[Dr J to Dr K:]
Not of angels -- but of Angel, in the Buffyverse.
As you may know, it is a peculiarity of M.X. Murphy, that although he has battled the Devil in every case he ever took -- quite consciously and explicitly in the later ones (as yet unpublished), still and all he does sincerely pray that the Devil may yet repent, and be saved.
(For a sample of this strange attitude, click here:
The closest thing I’ve seen, to what such repentence might look like, is the character of “Angel”, in the series of the same name. (He appears as well in “BtVS”, but in that context doesn’t go anywhere near as deep.) The series as a whole is not explicitly Christian, or even Theist, but -- its faithful adherence to this deep idea, over several years, is impressive.
Now: Do you yourself know of any parallel -- in literature ancient or modern, in folklore, in theological writings, to Angel’s case? Cf. & ctr. the Ancient Mariner, whose penance lasts forever -- yet it feels imposed, not embraced; and it -- how to phrase this… only goes as far as it goes; whereas Angel’s has no limits whatsoever. His repentence is deep and pure -- beyond our understanding, really -- perhaps in proportion to the evil he had previously wrought. In which case -- How bright and shining would be the true repentence of Satan !!!
[Dr K to Dr J:]
This is a very deep matter which requires more research. Orthodox and Catholic saints and doctors run the gambit between saying that the Devil can and/or will never repent.
I don't think that enough work has been done to ground human willfulness/sinfulness with that of Satan's--not as a matter of the original fall being Satan's, but that they are all part of a unified fall. Otherwise, the myth is too immature, describing a Deity who loses control of his creation and finds it smashed by a naughty boy.
The problem is, if we grandfather Satan into our fall and call it just a dynamic exploration of free will, how do we praise the faithfulness of the Archangel Michael?
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