Luminous angel. Lucifer: meaning, history, legends

Lucifer - light-bringer, luminiferous, solar angel, who is this? He is Satan - which in translation means an obstacle, he is the Devil (slanderer), the Prince of Darkness, the murderer, he is a demon, he is the beloved son of God. In Christianity, the name "Lucifer" is identified with evil. Roman mythology calls Lucifer the god of Venus - the harbinger of the coming day, the morning star. Light-bearer - in Greece, that is, Phosphorus. How all these rather contradictory concepts were combined in one person.

Let's figure it out.

To do this, let's dive a little into history.

The word Lucifer was actually coined around the beginning of the 4th century AD. Jerome of Stridon is a monk who was commissioned by the Pope to translate the text of the Bible into Latin. Before this there was no translation into Latin. And then, even more interesting.

According to mythology, God created Angels to help himself, and for order, he distributed them by seniority. The hierarchy was divided into nine angelic ranks. The most senior in rank are Seraphim, Cherubim, then Thrones, Dominions, Powers, the middle ones are Powers, Principalities, Archangels, the lowest ones are Angels. The leader of all the angels was Dennitsa (this is another interpretation of the translation of the word Lucifer) - the most powerful, talented, beautiful and closest to God. He was sure that he created himself.

One day I was incredibly proud of my highest position among other angels. He wanted to take the throne of God, in defiance of him he refused to recognize man as a free person, a being practically equal in abilities to God (in the sense of man’s ability to create and see the essence of things), he himself wanted to be higher than his father. He wanted human worship for himself.

Lucifer rejected the Lord’s desire to send a Savior to Earth in order to save people from their sins, ordered the angels to bow to him, causing a split in their ranks, and therefore was overthrown, and his beauty was turned by God into ugliness. In addition, many angels were seduced by him from various ranks.

Then the Archangel, named Michael, called on those who hesitated to remain faithful to God, and led an army of bright angels who were able to defeat Dennitsa. Since then, the “solar angel” began to be called the Devil, Satan, the evil one, etc., and the rest of the fallen angels - demons, demons, devils, etc.

There was a war in heaven, as a result of which evil spirits were cast into the “underworld of the earth,” that is, nothing less than hell. There he became a prince. The fallen power is not completely deprived of its former power and, by God’s instructions, can inspire people with sinful acts, thoughts and desires, guide them and cause pain. And good angels were sent to help people; there are more of them than demons.

Lucifer, Dennitsa, the First Fallen - whatever names were given to the most beautiful angel. But, alas, one day he sinned and was cast out of heaven. Who is Dennitsa and what happened to him, we will analyze in this article.

In the article:

Dennitsa and Lucifer are the same angel

Scene of Denitsa and a third of the angelic army falling from heaven

The name Dennitsa from Old Church Slavonic means "morning Star". This was also called Venus or the midday haze in the sky. IN Slavic mythology Dennitsa is the daughter of the sun, whom the month fell in love with, which is why the eternal enmity between day and night arose.

For the first time, the word “Dennitsa” appeared to designate the greatness of the king of Babylon, who was like the morning dawn. However, already in the book of the prophet Isaiah it is called Dennitsa. He is the son of the dawn, bright and sparkling, but a sinner who fell from heaven.

In the Bible, Isaiah, chapter 14, verses 12 - 17, we read about the angel Dennitsa:

How you fell from the sky, Lucifer, son of the dawn! He crashed to the ground, trampling the nations. And he said in his heart: “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mountain in the assembly of gods, on the edge of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.” But you are cast into hell, into the depths of the underworld. Those who see you peer into you and think about you: “Is this the man who shook the earth, shook kingdoms, made the universe a desert and destroyed its cities, and did not let his captives go home?

This is how the name of Lucifer appeared in Orthodoxy - Dennitsa.

Angel Dennitsa - beloved son of God

Dennitsa was the first angel created by God. He was made chief of them, and thus received his name, meaning early star. Dennitsa, like all angels, was filled with love, and his beautiful appearance inspired other spiritual creatures, awakening them to be faithful to God and help him in all endeavors.

