WHO IS THE LUCIFER: JESUS OR SATAN

 WHO IS THE LUCIFER: JESUS OR SATAN

Rev Fr Utazi Prince Marie Benignus Zereuwa

INTRODUCTION

It is obvious that many of us received our training in Scriptures in English Language, instead of the original languages of the Scriptures (Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek), and the language of the Church which is Latin. This made us to neglect the search for the meaning of the words we do come across in the Scriptures. More so, many of those who brought Christian Religion to us were biased in many aspects, which include interpretation of some terms, personal names and some concepts. Among these loopholes I identified is the concept of the term LUCIFER [lucifer]. Today, there has been the need to go back to the root, in search of the true meaning. 

On a group WhatsApp on June 2, 2020, I got the following statement by someone: Once, a video went viral on YouTube, it was an Easter Vigil Mass at the Vatican. During the exultet (Easter proclamation) which a deacon chanted in Latin, at a point in that exultet, the deacon Called out Christ as LUCIFER (Christ, that morning star....) and the so-called reviewer, obviously, a protestant began his conspiracy theory and fooled many, claiming that he is unraveling the secret that Catholics worship LUCIFER at mass, little did he know that he was very correct with what he said. But because his intentions were poisoned he never knew that he was even correct since he doesn't understand the root of the word and its use...As St. Peter rightly tells us in 1 Peter 3:15 – “but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. The use of the concept of lucifer as a naming word for Christ already has begun, and that too, in public. But as the post pointed out, many regard the name in error and the ENEMY OF OUR HUMAN NATURE glories in that name. Therefore be ready to instruct those who may not understand your usage of the word lucifer for Christ... With this information from a group Whatsapp as part of introduction, I have to launch into the real business for the day. 

You have to bear in mind that the goal of this write-up is to trace the root meaning and the true concept of the term Lucifer [lucifer], identify its various uses, and state how it is wrongly attributed to Satan; invariably, argue for who it is to be attributed to. It is advisable to have up to 3 or 4 versions of the Bible while reading this article. One of them must be King James Version (I do no mean New King James Version). Then other versions may include Good News Bible and Revised Standard Bible.

A. THE CONCEPT OF LUCIFER

THE SOURCE AND THE DERIVATIVE

Lucifer (/ˈluːsɪfər/ 'light-bringer', corresponding to the Greek name Ἑωσφόρος, 'dawn-bringer', for the same planet) is a Latin name for the planet Venus in its morning appearances and is often used for mythological and religious figures associated with the planet Venus. Due to the unique movements and irregular appearances of Venus in the sky, mythology (legends and folklore) surrounding this figure often involved a fall from the heavens to earth or the underworld. Interpretations of a similar term in the Hebrew Bible, translated in the King James Version as Lucifer as a proper name, led to a Christian tradition of applying the name Lucifer, and its associated stories of a fall from heaven, to Satan, but modern scholarship (modern Scripture Scholars) generally translates the term in the relevant Bible passage, (Isaiah 14:12), as morning star or shining one rather than as a proper name, “Lucifer” (The Mamre Institute). In this Isaiah 14:12, the king of Babylon is condemned in a prophetic vision by the prophet Isaiah and is called הֵילֵל בֶּן-שָׁחַר (Helel ben Shachar, Hebrew for “shining one, son of the morning”) (Gunkel, Hermann (2006) [1895]), who is addressed as הילל בן שחר (Hêlêl ben Šāḥar) (EOSPHORUS & HESPERUS; Cicero, De Natura Deorum 3. 19; Westminster Leningrad Codex). The title “Helel ben Shahar” refers to the planet Venus as the morning star, and that is how the Hebrew word is usually interpreted (The Mamre Institute). The Hebrew word transliterated as Hêlêl (Wilken, Robert 171) or Heylel (pron. as Hay-LALE) (Schöpfung und Chaos, p. 133), occurs only once in the Hebrew Bible (Wilken, Robert, 171). The Septuagint renders הֵילֵל in Greek as Ἑωσφόρος (Hebrew Concordance; LXX Isaiah 14; Greek OT (Septuagint/LXX)), (heōsphoros) (LXX Isaiah 14; Septuagint Isaiah 14 (in Greek); Neil Forsyth, 136), “bringer of dawn”, the Ancient Greek name for the morning star (Nwaocha Ogechukwu Friday, 35). Similarly the Vulgate renders הֵילֵל in Latin as Lucifer, the name in that language for the morning star. According to the King James Bible-based Strong's Concordance, the original Hebrew word means “shining one, light-bearer”, and the English translation given in the King James text is the Latin name for the planet Venus, “Lucifer” (Schöpfung und Chaos, 133), as it was already in the Wycliffe Bible.

