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As always, thank you much on your "musings" (as you call them.

You said "So, if satan thought he could tempt Christ, he did not believe He is God." but here Satan knows he is speaking to God: Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?...

In the Book of Job, the satan is one of the "sons of God" (angels), which is quite consistent with Judaism's view of [the] satan (the accuser) as being a faithful servant of God.

The story changes in the New Testament. The book of Job is considered one of the oldest books of the OT and predates the Babylonian captivity. With the emergence of messianic and apocalyptic Judaism in the 2nd century BC, the nature of the satan begins to change into the familiar one we have: a fallen angel of God, devil himself (hence the proper name Satan).

Prior to the Persian influence, Judaism doesn't know dualism and therefore there is no "devil" per se; the satan remains a faithful servant of God, His "prosecuting attorney."

Even if we take the liberty of making the God of Job into Logos, the relationship between Him and the satan is that of cooperation and and adversity.

Moreover, concerning the Law of Identity, the Holy Spirit is multi-faceted: And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and [there were] seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. - Rev 4:5

Yeah, Seven Spirit of God; I would really like to hear how the Church addresses this. The Orthodox Church simply will not deal with Revelation. It's the only book of the NT that was listed as "questionable" past the 9th century and the only book of the NT that is never quoted or read in the Divine Liturgy.

On another subject: Can you tell me why did Jesus need to be led by the Spirit into the wilderness?

Correction: cooperation and and adversity=cooperation and not adversity

Yeah, Seven Spirit of God; I would really like to hear how the Church addresses this. The Orthodox Church simply will not deal with Revelation. It's the only book of the NT that was listed as "questionable" past the 9th century and the only book of the NT that is never quoted or read in the Divine Liturgy.

That's a great loss, considering the following:

Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy,
and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
~Revelation 1:3

On another subject: Can you tell me why did Jesus need to be led by the Spirit into the wilderness?

Some thoughts:

For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities;
but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
~Hebrews 4:15
[T]hough He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.
~Hebrews 5:8
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities:
the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
~Isaiah 53:5
But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
~Hebrews 12:8
Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.
~Psalm 22:4-5

Psalm 119

1Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.
2Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.
3They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.
4Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.
5O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!
6Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.
7I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.
8I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.
9Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
10With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
11Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger,
and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know,
that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone;
but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.
~Deuteronomy 8:3

And he said to them all,
"If any man will come after me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross daily, and follow me."
~Luke 9:23 (et al)

Thank you so much for sharing your insights!

Can you tell me why did Jesus need to be led by the Spirit into the wilderness?

.30Carbine gave the answer beautifully in her first quote from Scripture:

For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] without sin. – Hebrews 4:15

And again, I strongly agree with .30Carbine that the Orthodox are missing a blessing since, as you say, Revelation is “never quoted or read in the Divine Liturgy.”:

Blessed [is] he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time [is] at hand. – Rev 1:3

On your other point about Satan and the teaching under Judaism v. Christianity:

In the Book of Job, the satan is one of the "sons of God" (angels), which is quite consistent with Judaism's view of [the] satan (the accuser) as being a faithful servant of God.

The story changes in the New Testament. The book of Job is considered one of the oldest books of the OT and predates the Babylonian captivity. With the emergence of messianic and apocalyptic Judaism in the 2nd century BC, the nature of the satan begins to change into the familiar one we have: a fallen angel of God, devil himself (hence the proper name Satan).

Prior to the Persian influence, Judaism doesn't know dualism and therefore there is no "devil" per se; the satan remains a faithful servant of God, His "prosecuting attorney."

Even if we take the liberty of making the God of Job into Logos, the relationship between Him and the satan is that of cooperation and and adversity.

God does not change. Man does. Therefore, I assert that the change in man’s understanding of Satan is due to man’s philosophy or reasoning which he wrongfully superimposes on God’s revelations.

For instance, there has been a tendency among some Christians to believe that Satan is such a being that they can command him, accuse him and such.

Of course we can resist the devil – and truly as long as we abide in Christ and He in us, we have no reason to fear the devil.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. - James 4:7

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:38-39

But we are not the judge of Satan. That belongs to God and has already been written and therefore I always recommend an abundance of caution when speaking to or of the devil. The Scriptures are not inconsistent on the matter:

And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: [is] not this a brand plucked out of the fire? - Zech 3:1-2

Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.– Jude 1:9-10

Rather, I assert that we should focus on the divine revelation alone – especially to spiritually discern the iniquity and thus our vulnerability to the urgings of Satan. To wit:

1. The iniquity found in Satan was pride (or vanity or ego.)

Thou [wast] perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never [shalt] thou [be] any more. – Eze 28:15-19

