil, unless he had received authority from God, could not have visited with trial, not even, in fact, in his property, unless the Lord had said, 'Behold, all that he has I put at your disposal; but do not stretch out your hand against himself.' In short, he would not even have stretched it out unless afterward, at his request, the Lord had granted him this permission also, saying, 'Behold, I deliver him to you; only preserve his life.' So he asked in the case of the apostles likewise for an opportunity to tempt them, having it only by special allowance, since the Lord says to Peter in the Gospel, 'Behold, Satan asked that he might sift you as grain; but I have prayed for you that your faith fail not'—that is, that

Origen, De Principiis (On First Principles) Direct teaching

The name, then, of Devil, and Satan, and Wicked One, who is also described as Enemy of God, is mentioned in many passages of Scripture.

Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Direct teaching

The latter are the wicked spirits, the authors of all the evils which are done, and the same devil is their prince.

1 Peter 5:8 Supporting witness

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

John 8:44 Supporting witness

You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

1 John 3:8 Supporting witness

Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

Lactantius, The Epitome of the Divine Institutes Supporting witness

But that serpent, who from his deeds received the name of devil, that is, accuser or informer, did not cease to persecute the seed of man, whom he had deceived from the beginning.

Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus Supporting witness

This Eve, on account of her having been in the beginning deceived by the serpent, and become the author of sin, the wicked demon, who also is called Satan, who then spoke to her through the serpent, and who works even to this day in those men that are possessed by him, invokes as Eve.

Ignatius, Epistle to the Trallians (LongVersion) Supporting witness

for they are the inventions of the devil, that serpent who was the author of evil, and who by means of the woman deceived Adam, the father of our race.

Genesis 3:1 Supporting witness

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

Genesis 3:14 Supporting witness

The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.

Genesis 3:13 Supporting witness

And the Lord God said to the woman, Why hast thou done this? And the woman said, The serpent deceived me and I ate.

Archelaus, Disputation with Manes Direct teaching

...t was God who first gave the commandment, the Lord Jesus Himself said to the devil, "Get behind me, Satan." And without doubt, to go behind God is the sign of being His servant. And again He says, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve." Therefore, since certain men were inclined to yield obedience to his wishes, they were addressed by the Savior in these words: "You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do." And finally, when they are found actually doing his will, they are addressed in this way: "O generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits fit for repentance." From all this, then, you ought to see how weighty a matter it is for man to have freedom of will. However, let my antagonist here say whether there is a judgment for the godly and the ungodly, or not. Manes said, "There is a judgment." Archelaus said, "I think that what we have said about the devil contains no small measure of reason as well as piety. For every creature, moreover, has its own order. And there is one order for the human race, and another for animals, and another for angels. Furthermore, th

Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Supporting witness

and God foreknowing that this would happen, had thus spoken: ‘And they brought Him to the Assyrian, a present to the king.’ Or He meant the devil by the lion roaring against Him: whom Moses calls the serpent, but in Job and Zechariah he is called the devil, and by Jesus is addressed as Satan, showing that a compounded name was acquired by him from the deeds which he performed.

Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Supporting witness

For when He became man, as I previously remarked, the devil came to Him—i.e., that power which is called the serpent and Satan—tempting Him, and striving to effect His downfall by asking Him to worship him.

Origen, Commentary on Matthew Supporting witness

...ul to You, Lord. This shall never happen to You.” Matthew 16:22 But He said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan. You are a stumbling block to Me, for you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” Matthew 16:23 Since Jesus had begun to show His disciples that He had to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things, Peter had learned only the first part of what was being shown. But because he thought those sufferings were unworthy of Christ, the Son of the living God, and beneath the dignity of the Father who had revealed such great things to him about Christ—for the things about His coming suffering had not been revealed to him—for this reason he took Him aside. And like one who forgot the honor due to the Christ, and forgot that the Son of the living God neither does nor says anything deserving rebuke, he began to rebuke Him. And speaking to one who needed propitiation—for he did not yet know that God had presented Him as a propitiation through faith in His blood, Romans 3:25—he said, “May God be merciful to You, O Lord.” Matthew 16:22 Jesus approved his intention, but He rebuked his ignorance. Because Peter’s intention was right, He said to him, “Get behind Me,” Matthew

Tatian, The Diatessaron Direct teaching

...ed with the Holy Spirit. Immediately the Spirit took him out into the wilderness to be tried by the devil. And he was with the beasts. He fasted forty days and forty nights. He ate nothing in those days, and at the end of them he hungered. And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, speak, and these stones will become bread." He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man will not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'" Then the devil brought him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down, for it is written,"

Luke 4:13 Supporting witness

And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Luke 4:6 Supporting witness

And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.

Matthew 4:5 Supporting witness

Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

Luke 4:8 Supporting witness

And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus Direct teaching

...wfully and does not set aside mother and father, and his whole family connection, and all his household, while he holds fast to his own wife and becomes one with her, dearly preferring her? So it is that, for the sake of their wives, some even submit to death. This Eve, because in the beginning she was deceived by the serpent and became the cause of sin, is the name the wicked demon also uses for himself. He is also called Satan. He was the one who then spoke to her through the serpent, and he is still at work to this day in those men who are possessed by him, calling himself Eve. And he is called demon and dragon because of his revolting from God. For at first he was an angel. And there is much to be said about his history. Therefore I leave out that account for now, because I have also spoken about him in another place.

