The artwork represents a parable in Matthew 25:31-46: "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. In the mosaic, the blue angel to Jesus' left stands behind three goats, while the angel to Jesus' right is joined by three sheep. (Image credit: UniversalImagesGroup / Contributor via Getty Images)Ī clear early link between Satan and goats is found in the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo mosaic, constructed in the late 6th century in Italy. Satan with hornsĪ 1608 woodcut from Francesco Maria Guazzo's Compendium Maleficarum showing Satan as a flying goat, carrying a witch to the Sabbath. In "Inferno" Dante writes: "Hence in the smallest circle, where the point is Of the Universe, upon which Dis is seated, Whoe'er betrays for ever is consumed." ( Canto 11:64-65). He refers to the devil as "Dis" and to a "City of Dis", which comes from Dis Pater, the Roman god of the underworld according to " The Dante Encyclopedia" (Routledge, 2000) by Richard Lansing, professor of Italian studies and comparative literature at Brandeis University. "Lilith comes from the ancient Babylonian Lilitu demons: Winged females who flew through the night, seducing men and attacking pregnant women and infants," she said.ĭante also introduces elements from Greco-Roman mythology into his traditional Christian lore. No feathers had they, but as of a bat." ( Canto 34: 49-51).Īccording to Montesano, Satan's wings may originate in Babylonian mythology, due to the devil's association with the figure of Lilith. Dante describes Satan with "two mighty wings, such as befitting were so great a bird sails of the sea I never saw so large. The 14th-century poem "Inferno," written by Dante Alighieri as part of his " Divine Comedy", recounts a fictional journey through the seven circles that make up hell before the protagonist comes face to face with Satan himself. (Image credit: Heritage Images / Contributor via Getty Images) Such depictions of Satan may go back to Babylonian myths. The image "shows the devil as an ethereal blue angel, ultimately shed in favor of a more demonic appearance with animalistic traits," Montesano said.Ī featherless, winged beast, as described by Dante Alighieri in his "Divine Comedy". The earliest known suggested depiction of Satan is in a sixth-century mosaic, in the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, Italy. "The fathers of the early medieval church, however, elaborated the figure of Lucifer far beyond the biblical text, making him the rebel angel and transforming him into the paradigm of pride as the capital sin." "Lucifer, the 'morning star' is the expression with which Isaiah defines a future king of Babylon," Montesano said. In the Bible, the Book of Isaiah 14:12 reads: "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations." This is a direct reference to God casting out Satan from heaven. (Image credit: DEA PICTURE LIBRARY /Getty) Many interpret Isaiah 14:12, which describes the fallen angel Lucifer, being cast from heaven, as describing Satan. A depiction of rebel angles being ejected from heaven by God.
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