2. Satan has been the tempter, appealing to these same things (pride, vanity or ego) in others:

a. Eve in the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:4-5) ”your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil”

b. David to do a census (1 Ch 21:1-2) ” bring the number of them to me, that I may know [it].”

c. Job to curse God for losing all his mortal comforts: children, possessions and health (Job 1, etc.)

d. Joshua/Jesus for being filthy before God (Zech 3)

e. Jesus to sate his hunger, discomfort, etc. (Matt 4)

f. Some say (and I agree) his presence is implied with Jesus in Gethsemane to tempt Him to avoid the agony of the cross (Luke 22)

4. Satan’s judgment is written (Revelation 20).

And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season…. And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom [is] as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet [are], and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. – Rev 20:1-10 (excerpted)

There is a distinction in the Hebrew language between satan as a general term for an adversary and Satan as a being with a job to do before God, i.e. exists by God’s permissive will. (Jewish Encyclopedia on Satan) Both are preserved in the Tanakh – and the concepts carry forward to the New Testament, e.g. here:

But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. – Matt 16:23

In this case, Peter has become the tempter – the one appealing to Jesus’ pride (vanity or ego) that he should not be killed and resurrected.

Interestingly this occurs just after Peter was honored for becoming the first to receive the divine revelation from the Father that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Bottom line drawn from divine revelation alone (without doctrines or traditions of men): love God absolutely (Matt 22, the Great Commandment paraphrased) far and away above the second commandment of Matt 22, love of neighbor and - most especially, love of self. And be ever watchful for pride, vanity and ego creeping into the mind or soul – they are devilish and poison the spirit. Resisting them is closing the devil's "niche" (as betty boop calls it) to tempt us - he (and they) will flee if resisted.

[.. Yeah, Seven Spirits of God; I would really like to hear how the Church addresses this. The Orthodox Church simply will not deal with Revelation. ..]

Good point.. Actually almost no one(I know) wants to deal with that.. I know of few that are aware the Book of Revelation is the Revelation of Jesus Christ(CH:1;1) and not the Apostle John..

Nothing to hamper us however from making ourselves conversant in the book.. Nothing at all.. My experience is it takes the Holy Spirit to open this book up (to me).. must be on a need to know basis.. LoL.. Amazing insights in that book..

Even if we take the liberty of making the God of Job into Logos, the relationship between Him and the satan is that of cooperation and [not] adversity.

In the first place, we ought not make the mistake of identifying the God of Job with the Logos. There is an important distinction to be preserved between pneumatic (spiritual) and noetic (intellectual) experiences of divine nature, both of which may originate in and refer to the One True God and would therefore be fully justified in/by Him.

Your second clause sets up an unfortunate (to my mind) complementarity of the relationship between God and the satan. The statement seems to have Zoroastrian and Manichaean resonances. Yet the idea of "complementarity" presumes two different modalities of a single thing; and God and the satan can never be "single" together, for the simple reason that God is Creator, and the satan creature (a "son of God").

God and satan cannot meet as "equals" on the same "ontological playing field." Indeed, as I recall it was Chesterton who said it was Saint Michael the Archangel who was Lucifer's ("The Prince of Light" i.e., satan's) "opposite number," so to speak; certainly not God Himself.

Satan is as completely subject to the Will of God as any other creature. Period. Because he knows that, he already knows his bid to destroy God's beloved is already doomed; he knows his time is growing short....

The mystery is that the satan performs a role in God's providential economy, in His Plan for the resurrection of man and creation at the End of Days. As such, he is clearly a servant of God, certainly not God's equal, let alone "rival." Oh, how the satan must chafe against such compulsory service! Must make him feel even meaner toward mankind; because he thinks the only way to "hurt" God is to hurt God's most-beloved creature....

Kosta you asked, "Can you tell me why did Jesus need to be led by the Spirit into the wilderness?"

Jesus was fully God -- and fully Man all at once. We do not know when He as a human (and the plan of the human seems always to involve learning) became aware of His essential divinity, whether from the moment of birth, or from childhood, or somewhere else along the timeline of his mortal life.

Maybe He was then just getting His "sea-legs" (so to speak), and needed guidance and support; maybe He and the Spirit just enjoyed hanging out together, they being Two of the Three Persons of the One God; and their Two being together completed the divine Power by invoking the Presence of the Father, the First Person. Maybe the Three Persons needed to commune that day, on earth as it is in Heaven....

In short, there's no way for us to know, by means of rational analysis. IOW, we humans can only push the nous so far; then Spirit and Grace must take over....

God willing, in the Name of His Son, Jesus Christ. May all things be according to His Word. Amen.

... a fallen angel of God, devil himself (hence the proper name Satan).

Shame, shame, shame. :)