Lucifer
FREE Catholic Classes
( Hebrew helel ; Septuagint heosphoros , Vulgate lucifer )
The name Lucifer originally denotes the planet Venus, emphasizing its brilliance. The Vulgate employs the word also for "the light of the morning" ( Job 11:17 ), "the signs of the zodiac" ( Job 38:32 ), and "the aurora" ( Psalm 109:3 ). Metaphorically, the word is applied to the King of Babylon ( Isaiah 14:12 ) as preeminent among the princes of his time ; to the high priest Simon son of Onias ( Ecclesiasticus 50:6 ), for his surpassing virtue, to the glory of heaven ( Apocalypse 2:28 ), by reason of its excellency; finally to Jesus Christ himself ( 2 Peter 1:19 ; Apocalypse 22:16 ; the "Exultet" of Holy Saturday ) the true light of our spiritual life.
The Syriac version and the version of Aquila derive the Hebrew noun helel from the verb yalal , "to lament"; St. Jerome agrees with them ( In Isaiah 1:14), and makes Lucifer the name of the principal fallen angel who must lament the loss of his original glory bright as the morning star. In Christian tradition this meaning of Lucifer has prevailed; the Fathers maintain that Lucifer is not the proper name of the devil, but denotes only the state from which he has fallen (Petavius, De Angelis , III, iii, 4).
Catholic Knowledge Assessment Classes 
Copyright 2020 Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, © Copyright 2020 Catholic Online. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited.
Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.
