What was the state of the devil before his fall?

The devil was called Lucifer (i.e., morning star ), but he lost the light and became the ruler of the kingdom of darkness. The prophet Isaiah says: “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds.’” (Isa. 14:12–14). The devil was a brilliant star among the heavenly beings; the bright “morning star.” He not only enjoyed the light himself, but also enjoyed the divine gift of shining that light upon others, like the dawning of light in the morning. But he arrogantly sought to exalt himself above God his Creator and the Source of his light.

The scholar Origen speaks of the devil as having been created good, but then sinning by his own will, saying: “Those who say that the devil is not a creation of God are in error. Devils as such are not created by God; but the being itself (as a creature) is the creation of

703 See Fr. Tadros Yacoub Malaty, The Devil and Our Victory over Him (2005); and Does the Devil Have Authority Over You? (1969 — the title of the original article was A Response to Those Who Say that the Devil Governs Human Affairs ).

God. Likewise, we say that the murderer is not created as such by God; but as a human being, he is created by God.”⁷⁰⁴