Lucifer
Lucifer, also Lucifer, the Latin name for the morning star (Venus). Literally translated, it means " light-bearer " ( to Latin lux 'light' and ferre, carry, bring '). Over time the term was Lucifer in Christian parlance synonymous with a name of the devil.
- 4.1 Classical Literature
- 4.2 Classical
- 4.3 Modern Literature
- 4.4 rock and pop music
- 4.5 movie
Roman Mythology
In Roman mythology, Lucifer was used as a poetic name for the morning star, so the planet Venus. This is the literal translation of the Greek terms PHOSPHOROS ( " light bringer " ) or Eosphóros ( "Bringer of Dawn "), which appeared about in Homer's Odyssey Hesiod's Theogony or. Lucifer is also associated with the goddess Venus.
Christianity
The now familiar Lucifer concept draws on a combination of several sources:
Lucifer as the Morning Star
In many places the Vulgate, the term " Lucifer " for the morning star, without this would be in a relationship with the devil, and about the Book of Job ( 11.17 and 38.32 EU EU), in the Book of Psalms (108, 3 EU). In the New Testament the morning star is called in only one place with " Lucifer ":
"By the word of the prophets has become even safer for us and you do well to heed it; because it is a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. "
In the Revelation of John ( 22.16 EU) Christ speaks of himself as the " bright morning star" (Latin stella splendida matutina ). For this reason the early Christians held Lucifer for an epithet of Christ. As evidence serve as the anthem carmen aurorae, or the name of St.. Lucifer, a bishop from the 4th century. In the liturgy the name Morgenstern comes in the Latin version of the Exsultets at the Easter Vigil before: Flammas eius lucifer Matutinus inveniat, ille, Inquam, lucifer, qui Nescit occasum. (You light up the morning star appears, that true morning star that never sets in eternity ).
Isaiah 14 - Helel, morning star, Lucifer
In the Book of Isaiah ( 14:12-14 EU) is reported by the arrogance of the " king of Babylon " who wanted to " ascend to heaven and set his throne above the stars of God." Instead, he was but " in the underworld cast down [ ... ], in the extreme depth ," was " thrown unburied like an abominable bastard". Here the King of Babylon is allegorically compared with the " beautiful morning star," which is " like heaven" from.
In the Greek translation of the Bible by Jewish scholars was the Hebrew name for the morning star, " Helel " already rendered " Phosphorus ". The Christian church fathers - about Jerome in his Vulgate - translated it with "Lucifer ". The figure of Lucifer, however, does not exist in Judaism, and Satan, which is associated in Christianity with the figure of Lucifer, in Judaism is fundamentally different than in Christianity.
With Satan, the Church Fathers brought the fallen Lucifer Lightbringer finally on the basis of a pronouncement of Jesus in ( 10.18 EU) Gospel of Luke in connection: "I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning ."
In the Book of Revelation we interpret the dragon with " seven heads and ten horns " (Rev 12:3 ff EU) as the devil, who with his tail swept away a third of the stars and devour the newborn Christ threatens, before the Archangel Michael is defeated: Michael and his angels to fight the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought, but they could not keep up and they lost their place in heaven. He was overthrown, the great dragon, that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and with him his angels were cast out ( see Descent into Hell ). After Satan has been bound for a thousand years, he sets out once more, " the nations in the four corners of the earth [ ... ] to seduce and zusammenzuholen them." In the end he is "thrown into the lake of burning sulfur ."
Conversion to Lucifer - Satan
In his work De principiis Prooemium and in a homily on the book XII of the Christian scholar Origen the morning star Eosphoros - Lucifer compared first with the devil / Satan. In the context of the emerging Christianity angelology Origen claimed that the original Phaeton confused with Helal Eosphoros - Lucifer after he tried to equate God, as a heavenly spirit plunged into the abyss. Tertullian ( 150-230 ), Cyprian (c. 400), Ambrose (c. 340-397 ) and some other church fathers joined in essence this Hellenistic myth borrowed from conception to.
Jerome, Cyril of Alexandria ( 412-444 ) and Eusebius (c. 260-340 ) saw the other hand, in the prophecy of Isaiah only mystified the end of a Babylonian king. This earthly fall of a pagan king of Babylon they saw as clear reference to the heavenly fall of Satan.
Equating Lucifer with Satan
In the Middle Ages, Lucifer was the combination of Isaiah ( 14.12 EU) ( overthrow of the Son of the Dawn) with Luke ( 10.18 EU) (fall of Satan ) in the Church's official parlance a synonym for Satan / Devil.
