Most evil person(s) in the Bible

[agedman]

The "Most evil person in America" thread in the History forum got me to wondering who you might consider to be the most evil person in the Bible.

Please, don't post about satanic beings, but confine yourself to some person - a humankind - that you consider the most evil.

Why would that person be considered the most evil?

Perhaps there are a cluster of the most evil - what criterion would need to be in place to determine who is placed in the top group?

Perhaps there is a single person that stands out as the most evil. Why?

What makes evil, evil?

 

[Archie the Preacher]

I can think of two.

... to some person - a humankind - that you consider the most evil.

Off the top of my head, Jezebel.

Why would that person be considered the most evil?

She seems to have honestly and diligently worked at it. She opposed the Creator God of the Universe, instead encouraging and supporting the priests, prophets and sycophants of the local pagan gods.

Not to mention she manipulated Ahab - a rather pathetic and weak willed man at best - into complying with her desires and ideas of 'god'.

There have to be some others. Haman, in the story of Esther comes to mind. He was a slimy, greedy, manipulating snake of a man.

Not sure who I want to certify as 'most evil'.

 

[quantumfaith]

My vote goes with King Manasseh of Judah. II Chronicles 33

 

[Rippon]

My vote goes with King Manasseh of Judah. II Chronicles 33

I know you read the chapter.You know he repented. In verse 19:"His prayer and how God was moved by his entreaty,as well as all his sins and unfaithfulness,and the sites where he built high places and set upon Asherah poles and idols before he humbled himself --all these are written in the records of the seers." (NIV)

Perhaps the reasoning of the OP regards someone who sins willfully throughout their lives and does not repent.

 

[quantumfaith]

I know you read the chapter.You know he repented. In verse 19:"His prayer and how God was moved by his entreaty,as well as all his sins and unfaithfulness,and the sites where he built high places and set upon Asherah poles and idols before he humbled himself --all these are written in the records of the seers." (NIV)

Perhaps the reasoning of the OP regards someone who sins willfully throughout their lives and doe not repent.

Yes I read the chapter, perhaps I did not understand fully the intent of the OP

 

[agedman]

Perhaps the reasoning of the OP regards someone who sins willfully throughout their lives and does not repent.

I rather left it up to the folks to weave the discussion to their liking.


I tried to word the OP in such a way as to draw out various and unlimited approaches - not only what one might consider as the most evil person, but what criterion was used and also what would actually be considered evil.


Perhaps it would be good to explore both those that did repent and those that didn't and do some comparing and contrasting.

 

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

Off the top of my head, Jezebel.

Yep, my first thought too, for the same reasons ...

She seems to have honestly and diligently worked at it. She opposed the Creator God of the Universe, instead encouraging and supporting the priests, prophets and sycophants of the local pagan gods.

Not to mention she manipulated Ahab - a rather pathetic and weak willed man at best - into complying with her desires and ideas of 'god'.

There have to be some others. Haman, in the story of Esther comes to mind. He was a slimy, greedy, manipulating snake of a man.

Not sure who I want to certify as 'most evil'.

 

[preachinjesus]

Hmmm....most evil person in the Bible.

Well, Ahab (though you could argue Jezebel is the true evil behind the throne) is probably a good candidate from 1 Kings 16-22 as is Abimelchk from Judges 9.

I still think the scene at the end of the book of Judges, chapters 17 - 21 is beyond the scope of horror and evil.

However, I would say Herod the Great (Matthew 2; ) is the worst, most evil given what we know about him from not just the biblical record but additional sources.

 

[Yeshua1]

The "Most evil person in America" thread in the History forum got me to wondering who you might consider to be the most evil person in the Bible.

Please, don't post about satanic beings, but confine yourself to some person - a humankind - that you consider the most evil.

Why would that person be considered the most evil?

Perhaps there are a cluster of the most evil - what criterion would need to be in place to determine who is placed in the top group?

Perhaps there is a single person that stands out as the most evil. Why?

What makes evil, evil?

Judas, betrayer of Jesus, and ONLY person said to have had satan himself possess him!

Also Antichrist, as he will be 'son of satan", as Jesus was Son of God!

 

[Van]

Perhaps we need to look closer to home, what about the Apostle Paul, was he not the chief among sinners?

