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The development of the “Satan” character in the Bible. Given the centrality of Satan to so much of Christian theology (whether merited or not), I don’t want to dismiss the character entirely. But the Bible doesn’t frame Satan specifically or spiritual enemies generally as the primary opponent of God in the narrative. We should not take Paul and Peter’s discussion in their letters as indicative of the entire Bible’s narrative thrust.

Furthermore there is a compelling argument that the authors of the New Testament had a greater distinction among their meanings for the words “Satan” and “demon” throughout the text, but those distinctions are lost on us modern readers. The conflation of all ancient deities into the singular class “demon” may be a more recent phenomenon and not necessarily reflective of the original writers. See Michael Heiser, Demons: What the Bible Really Says about the Powers of Darkness (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020), 48–50.

I reference much of Heiner’s work on the celestial world throughout Of Deity and Dust. While I do disagree with some of the conclusions he draws (Heiser typically drives toward a final, theological reading of the texts he investigates), his work is instrumental in understanding the ancient backdrop that underpins the story of the Old Testament.