Book of Moses Evidence: Satan’s Origin Story

In the Book of Moses, an account of the Creation of the world is given in chapters 2–3. Yet before the story moves on to the Fall of Adam and Eve, where Satan is introduced, the opening of chapter 4 provides a brief flashback account of Satan’s fall from heaven:

And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor. But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me—Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever. Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down; And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice. (Moses 4:1–4)

Furthermore, we learn that Satan “had drawn away many after him” in the council, and “knew not the mind of God” when he tempted Adam and Eve (Moses 4:6). Although some of this information is present in the Bible and other Restoration texts, the account in the Book of Moses offers several details not found elsewhere in scripture. Significantly, this account also has parallels with a number of ancient non-canonical traditions about Satan. These are outlined below, with additional parallels in the Appendix. Those familiar with the Latter-day Saint temple endowment may find some of these details to be of particular interest.

Creation Context

Firstly, like the Book of Moses, several pseudepigraphic texts have their own Creation accounts, which are more or less modeled upon the Creation material in Genesis 1–2.1 Much like the Book of Moses, some of these sources contain information about the fall of Satan which has been integrated into their Creation and Fall narratives.

For instance, a seven-day Creation account is provided in 2 Enoch.2 Yet between the second and third day, the narrative is interrupted to describe the story of an angel named Satanail (i.e. Satan), who was “hurled from the height, together with his angels.”3 A full Creation story is also given in a text known as the Cave of Treasures. After explaining what happened on each day, including the formation of Adam, the text gives an account of the fall of Satan, who was “cast down and fell, he and his whole rank, on Friday, the sixth day.”4

Neither of these accounts place Satan’s fall precisely in the same sequence as found in the Book of Moses, but the fact that such an account interrupts a Creation narrative in all three texts is notable. Moreover, the placement of the accounts in the Cave of Treasures and Book of Moses is actually very similar. In one text, Satan’s downfall is recorded just before the creation of Eve, whereas it comes just after Eve’s creation in the other.

From the Beginning

In the Book of Moses, the Lord explained to Moses, “That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning” (Moses 4:1). This language recalls the famous opening of the creation account in Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Yet, the Book of Moses indicates that Satan and other angelic beings (including Jesus Christ as the Only Begotten) were all in existence before the physical creation of the world (Moses 4:1–2).

Other ancient texts likewise place Satan and other heavenly beings in a similar primordial or premortal setting. For instance, 2 Baruch describes God as the one “who rules with indignation the countless holy beings, who are flame and fire, whom you created from the beginning, those who stand around your throne.”5 In a text known as The Lives of the Prophets, the prophet Habakkuk refers to those “who are being pursued by the serpent in darkness as from the beginning.”6 This passage seems to refer to the same “old serpent” (i.e. Satan) described in Revelation 12:9.7

In the Life of Adam and Eve, Satan’s premortal status is emphasized more explicitly. Concerning Adam, Satan declared, “I will not worship one inferior and subsequent to me. I am prior to him in creation; before he was made, I was already made.”8 In another text, known as the Questions of Bartholomew, a Satan figure known as Beliar explains, “If you will know my name, at the first I was called Satanael . . . I was formed the first angel.”9

Satan’s Desire to Ascend to God’s Throne

There is no explicit mention of Satan wanting to obtain the throne of God in Moses 4. However, several clues suggest there is an enthronement subtext to this story. First of all, when making his appeal to God, Satan declared, “I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind . . . wherefore give me thine honor” (Moses 4:1).

This language appears to evoke an ancient Near Eastern enthronement ritual, in which an ascending king would be pronounced as a divine son at his coronation ceremony. For instance, scholars believe that the phrase “Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee” found in Psalm 2:7 was most likely sung at the coronation of a new king, in connection to his ascension to the throne.10 Thus, it seems plausible that by invoking the phrase “I will be thy son” (Moses 4:1), Satan was effectively offering to be the heir to God’s throne in a premortal heavenly council setting.11

Another clue comes from the way that Satan’s offer to be God’s son is connected to his desire for honor and to obtain God’s own power. The Lord explained to Moses that “because Satan rebelled against me, and sought . . . that I should give unto him mine own power . . . I caused that he should be cast down” (Moses 4:3). This language is notable because the desire for God’s power and to have equal status with him shows up in direct connection with his desire for the throne in several ancient documents.

