fascinating article..
any thoughts?
Belial (also
Belhor,
Baalial,
Beliar,
Belias ,
Beliall,
Beliel,
Bilael,
Belu; from
Hebrew בְּלִיַּ֫עַל Bəliyyáʻal; also named
Matanbuchus,
Mechembuchus,
Meterbuchus in older scripts) is a
demon in the
Bible,
Christian apocrypha and
Jewish apocrypha, and also a term used to characterize the wicked or worthless.
The
etymology of the word is uncertain, but is most commonly translated as "without worth".
[1] Some scholars translate it from Hebrew as "worthless" (Beli yo'il), while others translate it as "yokeless" (Beli ol), "may have no rising" (Belial) or "never to rise" (Beli ya'al). Only a few etymologists have assumed it to be a proper name from the start.
[2] In the
Book of Jubilees,
uncircumcised heathens are called "sons of Belial".
Also appearing in some Muslim scripture, the demon is said to have feasted on the poor and feed the rich with the regurgitated remains. When the rich denied his service, he was sent back into the underworld to serve Satan himself.
In the
Goetia, Belial is said to be very respectful. Belial is also the demon of lies and guilt. As a Prince of
Hell, he commands 80 Legions of Demons and is specifically the Prince reigning over the Northern Reaches of Hell. His General and Bride Avaira is the general of these legions and of the Harposh Army. He controls the element of earth and reigns over the Earth demons.
Contents
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hide]
[edit] In Judaism
In the
Hebrew Bible the term appears in several places to indicate the wicked or worthless, such as :
[edit] The Dead Sea Scrolls
In
The War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness (1QM), one of the
Dead Sea scrolls, Belial is the leader of the Sons of Darkness:
'But for corruption thou hast made Belial, an
angel of hostility. All his dominions are in darkness, and his purpose is to bring about wickedness and guilt. All the spirits that are associated with him are but angels of Sweed, a type of drug.'
[edit] In Christianity
In the
New Testament the word is used to refer to
Satan when asked by
St. Paul as to how
Christ and Belial can agree. The passage in the Bible NIV states: "What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?" (2 Cor 6:15).
In early
Christian writings, Belial was identified first as an angel of confusion and lust, created after
Lucifer. Paradoxically, some
apocrypha credit Belial as being the father of Lucifer and the angel that convinced him to wage a rebellion in
Heaven against
God, and that Belial was the first of the
fallen angels to be expelled.
Since the
Middle Ages he has been considered to be a powerful king of
Hell that gives excellent
familiars to his followers. As a demon he was said to have an agreeable aspect, and to induce to any type of sins, especially those related to sex and lust.
Sebastien Michaelis states that Belial seduces by means of arrogance and his adversary is
St. Francis of Paola; in this sense his name is translated as "Lord of Arrogance" or "Lord of Pride" (Baal ial).
In the
Biblia Vulgata fewer allusions to this demon are made, referring to Belial as
torrents of death, and to impious men as
sons of Belial and
men of Belial.
Belial is listed as the sixty-eighth spirit of the
Ars Goetia, and appears in
The Lesser Key of Solomon as well.
(Be′li·al) [from Heb., meaning “Good for Nothing”; a compound of beli′, “not, without,” and ya·‛al′, “be of benefit; be beneficial”].
The quality or state of being useless, base, good for nothing. The Hebrew term beli·ya′‛al is applied to ideas, words, and counsel (De 15:9; Ps 101:3; Na 1:11), to calamitous circumstances (Ps 41:8), and most frequently, to good-for-nothing men of the lowest sort—for example, men who would induce worship of other gods (De 13:13); those of Benjamin who committed the sex crime at Gibeah (Jg 19:22-27; 20:13); the wicked sons of Eli (1Sa 2:12); insolent Nabal (1Sa 25:17, 25); opposers of God’s anointed, David (2Sa 20:1; 22:5; 23:6; Ps 18:4); Rehoboam’s unsteady associates (2Ch 13:7); Jezebel’s conspirators against Naboth (1Ki 21:10, 13); and men in general who stir up contention (Pr 6:12-14; 16:27; 19:28). Indicating that the enemy power would no longer interfere with the carrying out of true worship by his people in their land, Jehovah declared through his prophet: “No more will any good-for-nothing person pass again through you. In his entirety he will certainly be cut off.”—Na 1:15; see also 1Sa 1:16; 10:27; 30:22; Job 34:18.