Lucifer among the Gnostics and Cathars
In some Gnostic groups Lucifer was still viewed by the identification of Satan with Lucifer by the Doctors of the Church as a divine force and revered as the true God. In various Gnostic systems was the " firstborn Son of God " referred to as Satanael. The Bogomils and Euchiten was called the " firstborn " Lucifer Satanael. For the Cathars, whose doctrine and ritual, with some modifications, of Italy, starting, was taken over by the Bogomils, Lucifer was also no being with negative aspects. In the doctrine of the dualistic Cathari was called Lucifer son of the god of darkness and revered as a light bringer " Lucibel ". In the worldview of the Cathars in the whole earthly world was seen as the evil empire and hell, it came to the earth fall of the angels, because of the rise of envy filled Lucifer as an angel of light in an original as static adopted world where he by the gloss its beauty, the local inhabitants of heaven seduced in part, but what the good God allowed this heavenly sphere. According to the Cathars, the cause of sin was a forced seduction, because they traced the origin of the sin of the originally good spirits on the seduction of evil primordial being, by eliminating free will.
Lucifer as a character in literature, music and film (selection)
Classic Literature
- Doctor Faustus (1604 ) and Lucifer (1654 )
Lucifer appeared as a character on in dramatic works such as Christopher Marlowe's Tragical History of Doctor Faustus 1604 or Joost van den Vondel's Lucifer 1654.
In his epic poem Paradise Lost ( 1667) shows John Milton Lucifer - he there "Satan" is called and thus equates with this - as a proud, ambitious angel who finds himself overthrown by his rebellion against God in hell. He takes over the management ( " Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heav'n " ) and sets supported by Mammon and Beelzebub, successfully completed its rhetorical and organizational abilities. Later he enters the Garden of Eden to tempt you in the form of the serpent, Adam and Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge.
- The Magic Mountain (1924 )
In Thomas Mann's novel The Magic Mountain (1924 ) adores him of the Enlightenment committed Settembrini as bringer of light, as " sforza vindice della ragione ".
Classical music
The composer Johann Strauss ( son ) wrote in 1862 for the carnival ball of the Vienna Artists' Association Hesperus a Lucifer -Polka op.266.
Lucifer is one of the main characters in Karlheinz Stockhausen's opera cycle light, which was 1977-2003.
Modern Literature
In the Satanic Bible by LaVey published in 1969, the "modern" Satanism is considered the founder of Lucifer appears as one of the four crown prince of hell. As Lord of the East and the element air, it acts as a " light bringer " and stands for intellect and education. The Romanian poet Mihai Eminescu wrote a poem in 1883 Luceafarul, is sung in the Lucifer as the evening star.
In addition, Lucifer was often the subject of particular Anglo-American literature, such as in Miguel Serrano's Nos, Book of the Resurrection, 1980, in Arthur C. Clarke's Space Odyssey ( 1968-97 ), in Steven Brusts fantasy novel To Reign in Hell ( 1984) Neil Gaiman's Sandman in narratives ( 1988-96 ), in Mike Carey's Lucifer comic series (since 1999), Catherine Webb's stories Waywalkers (2003) and Timekeepers (2004) and in the two trilogies novel His Dark Materials (1995-2000) by Philip Pullman and Lycidas ( 2004-06 ) by Christoph Marzi.
Rock and pop music
It also exists in works of rock music Lucifer, eg as a narrator in Sympathy for the Devil by the Rolling Stones in 1968 or in the song NIB Black Sabbath as a Siamese cat in Pink Floyd Lucifer Sam, as the title of the instrumental hits Lucifer by The Alan Parsons Project (1979 ), as well as in the song Father Lucifer by Tori Amos or band name Lucifer's Friend.
Film
Mention values influence on popular culture was the half-hour experimental film Lucifer Rising ( 1966/70/82 ) by Kenneth Anger, whose collage-like imagery, was formative for future music videos among others.
He also appears in movies such as Prophecy - The Last Battle (1995), Angel Heart (1987 ), Constantine ( 2005), The Devil's Advocate (1997), The Exorcism of Emily Rose ( 2005) or Little Nicky (2000) and is represented in the series Supernatural and Reaper as the Devil.
Lucifer in Anthroposophy
Lucifer plays a significant role in the anthroposophy of Rudolf Steiner. There he is described next Ahriman and Asuras as one of the intellectual adversary powers, with which humanity must confront. Lucifer is characterized by the forces of the moved, but also -resolution, Ahriman with those of the structuring agent, but also hardening. They are therefore not described there negative per se, but as a neutral entity.