Lucifer as the Archetype for the Perfect Man

Lucifer was the ultimate I am that I am man. He WAS extra-ordinarily intelligent. He knew it all, including God’s intent: “Did God say … in the day you eat of it, you would surely die. ...”

He was powerful, incredibly knowledgeable and knew God’s truth, directly assisting God in the creation; the epitome of what the rational-empiricist aspires to be. He had no need of God, in fact, he purposed to usurp His position and take His place. Sounds remarkably like the rational-empiricist using reason as the word of truth. Perhaps this scenario is where we get the concept of “half truths” and self-deception.

Of course we now refer to him as a snake. “A real snake in the grass,” is a deceiver. Is that the future rational-empirical perfect man, full of his own glory, power and pride needing nothing but his own intellect and rational truth to guide his way?

What was Lucifer’s fault? Was he not what he thought of himself? Perhaps he was, and perhaps that was only half the story. God created him after all, so why shouldn’t he be proud of himself? He was great, he was powerful, he was intelligent. We might imagine him saying, “I am my own man, I made myself what I am today, what need I of God?” We have heard these words before – and it usually did not go well for the speaker.

God does not seem apparent in the universe, perhaps by design, because He hopes we will see beyond the trap that ensnared Lucifer: that we know we are great and powerful and intelligent, knowing what God knows, but at the same time come to understand, through our inherent wisdom, and humbly acknowledge our limitations; then seek our creator as both an honorable and most valuable creation, “god-like” in our stature and yet humble in deference to our ultimate “father,” the creator-king of the universe who we can only know in our hearts.

Perhaps then I will understand Aquinas’ revelation and Augustine’s vision. Otherwise, a re-reading of Dante's Inferno may be a wise idea.

"I am who I am, and I'm me."
(from Peter Pan)

Consider:
"Allegories"