User talk:Light Bearer

Planet Venus, not Prince of Darkness
Greetings EncycloPetey. My name is Lucifer. Pleasure to meet you, sir. I would like to know why you undid my changes to the Lucifer entry. The definition of Lucifer as referring to the planet Venus LONG predates that of Christians using it as a name for Satan by multiple thousands of years. Since Christians (nor any other religion, for that matter) do not have exclusivity to the name Lucifer, it is my belief that an astronomical definition should not be superseded by a religious one. Furthermore, I would like to refer you to the Wikipedia entry for Lucifer, which states:

Lucifer is a name frequently given to Satan in CHRISTIAN belief. This usage stems from A PARTICULAR INTERPRETATION, as a reference to a fallen angel, of a passage in the Bible (Isaiah 14:3-20) that speaks of someone who is given the name of "Day Star" or "Morning Star" (in Latin, Lucifer) as fallen from heaven. The same Latin word is used of the morning star in 2 Peter 1:19 and elsewhere WITH NO RELATION TO SATAN. But Satan is called Lucifer in many writings LATER than the Bible, notably in Milton's Paradise Lost.

In Latin, THE WORD "LUCIFER", meaning "Light-Bringer" (from lux, lucis, "light", and ferre, "to bear, bring"), IS A NAME FOR the "Morning Star" (THE PLANET VENUS IN ITS DAWN APPEARANCES; cf. Romanian Luceafăr). The Latin Vulgate version of the Bible used this word twice to refer to the Morning Star: once in 2 Peter 1:19 to translate the Greek word "Φωσφόρος" (Phosphoros), which has exactly the same literal meaning of "Light-Bringer" that "Lucifer" has in Latin; and once in Isaiah 14:12 to translate "הילל" (Hêlēl), which also means "Morning Star". In the latter passage the title of "Morning Star" is given to the tyrannous Babylonian king, who the prophet says is destined to fall. This passage was LATER applied to the prince of the demons, and so the name "Lucifer" came to be used for Satan, and was popularized in works such as Dante's Inferno and Milton's Paradise Lost, but for English speakers the greatest influence has been its use in the King James Version for what more modern English versions translate as "Morning Star" or "Day Star".

I think it is unjust for a public institution such as Wiktionary to prioritize religion over anything else. Moreover, as someone who is named Lucifer, I would thank a public institution like Wiktionary for limiting the propagation of a largely misinterpreted reference to my name. While I would never ask for the removal of said information, as it is part of all our history, I beseech you to reconsider your undoing of my reprioritization. (I know, not a real word but I'm sure you know what I mean)

I am optimistic that we can resolve this matter amicably and I wish you a good day, sir. =o)


 * Three points: (1) The order has nothing to do with religion. You are mistaken on that point.. (2)  The earliest OED citation for Lucifer as Satan predates the earliest OED citation for Lucifer as the morning star, so your facts are incorrect.  The older meaning in English is as "Satan", and predates any evidence for use meaning "Venus" by at least 50 years.  Which meaning is older in Latin is irrelevant for an English word entry.  (3) The more common definition is first, which is preferrable for people less familair with English.  Few people will come to a dictionary to look up the oldest definition, but many will come to look up the common definition. --EncycloPetey 02:16, 3 October 2008 (UTC)