Sunday, February 4, 2024

Archie T. Wright on Satan in Hebrews

  

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)