Non-Biblical Examples of Evil Powers in Heaven
The majority of the non-biblical examples of evil powers in the
heavens are dependent in some way upon the examples in Scripture. In Jub.
17.16, which is reminiscent of the story of Job, Satan (the Prince Mastema) comes
before God and urges God to test Abraham by sacrificing his son Isaac. The
implication here is that, like the Old Testament account of Job, Satan has
access to the presence of God in heaven and utilizes his access to accuse or
encourage temptation of God’s people. In 2 En.
29.3-5 Satan and his angels are cast ‘from the height’ with the result that
they are now ‘flying around the air’. Similarly, in the Latin text of Life
of Adam and Eve (Vita),
Satan and his angels are cast out of the heavens and onto the earth (12.1-2;
16.1). We have already encountered two New Testament examples (Lk. 10.17-19 and
Rev. 12.7-13) which also speak of Satan’s casting out of heaven. First
Enoch 40.7 speaks of impious angels who are
prohibited from entering the presence of the Lord so that they cannot accuse
those on the earth. This verse seems to draw upon the Old Testament notion of
Satan’s accusing role and yet also demonstrates an affinity with the New
Testament notion of Satan and his angels being cast out of heaven. Finally, in Apoc.
Zeph. 3.5-9 we read of the angels of the accuser
who sit at the gate of heaven and write down the sins of men. In this passage,
we find evil angelic powers who seemingly have access to heaven and who also
assist Satan in his accusing role as depicted in the Old Testament.
In addition to the passages above which exhibit close affinities
with the Old and New Testaments, we also find examples in apocalyptic literature
which associate the lower heavens with evil or darkness. Though they are not
explicitly described as evil, the lower heavens in Testament
of Levi are associated with darkness and God’s
judgement (chapters 2–3). In his notes on Testament of
Levi 2–3, H. C. Kee writes that ‘the pervasion of
the lower heaven by darkness is a common feature in apocalyptic literature’. We
have already noted above that the
location of hell in Questions of Ezra is
in the third heaven. In addition, we also find that the four lower heavens in
this book are associated with evil, sin, terror, quarrels, and wars (Ques.
Ezra 1.19-21). For our purposes, the primary
significance of these passages from Testament of Levi and
Questions of Ezra is that the
association of the lower heavens with evil, sin, or darkness was common within
some strands of Jewish thought.
Perhaps the most extensive treatment of evil angelic powers is
found in Testament of Solomon.
When we consider the significance of the Testament of Solomon for our
investigation of Ephesians, we must be cautious in any conclusions we draw
since scholars generally date Testament of
Solomon late and argue that the book is dependent
upon the New Testament. Indeed, there are passages where the testament is almost
certainly dependent upon Ephesians. In his introduction to Testament
of Solomon, D. C. Duling assigns a date somewhere
between the first and third century ad.
However, Duling does note that whether we date the testament early or late, ‘there
is general agreement that much of the testament reflects first-century Judaism
in Palestine’. There is also disagreement over the authorship of this work and
it is possible that it was either Jewish with Christian editing or the product of
a Greek-speaking Christian. Although the date of Testament
of Solomon is late, it is nevertheless of some value for
New Testament studies since the work reflects both Jewish and Christian thought
from around the turn of the century.
There are two major contributions from Testament
of Solomon for our examination of evil powers in heaven
and the cosmology of Ephesians. First, in reference to cosmology, it is clear that
Testament of Solomon is clearly tripartite
with the heavens above, the earth in the middle, and hell below the earth. Within
the testament, there are numerous references to the spirits of the air, of the
earth, and under the earth (Greek title; 18.3; 22.1). The significance of these
cosmological divisions is not in number since the cosmology of Ephesians is
clearly bipartite, but rather in the titles given to the divisions. In Eph. 2.2
there is a reference to Satan as to.n a;rconta th/j evxousi,aj
tou/ ave,roj. The fact that Testament
of Solomon utilizes ‘air’ to refer to the heavenly
regions possibly sheds light on its use in Ephesians. As a result, Eph. 3.10
and Eph. 6.12 might not be the only references to evil powers in the heavenly regions
in Ephesians. Therefore, our understanding of evil powers in heaven and the
cosmology of Ephesians must also take into account the activity of Satan as to.n
a;rconta th/j evxousi,aj tou/ ave,roj (Eph. 2.2).
Second, Testament of Solomon clearly
portrays demons as having access to both heaven and earth. In chapter 1, we
read of the demon Ornias’s perverse activities on the earth. In 2.3 Ornias says
to Solomon, ‘Sometimes I become a creature with wings (flying) up to the
heavenly regions’ (Duling). Similarly, in 20.12-15 demons who cause destruction
on earth can also fly up to the firmament, fly among the stars, and even hear
decisions from God. Within the New Testament, it is not uncommon to read of the
activities of Satan and demons on the earth. What has been so problematic for
scholars of Ephesians is that these evil powers are active in the heavenlies.
In Testament of Solomon, we find that evil
spiritual powers have access both to earth and the heavenly regions. In
addition to these examples from Testament of
Solomon, the composite work Ascension
of Isaiah, which is widely believed to have both
Jewish and Christian origins, locates the home of Satan and his hosts in the
firmament which is below the seven heavens (4.1-3; 7.9-12).
Our examination of evil powers in the heavens in various Jewish and
Christian texts outside the Old and New Testaments leads to a similar
conclusion as our examination of the heavens as the place of punishment. We
once again observe that in several strands of Jewish and Christian thought it
was not uncommon to speak of evil powers in heaven (Jub.
17.16; Apoc. Zeph. 3.5-9;
T. Sol. 2.3; 20.12-15). In Testament
of Solomon, there are examples of demons which have access
both to earth and to the heavenly regions. There are texts which draw upon the
Old Testament notion of evil powers as accusing agents in heaven (Apoc.
Zeph. 3.5-9) and there are also passages which demonstrate
affinities with the New Testament theme of Satan and his angels having been
cast out of heaven (2 En. 29.3-5; LAE
12.1-2; 16.1). Interestingly, 1 En. 40.7
exhibits both of these characteristics as the impious angels are prohibited
from entering the presence of the Lord so they cannot accuse those on the
earth. Jubilees 17.16 alludes to
the Old Testament theme of Satan as tempter or deceiver. In Jewish thought, it
was also common to associate the lower heavens with sin, evil, darkness, and
God’s judgement (Testament of Levi 2–3;
Ques. Ezra 1.19-21). In Ascension
of Isaiah, the firmament, or the region below the seven
heavens, is the abode of Satan and the evil powers. In Ephesians the location
of the evil spiritual powers is also in the heavens; however, Christ’s reign
over the spiritual powers and believers’ union with Christ assure believers
that these powers can no longer accuse and can no longer ultimately lead the
nations astray from God. Additionally, the location of the evil powers in the
lower heavens in several apocalyptic texts allows for the possibility that the
evil powers in Ephesians might also be located in the lower heavens. (M.
Jeff Brannon, The Heavenlies in Ephesians: A Lexical, Exegetical, and
Conceptual Analysis [Library of New Testament Studies 447; London: T&T
Clark, 2011], 194-97)
