You have heard it said, god resisteth the proud. But I say to you, pride is the spur of all virtue.“

SERMON OF THE NIGHT QUEEN,” THE BOOK OF INFERNAL PRAYER.

If there is a single sin most readily associated with Satan it is the sin of pride. After all, it was precisely that which got him cast from the heights of heaven. The very verses which caused the Devil to be associated with the name Lucifer are about ambitious hubris specifically.

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,
I will be like the Most High. - ISAIAH 14:12-14 NKJV

Now the more pedantic of this essay’s readers are no doubt saying, “Well, actually…” at this point, so let’s go ahead and take a small detour and address the fact that these verses, at least as they appear in the Masoretic text of the Jewish bible, are actually about the king of Babylon and not a rebellious angel. Yes, it is technically correct that the connection of the title Satan with the word “Lucifer” originally came about because of misunderstanding in the translation of the Latin Vulgate. But people who take this fact and then jump to the conclusion that Satan and Lucifer are completely unrelated are making a leap too far, in my opinion. I would contend that the historical interweaving of the titles Satan and Lucifer and the power of the subsequent mythology that then developed suggests that this translation mistake was in fact nothing of the sort but diabolically inspired. Furthermore, it is not all that uncommon in religion for historical events to be seen as “types” or shadows of spiritual truths. In fact, the basis for many myths in many cultures are often historical events that are later reframed as having happened in the spiritual realm.

An interesting and important reversal of this process is often seen within the Israelite scriptures which some scholars believe are unique in taking what was previously a spiritual myth and re-writing it as if it were an actual historical event. The exodus from Egypt is perhaps the most obvious example. It is entirely possible that the original audience of Isaiah would have understood chapter 14 as an allusion to a spiritual being they knew from oral tales, whom the king of Babylon’s motivations were similar to. In Islam, where Satan is known as Iblis, the story is similar, though different at crucial points. Here it is still Satan’s pride which is the cause of his downfall, but what he balks at is not bowing to god, but to Adam! In the Quran, when Allah asks Satan why he refuses to do as he is told, Satan replies that is unthinkable to expect him to bow to something so clearly inferior to himself. “I was made of fire,” Satan says. “He of clay.”

Let us proceed then with that understanding that the above passage from Isaiah hints at what would become more fully developed in later versions of the Lucifer legend: that Lucifer was a beautiful and powerful archangel who, on account of his pride, refused to bow the knee to Jehovah. Instead, he rebelled against the heavenly throne in an attempt to assert his own dominance, getting himself and his comrades tossed from Heaven in the process.

Though the details may vary, both traditions agree that Lucifer is the example of pride par excellence. In Christianity, Satan’s pride is not only the first sin ever committed, but the root of all others to follow. “Inordinate self-love,” medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas wrote, “is the cause of every sin.” Or as Augustine put it:

Pride is the commencement of all sin because it was this which overthrew the devil, from whom arose the origin of sin; and afterwards, when his malice and envy pursued man, who was yet standing in his uprightness, it subverted him in the same way in which he himself fell. For the serpent, in fact, only sought for the door of pride whereby to enter when he said, ‘Ye shall be as gods.’

But while Christianity saw pride as the true original sin, and made no distinction between it and hubris, Greek philosophy took a different tack. Aristotle not only distinguished pride from hubris, but considered the former to be the capstone of virtue. Anatole France seemed to feel similarly about pride, as evidenced by the following quote about Satan from his Revolt of the Angels: “[Lucifer] was the most beautiful of all the Seraphim. He shone with intelligence and daring. His great heart was big with all the virtues born of pride: frankness, courage, constancy in trial, indomitable hope.” Lucifer’s pride is said to be the source of his integrity, steadfastness, and faith in himself because, presumably, he knows their opposites—equivocation, cowardice, and vulnerability to despair—are beneath him.

Psychological research backs up how crucial pride is. In The Science of Sin, Dr. Simon Laham writes:

The authentically proud are more extroverted, more agreeable, more emotionally stable, conscientious, and open to new experiences. The list goes on: less depression, social phobia, anxiety, and aggression, and more relationship satisfaction and social support. The proud also have higher self-esteem, which itself has a few things going for it (greater happiness, for one).

Notice that Laham is speaking of those who are “authentically proud.” Inauthentic pride is excessive and ungrounded. It causes us to overestimate our capabilities and downplay our faults. In other words, inauthentic pride is hubris. Additionally, in order for something to be an authentic source of pride it must be something that required real effort to achieve. While it is common today for people to speak about the pride they feel as a result of being a part of a particular demographic—e.g., ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, biological sex, or ancestral lineage—these are not acceptable sources of authentic pride as they are all attributes assigned at one’s birth. You cannot be authentically proud of them because you had nothing to do with being them. It would be akin to a trust-fund baby being proud of the fact they’re rich.

Of course, when most people say something like, “I’m a proud black woman,” or, “I’m a proud homosexual,” what they often really mean is “I am not ashamed to be a member of such and such group.” This is a perfectly healthy attitude to have. You can even be proud of displaying this attitude in contexts where others are—explicitly or implicitly—attempting to force you into hiding, denying, or feeling shame on account of those personal attributes. You shouldn’t be ashamed of your ethnicity, nationality, biological sex, and so on. Nor do Diabolists have any business shaming others for them. We judge people by who they are as individuals, not by the demographic their birth has happened to assign them to.

None of this is to say that one can’t hold attributes assigned to them at birth in esteem. Or that they shouldn’t express that self-appreciation outwardly and unabashedly. Nor am I saying that systemic prejudice doesn’t occur, because someone will no doubt draw that conclusion. [0] What I am saying is that pride and self-esteem, while similar and sometimes linked, are different. And as far as Diabolism is concerned, pride can only come legitimately from things you have achieved or actions you take not attributes that were gifted to you by fate.

If an overabundance of pride is hubris, then it’s lack is perhaps best known as meekness. It is an error of judgment in the opposite direction of hubris. It is the underestimation of who you are, what you are capable of, and what you have previously accomplished. Meekness is false modesty. We hear its voice within our heads whenever we wrongly think, “I do not deserve this. I am not strong enough, good enough, pretty enough, smart enough,” and so on. [1]

This is all to say, know what is beyond and what is below you. The lesson of Satan’s pride suggests, however, that when in doubt it is better to err on the side of arrogance than meekness. The problem with excessive humility is that it becomes an excuse to not live as vital and full life as one could. It is the attitude that it is better to resign yourself to a lesser station in life rather than taking on the work and risk of stretching yourself beyond what is possible. It is this kind of meekness that leads people to endure loveless marriages and stay in demeaning jobs, because complacency feels safer than the unknown. Yes, you may fail and make a fool of yourself falling flat on your face or worse. But with the folly of hubris, you can at least take pride that the roots of your failings were in your vigor rather than your impotence.

To paraphrase the Protestant reformer, Martin Luther, if you’re going to sin, sin boldly. And to that we might add, proudly.

[0] The extent of such prejudice, what should be done about it, and whether it is to blame in particular instances is, of course, arguable, but the fact that is does occur is not.

[1] Notice I said, “wrongly.” There’s nothing to criticize in accurately recognizing when something is beyond you.