For instance, a Christian text known as Palaea Historica reports, “The one who once brought the dawn, but who is now darkened, saw heaven set in orderly array and, puffed up in his mind, said [to] himself, ‘I will place my throne on the clouds of heaven and be equal to the Most High.’”12 In the Life of Adam and Eve, Satan likewise declared, “I will set my throne above the stars of heaven and will be like the Most High.”13 In the Questions of Bartholomew, Satan proclaimed of God, “I will set my throne over against his throne, and I will be as he is.”14

It should be noted that these texts may be interacting with Isaiah 14:13–14: “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”15 Yet, even if Joseph Smith were aware of this Isaiah passage, there is no way he could have known how prevalently this combination of ideas would turn up in pseudepigraphic sources.

Moreover, in the case of at least one extrabiblical text, namely 2 Enoch, the wording matches better with the Book of Moses than with Isaiah 14. Instead of Satan himself declaring “I will be like the most High” (Isaiah 14:14), the account in 2 Enoch is narrated by the Lord, who explains that an angel named Satanail (i.e. Satan) wanted to “place his throne higher than the clouds which are above the earth . . . that he might become equal to my power.”16 This compares remarkably well with Moses 4:3, which is also narrated by the Lord and who also declares that Satan sought “that I should give unto him mine own power” (Moses 4:3).  

Another clue that Moses 4 implicitly invokes an enthronement scene comes from the fact that later on, in Moses 7, Enoch says to the Lord, “thou hast sworn unto me . . . and given unto me a right to thy throne, and not of myself, but through thine own grace” (Moses 7:59). Enoch’s humility at being raised to God’s throne mirrors Christ’s humility in Moses 4:2: “Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever.” In other words, if we assume that Satan indeed wanted to assume God’s throne in Moses 4, Enoch’s later ascension to the throne provides a meaningful literary contrast.17

Satan’s Demonic Transformation

One interesting facet of the Book of Moses is that it (1) emphasizes Satan’s transformation into the devil, and that it (2) does so in immediate connection to his being cast out of heaven. The text reads: “by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down; And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies” (Moses 4:3–4). Similar language is found in Doctrine and Covenants 29:37: “And they were thrust down, and thus came the devil and his angels.” Likewise, the prophet Jacob in the Book of Mormon declared that without the power of Christ’s resurrection “our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the devil, to rise no more. And our spirits must have become like unto him, and we become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God” (2 Nephi 9:8–9). Jacob’s explanation is similar to that given earlier by his father: “I, Lehi, according to the things which I have read, must needs suppose that an angel of God, according to that which is written, had fallen from heaven; wherefore, he became a devil, having sought that which was evil before God” (2 Nephi 2:17).

Notice, in all these passages, the transformation indicated by forms of the verb become. Apparently, Satan didn’t start out as the devil but became that way in connection to his fall from heaven, suggesting that something about his being separated from God affected his inner nature.

Some extrabiblical texts describe a similar transformation, sometimes in direct connection to Satan’s fall. Concerning Satan, a text known as the Investiture of Abbaton explains that God “threw him down from heaven to earth because of his pride. He broke his wings and his rib and weakened him. He and those that he took with him became devils.”18 Likewise, according to 2 Enoch, Satan “will become a demon, because he fled from heaven.”19

The account in 2 Enoch then declares that Satan “became different from the angels. His nature did not change, (but) his thought did, since his consciousness of righteous and sinful things changed.”20 This cognitive transformation may somewhat relate to a unique detail found in Moses 4:6, which states that Satan “knew not the mind of God” following his fall, leading him to incorrectly conclude that tempting Eve would thwart God’s plan.21

Remarkably, 2 Enoch then declares that Satan “became aware of his condemnation and of the sin which he sinned previously.”22 This has an interesting parallel involving the sons of perdition described in Doctrine and Covenants 76:44–48: “Wherefore, he saves all except them—they shall go away into everlasting punishment, which is endless punishment, which is eternal punishment, to reign with the devil and his angels in eternity . . . . And the end thereof, neither the place thereof, nor their torment, no man knows; . . . Wherefore, the end, the width, the height, the depth, and the misery thereof, they understand not, neither any man except those who are ordained unto this condemnation.” In other words, as he qualified for perdition, Satan became more fully and uniquely aware of the consequence of his sins.23

