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Hello in the gospel according to John he is a murderer from the beginning a liar and the father of lies and

Dante calls him the ill-worm that pierces the world's core

But Milton's description of Satan as a powerful rebel was so attractive that William Blake declared that Milton was of the

Devil's Party without knowing it to order people the devil has often been regarded as a trickster attempt to sometimes even a figure of fun rather than a fear

How did this contradictory character come into being?

Why did it take so long for him to become an established figure in Christianity and how pagan is he?

We need to discuss the history of the devil a Martin Palmer theologian and director of the international

Consultancy on religion education and culture

Alison Rowlands senior lecturer in European history at the University of Essex and David Wooten professor of intellectual history at Queen Mary

University of London Martin Palmer the devil's first major parents as I understand it in the Old Testament is the book of Job

What role does the devil Satan have in that parable?

Well, it's really is only appearance and it is as a attempt up as someone who is licensed by God to

To test the

Fortitude and the belief of Job who's had a pretty easy life up until that time

I mean it's some it's painted in very broad colors to put it mildly he has everything

He's got seven sons and three daughters and thousands of cattle and thousands of sheep and

wonderful houses and all the rest of it and

The devil is asked or Satan is asked by God where he's been he said I've been wandering the earth and he says and if you see my good servant Job

The devil says yes, well, he's only already your good servant because basically he's got it cushy, hasn't he and God goes

All right, well, you know test him and so he destroys everything that Job has and

...