LETTER TO THE
HEBREWS
The Letter to the Hebrews contains one
reference to a chief evil being, in Hebrews 2;14. The context speaks of the
flesh and blood of Christ and his shared humanity, by which through his death
he might destroy the one who has power over death, the devil (τον διαβολον-cf. Wis
2:23-24; 1 Cor 15:26, 55; Rev 20:14). It seems clear here that the author is
speaking of a supernatural being and not an earthly adversary, although the
author could be alluding to the Roman Empire, which certainly held the power of
death in the Mediterranean world. Christ came to free those who lived their
lives enslaved to the fear of death (through persecution?). What is not clear in the passage is how the adversary/the devil had this power over death; does this
suggest he was in some way responsible for death among humanity? If so, then
this would suggest this is a human adversary, as there is no apparent spiritual
being that has power over death in the heavenly realm except God. Another
possibility is that the power of death is brought on by the devil in that he
turns people away from God and his Torah, which in the end results in their
death and final destruction. (Archie T. Wright, Satan and the Problem of
Evil: From the Bible to the Early Church Fathers [Minneapolis: Fortress
Press, 2022], 181)