Angel Dennitsa loved life very much and sought to show all the love that God put into his creations. Born from God's desire to manifest himself and his emotions, Dennitsa became the angel closest to Him. was appointed his deputy, an instrument of God's providence.

For quite a long time the angel Dennitsa stood before God as high priest, conveying prayers to him. Without being proud, the angel, like no one else, followed all the plans of God, selflessly carrying His will among his fellows. Close to God, Dennitsa was for the angels an ideal image of divine perfection. His fame spread among the hosts of spirits, and love only grew stronger.

Dennitsa-Lucifer, lord of the lower ones heavenly powers, loved Adam and Eve. The hypostasis of Lucifer in many other mythologies, especially Roman, is called Prometheus, which means “wise, thinker.” Everyone knows the story of Prometheus - he stole fire from the forge of Hephaestus for people. Thanks to this, people were able to leave the caves, hunt animals and stay warm. Dennitsa, like Prometheus, brought light to people - knowledge of the difference between good and evil.

Like Prometheus, who brought fire to people and led them out of the darkness of caves to gain strength and confidence, Dennitsa wanted to give people Divine knowledge. And then he made his first mistake. The leitmotif of the first angel of God Dennitsa and Prometheus, punished for their guilt, runs like a red thread through all the beliefs of humanity.

Fallen Angel Dennitsa

The fall of Dennitsa, like another third of heavenly beings, was due to the fact that he disobeyed God. Despite the fact that angels are carriers of the desires and aspirations of God, fulfilling His will, they are not deprived of the right to choose. But God did not become the primary cause of the fall of Lucifer, since in those days there was no sin yet.

The original angel was much weaker than his Creator, his capabilities were limited. However, watching the other angels, who, being much weaker, admired and loved him, Dennitsa thought that he was worthy to be in the place of God. In Isaiah chapter 14 we read again:

And he said in his heart: “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mountain in the assembly of gods, on the edge of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.” But you are cast into hell, into the depths of the underworld.

Dennitsa-Lucifer decided that he knew better what people needed. Ignoring God's direct warning to Adam and Eve not to touch the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he descended into Garden of Eden. Taking the form of a serpent, the angel tempted the gullible woman, thus forcing the ancestors of mankind to sin.

God called his once faithful son to account. Seeing that Lucifer’s heart was filled with pride and his thoughts were full of darkness, the Creator became very angry. He cursed the angel and threw him into an ever-burning hell to serve his punishment.

The sudden division of the angel community was yet another unpleasant consequence betrayal of Lucifer. A third of the heavenly army went over to the side of Dennitsa, unable to believe that their shining leader disobeyed God. Now their ruler has become Lucifer, “the bringer of light,” who has departed from the canons of love and justice dictated by the Creator.

The vicious passion of selfishness, the desire to rise above everyone, to rule, to be in charge, gave rise to pride, which led the former viceroy of God to his fall. Unfortunately, the angels who admired Lucifer were also to blame for this. Their prayers and love convinced the angel that the perfection with which he was endowed should not go unnoticed.

The topic of betrayal has always been very sensitive for the Slavs. This is precisely why such strong hatred of Lucifer and demons has long been characteristic of the Orthodox. There are even proverbs and sayings mentioning Lucifer:

Anger is a human thing, and rancor is from Lucifer.

Among the Slavs, the names Satan, Lucifer and Beelzebub mean the same thing - the closest angel who betrayed God. IN Old Testament Satan is a common noun - “the adversary of God.” Dennitsa is first called Satan in the book of the prophet Zechariah, in the third chapter. There he acts as an accuser in the heavenly court, protesting against the will of God and devaluing His plan.

Satan, after his fall to earth, became a murderer, slanderer and tempter. This angel went from Dennitsa, also called by the Slavs Lucifer, which means “luminous” and compared with Prometheus, who brought light from the flame and warmth to people, and being once the closest angel to God, endowed with unprecedented holiness and power, to a terrible monster, the quintessence all vices. The image of the fallen angel Dennitsa remains vivid today.