However, the translation of הֵילֵל as “Lucifer” has been abandoned in modern English translations of Isaiah 14:12. Present-day translations render הֵילֵל as “morning star”. In a modern translation from the original Hebrew, the passage in which the phrase “lucifer” or “morning star” occurs begins with the statement: “On the day the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and turmoil and from the harsh labour forced on you, you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended (Adelman, Rachel, 67)! After describing the death of the king, the taunt continues: How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High. But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit. Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate: Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble, the man who made the world a wilderness, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?’ (Bernard A.; with word definitions by J. Lust; Eynikel, E.; Hauspie, K.  256)

Laney J. Carl (127) has pointed out that in Isaiah 14:3-:12-17, the king of Babylon is described not as a god or an angel but as a man, and that man may have been not Nebuchadnezzar II, but rather his son, Belshazzar. Nebuchadnezzar was gripped by a spiritual fervor to build a temple to the moon god Sin, and his son ruled as regent. The Abrahamic scriptural texts could be interpreted as a weak usurping of true kingly power, and a taunt at the failed regency of Belshazzar. For the unnamed king of Babylon pointed out by Laney J Carl above, wide range of identifications have been proposed (Isaiah 14:16). They include a Babylonian ruler at the time of Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 14:16), the later Nebuchadnezzar II, under whom the Babylonian captivity of the Jews began (Carol J. Dempsey. 34), or Nabonidus (Isaiah 14:16; Manley, Johanna; Manley, edited by Johanna 259-260) and the Assyrian kings Tiglath-Pileser, Sargon II and Sennacherib (Isaiah 14:34,16; Breslauer, S. Daniel,280). Isaiah 14:20 says that this king of Babylon will not be joined with them [all the kings of the nations] in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people; the seed of evil-doers shall not be named forever, but rather be cast out of the grave, while All the kings of the nations, all of them, sleep in glory, everyone in his own house (Roy F. Melugin; Marvin Alan Sweeney, 116). Herbert Wolf held that the king of Babylon was not a specific ruler but a generic representation of the whole line of rulers (The Mamre Institute; Doorly, William J. 93). Isaiah 14:12 became a source for the popular conception of the fallen angel image in Isaiah 14:18. 

B. LUCIFER AS A NAME FOR THE DEVIL

As a name for the Devil, the more common meaning in English, lucifer” is from the Hebrew word הֵילֵל‎ (transliteration: hêylêl; pronunciation: hay-lale) in Isaiah (Isaiah 14:12) given in the King James Version of the Bible. The translators of this version took the word from the Latin Vulgate (Kohler, Kaufmann 4-5), which translated הֵילֵל by the Latin word lucifer (uncapitalized) (Latin Vulgate Bible: Isaiah 14), meaning “the morning star, the planet Venus”, or, as an adjective, “light-bringing” (Vulgate: Isaiah Chapter 14 (in Latin)). The point is that the translators of King James Version did not take cognizance that the Latin word lucifer as used in the Vulgate is not capital L but small letter l. Capital letter means it is a proper noun, a name of a person, while small letter means it is an adjective, a description. This is where the problem of misapplication of the concept started. Quod Erat Demonstrandum (QED). 

C. LUCIFER AS A NAME FOR THE PLANET

As a name for the planet in its morning aspect, Lucifer (Light-Bringer) is a proper name and is capitalized in English. In Greco-Roman civilization, it was often personified and considered a god (Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles) and in some versions considered a son of Aurora (the Dawn) (Dixon-Kennedy, Mike 193). A similar name used by the Roman poet Catullus for the planet in its evening aspect is Noctifer (Night-Bringer) (Smith, William 235). Thus, when the concept Lucifer is used for the planet venus, the L is capitalized. Such is not used in the Vulgate (Latin Bible), but only in Literatures. 

D. THE LEGENDS ABOUT LUCIFER

The first legend is the Babylonian Ishtar. The image of a heavenly being striving for the highest seat of heaven only to be cast down to the underworld has its origins in the motions of the planet Venus, known as the morning star. The Sumerian goddess Inanna (Babylonian Ishtar) is associated with the planet Venus, and Inanna's actions in several of her myths, including Inanna and Shukaletuda and Inanna's Descent into the Underworld appear to be similar to the motion of Venus as it progresses through its synodic cycle (Catullus 62.8; Gary V. Smith 314-315; Marvin Alan Sweeney 238; Cooley, Jeffrey L. 161-172; Black, Jeremy & Green, Anthony 108-109). 

The second legend is the Babylonian myth of Ethana. The Jewish Encyclopedia comments: “The brilliancy of the morning star, which eclipses all other stars, but is not seen during the night, may easily have given rise to a myth such as was told of Ethana and Zu: he was led by his pride to strive for the highest seat among the star-gods on the northern mountain of the gods ... but was hurled down by the supreme ruler of the Babylonian Olympus (Nemet-Nejat, Karen Rhea 203).

The third legend is the Canaanite mythology. In ancient Canaanite religion, the morning star is personified as the god Attar, who attempted to occupy the throne of Ba'al and, finding he was unable to do so, descended and ruled the underworld (Lucifer. Jewish Encyclopedia; Day, John 172173). The original myth may have been about a lesser god Helel trying to dethrone the Canaanite high god El who lived on a mountain to the north (Catullus 62.8; Boyd, Gregory A. 159-160). The reconstruction of the myth by Hermann Gunkel told of a mighty warrior called Hêlal, whose ambition was to ascend higher than all the other stellar divinities, but who had to descend to the depths; it thus portrayed as a battle the process by which the bright morning star fails to reach the highest point in the sky before being faded out by the rising sun (Pope, Marvin H). However, the Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible argues that no evidence has been found of any Canaanite myth or imagery of a god being forcibly thrown from heaven, as in the Book of Isaiah. It means that Eerdmans commentary argues that this Canaanite myth is false or no such event took place.  It argues that the closest parallels with the description of the king of Babylon as a fallen morning star cast down from heaven by Isaiah are to be found not in Canaanite myths but in traditional ideas of the Jewish people, echoed in the Biblical account of the fall of Adam and Eve, cast out of the presence of God for wishing to be as God, and the picture in Psalm 82 of the gods and sons of the Most High destined to die and fall (Gunkel, Hermann 80-90). This Jewish tradition has echoes also in Jewish pseudepigrapha such as 2 Enoch and the Life of Adam and Eve (Gunkel, Hermann 80-90; Nemet-Nejat, Karen Rhea 203; Dunn, James D. G.; Rogerson, John William 511). The Life of Adam and Eve, in turn, shaped the idea of Iblis in the Quran.