As somewhat of a sidenote, the emphasis on the incomprehensible vastness of hell in this D&C passage is also quite fascinating, as many Enochic texts likewise emphasize the geographical boundaries of different realms, including hell, that Enoch was shown in vision. For instance, one can meaningfully compare the expansive physical dimensions of hell described in D&C 76:44–48 with 2 Enoch 40:12–13, where this element is surrounded by a cluster of parallel concepts (color-coded in the chart below for easier identification):24

We can therefore see that the teachings about Satan’s fall in the Book of Moses are sometimes further clarified and explained by other Restoration texts, which, in turn, have their own unique resemblances to ancient documents. This is certainly true when it comes to the details associated with Satan’s transformation into a demonic being.

Satan’s Desire to Be Worshiped

In Moses 4:1, Satan declared to God, “Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor.” Satan clearly wanted to become a Savior figure that others would be constrained to worship. This theme is developed more explicitly elsewhere in the Book of Moses. In Moses 1:12, Satan declared, “Moses, son of man, worship me.” Later we learn later that Satan “hath come among the children of men, and tempteth them to worship him” (Moses 6:49).25  

The idea of false idol worship can be found in 1 Enoch, which states that fallen angels “have defiled the people and will lead them into error so that they will offer sacrifices to the demons as unto gods, until the great day of judgment in which they shall be judged till they are finished.”26

Yet more closely matching material can be found in other sources. In the Life of Adam and Eve, Satan declared of Adam, “I will not worship one inferior and subsequent to me. I am prior to him in creation; before he was made, I was already made. He ought to worship me.”27 Likewise, in the Cave of Treasures we read, “When the chief of that lowest rank saw what greatness had been bestowed upon Adam he envied him from this day on. He did not want to worship him and spoke to his army: ‘Let us not worship and glorify him together with the angels. It is meet that he worships me who am fire and spirit and not that I worship dust formed from dirt.’”28

A similar notion turns up in the Investiture of Abbaton, in which Jesus explained to his apostles: “My Father told him [Satan], ‘You too, come to worship my image and likeness [meaning Adam].’ But a great pride and effrontery came upon him [Satan]. He said, “It is fitting for him to come and worship me because I existed before him.’”29 In yet other texts, Satan doesn’t directly ask others to worship him, but the narrative instead emphasizes his refusal to worship as God commanded him.30

Satan’s Loss of Glory

In the account of Satan’s fall in the Book of Moses, Jesus Christ (identified as the Beloved Son) declared, “Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever” (Moses 4:2). Although it isn’t stated here, the implication is that, in contrast, Satan wanted to steal God’s glory for himself.

We learn in other portions of the Book of Moses that because of his hubris, Satan lost any glory he had already obtained. For example, in his confrontation with Satan, Moses asked, “where is thy glory, that I should worship thee? For behold, I could not look upon God, except his glory should come upon me, and I were transfigured before him. But I can look upon thee in the natural man” (Moses 1:13–14). Moses later again asked Satan, “where is thy glory, for it is darkness unto me? And I can judge between thee and God.”31

Several ancient texts likewise link Satan’s fall from heaven with a loss of glory. As Satan himself explains in the Life of Adam and Eve, “The LORD God was angry with me and sent me with my angels out from our glory; and because of you [Adam], we were expelled into this world from our dwellings and have been cast onto the earth. And immediately we were made to grieve, since we had been deprived of so great glory.’ . . . So with deceit I assailed your wife and made you to be expelled through her from the joys of your bliss, as I have been expelled from my glory.”32

Another relevant account comes from the Cave of Treasures:

When the chief of that lowest rank saw what greatness had been bestowed upon Adam he envied him from this day on. He did not want to worship him and spoke to his army: “Let us not worship and glorify him together with the angels. . . . He was cast down and fell, he and his whole rank, on Friday, the sixth day, and their fall from heaven lasted for three hours. The garments of their glory were taken from them and he was called “Satan” because he set himself apart, and “Sheda” because his glory had been shed and he had forfeited the garment of his glory. Behold, since that day until now they are naked and bare and of despicable look, he and all his hosts.33

