Satan, The Cabala and the Jews

With regard to the Talmud, great care should be taken to separate the Halacath from the Hagadoth1 in framing ideas as to the Jewish system and traditions. The Halacath are binding on Jews who believe in the binding character of the Oral law, or who rely on, or at least attach great importance to the dicta, decisions, and discussions of the great sages.

As to the Hagadoth, these contain no system or principles of faith, no basis on which tradition could be built, ideas framed, or practices founded. And the Hagadoth contain aphorisms and apothegms; they were apologues which were designated to “point a moral or adorn a tale,” and they were full of idealisms, speculations, reflections, imaginations and imageries. Those very idealisms were actually embodied, systematised, and substantiated by Christianity which really built theories on dreamy and figurative fancies, and deduced ritual practices and dogmas from visionary, poetic and periphrastic apologues!

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Author: Jewish Chronicle

Keywords: Devil, Evil spirit, Demonology, Cabala, Cabalism, Satan, Yetzer, Yetzer hara, Yetser hara, Yetzer ha ra, Yetser ha ra, Lucifer, Samael, Baalzebul, Baalzebub, Evil inclination

Bible reference(s): 1 Chronicles 21:1, Job 1:6-9, Job 1:12, Job 2:1-4, Job 2:6-7, Zechariah 3:1, Zechariah 3:2, Matthew 4:1, Matthew 4:5, Matthew 4:8, Matthew 4:10, Matthew 4:11, Matthew 9:32, Matthew 9:33, Matthew 11:18, Matthew 12:22, Matthew 12:26, Matthew 13:39, Matthew 15:22, Matthew 16:23, Matthew 17:18, Matthew 25:41, Mark 1:13, Mark 3:23, Mark 3:26, Mark 4:15, Mark 7:26, Mark 7:29, Mark 7:30, Mark 8:33, Luke 4:2, Luke 4:3, Luke 4:6, Luke 4:13, Luke 4:33, Luke 4:35, Luke 7:33, Luke 8:12, Luke 8:29, Luke 9:42, Luke 11:14, Luke 11:18, Luke 13:16, Luke 22:3, Luke 22:31, John 6:70, John 7:20, John 8:44, John 8:48, John 8:49, John 8:52, John 10:20, John 10:21, John 13:2, John 13:27, Acts 5:3, Acts 10:38, Acts 13:10, Acts 26:18, Romans 16:20, 1 Corinthians 5:5, 1 Corinthians 7:5, 2 Corinthians 2:11, 2 Corinthians 11:14, 2 Corinthians 12:7, Ephesians 4:27, Ephesians 6:11, 1 Thessalonians 2:18, 2 Thessalonians 2:9, 1 Timothy 1:20, 1 Timothy 3:6, 1 Timothy 3:7, 1 Timothy 5:15, 2 Timothy 2:26, Hebrews 2:14, James 4:7, 1 Peter 5:8, 1 John 3:8, 1 John 3:10, Jude 1:9, Revelation 2:9, Revelation 2:10, Revelation 2:13, Revelation 2:24, Revelation 3:9, Revelation 12:9, Revelation 12:12, Revelation 20:2, Revelation 20:7, Revelation 20:10, Tobit 6:7, Tobit 6:14, Tobit 6:15, Tobit 6:17, Tobit 8:3, Wisdom of Solomon 2:24, Sirach/Ecclesiasticus 21:27

Source: “The ‘Cornhill Magazine’ on the Cabala and the Jews,” The Jewish Chronicle (London), August 7, 1868, p. 7.

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