E. LUCIFER IN CHRISTIANITY

Some Christian writers have applied the name Lucifer as used in the Book of Isaiah, and the image of a heavenly being cast down to the earth, to Satan. Sigve K Tonstad argues that the New Testament War in Heaven theme of Revelation 12:79, in which the dragon who is called the devil and Satan  was thrown down to the earth, was derived from the passage about the Babylonian king in Isaiah 14 (Sigve K Tonstad; David L. Jeffrey 199).

1. EARLY CHURCH FATHERS ON THE CONCEPT OF LUCIFER 

Tertullian (c.160  c.225), who in his book called ADVERSUS MARCIONEM (book 5, chapters 11 and 27) twice presents as spoken by the devil the words of Isaiah 14:14: I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High (Fekkes, Jan 187). Though Tertullian was a speaker of the language in which the word lucifer was created, Lucifer is not among the numerous names and phrases he used to describe the devil (Migne, Patrologia latina, vol. 2). Origen (184/185  253/254) interpreted such Old Testament passages like that of Isaiah 14 as being about manifestations of the devil; but writing in Greek, not Latin, he did not identify the devil with the name Lucifer (Berlin, Adele 651; Sigve K Tonstad 75, Link, Luther 24; Kelly, Joseph Francis 44).  Augustine of Hippo (354430), who lived at the period within the composition of the Vulgate (Latin Bible), never used Lucifer as a common name for the devil (Berlin, Adele, 651).

2. THE METAPHOR OF MORNING STAR

Sometime after the Early Church Fathers, the metaphor of the morning star that Isaiah 14:12 applied to a king of Babylon gave rise to the general use of the Latin word for morning star, capitalized, as the original name of the devil before his fall from grace, linking Isaiah 14:12 with Luke 10 (Luke 10:18) (I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven) and interpreting the passage in Isaiah as an allegory (symbol) of the fall of Satan from heaven (Jeffrey Burton Russell 95). As a result, Lucifer has become a byword for Satan or the devil in the church and in popular literature (Kohler, Kaufmann 4-5).

3. THEODORET OF CYRUS, JOHN CALVIN AND MARTIN LUTHER ON LUCIFER

John Calvin and Martin Luther were protestant movement founders. The understanding of the morning star in Isaiah 14:12 as a metaphor referring to a king of Babylon continued also to exist among Christians. Theodoret of Cyrus (c. 393  c. 457) wrote that Isaiah calls the king morning star, not as being the star, but as having had the illusion of being it (Nicolas de Dijon 230). The same understanding is shown in Christian translations of the passage, which in English generally use morning star rather than treating the word as a proper name, Lucifer. So too, in other languages, such as French, German (Johanna Manley 252), Portuguese (Ésaïe 14:1215 (in French) Biblegateway.com.), and Spanish (Jesaja 14:12 in German). Even the Vulgate text in Latin is printed with lower-case lucifer (morning star), not upper-case Lucifer (proper name) (Latin Vulgate Bible: Isaiah 14).

John Calvin said: The exposition of this passage, which some have given, as if it referred to Satan, has arisen from ignorance: for the context plainly shows these statements must be understood in reference to the king of the Babylonians (Isaías 14:1217 in Portuguese. Biblegateway.com). Martin Luther also considered it a gross error to refer this verse to the devil ("Isaías 14:12" in Spanish. Biblegateway.com).

Luther wrote on Isaiah 14:12 thus: How you are fallen from heaven, Lucifer! This is not said of the angel who once was thrown out of heaven but of the king of Babylon, and it is figurative language. Isaiah becomes a disciple of Calliope and in like manner laughs at the king. Heylel [the Hebrew word used in the text] denotes the morning star, called Lucifer and the son of Dawn. Heaven is where we are with our heads, and that is obviously above the ground, just as that most powerful and extremely magnificent king was once above, but now his lamp is extinguished (Luthers Works 16:140; Preface to the Prophet Isaiah, ch. 14). 

Calvin was quite hostile to the application of this passage to the devil in Isaiah 14:12, writing thus: How art thou fallen from heaven! Isaiah proceeds with the discourse which he had formerly begun as personating the dead, and concludes that the tyrant differs in no respect from other men, though his object was to lead men to believe that he was some god. He employs an elegant metaphor, by comparing him to Lucifer, and calls him the Son of the Dawn; and that on account of his splendor and brightness with which he shone above others. The exposition of this passage, which some have given, as if it referred to Satan, has arisen from ignorance; for the context plainly shows that these statements must be understood in reference to the king of the Babylonians. But when passages of Scripture are taken up at random, and no attention is paid to the context, we need not wonder that mistakes of this kind frequently arise. Yet it was an instance of very gross ignorance, to imagine that Lucifer was the king of devils, and that the Prophet gave him this name. But as these inventions have no probability whatever, let us pass by them as useless fables (Commentary on Isaiah at 14:12).

