ISSN 1789-8919
e-ISSN 2786-1562
The figure of Satan is well known from the Bible as tempter, and who mostly appears before the Lord as an accuser, a typical example being the biblical story of Job. The parabiblical literature and the Jewish tradition developed this idea further in the Second Temple period, when they began to give names and different fucntions to heavenly beings, and to distinguish between good and bad angels. In the texts of this period, we find the Prince Mastema, who shows very similar characteristics to Satan, and it is also interesting that in these texts we do not even meet Satan.
The present study examines the extent to which the two figures correspond to each other, the semantic relationship between them, their names, their radicals, their meanings, their functions, their roles and their position in the heavenly court and hierarchy. The focus of the study is on the relationship between justice and mercy, as indicated in the title, with a view to the question of the extent to which the characteristics of the justice environment can be applied in a one-to-one manner to the person of Mastema and Satan.
In terms of methodology, it analyses the Book of Jubilees with the Book of Pseudo-Jubilees and some rabbinic writings (Genesis Rabbah and Babylonian Talmud), comparing them with possible biblical parallels, highlighting both common points and differences. This requires a synchronic and diachronic analysis of the texts, an examination of the key concepts involved, and the application of biblical exegesis, with, where appropriate, critical commentary on the texts.
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