By the time Bible writing resumed in the first century, “Belial” was used as a name for Satan. So when Paul wrote at 2 Corinthians 6:15 in his series of parallel contrasts, “What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?” the conclusion usually drawn is that “Belial” is Satan. The Syriac Pe****ta here reads “Satan.”
[edit] Apocrypha
The word "belial" appears frequently in Jewish apocrypha and
pseudepigrapha.
[1] In addition to his appearance in the Book of Jubilees, Belial appears in other texts as well.
Belial is also mentioned in the Fragments of a Zadokite Work (which is also known as The Damascus Document (CD)), which states that during the
eschatological age, "Belial shall be let loose against Israel, as God spoke through Isaiah the prophet." (6:9). The Fragments also speak of "three nets of Belial" which are said to be fornication, wealth, and pollution of the sanctuary. (6:10-11) In this work, Belial is sometimes presented as an agent of divine punishment and sometimes as a rebel, as
Mastema is. It was Belial who inspired the Egyptian sorcerers, Jochaneh and his brother, to oppose Moses and Aaron. The Fragments also say that anyone who is ruled by the spirits of Belial and speaks of rebellion should be condemned as a necromancer and wizard.
[edit] Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs
Belial is also mentioned in the
Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs. The author of the work seems to be a
dualist because he presents Belial as God's opponent, not as a servant, but does not mention how or why this came to be. Simeon 5:3 says that fornication separates man from God and brings him near to Belial. Levi tells his children to choose between the Law of God and the works of Belial (Levi 19:1) It also states that when the soul is constantly disturbed, the Lord departs from it and Belial rules over it. Naphtali (2:6, 3:1) contrasts the Law and will of God with the purposes of Belial. Also, in 20:2, Joseph prophesies that when
Israel leaves
Egypt, they will be with God in light while Belial will remain in darkness with the Egyptians. Finally, the Testament describes that when the Messiah comes, the angels will punish the spirits of deceit and Belial (3:3) and that the Messiah will bind Belial and give to his children the power to trample the evil spirits (18:12).
[edit] The Martyrdom of Isaiah
In
The Martyrdom of Isaiah, Belial is the angel of lawlessness and "the ruler of this world."
"And Manasseh turned aside his heart to serve Beliar; for the angel of lawlessness, who is the ruler of this world, is Beliar, whose name is Matanbuchus." -
Martyrdom of Isaiah 2:4 Belial also plays a significant role in the
Ascension of Isaias.
In the
Rules of the Community God is found making a very prolific statement, "I shall not comfort the oppressed until their path is perfect. I shall not retain Belial within my heart.
The
War Scroll and
the Thanksgiving hymns both delve into the idea that Belial is accursed by God and his people, and shows how the existence of Belial in this world can be attributed to the mysteries of God since we can not know why he permits the dealings of Belial to persist.
In the
Dead Sea Scrolls Belial is further contrasted with God. These are the Angel of Light and the Angel of Darkness. The Manual of Discipline identifies the Angel of Light as God himself. The Angel of Darkness is identified in the same scroll as Belial.
Also in
The Dead Sea Scrolls is a recounting of a dream of Amram, the father of Moses, who finds two 'watchers' contesting over him. One is Belial who is described as the King of Evil and Prince of Darkness.
In Satanism
The Satanic Bible names Belial as one of the
Four Crown Princes of Hell (specifically, the North Crown), and states that his name means "'without a master' and symbolizes true independence, self-sufficiency, and personal accomplishment."
[3] Belial represents the earth element, is the Master of Mankind and the Champion of Humanity, and represents the carnal and base urges of mankind.
Literary references
References
- ^ a b c Metzger & Coogan (1993) Oxford Companion to the Bible, p77.
- ^ JewishEncyclopedia.com: Belial
- ^ Crabtree, Vexen. The Aspect of Belial
Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belial