4. THE VULGATE

The Vulgate is the Latin Version of the Bible. It is the Bible which Saint Jerome translated from Hebrew and possibly, Greek. Isaiah 14:12 is not the only place where the Vulgate uses the word lucifer. It uses the same word four more times, in contexts where it clearly has no reference to a fallen angel: 2 Peter 1:19 (meaning morning star), Job 11:17 (the light of the morning), Job 38:32 (the signs of the zodiac) and Psalms 110:3 (the dawn) (Charlesworth 405; Sibylline Oracles line 517; Lucifer fought mounted on the back of Leo 567). Lucifer is not the only expression that the Vulgate uses to speak of the morning star: three times it uses stella matutina: Sirach 50:6 (referring to the actual morning star), and Revelation 2:28 (of uncertain reference) and Revelation 22:16 (referring to Jesus).

Indications that in Christian tradition the Latin word lucifer, unlike the English word, did not necessarily call a fallen angel to mind exist also outside the text of the Vulgate. For instance, there are two bishops who bore the name: Saint Lucifer of Cagliari, and Lucifer of Siena. In Latin, the word is applied to John the Baptist and is used as a title of Jesus himself in several early Christian hymns. The morning hymn Lucis largitor splendide of Hilary contains the line: "Tu verus mundi lucifer" (you are the true light bringer of the world) (Anthony Maas, Lucifer in Catholic Encyclopedia New York 1910). Some interpreted the mention of the morning star (lucifer) in the hymn of Ambrose Aeterne rerum conditor as referring allegorically to Jesus and the mention of the cock, the herald of the day (praeco) in the same hymn as referring to John the Baptist (Francis Andrew Latin Hymns with English Notes, Douglass Series of Christian Greek and Latin Writers. Vol.1 Latin Hymns. Notes 218 Lucifer”: God  Christ is here addressed as the true light bringer, in distinction from the planet Venus. Such etymological turns are common in the hymns. Lucifer is a familiar epithet of John the Baptist in the early church, as well as of the Son of the morning, mentioned in Isaiah 14, ... This description of the King of Babylon was applied by Tertullian and others to Satan, and the mistake has led to the present meanings of Lucifer). Likewise, in the medieval hymn Christe qui lux es et dies, some manuscripts have the line Lucifer lucem proferens (Francis Andrew 224 "Lucifer: this the lovers of allegory interpreted of Christ, making John the Baptist the praeco.").

The Latin word lucifer is also used of Jesus in the Easter Proclamation prayer to God regarding the paschal candle: Flammas eius lucifer matutinus inveniat: ille, inquam, lucifer, qui nescit occasum. Christus Filius tuus, qui, regressus ab inferis, humano generi serenus illuxit, et vivit et regnat in saecula saeculorum (May this flame be found still burning by the Morning Star: the one Morning Star who never sets, Christ your Son, who, coming back from death's domain, has shed his peaceful light on humanity, and lives and reigns forever and ever). In the works of Latin grammarians, Lucifer, like Daniel, was discussed as an example of a personal name (Francis Andrew Notes 235).

5. THE ERROR OF KING JAMES BIBLE 

In Isaiah 14:12, The KJV (King James Version) translators did not actually translate the Hebrew word ‏הילל as ‘Lucifer.’ This word occurs only in Isaiah 14:12 in the Hebrew Old Testament. Most likely, the KJV translators were not sure what to make of it, and simply duplicated the word used in the Latin Vulgate that translated ‏הילל. In the Vulgate, Isaiah 14:12 reads as follows: quomodo cecidisti de caelo lucifer qui mane oriebaris corruisti in terram qui vulnerabas gentes. The word Lucifer in this text is not a proper name but the Latin word for ‘morning star.’ The word lucifer occurs four times in the Vulgate: Isaiah 14:12, Job 11:17, Job 38:32, and 2 Peter 1:19. In Job 11:17, the KJV renders the Hebrew word ‏בקר as ‘morning’: et quasi meridianus fulgor consurget tibi ad vesperam et cum te consumptum putaveris orieris ut Lucifer. In Job 38:32, the KJV renders the Hebrew word ‏מזרות as Mazzaroth. This is another word that occurs only once in the Hebrew Bible. The KJV translators did not know what it meant, so they simply transliterated the Hebrew into English characters. Even though Jerome, the translator of the Vulgate, knew Hebrew better than the KJV translators did, he was not exactly sure what to make of it either. But he at least tried, rather than simply leave the word non-translated as the KJV translators did. He translated the word as lucifer—or ‘morning star,’ which is very close to the meaning of the Hebrew ‏מזרות: numquid producis luciferum in tempore suo et vesperum super filios terrae consurgere facis. The word ‏מזרות means ‘constellations’ or ‘crowns’ (modern translators are not sure, though ‘constellations’ is usually preferred). The fact that Jerome recognized that at least the ‏מזרות probably referred to stars is far better than the KJV translators did by leaving the word completely untranslated. There is of course no conspiracy on the part of Jerome here; he is simply being faithful to the Hebrew Bible and is translating as accurately as he can.