A similar detail is reported in The Investiture of Abbaton, where Satan is stripped of his protective clothing before being thrown down to earth. In this text, the Savior explained to his apostles, “When my Father saw his [Satan’s] great pride, that his malfeasance and entire mischief had become full, he ordered the entire heavenly hosts saying to them, ‘Come and take the roll from the hand of the proud one, strip off his armor and throw him down to earth, for his time has come.’”34 When these accounts are read in light of one another, it seems that Satan’s armor and his garments of glory were likely one and the same.35

Finally, it should be pointed out that later in the Book of Moses another subtle but profound inversion arises, again involving Enoch. In contrast to Satan, who “forfeited the garment of his glory” in the Cave of Treasures, we learn that Enoch, during one of his visions, “beheld the heavens open, and I was clothed upon with glory” (Moses 7:3). Research suggests that the account of Enoch’s heavenly ascent may have been intended as a literary foil to Satan’s dramatic fall, presented just a few chapters earlier.36

Satan “Sought to Destroy the World”

Another detail found in the Book of Moses is that, following his fall from heaven, Satan “sought to destroy the world” and thus began tempting humanity to turn away from God (Moses 4:6). Further on we read that Satan “had great dominion among men, and raged in their hearts; and from thenceforth came wars and bloodshed; and a man’s hand was against his own brother, in administering death, because of secret works, seeking for power” (Moses 6:15). Although an analog to this idea can be found in Isaiah 14:16–17, similar activities are also found in other ancient traditions.

In the Life of Adam and Eve, Satan’s destructive intent is revealed in the context of Adam seeking divine help to cast Satan out of his presence: “Adam cried out with great weeping and said, ‘O LORD, my God, my life is in your hands. Remove far from me this my opponent, who seeks to destroy my soul, and give me his glory which he himself has forfeited.’ And immediately the devil disappeared from him.”37

Later, in the same text, Seth rebuked a figure whom he describes as a “chaotic destroyer,” a talking beast that (much like the serpent in Eden) appears to be associated with Satan: “May the Lord God rebuke you. Stop; be quiet; close your mouth, cursed enemy of truth, chaotic destroyer. … And the beast said to Seth, ‘See, I stand back from the presence of the image of God, as you have said.’ Immediately he left Seth, who was wounded by (his) teeth.”38 This language likely relates to the curse placed upon Satan in Moses 4:20–21 (cf. Genesis 3:14–15).

Another interesting account comes from the Testament of Solomon, where Satan (called Beelzeboul in this text) identified himself as “the highest-ranking angel in heaven” before he became the prince of demons after his fall. The account is given from the perspective of Solomon who interrogated Satan as follows: “I said to him, ‘What are your activities?’ He replied, ‘I bring destruction by means of tyrants; I cause the demons to be worshiped alongside men; and I arouse desire in holy men and select priests. I bring about jealousies and murders in a country, and I instigate wars.’”39 Just a few verses later, Solomon asked Satan, “Tell me which angel thwarts you.” Satan replied that it is the “Almighty God” and that “If anyone adjures me with the oath (called) ‘the Elo-I,’ a great name for his power, I disappear.”40

Thus, it is notable that in all three of these episodes, descriptions of Satan’s desire to destroy—including his efforts to raise up tyrants, compromise priests, and instigate wars—are given in the context of him being cast out from the presence of mortals through divine intervention. Among other possible connections in Joseph Smith’s revelations, one might compare these details to the expulsion of Satan in Moses 1:18–22.

Overall, these accounts agree with the Book of Moses that Satan’s tactics are not only intended to tempt mankind, but that he actively seeks to cause various types of harm through those who serve his cause. Effectively, he wants to “destroy the world,” both temporally and spiritually. Once again, although Joseph Smith could have derived this core idea from Isaiah 14:16–17, the contextual nuances of Joseph Smith’s revelations have additional parallels with extrabiblical sources.   

Satan’s Fall Recorded in the Bible and Restoration Scripture

Several passages found in the Bible also relate how Satan fell from heaven, though they do not do so in as much detail as found in the Book of Moses and these ancient traditions. As mentioned previously, a typical scripture often pointed to is Isaiah 14:12–15, which relates how Lucifer wanted to “exalt my throne above the stars of God” and “ascend above the heights of the clouds,” for which he was “brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.”

