Mastema in the context of "Satan"

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⭐ Core Definition: Mastema

Mastema (Hebrew: מַשְׂטֵמָה Masṭēmā; Ge'ez: መሰቴማ Mesetēma), Mastemat, or Mansemat, is an antagonistic angel in the Book of Jubilees. He first appears in the literature of the Second Temple Period as a personification of the Hebrew word mastemah (מַשְׂטֵמָה), meaning "hatred", "hostility", "enmity", or "persecution".

In the Book of Jubilees, Mastema requests hosts of demons, the spirits of the Nephilim, from God to tempt and corrupt humanity. He appears to various prophets and puts them to the test. Throughout the work, Mastema substitutes evil actions attributed to Yahweh in the Torah and removes malice from the Godhead of the Hebrew tradition. Nevertheless, Mastema remains subordinate to the Godhead.

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👉 Mastema in the context of Satan

Satan, also known as the Devil, is an entity in Abrahamic religions who entices humans into sin or falsehood. In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the yetzer hara, or 'evil inclination'. In Christianity and Islam, he is usually seen as a fallen angel or jinn who has rebelled against God, who nevertheless allows him temporary power over the fallen world and a host of demons. In the Baháʼí Faith, Satan is not regarded as an independent evil power, but signifies the lower nature of humans.

A figure known as ha-satan ("the satan") first appears in the Hebrew Bible as a heavenly prosecutor, subordinate to Yahweh (God); he prosecutes the nation of Judah in the heavenly court and tests the loyalty of Yahweh's followers. During the intertestamental period, possibly due to influence from the Zoroastrian figure of Angra Mainyu, the satan developed into a malevolent entity with abhorrent qualities in dualistic opposition to God. In the apocryphal Book of Jubilees, Yahweh grants the satan (referred to as Mastema) authority over a group of fallen angels, or their offspring, to tempt humans to sin and punish them.

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