Warboss Gorhack wrote:Disclaimer: I am a believing Christian from a liturgical church. What follows reflects what I know and believe about Satan, and does not reflect all Christian points of view. It's also why I tend to capitalize 'He' when I refer to God.
Satan's purview is more toward being the Prince of Lies than a combat monster. Deception and double dealing are more his thing than a straight-on fight. His persona is far more that of a slick lawyer than a warrior. In that way he's more like Tzeentch than Khorne. Satan is far more likely to manipulate his victims into doing his dirty work than to pick up a weapon himself. By the time the fight starts you've already been defeated.
To paraphrase an old quote, 'Satan's best trick was convincing the world he didn't exist.'
In Matthew 4:8-9 Satan tempted Jesus by showing him all the kingdoms of earth in their glory. Satan said 'All these things I will give to you if you fall down and worship me.' Again, that suggests tremendous political power and the military might behind it more than combat prowess. And again, it sounds more like Tzeentch than Khorne. Also interesting - Satan actually wanted Jesus' worship.
The only time Satan's combat power is ever really considered is in the accounts of the War in Heaven. Lucifer was the greatest of the Archangels prior to his fall, so he's likely to be formidable in combat. On the other hand, according to Christian folklore, he was defeated by the Archangel Michael, who was theoretically less powerful in personal combat. Satan was cast into Hell, ending the War in Heaven. Whether that speaks more of Satan or Michael's combat prowess is an open question.
One might also argue that Michael was God's enforcer, the general of the Celestial Host, and therefore is the warrior of the Christian mythos. Lucifer might well be 'more powerful' overall without being a skilled combatant.
Comments about God's beneficence aside, God is clearly overwhelmingly powerful compared to Satan. It's worth noting that Christian folklore never portrays God taking a direct war in the War in Heaven. It's implied that had He done so the war would have ended instantly, though it's never explained why He did not intervene. In the Book of Job Satan needs God's permission to test Job; he has to wheedle to get that permission, and even then God places conditions that Satan never even tries to circumvent. It can be argued that in Job Satan appears almost like a subordinate, though it might well be that the Prince of Lies play-acted his old subservient role in order to get a shot at a valued human target.
Keep in mind that Job is part of the Old Testament. Christian folklore does not entirely apply.
In fact, modern depictions of Satan's realm are mostly derived from the Book of Revelation - the final book of the New Testament, and traditionally the last one written, almost a generation after Jesus ascension. Our visions Satan and Hell were cemented by Dante Alighieri in his Inferno, part of his trilogy The Divine Comedy.
Inferno reflects Christian folklore as seen through the lens of the Renaissance, looking back at the horrors of the 'Dark Ages' - the Fall of Rome, the Black Plague, the Islamic conquests, the Vikings, the Huns, the Mongols, etc. With all these catastrophes, each of which crushed 'civilization as we know it' it's no wonder European religious folklore had become pretty Apocalyptic by Dante's time.
Of course, the
40k universe has no real concept of a Creator God, let alone a benevolent one. Comparing Satan to God is something of an aside.
Hopefully this post gives some insight into the power and character of Satan from a Christian perspective to carry on the discussion as the
OP suggested.
My two cents.