In 2 Peter 1:19, the KJV renders the Greek word φωσφόρος (phosphoros) as ‘day star.’ Again, the Latin Vulgate has lucifer here: et habemus firmiorem propheticum sermonem cui bene facitis adtendentes quasi lucernae lucenti in caliginoso loco donec dies inlucescat et lucifer oriatur in cordibus vestris

In other words, lucifer is not a proper name, but is the Latin word for morning star or day star. The KJV translators knew Latin better than they knew Greek or Hebrew. In places where they were not sure what the Greek or Hebrew meant, they simply translated or reproduced verbatim the Latin text. Since that time, Lucifer has made its way into English Bible interpretation as another name for the devil. Thus, the KJV DID NOT TRANSLATE THE WORD AT ALL, BUT RATHER RETAINED THE LATIN RENDERING OF JEROME IN ISAIAH 14:12 AND WORSE, SIMPLY TRANSLITERATED THE HEBREW IN JOB 38:32. Jerome cannot be charged with not knowing Hebrew well. He lived in Bethlehem for 35 years while he worked on the translation. 

6. THE TRUE INTERPRETATION OF ISAIAH 14:12 AND OTHER PASSAGES CONCERNING LUCIFER

In Isaiah 14:12, the original reference of morning star is not to the devil but to the Babylonian king. The footnote in the NET Bible says, What is the background for the imagery in Isaiah 14:1215? This whole section (Isaiah 14:4b21) is directed to the king of Babylon, who is clearly depicted as a human ruler. Other kings of the earth address him in Isaiah 14:9 ff., he is called the man in Isaiah 14:16, and, according to Isaiah 14:1920, he possesses a physical body. At the same time, Isaiah 14:1215 seems to go beyond a description of a mortal king. Further, if Jesus in Luke 10:18 and John in Rev 9:1 had this passage in mind, then it is evident that there is a secondary meaning that relates to the devil himself. A double-fulfillment prophecy is thus probably in view. We can candidly say that the primary reference is to the Babylonian king (which the great majority of biblical scholars would affirm and as the evidence mentioned in the NET Bible footnote lists), then our understanding of the use of morning star in 2 Peter 1:19 makes sense. The morning star literally referred to Venus, but in ancient times it was used metaphorically of earthly kings. The note in the NET Bible at 2 Peter 1:19 is helpful along these lines: The reference to the morning star constitutes a double entendre. First, the term was normally used to refer to Venus. But the author of course has a metaphorical meaning in mind, as is obvious from the place where the morning star is to rise in your hearts. Most commentators see an allusion to Numbers 24:17 (a star shall rise out of Jacob) in the words of Peter. Early Christian exegesis saw in that passage a prophecy about the coming of Christ. Hence, in this verse Peter tells his audience to heed the OT scriptures which predict the return of Christ, then alludes to one of the passages that does this very thing, all the while running the theme of light on a parallel track. In addition, it may be significant that the choice of terms of Peter here is not the same as is found in the LXX (Septuagint version of the Bible). He has used a Hellenistic word that was sometimes used of emperors and deities, perhaps as a further polemic against the paganism of his day.

In other words, morning star or lucifer in the Latin Vulgate literally referred to Venus, but metaphorically would refer to earthly kings, emperors, and pagan deities. PETER THUS MAY HAVE CHOSEN THIS WORD TO SHOW THAT THE REAL MORNING STAR WAS JESUS, NOT CAESAR. Isaiah 14:12 thus spoke of the Babylonian king as the morning star and thus predicted his fall. Jesus and John used this text to indicate that Satan would fall. It is only by turning lucifer into a proper name, as has been done by KJV advocates, that misunderstanding of the meaning of these texts could occur. The logic of the KJV position is as follows: Lucifer is a proper name and refers exclusively to one who is inherently evil, the devil. Thus, even if translated as morning star in Isaiah 14.12, this still refers exclusively to the devil. Consequently, for Jesus to be called morning star in 2 Peter 1.19 is to call him the devil. 

The logic breaks down on the first premise viz., that the term in Isaiah 14:12 refers exclusively to one who is evil. Since this is false, the conclusion is also false. To call Jesus morning star in 2 Peter 1:19 makes him no more evil than calling Satan god (2 Cor. 4:4) makes him good. And to argue that since God is not the God of confusion and therefore different words must be used in each verse is to continue to compound the false view of lucifer as a name for the devil.

It is an illegitimate hermeneutic to claim that because the term in one place refers to one person, therefore the same term in another place must be to the same person. There are scores of examples of a term used in the Bible as referring primarily to one thing/person, but having a different thing/person in view if the context demands it. As hinted above, God is used primarily of the one true God of the Bible, but there are occasional references in which human beings (John 10:3435) or Satan (2 Cor. 4:4) are called god even in the KJV. Further, if pressed, the argument actually backfires on KJV Only advocates. For example, the name Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua. In the New Testament, there are three references to Joshua. On two of these occasions, the KJV translators translated the name as Jesus. But in each instance this rendering is misleading, in the second case badly so.

Acts 7:45 in KJV: Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David Acts 7:45 in the NET: Our ancestors received possession of it and brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our ancestors, until the time of David. The context is clearly about Joshua and the Hebrews going into the Promised Land and conquering the nations there. Why the KJV has Jesus here is a mystery to me. Perhaps they were trying to be literal here (by transliterating the Greek word Iesous as Jesus), but if so why did they not do this in Luke 3:29, where the genealogy of Jesus is enumerated (and Iesous, an ancestor of Jesus, is rendered Jose)?