Lucifer is one of the most famous and mysterious characters in religion. Some praised him, considering him a hero and bearer of light, others - the embodiment of evil. He, like the rest of the angels, was created by God. Some sources mention Lucifer's mother, Lucida.

However, she had no physical appearance and represented image of the universe, a bundle of energy.

Lucifer in the New and Old Testaments

There is not a single mention of the name Lucifer in the Old Testament. Here you can see him in the guise of the Serpent, designed to seduce Eve with an apple in garden of paradise. He appears in other episodes where he carries out various assignments for the Lord.

In the New Testament, the first mention of Lucifer occurs in Book of Isaiah. The name Lucifer is a derivative of two words “light” or “sun” and “bringer”. It was also called the “morning star” and was often associated with Venus, which appeared in the sky at dawn and dusk.

Lucifer according to biblical teaching was not considered an evil angel, but he was tormented by inner pride. He did not want to submit to the will of God and carry out his orders. With the advent of man, Lucifer's discontent only increased. God commanded all the angels to bow before their creation and love it like themselves.

The angel disobeyed the Father, for which he and his followers were cast out of heaven. Lucifer lost his name and was called Satan, and the fallen angels were called demons. They were forever doomed to stay in a dungeon that was specially created for them.

archangel Michael put Lucifer in chains until God figures out how he can atone for his sins.

Legends of Lucifer

Lucifer is a fairly popular figure, to whom more films, legends, books and other works of art are dedicated.

Among the most mentioned facts, one can highlight the following:

1. Lucifer has a wife named Lilith. She is a demon, but her name is not mentioned even once in the Bible. There are several stories with her participation in Jewish traditions and the Old Testament. Lilith is considered to be the first wife of Adam, but she, like Lucifer, refused to obey and considered herself equal to her husband. God didn’t like this and he sent her to hell.
2. According to some legends, there was no Lord. Lucifer was destined to become the ruler of the Universe, but he disobeyed the laws of the universe, for which he was punished.
3. Satan is mentioned under different names– Heilel, Devil, Dennitsa, etc. Each nation had its own face - a snake, a creature with horns and hooves, an angel without wings.
4. Lucifer was in no way inferior in strength to God, so he could not destroy him, but only drove him out of the Kingdom of Heaven.
5. In addition to God, the Archangel Michael can be compared in strength to Lucifer. It was he who was entrusted to overthrow the rebel from heaven and put him in shackles. There are many works of art showing Michael piercing the Serpent, representing Lucifer, with a spear.

good and evil

Among theologians there is an opinion that the fall of Lucifer and the emergence of the dark world were planned to balance the Universe and enable the subsequent development of the human soul.

Millennia after his imprisonment, Lucifer was tasked with keeping track of human sins. Fallen Angel conscientiously fulfilled his obligations, but the entrusted power was not enough for him. A new protest was brewing.

The number of people on Earth has increased significantly. Some of them were righteous, others were sinners. Regardless of what kind of life a person had, everyone went to Heaven, albeit different conditions. God decided that this was unfair, and sent mortals more serious trials.

The righteous and blameless souls went to eternal bliss, while the fallen were forced to experience eternal torment and punishments for misconduct.

Temptations were intended to equalize the rights of all people. One born righteous could be tempted and end up in hell, while one born wicked could earn forgiveness and vice versa. The seduction of the soul was entrusted to Lucifer, who gladly took on such work.

The image of Lucifer as an object of worship

The image of Lucifer represents a symbiosis of all negative human qualities:

• betrayal;
• lie;
• pride, etc.

Some people believe that these are fundamental qualities and that integrity has been imposed on humanity, which should really only look out for its own interests.

Lucifer was accepted as generalized image of evil, worshiped by many sects. The main symbol of Satan is the seal, which represents a pentagram with a goat's head placed in the center.

Every ray of a star described with the word "Leviathan"(one of the names of Satan). This symbol appeared only in the 60s of the last century. Previously, only demonic symbols were used to designate the forces of evil.

