Henry Kelly’s five-plus decades of studying Satan have made him one of the world’s leading experts.
In new book, UCLA professor says poor translations led to mischaracterization of Satan as embodiment of evil. Jessica Wolf - Modern Judeo-Christian rhetoric and imagery purports that Satan is an evil opponent to all that is good and godly — a literal opponent of God. But that characterization doesn't hold up under critical scrutiny of the Bible, says Henry Ansgar Kelly, UCLA distinguished research professor of English and one of the world's leading experts on Satan. His 2006 book "Satan: A Biography" was a top seller for Cambridge University Press. His latest book , "Satan in the Bible, God's Minister of Justice," combs through all the relevant passages of the Old and New testaments, tracking evidence of stories of the devil we think we know. The early appearances of the word "satan," when literally translated from Hebrew, simply means "adversary." None of the passages that use the word refer to an inherently evil spirit, Kelly said. "A frequent assumption about Satan is not only that he is as bad as can be, but also that he has always been considered this bad," Kelly said.
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