Far more troublesome is Hebrews 4:8. KJV: For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. NET: For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken afterward about another day. Again, the context is somewhat clear that Joshua is in view. But to the reader who is not paying careful attention to the context and who does not know that Jesus here is really Joshua, he could easily be misled into thinking that Jesus Christ was not able to give his people rest. As such, this could certainly undercut the deity of Christ especially in light of Hebrews 4:3 which says, As I swore in my anger, They will never enter my rest! (NET). Further, since a proper name is used each time (unlike Isaiah 14:12 and 2 Peter 1:19), it would be much harder for the average reader to distinguish which Jesus is being talked about. The argument that God is not a God of confusion certainly applies much more to the KJV than to modern translations in this instance. Does this mean that the KJV is wrong at this place? Technically, no. But in terms of clarity to the average reader, it can be very confusing. 

F. THE NAME OF THE FALLEN ANGEL

In the Hebrew Scriptures, the fallen cherub is called ha satan the adversary and the arch-enemy of God and all that is of God (creation).  Satan is now the name of the fallen cherub. The name describes him well as the evil one who opposes God and the one who seeks to accuse, devour, and destroy. The first use of Satan (as a name for the evil one) is found in the book of 1st Chronicles, where his opposition to the will of God and His people is recorded, as well as his attempt to cause trouble. 1 Chronicles 21:1 says, And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel”. Since the time when he fell from Heaven (Isaiah 14:12), it has been his mission to thwart Gods purpose and plan. His desire has been to subvert the will of God, to interfere with the works of God, and to tempt and seduce the people of God.  Such is the purpose and plan of Satan, his game.  He is an adversary, a liar, an oppressor, and a thief. He is a threat to anyone who belongs to the true God of all creation, and we know both his name and his game.

Satan is the appropriate and accurate name for this fallen angel. It serves as a reminder that he opposes both God and us. The name Satan should create in us a motivation to stand strong against him. We know that he rebelled against God and lost all that he had his communion with God and his special and significant role in serving God.  So also did Adam lose his relationship with God when he sinned.  Adam lost all that God had given him and he plunged the world and all mankind into a fallen state a state of rebellion against God.

G. EXSULTET

Most anti-Catholics claim Catholics invoke Lucifer and describe Jesus as the Son of the Devil, during Easter Exsultet. This claim is based on translating part of the Easter Vigil liturgy this way: Flaming Lucifer who finds mankind; I say O Lucifer, who will never be defeated. Christ is your Son, who came back from Hell; shed his peaceful light and is alive and reigns in the world without end.

The Exsultet, Easter Proclamation, or Paschal Proclamation is part of the Easter Vigil celebration. Exsultet is its first word in Latin: Let them exult!. The Exsultet is part of a ceremony involving the paschal candle, which symbolizes the light of Christ. In Latin text, the relevant part of the Exsultet reads: Orámus ergo te, Dómine, ut céreus iste in honórem tui nóminis consecrátus, ad noctis huius calíginem destruéndam, indefíciens persevéret. Et in odórem suavitátis accéptus, supérnis lumináribus misceátur. Flammas eius lúcifer matutínus invéniat: ille, inquam, lúcifer, qui nescit occásum. Christus Fílius tuus, qui, regréssus ab ínferis, humáno géneri serénus illúxit, et vivit et regnat in sæcula sæculórum (The last paragraph of the Latin text of Exsultet).

In good English (as opposed to the incompetent translation given by the anti-Catholic commentators), this means: Therefore, O Lord, we pray you that this candle, hallowed to the honor of your name, may persevere undimmed, to overcome the darkness of this night. Receive it as a pleasing fragrance, and let it mingle with the lights of heaven. May this flame be found still burning by the Morning Star: the one Morning Star who never sets, Christ your Son, who, coming back from deaths domain, has shed his peaceful light on humanity, and lives and reigns forever and ever.

Up to the first reference to the Morning Star, this passage of the Exsultet is asking God to let the paschal candle continue to give light, so that it still be burning in the morning (May this flame be found still burning by the Morning Star). Then the prayer pivots to re-conceive of the Morning Star not as the literal one in the sky but as Jesus Christ himself, based on the symbol in Revelation 22:16 (the one Morning Star who never sets, Christ your Son). It is a moving, poetic prayer to God not an invocation of the devil.

SUMMARY

From the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, Jesus is God from God (Deum de Deo), and Light from Light (Lumen de Lumine). In summary, we must guide our understanding of the word lucifer by the context in which it appears. There is nothing neither surprising nor troubling about the Bible using the same word to refer to two different people or concepts. The Bright Morning Star used in Isaiah 14:12 goes to the misnomer of lucifer, which is an incorrect title for Satan or the Devil. This should be understood as a sardonic title for the anti-Christ or beast. He claims to be Christ, to be Messiah, and has his moment under the sun, but comes to be brought low ultimately. In contrast to this anti-Christ, the real Bright Morning Star lives humbly, does not boast, is not arrogant, is submissive to the Father... even unto death. Then the Father raises Him to the highest place; in the morning so to speak.

Mathew 23:12 says: For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Jesus lives out the gospel: death first, resurrection second. Satan wants it all now, and will go down ultimately. Satan looks good at night, but goes down in flames in the morning. Jesus is in the tomb, but arises in the morning. Do you see the pattern? Who is your life most like? What are we encouraging in others, to follow Christ in the gospel, or to grab all you can now? The difference is as wide as Jesus and Satan.

In any case, lucifer means morning star. For the Modern Scholars, it should not be used to describe Satan. Jesus is The Morning Star and this why the Latin text of the Exsultet retains the concept of lucifer. Satan tries to look like Jesus and supplant Him sometime in the future, perhaps very near future, even claiming to be Him. But let us understand the deception and that the true Morning Star told us this in advance through His Apostles and Prophets; and told us to watch out.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Adelman, Rachel (2009). The Return of the Repressed: Pirqe De-Rabbi Eliezer and the Pseudepigrapha. Leiden: BRILL. 