About who Lucifer's mother is, also about his other probable relatives, on this moment Many sorcerers and demonologists argue. Despite the fact that there is no specific answer to a similar question, it must be emphasized that in general terms it is possible to understand the essence of the family of the Lord of Hell, if, naturally, such matters can be called family.

Lucifer's mother - Lucida

According to the main biblical sources, from Lucifer. like any other heavenly angel, there was no mother. All angelic ranks were created by God, who, practically, was their dad. Yet most of Theologians of the Middle Ages and earlier times believe that angels were created not from emptiness, but from the initially existing stellar energy, which was called Lucida. Specifically, Lucida appears as the mother of Lucifer in most old grimoires and religious texts, many of which were considered heretical.

Then the image of Lucida as inanimate energy was transformed. This could happen either due to incorrect interpretations, or deliberately with the aim of further mystifying the appearance of the lord of evil, or as a means of long conclusions and philosophical reflection. Since the Renaissance, more researchers of religion and the type of demon have sought to animate him, to find in him positive features. And the image of the heavenly mother, neither good nor evil, but only pure and initial, has become an impeccable option for the creators of those times.

According to legend, Lucida represents the embodied universe, the spiritualized spark from which the Creator created all higher matters. It stands apart from the concepts of good and evil, symbolizing progress and actual energy within itself. Many scientists seeking to retreat from religious tenets, who hampered the development of the world's population, often specifically named Lucida as their own patroness.

Lucifer's father is the Lord God

Unlike the mother figure, Lucifer's father is mentioned everywhere in the Bible. He is simply and absolutely precisely the Lord God, who is also Yahweh or Jehovah. It is believed that Lucifer was created the most powerful of all angels, he was in the rank of seraphim. Some sources even say that his power was quite equal to the power of God - which is why he became his main antagonist, and was not destroyed, like some other fallen angels.

But Lucifer was never bad. Even biblical sources indicate that his only sin was pride, and not betrayal or perjury. That is why he was only overthrown, but not destroyed. Brave minds and theologians, since ancient times, believed that the fall of Lucifer was part of the divine plan for the spiritual cultivation of people. Because it is precisely in the environment of temptations and sins that everyone’s faith is strengthened.

Taking into account the all-good essence of God and his desire for good for each of his own creations, a similar point of view has a right to exist. Especially if we take into account the fact that Lucifer, the Bringer of Light, Lucifer is the morning star and an image born from the species of Prometheus. Specifically, he gave people knowledge, even if he convinced them to taste the forbidden fruit. A similar worldview is to some extent reflected in more modern books. For example, Anton Sandor LaVey, the founder of the Church of Satan, held similar thoughts.

Lucifer's wife and his children

It is believed that Lucifer's wife is the demon Lilith. Despite the fact that the spouse of Lucifer is not specifically mentioned in the Bible, evidence of her existence is in virtually all apocryphal books, first in the Old Testament Jewish legends and traditions that appeared before long time before the emergence of Christianity. Lilith was the first lady and wife of Adam even before the creation of Eve. According to legend, she also refused to obey God, since she considered herself equal to Adam by right of creation. One legend says that her quarrel with God was related to the refusal of the first man to take the “lower” position during love.

It makes sense that the fate of Lucifer and Lilith was similar in almost every way. They were both expelled from their own Paradise for wanting equality. Not power and authority, but specifically equality. The sorcerers and inquisitors of the Middle Ages believed that it was precisely from the connection between Lilith and Lucifer that all the demons and demons who were not fallen angels were born. Among such creatures, for example, some call the demon Moloch. Others believe that just as all people are children of God in their essence, so people who have renounced God and rejected the Christian faith are called children of Lucifer.

In general, the question of who are the ancestors of Lucifer and what is their role in the universe has a fairly common answer. At the same time, a closer look at the specific role of the demon and his associates leads to much deeper thoughts. And the question of how to use such knowledge is only a personal matter for everyone.