 

[Yeshua1]

Perhaps we need to look closer to home, what about the Apostle Paul, was he not the chief among sinners?

good point, or maybe even closer, for if we were back there, wouldn't all of us probably be yelling 'crucify him?"

 

[kyredneck]

....However, I would say Herod the Great (Matthew 2; ) is the worst, most evil given what we know about him from not just the biblical record but additional sources.

Agree! After reading Josephus I wouldn't be surprised to find out Herod was the most evil human being that's ever lived.

 

[kyredneck]

.... wouldn't all of us probably be yelling 'crucify him?"

....speak for yourself, mouth.

 

[padredurand]

Agree! After reading Josephus I wouldn't be surprised to find out Herod was the most evil human being that's ever lived.

Agreed.

"A VOICE WAS HEARD IN RAMAH, WEEPING AND GREAT MOURNING, RACHEL WEEPING FOR HER CHILDREN; AND SHE REFUSED TO BE COMFORTED, BECAUSE THEY WERE NO MORE."
Matthew 2:18 NAS77

 

[saturneptune]

No one is going to agree with me, but I think one of the most evil persons in the Bible is the guy in Acts who wanted to purchase the power of the Holy Spirit from John and Peter.

 

[Archie the Preacher]

notes from the self-appointed nominating committee...

Okay, I'm sure Herod the Great makes the finals at least.

Judas surely makes the finals as well. If not for the frequency and consistency of his sin, at least for the sheer magnitude of his act of betrayal.

Paul, prior to his conversion was a pretty serious anti-Christian. If he has a defense, he really thought he was serving God. But one notices Paul NEVER offers a defense of his actions.

 

[saturneptune]

Okay, I'm sure Herod the Great makes the finals at least.

Judas surely makes the finals as well. If not for the frequency and consistency of his sin, at least for the sheer magnitude of his act of betrayal.

Paul, prior to his conversion was a pretty serious anti-Christian. If he has a defense, he really thought he was serving God. But one notices Paul NEVER offers a defense of his actions.

Do you think the guy I picked, wanting to buy the power of the Holy Spirit, was done more out of ignorance than evil?

 

[Archie the Preacher]

Sure...

Do you think the guy I picked, wanting to buy the power of the Holy Spirit, was done more out of ignorance than evil?

Pretty much. You're speaking of Simon (not to be confused with Simon Peter) who was a 'sorcerer' in the area where the incident takes place. In his honor, the word 'simony' refers to a person attempting (or succeeding) in purchasing an ecclesiastical office. He generally gets a bad rap for this one action.

As a 'sorcerer' he probably purchased equipment and techniques from older, more experienced sorcerers. So this would have been normal business in his eyes. As you recall, when he offered Peter money to purchase the ability to lay hands and transmit the Holy Spirit, Peter told him to go to Hell and take his money with him. (Loose translation.) Peter also informed Simon his heart wasn't right; he was envious (in a bad way) of Peter's authority and power; and he - Simon - needed to repent and pray for forgiveness and correction.

Simon then asked Peter to pray for him so that God didn't reject him totally. The wording strikes me as one who was horrified at the rebuke, not to mention the consequences. However, this is somewhat of a minority view, as Simon's response can be read as meaning "No, I'm not going to pray, YOU pray for me and keep all this from happening to me".

We don't hear anything more of him in the Bible. Tradition paints him as a rat fink. As I recall, in one Hollywood 'Bible movie' (The Silver Chalice, 1954) he was shown as a self-destructive psychotic; played by the late Jack Palance.

 

[agedman]

I am a bit surprised that the rulers who utterly destroyed Judah and Israel didn't make the list of the most evil.

The siege described by the prophet Jeremiah and the resulting slaughter of nearly every Jew in the all the lands and every tribe was a far more significant attempt at genocide than that of Hitler (using population percentage calculations - my own work from years ago).

Killing the king's children before him and that being the last he saw, was just a small part of the evil. What of the babies bashed against walls, pregnant mothers slain in such a way the child within them was also slain, old men and women not spared, and what young maids and lads that were left were taken as captive slaves to be used and abused.

Just wondering if such wouldn't be considered as ranking among the most evil.

Or do the folks get a pass because God called Nebuchadnezzar "My servant" and the destruction was prophesied?

 

[convicted1]

Do you think the guy I picked, wanting to buy the power of the Holy Spirit, was done more out of ignorance than evil?

Simon the sorcerer...he even asked Peter to pray for him...