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Matthew 25:41 is probably the first reference to connect Satan to Hell.

> Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels

The idea of Satan as ruler of hell is first developed in the writing of 17th-century poet John Milton in his epic poem Paradise Lost.

> …the most important contributions of both Paradise Lost and The Inferno with regard to hell, come when they flow from their literary sources into the main current of Christian thought. The blending of these two poems with biblical texts, creeds, and systematic theologies creates a new vision of hell and of Satan that will endure for centuries. This vision of a terrifying, after-death torture is rendered even more frightening with the addition of a warden, Satan, the overseer of hell.

• The Birth of Satan: Tracing the Devil’s Biblical Roots

The idea of Satan as ruler of hell is first developed in the writing of 17th-century poet John Milton in his epic poem Paradise Lost.

> …the most important contributions of both Paradise Lost and The Inferno with regard to hell, come when they flow from their literary sources into the main current of Christian thought. The blending of these two poems with biblical texts, creeds, and systematic theologies creates a new vision of hell and of Satan that will endure for centuries. This vision of a terrifying, after-death torture is rendered even more frightening with the addition of a warden, Satan, the overseer of hell.

• The Birth of Satan: Tracing the Devil’s Biblical Roots

> Nowhere was the designation of a separate principle of evil clearer than in the dualistic religious system of ancient Persia. A radical new understanding concerning the origin of good and evil, Persian dualism emerged around 600 B.C.E. with the teachings of Zarathustra (or Zoroaster). In what is modern-day Iran, the teacher and prophet Zarathustra claimed that there was only one true God, a creator God named Ahura Mazda (“Wise Lord”). This strict monotheism was a fairly radical concept in the ancient Near East; even Israel’s exclusive worship of Yhwh did not preclude the possibility that there were other gods worshipped by other peoples. Aside from this early form of monotheism, Zoroastrianism has other elements in common with Israelite religion. Ahura Madza, like Yhwh, was envisioned as the leader of a divine council, surrounded by a heavenly throng of angelic creatures, reminiscent of Yhwh’s own divine court.

> But, for our purposes, the most important contribution to our investigation of Satan’s evolution comes from one of the most profound teachings of Zarathustra: the revelation that evil does not emanate from God (Ahura Mazda) at all, but rather comes from a separate, malignant being, called Ahriman, “fiendish spirit” (or, sometimes, Angra Mainya, “the evil spirit”). Information about these teachings come to us from the Gathas (or hymns), the sacred scriptures of Zoroastrianism, believed to have come from Zarathustra himself. Zoroastrian teachings are highly ethical in nature and center on the concept that human beings are involved in a constant struggle between good (light) and evil (darkness). These two opposing forces are embodied in two beings: a good god, Ahura Mazda, and an evil being, Ahriman who is the destructive personification (and creator) of evil, the harbinger of death, disease, and lies. Even more exciting is the possible influence of Zoroastrianism in books such as Job, Zechariah, and Chronicles, all of which feature a satan figure and all of which can be dated to the Persian period.

• The Birth of Satan: Tracing the Devil's Biblical Roots

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