Origen, De Principiis (On First Principles) Direct teaching

This opinion, however, is held by most, that the devil was an angel, and that, having become an apostate, he induced as many of the angels as possible to fall away with himself, and these up to the present time are called his angels.

Justin Martyr, Hortatory Address to the Greeks Direct teaching

And the same holds good regarding the enemy of mankind who was cast out of heaven, whom the Sacred Scriptures call the Devil, a name which he obtained from his first devilry against man;

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book IV Supporting witness

2. Since, therefore, all things were made by God, and since the devil has become the cause of apostasy to himself and others, justly does the Scripture always term those who remain in a state of apostasy “sons of the devil” and “angels of the wicked one” (maligni).

Tertullian, Apology Supporting witness

We are instructed, moreover, by our sacred books how from certain angels, who fell of their own free-will, there sprang a more wicked demon-brood, condemned of God along with the authors of their race, and that chief we have referred to.

Cyprian, Treatises Supporting witness

How great an evil is that, beloved brethren, whereby an angel fell, whereby that lofty and illustrious grandeur could be defrauded and overthrown, whereby he who deceived was himself deceived!

Luke 10:18 Supporting witness

And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

2 Peter 2:4 Supporting witness

For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

Isaiah 14:12 Supporting witness

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

Justin Martyr, Other Fragments from the Lost Writings of Justin Direct teaching

But when the Lord appeared, and the devil clearly understood that eternal fire was laid up and prepared for him and his angels, he then began to plot without ceasing against the faithful, being desirous to have many companions in his apostasy, that he might not by himself endure the shame of condemnation, comforting himself by this cold and malicious consolation.—From the writings of .

Cyprian, Connection to Romans 16:20 Direct teaching

you have slain the devil with a spiritual sword: you have also ordered the troops of the brethren, on the one hand and on the other, with your words, so that snares were on all sides laid for the enemy, and the severed sinews of the very carcase of the public foe were trodden under foot.

Dionysius of Alexandria, Exegetical Fragments Supporting witness

For God, it is said, cannot be tempted of evil.1 The devil, therefore, drives us on by violence, drawing us to destruction;

Archelaus, Disputation with Manes Supporting witness

...acle, I believe I have the right to think this about you. For we have been told beforehand that the devil himself will be changed into an angel of light, and that his servants will appear in the same way, and that they will do signs and wonders, so that, if it were possible, even the elect would be deceived. But who are you, I ask, since no such close relation has been assigned to you by your father Satan? Whom have you raised from the dead? What bleeding have you ever stopped? What blind eyes have you ever anointed with clay and caused to see? When have you ever fed a hungry crowd with a few loaves? Where have you ever walked on the water, or who among those living in Jerusalem has ever seen you do it? O Persian barbarian, you have never been able to know the language of the Greeks, or of the Egyptians, or of the Romans, or of any other nation. Only the Chaldean tongue has been known to you, and truly that is not a language used by any great number of people. You are not able to understand even one person of another nation when he speaks. But the Holy Spirit is not like that. God forbid. He gives to all, and knows every kind of language, and understands all things, and becomes

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness

...is supplicants from the dominion of the adversary. May He who rebuked the legion of demons, and the devil, the prince of wickedness, Mark 5:9; Zechariah 3:2, even now rebuke these apostates from piety, and deliver His own workmanship from his power, and cleanse those creatures whom He has made with great wisdom. Let us still pray earnestly for them. Save them, O God, and raise them up by Your power. Bow down your heads, you energumens, and receive the blessings. And let the bishop add this prayer, and say:

Origen, Against Celsus Supporting witness

...f the divine riddles, creating an adversary to God, the devil, and naming him in the Hebrew tongue, Satan. Now truly, such statements are entirely invented by mortal men, and are not even proper to be repeated. He means the claim that the mighty God, in His desire to give good things to men, still has one who works against Him, and is helpless. It follows, then, that the Son of God is defeated by the devil; and, being punished by him, teaches us also to despise the punishments that he inflicts. He tells us beforehand that Satan, after appearing to men as He Himself had also done, will show great and marvelous works, claiming for himself the glory of God. But those who want to keep him at a distance should pay no attention to these works of Satan, and should place their faith in Him alone. Such statements are plainly the words of a deceiver, plotting and maneuvering against those who oppose his views and rank themselves against them. Next, wanting to point out the riddles, our mistakes about which lead, he says, to the introduction of our views about Satan, he goes on: "The ancients speak obscurely about a certain war among the gods. Heraclitus speaks of it in this way: 'If one m

Revelation 12:9 Supporting witness

And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

Revelation 20:2 Supporting witness

And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

Revelation 20:10 Supporting witness

and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Romans 16:20 Supporting witness

And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.