Lucifer is the main opponent of God, the fallen angel of light. However modern people they underestimate the danger of being deceived by Satan and do not understand who Lucifer really is. My friend's daughter told her that she had become a member of a satanic society. The woman suffered a stroke from grief, but this had little effect on her hard-hearted daughter. Nowadays, young people are attracted to exotic teachings that lead to death of soul and body. How to prevent corruption of morals? Parents should teach their children about the biblical principles of the world, take them to church, and lead God-fearing lives themselves.

According to the Bible, God created hosts of angels and divided them into hierarchies. Seraphim (fire) are closest to the throne; their functions include glorifying God. Lucifer, the angel of light, also belonged to the rank of seraphim. This was the bearer of the light of truth, God's servant. But one day Lucifer became indignant in his heart and decided to become equal to God. The most beautiful of God's angels turned into the devil, the father of lies and temptations. The fallen angel, the Lucifer Lucifer, gathered an army of followers and decided to fight for the throne of God.

What was the reason for resistance to the will of God? The church fathers say that the reason for resistance to the will of God was the decree of God to worship man. When the Almighty created Adam, Lucifer became envious of him. He had no intention of serving Adam, much less bowing before him. According to Lucifer, he was like an animal and was unworthy of worship. The angel's heart was filled with hatred and malice, and he turned into an evil creature.

Afterwards, the story of Lucifer ends with his overthrow from heaven and eternal damnation. Since then he has been in heaven and became the ruler of the underworld. Together with the once radiant archangel, his angelic accomplices were cast out of heaven. All of them turned into demons and devils, in accordance with the heavenly hierarchy and belonging to a certain rank.

Bible story

In the book of the prophet Zechariah, Satan is mentioned as the accuser of man at trial. However, even in the book of Genesis we can recognize the enemy of man in the form of a serpent tempting Eve with an apple. Adam and Eve's curiosity about the forbidden fruit led them to sin and expulsion from the world. Satan rejoiced because he managed to discredit man in the eyes of God.

Since the time of his expulsion from Eden, man has led a complex and dangerous life on earth. This was a consequence of God's curse for disobedience. In addition, man has become a mortal being, completely dependent on disease and adversity. The serpent was also punished for its negative role in the Edenic story, and since then has become a reptile - crawling over stones on its stomach.

In the book of Job you can see Satan coming to the throne of God along with the angels (sons of God). There he is assigned the role of accuser of the righteous Job, Satan invites God to test Job’s loyalty. God agrees and allows Satan to harm Job.

In the book of the prophet Isaiah, the devil is mentioned as a fallen angel who turned into the prince of darkness. The prophet says that the reason for the fall of Lucifer's star was excessive pride and rebellion against God. It was in this book that the name Lucifer was first mentioned.

In the book of the prophet Ezekiel, Satan is called God's favorite, who transgressed his law.

Gospel story

In the New Testament, Satan appears as the bearer of world evil. It was he who tempted Christ in the desert when he fasted for 40 days without food or water. He himself called proud people the children of the devil, the father of lies. The Savior of mankind saw the fall of Lucifer's star from heaven and described this phenomenon as similar to lightning. It was Satan who Jesus defeated on the cross, when he completely fulfilled the will of God and did not resist a terrible and shameful death.

Evangelists tell us that after the death of his body, Christ descended into hell, trampled Satan and brought the souls of the righteous out of hell. By His resurrection, the Savior proved the victory of life over death and gave all humanity the chance to find eternal life from the palace of God, from where they were expelled.

Bottom line

An Orthodox believer should know that the angel of light was called Lucifer. After the fall, he was deprived of his angelic rank and began to be called the devil and Satan. Satan is the one who prevents people from living normally. It is called by different names:

• tempter;
• sly;
• Beelzebub;
• father of lies;
• prince of demons;
• lying spirit

For Orthodox Christian we need to learn a lesson from the story of the fallen angel so as not to repeat his mistake. Pride and arrogance are the most dangerous sins, leading to fall and eternal death. Lucifer will never be able to repent and return to his former status as God's favorite, because in heaven it is impossible to change thoughts and intentions to the opposite. Likewise, a person has only one chance to get to heaven - while living on earth. After death this chance will not exist.