While this most likely refers to the king of Assyria, who was prophesied to fall because of his pride, scholars have noted that Isaiah appears to also be drawing on ancient Near Eastern legends. This can especially be seen when the Hebrew word translated as “Lucifer” is considered. The text literally reads Helel ben Shachar (“shining one, son of the dawn”). This provides a clear reference to the Canaanite myth of Helel and Shachar, two gods who attempted to ascend to the throne of El before being cast down (which is obviously analogous to the story of Satan).41

It is also probable that Lehi had read Isaiah 14 when he stated, “I, Lehi, according to the things which I have read, must needs suppose that an angel of God, according to that which is written, had fallen from heaven; wherefore, he became a devil, having sought that which was evil before God” (2 Nephi 2:17).42 According to one scholar, “Even though this text refers directly to an Assyrian monarch who tried to make himself a divine being like the most High God, the taunt is based upon an ancient Canaanite motif of a literal divinity who tried to ascend to the throne of El, the highest god in the divine assembly” and would have provided the perfect text to merit Lehi’s conclusion.43

Other passages in the New Testament mention the fall of Satan only briefly. Luke 10:18 simply states, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven,” confirming that Satan did fall from heaven. Revelation 12:7–9 also states, “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels. . . . And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” While this scripture adds the detail that other angels fell with Satan, it is noteworthy that some of the specific imagery here—including the description of Satan as a “dragon” or a “serpent” and the conflict among the angels—doesn’t show up in Moses 4, suggesting that Revelation 12 was not the source behind this text.

Other revelations given to Joseph Smith also relate the fall of Satan to some degree. However, it should be remembered that all these revelations postdated the reception of Moses 4. In fact, the earliest revelation in the Doctrine and Covenants, section 29, that broaches this subject appears to have been given in response to questions Joseph Smith had as he worked on his inspired translation of the Bible.

As Kent P. Jackson has noted, “The revelation was likely received shortly after Joseph Smith revised the text in Genesis that narrates the Fall,” found in Moses 4.44 As a part of this revelation, the Lord briefly details the fall of Satan in verses 36–39, repeating much of the same information found in the Book of Moses: “The devil was before Adam, for he rebelled against me, saying, Give me thine honor, which is my power; and also a third part of the hosts of heaven turned he away from me because of their agency; and they were thrust down, and thus came the devil and his angels” (Doctrine and Covenants 29:36–37).

Similarly, when Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon received section 76, they beheld the same event:

An angel of God who was in authority in the presence of God, who rebelled against the Only Begotten Son whom the Father loved and who was in the bosom of the Father, was thrust down from the presence of God and the Son, and was called Perdition, for the heavens wept over him—he was Lucifer, a son of the morning. ... We beheld Satan, that old serpent, even the devil, who rebelled against God, and sought to take the kingdom of our God and his Christ” (Doctrine and Covenants 76:25–26, 28).

In both revelations, Satan’s fall is initiated by his pride and rebellion, seeking to take away the kingdom and power of God. When he falls, he becomes the devil, called Satan or Perdition. In section 29, it is also expressed how other angels followed Satan and likewise fell from heaven.

Finally, the Book of Abraham only briefly mentions the fall of Satan, utilizing much of the same language as the Book of Moses to place this narrative in a heavenly council setting: “And the Lord said: Whom shall I send? And one answered like unto the Son of Man: Here am I, send me. And another answered and said: Here am I, send me. And the Lord said: I will send the first. And the second was angry, and kept not his first estate; and, at that day, many followed after him” (Abraham 3:27–28).

Conclusion

Although some of the details about Satan’s fall in the Book of Moses could have been derived from the Bible, on numerous points Joseph Smith’s revelation in Moses 4:1–6 better reflects accounts in extrabiblical sources. In several cases, these parallels come from a combination of related details found in the Book of Moses and other Restoration texts and revelations, including the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and Joseph Smith’s revelations concerning the temple. When viewed collectively, these nuanced resemblances with ancient sources help establish the antiquity of the Book of Moses, as well as the divine power through which it was reproduced in modern times.