In my cofC bible education we always understood Lucifer as referring to the king of ancient Babylon -- or at least the group I was part of did. The context of the passage demands such an understanding.
It feels to me that your post was somewhat strident against the all to common understanding of Satan/Lucifer, especially when you wrote, "In rejecting the Biblical vision of spiritual warfare, we’ve exiled the Devil to ghost stories and Pentecostal hysteria."
Babylon looms large in the Rastafarian imagination. My Rastafarian friends would wholeheartedly agree with everything you express in this post, Richard, experiencing the political in the spiritual. Peace.
Very nice. I would only add that in 2 Cor 4:4, the figure (Satan?) is referred to as the "god of this age (aion)," an important Pauline distinction due to the apocalyptic framework he is working with. See also 1 Cor 1:20, 2:6-8, Galatians 1:4, and notably Rom 12:2, where most translations unfortunately read "do not be conformed to this world (aion)." This cluster of uses seems suggestive of Paul's warnings concerning the rulers and authorities of this evil age which is passing away, or perishing, and which we are being saved from. These definitely slant toward a more political reading. Just another fun fact to add to the others in this insightful piece.
Interesting take on the political and economic landscape of America. I had a similar take after reading Brian Zahnd's "Postcards from Babylon..." during the pandemic. Surely a darkness resides in the hearts of men. If one were to view Revelations as prophetic and not just an apocalyptic revealing, we could place modern America in the mold of Babylon. The merchants of the the world were drunk from her wine, a vintage cuvee crafted from the modern financialization of commodities, housing and third world debt measured in US dollars.
The collapse of the US petro dollar would be disastrous to the world's economic trade and fractured political economy. The current administration seems intent on delivering on an agenda that may bring this about, whether intentional or not.
Illuminating!
In my cofC bible education we always understood Lucifer as referring to the king of ancient Babylon -- or at least the group I was part of did. The context of the passage demands such an understanding.
It feels to me that your post was somewhat strident against the all to common understanding of Satan/Lucifer, especially when you wrote, "In rejecting the Biblical vision of spiritual warfare, we’ve exiled the Devil to ghost stories and Pentecostal hysteria."
Well done.
Babylon looms large in the Rastafarian imagination. My Rastafarian friends would wholeheartedly agree with everything you express in this post, Richard, experiencing the political in the spiritual. Peace.
Very nice. I would only add that in 2 Cor 4:4, the figure (Satan?) is referred to as the "god of this age (aion)," an important Pauline distinction due to the apocalyptic framework he is working with. See also 1 Cor 1:20, 2:6-8, Galatians 1:4, and notably Rom 12:2, where most translations unfortunately read "do not be conformed to this world (aion)." This cluster of uses seems suggestive of Paul's warnings concerning the rulers and authorities of this evil age which is passing away, or perishing, and which we are being saved from. These definitely slant toward a more political reading. Just another fun fact to add to the others in this insightful piece.
Interesting take on the political and economic landscape of America. I had a similar take after reading Brian Zahnd's "Postcards from Babylon..." during the pandemic. Surely a darkness resides in the hearts of men. If one were to view Revelations as prophetic and not just an apocalyptic revealing, we could place modern America in the mold of Babylon. The merchants of the the world were drunk from her wine, a vintage cuvee crafted from the modern financialization of commodities, housing and third world debt measured in US dollars.
The collapse of the US petro dollar would be disastrous to the world's economic trade and fractured political economy. The current administration seems intent on delivering on an agenda that may bring this about, whether intentional or not.