How Powerful is Satan?

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meltzerboy

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According to Catholic (and other Christian) thought, just how powerful is Satan? Is Satan more powerful than other (unfallen) angels, second only to G-d in power? Or is Satan not really powerful at all, more dependent on humans’ own evil inclinations and turning away from G-d than actually able to provoke those inclinations? Anything written in Scripture or by Catholic philosophers about this topic?
 
as much power as GOD allows him to have, not sure if thats a teaching though
 
meltzerboy said:
Or is Satan not really powerful at all, more dependent on humans’ own evil inclinations and turning away from G-d than actually able to provoke those inclinations??
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That one, Satan only has power when you do his work. God’s power is only in you when you accept it. That’s why even though Jesus died for everyone His sacrifice is only applied to a person when not rejected. But through people’s action they reject it and Satan has power over the person, because they let him, because they choose that Hell, that eternal separation from God, because in reality that’s what Hell is.

God bless :byzsoc:

David
 
I do not really know. One likes to imagine evil spirits to be extremely powerful (the author of The Exorcist is a Catholic!). Yet at the same time, I like to think of Satan as being more human (`a la Milton) than he probably is in reality.
 
No more powerful than we allow him to be. He isn’t even close to being as powerful as God, and is no more powerful than other angels (since that’s what he is, a fallen angel).

No one ever thinks of Michael or Gabriel as being second in power to God, and Satan is no more powerful than they.

Satan’s power is in temptation-- and given our proclivity to sin, it probably isn’t that difficult for him, even without preternatural powers.
 
Satan has no power. All he can do is deceive us. Although that in itself is quite powerful.
 
Obviously Satan has power over himself because he exists independently - apart from God’s ontological support. He also has the power to influence those who invoke him because we have a soul as well as a body. Jesus said “Fear not those who kill the body but those who kill the soul.”

There is plenty of evidence that diabolical possession occurs even without invocation. There is also plenty of evidence that some of the saints have been tempted and tormented by Satan - like Jesus in the desert. It is obvious that the higher we climb the further we can fall. A person may be very virtuous but being very virtuous itself is a source of temptation! We all know more or less how far we have progressed in our attempts to be kind and unselfish. Sooner or later we are tempted to compare ourselves with those who have cruel and callous. It is then that we are exposed to the worst temptation of all - pride.

But why would God permit Satan to jeopardise our destiny? There are two reasons. No matter how strongly we are tempted God always gives us sufficient grace to resist. And if we were never tempted we wouldn’t develop spiritually. That is why He permits the Dark Night of the Soul which has afflicted so many of the holiest men and women in history. Jesus had overcome the temptation to pride but on the Cross he was tempted to despair without any source of consolation. Our ultimate test is when we come face to face with death. We’ll need all our faith, courage, strength and reliance of prayer. Then we’ll realise the value of having been severely tested during our life on earth…
 
meltzerboy said:
According to Catholic (and other Christian) thought, just how powerful is Satan? Is Satan more powerful than other (unfallen) angels, second only to G-d in power? Or is Satan not really powerful at all, more dependent on humans’ own evil inclinations and turning away from G-d than actually able to provoke those inclinations? Anything written in Scripture or by Catholic philosophers about this topic?
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Satan can never be any more powerful than the weakness of our wills.
 
Satan is powerful because he has access to the recesses of the unconscious, which form our thoughts and desires.
 
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