Anthony (1992). Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated Dictionary. The British Museum Press. 

Berlin, Adele, ed. (2011). The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion. OUP. The notion of Satan as the opponent of God and the chief evil figure in a panoply of demons seems to emerge in the Pseudepigrapha ... Satan's expanded role describes him as ... cast out of heaven as a fallen angel (a misinterpretation of Is 14.12)." 

Boyd, Gregory A. (1997). God at War: The Bible & Spiritual Conflict. InterVarsity Press.

Breslauer, S. Daniel, ed. (1997). The seductiveness of Jewish myth : challenge or response?. Albany: State University of New York Press. 

Cain, Andrew (2011). The fathers of the church. Jerome. Commentary on Galatians. Washington, D.C.: CUA Press. 

Calvin, John (2007). Commentary on Isaiah. I:404. Translated by John King. Charleston, S.C.: Forgotten Books. 

Campbell, Joseph (1972). Myths To Live By (Repr. 2nd ed.). [London]: Souvenir Press.

Carol J. Dempsey (2010). Isaiah: God's Poet of Light. Chalice Press. Accessed on May 26 2020.

Charlesworth, edited by James H. (2010). The Old Testament pseudepigrapha. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson. 

Cicero, De Natura Deorum 3. 19. "Isaiah 14 Biblos Interlinear Bible". Interlinearbible.org. Accessed on May 26 2020

Cooley, Jeffrey L. (2008). "Inana and ukaletuda: A Sumerian Astral Myth". KASKAL. 5: 161172. 

Corson, Ron (2008). "Who is Lucifer...or Satan misidentified". newprotestants.com. Accessed on May 26 2020

David W. Daniels (2003). Answers to Your Bible Version Questions. Chick Publications. 

David L. Jeffrey (1992). A Dictionary of Biblical Tradition in English Literature. Eerdmans. Day, John (2002). Yahweh and the gods and goddesses of Canaan. London: Continuum International Publishing Group. 

Dixon-Kennedy, Mike (1998). Encyclopedia of Greco-Roman Mythology. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO 

Doorly, William J. (1992). Isaiah of Jerusalem. New York: Paulist Press. Black, Jeremy; Green, Dunn, James D. G.; Rogerson, John William (2003). Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.  

EOSPHORUS & HESPERUS  Greek Gods of the Morning & Evening Stars

Fekkes, Jan (1994). Isaiah and Prophetic Traditions in the Book of Revelation. London, New York City: Continuum. 

Francis Andrew March, Latin Hymns with English Notes (Douglass Series of Christian Greek and Latin Writers), vol. 1, p. 218: "Lucifer: God  Christ is here addressed as the true light bringer, in distinction from the planet Venus. Such etymological turns are common in the hymns. [...] This description of the King of Babylon was applied by Tertullian and others to Satan, and the mistake has led to the present meanings of Lucifer. 

Gary V. Smith (30 August 2007). Isaiah 130. B&H Publishing Group. Accessed May 11 2020

Greek OT (Septuagint/LXX): Isaiah 14" (in Greek). Bibledatabase.net. Accessed May 11 2020

Gunkel, Hermann (2006) [1895]. "Isa 14:1214". Creation And Chaos in the Primeval Era And the Eschaton. A Religio-historical Study of Genesis 1 and Revelation 12. Translated by Whitney, K. William Jr. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 

Harold Bloom (2005). Satan. Infobase Publishing. Accessed on May 26 2020

Hebrew Concordance: hê·lêl  1 Occurrence  Bible Suite". Bible Hub. Leesburg, Florida: Biblos.com. Accessed May 11 2020

Hoffmann, Tobias, ed. (2012). A Companion to Angels in Medieval Philosophy. Leiden, Netherlands: Brill Publishers. 

Houtman, Iberdina; Kadari, Tamar; Poorthuis, Marcel; Tohar, Vered (2016). Religious Stories in Transformation: Conflict, Revision and Reception. Leiden, Netherlands: Brill Publishers.

Jeffrey Burton Russell (1987). Satan: The Early Christian Tradition. Cornell University Press. 

Johanna Manley (1995). Isaiah through the Ages. St Vladimir's Seminary Press Accessed May 11 2020 

Kelly, Joseph Francis (2002). The Problem of Evil in the Western Tradition. Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press. 

Kohler, Kaufmann (2006). Heaven and Hell in Comparative Religion with Special Reference to Dante's Divine Comedy. Whitefish, Montana: Kessinger Publishing. Lucifer, is taken from the Latin version, the Vulgate Originally published New York: The MacMillan Co., 1923. 

Laney, J. Carl (1997). Answers to Tough Questions from Every Book of the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications. 

Larry Alavezos (2T69 September 2010). A Primer on Salvation and Bible Prophecy. TEACH Services. Accessed May 11 2020

Latin Vulgate Bible: Isaiah 14. DRBO.org. Accessed May 11 2020

Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles. "A Latin Dictionary". Perseus.tufts.edu. Accessed May 11 2020 

LXX Isaiah 14 (in Greek). Septuagint.org. Accessed May 11 2020

Link, Luther (1995). The Devil: A Mask without a Face. Clerkenwell, London: Reaktion Books. 

