Isaac T. Soon
Satan and Circumcision: The Devil as the ἄγγελος πονηρός in Barn 9:4
Soon, Isaac T.
Authors
Abstract
This study argues that the ἄγγελος πονηρός in Barn 9.4 was Satan. James Carleton Paget, Adolf Hilgenfeld, Ferdinand Prostmeier and Geza Vermes gestured toward this interpretation, but none offered evidence for this identification other than assertion. In Barnabas, there is a constellation of ideas that connect circumcision with Satan, namely circumcision with pagan idolatry (9.6), idolatry to demons (16.7), and finally idolatry and demons to Satan’s ultimate rule (18.1; 20.1). Satan is also related to other obsolete Jewish cultic practices (2.4, 6; 16.1–2, 7). Barnabas also repeatedly describes the devil with the adjective πονηρός. Additionally, the fourth-century papyrus PSI VII 757r reads ἄγγελος ὁ πονηρός, identifying the angel as Satan. The “Ethiopianisation” of Satan as “the black one” (as argued by Clare Rothschild) confirms this reading. Since “Ethiopians” practiced circumcision, the devil as a “the black one” associates Satan with circumcision.
Citation
Soon, I. T. (2022). Satan and Circumcision: The Devil as the ἄγγελος πονηρός in Barn 9:4. Vigiliae Christianae: A Review of Early Christian Life and Language, 76(1), 60-72. https://doi.org/10.1163/15700720-bja10035
Journal Article Type | Article |
---|---|
Online Publication Date | Jul 14, 2021 |
Publication Date | 2022-01 |
Deposit Date | May 20, 2022 |
Publicly Available Date | May 20, 2022 |
Journal | Vigiliae Christianae |
Print ISSN | 0042-6032 |
Electronic ISSN | 1570-0720 |
Publisher | Brill Academic Publishers |
Peer Reviewed | Peer Reviewed |
Volume | 76 |
Issue | 1 |
Pages | 60-72 |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1163/15700720-bja10035 |
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Publisher Licence URL
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Copyright Statement
© Isaac T. Soon, 2021
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license
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