Lucifer. Jewish Encyclopedia. Accessed May 11 2020

Manley, Johanna; Manley, edited by Johanna (1995). Isaiah through the Ages. Menlo Park, Calif.: St Vladimir's Seminary Press. 

Marvin Alan Sweeney (1996). Isaiah 139. Eerdmans. Accessed May 11 2020

Michael C. Thomsett (2011) Heresy in the Roman Catholic Church: A History. McFarland. 

Migne, Patrologia latina, vol. 2, cols. 500 and 514. https://archive.org/details/patrologiaecurs51unkngoog/page/n260 

Neil Forsyth (1989). The Old Enemy: Satan and the Combat Myth. Princeton University Press. 

Nemet-Nejat, Karen Rhea (1998). Daily Life in Ancient Mesopotamia. Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood Publishing Group. 

Nicolas de Dijon (1730). Prediche Quaresimali: Divise In Due Tomi, Volume 2 (in Italian). Storti. 

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Pope, Marvin H. (1955). Marvin H. Pope, El in the Ugaritic Texts. Accessed May 11 2020. 

Ridderbos, Jan (1985). The Bible Student's Commentary: Isaiah. Translated by John Vriend. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Regency. 

Roy F. Melugin; Marvin Alan Sweeney (1996). New Visions of Isaiah. Sheffield: Continuum International. 

Schwartz, Howard (2004). Tree of souls: The mythology of Judaism. New York City: OUP. 

Schöpfung und Chaos. Gunkel expressly states that "the name Helel ben Shahar clearly states that it is a question of a nature myth. Morning Star, son of Dawn has a curious fate. He rushes gleaming up towards heaven, but never reaches the heights; the sunlight fades him away."

Septuagint Isaiah 14 (in Greek). Sacred Texts. Accessed May 11 2020

Sigve K Tonstad (20 January 2007). Saving God's Reputation. London, New York City: Continuum. Smith, William (1878). "Lucifer". A Smaller Classical Dictionary of Biography, Mythology, and Geography. New York City: Harper. 

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The Mamre Institute, "Isaiah Chapter 14". mechon-mamre.org. Accessed May 11 2020.

The Merriam-Webster New Book of Word Histories. Merriam-Webster. 1991. 

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Walter A. Elwell; Philip Wesley Comfort, eds. (2001). Tyndale Bible Dictionary. Dayspring, Daystar. Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers. 

Willis Barnstone (2009), Marvin Meyer The Gnostic Bible: Revised and Expanded Edition Shambhala Publications 

William Dembski (2009). The End of Christianity. B&H Publishing Group. 

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https://www.versebyverseministry.org/bible-answers/is_lucifer_the_name_of_satan_or_jesusJune22020

https://bible.org/article/lucifer-devil-isaiah-1412-kjv-argument-against-modern-translations June 2 2020

https://reasonsforhopejesus.com/is-satans-real-name-lucifer-or-should-we-call-him-satan/ June 2 2020

https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/who-or-what-was-lucifer June 2 2020

Cicero wrote: Stella Veneris, quae Φωσφόρος Graece, Latine dicitur Lucifer, cum antegreditur solem, cum subsequitur autem Hesperos; The star of Venus, called Φωσφόρος in Greek and Lucifer in Latin when it precedes, Hesperos when it follows the sun – De Natura Deorum 2, 20, 53.

Pliny the Elder: Sidus appellatum Veneris  ante matutinum exoriens Luciferi nomen accipit  contra ab occasu refulgens nuncupatur Vesper (The star called Venus  when it rises in the morning is given the name Lucifer  but when it shines at sunset it is called Vesper) Natural History 2, 36. 

Virgil wrote: Luciferi primo cum sidere frigida rura carpamus, dum mane novum, dum gramina canent (Let us hasten, when first the Morning Star appears, to the cool pastures, while the day is new, while the grass is dewy) Georgics 3:324325.

Lucan: Lucifer a Casia prospexit rupe diemque misit in Aegypton primo quoque sole calentem (The morning-star looked forth from Mount Casius and sent the daylight over Egypt, where even sunrise is hot) Lucan, Pharsalia, 10:434435; English translation by J. D. Duff (Loeb Classical Library). 

Ovid wrote: vigil nitido patefecit ab ortu purpureas Aurora fores et plena rosarum atria: diffugiunt stellae, quarum agmina cogit Lucifer et caeli statione novissimus exit (Aurora, awake in the glowing east, opens wide her bright doors, and her rose-filled courts. The stars, whose ranks are shepherded by Lucifer the morning star, vanish, and he, last of all, leaves his station in the sky) Metamorphoses 2.114115; A. S. Kline's Version.

Statius: Et iam Mygdoniis elata cubilibus alto impulerat caelo gelidas Aurora tenebras, rorantes excussa comas multumque sequenti sole rubens; illi roseus per nubila seras aduertit flammas alienumque aethera tardo Lucifer exit equo, donec pater igneus orbem impleat atque ipsi radios uetet esse sorori (And now Aurora rising from her Mygdonian couch had driven the cold darkness on from high in the heavens, shaking out her dewy hair, her face blushing red at the pursuing sun  from him roseate Lucifer averts his fires lingering in the clouds and with reluctant horse leaves the heavens no longer his, until the blazing father make full his orb and forbid even his sister her beams) Statius, Thebaid 2, 134150; P. Papinius Statius (2007). 

© Rev Fr Utazi Prince Marie Benignus Zereuwa

June 3 2020 Memorial of Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions

Updated May 23 2022.

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