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Beelzebub from the Dictionnaire Infernal
"Beelzebub and them that are with him shoot arrows" from John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress (1678)
Beelzebub as a character in the mumming play St George and the Dragon by the St Albans Mummers, 2015

Beelzebub or Ba'al Zebub (/biːˈɛlzəbʌb, ˈbiːl-/ bee-EL-zə-bub, BEEL-; Hebrew: בַּעַל־זְבוּב‎ Baʿal-zəḇūḇ), also spelled Beelzebul or Belzebuth, and occasionally known as the Lord of the Flies, is a name derived from a Philistine god, formerly worshipped in Ekron. In some Abrahamic religions he is described as a major demon. The name Beelzebub is associated with the Canaanite god Baal.

In theological sources, predominantly Christian, Beelzebub is another name for Satan. He is known in demonology as one of the seven deadly demons or seven princes of Hell, Beelzebub representing gluttony and envy. The Dictionnaire Infernal describes Beelzebub as a being capable of flying, known as the "Lord of the Flyers", or the "Lord of the Flies".

Hebrew Scriptures

The source for the name Beelzebub is in the Books of Kings (2 Kings 1:2–3, 6, 16), written Baʿal zəvuv, referring to a deity worshipped by the Philistines in the city of Ekron.

This passage notes that King Ahaziah of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, after seriously injuring himself in a fall, sent messengers to inquire of Baʿal-zəvuv, the god of the Philistine city of Ekron, to learn if he would recover.

Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber at Samaria and was injured. So he sent messengers, whom he instructed: "Go inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this injury."

— "II Kings 1:2". www.sefaria.org.

Elijah then condemned Ahaziah to die by God's words because Ahaziah sought counsel from Baʿal-zəvuv rather than from God.

3 But an angel of GOD said to Elijah the Tishbite, "Go and confront the messengers of the king of Samaria and say to them, 'Is there no God in Israel that you go to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? 4 Assuredly, thus said GOD: You shall not rise from the bed you are lying on, but you shall die.'" And Elijah went.

— "II Kings 1:3-4". www.sefaria.org.

The title Baal "Lord", is a Ugaritic and Cananitic term used in conjunction with a descriptive name of a specific god. Opinions differ on what the name means. In one understanding, Baʿal zəvuv is translated literally as "lord of (the) flies". It was long ago suggested that there was a relationship between the Philistine god, and cults of flies—referring to a view of them as pests, feasting on excrement—appearing in the Hellenic world, such as Zeus Apomyios or Myiagros. This is confirmed by the Ugaritic text which depicts Ba'al expelling flies, which are the cause of a person's sickness.

According to Francesco Saracino (1982), this series of elements may be inconclusive as evidence, but the fact that in relationship to Baʿal zəvuv, the two constituent terms are here linked, joined by a function (ndy) that is typical of some divinities attested to in the Mediterranean world, is a strong argument in favor of the authenticity of the name of the god of Ekron, and of his possible therapeutic activities, which are implicit in 2 Kings 1:2–3, etc.

Alternatively, the deity's actual name could have been Baʿal zəvul, "lord of the (heavenly) dwelling", and Baʿal zəvuv could have been a derogatory pun used by the Israelites.

The Septuagint renders the name as Baalzebub (Βααλζεβούβ) and as Baal muian (Βααλ μυῗαν, "Baal of flies"). However, Symmachus may have reflected a tradition of its offensive ancient name when he rendered it as Beelzeboul.

Testament of Solomon

In the Testament of Solomon, Beelzebul (not Beelzebub) appears as prince of the demons and says that he was formerly a leading heavenly angel who was associated with the star Hesperus (the normal Greek name for the planet Venus (Aphrodite, Αφροδíτη) as evening star). Seemingly, Beelzebul here is synonymous with Lucifer. Beelzebul claims to cause destruction through tyrants, to cause demons to be worshipped among men, to excite priests to lust, to cause jealousies in cities and murders, and to bring about war. The Testament of Solomon is an Old Testament pseudepigraphical work, purportedly written by King Solomon, in which the author mostly describes particular demons whom he enslaved to help build Solomon's Temple, with substantial Christian interpolations.

Christian Bible

Satan and Beelzebub, the captains of Hell in Paradise Lost by John Milton

In Mark 3:22, the scribes accuse Jesus Christ of driving out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons. The name also appears in the expanded version in Matthew 12:24,27 and Luke 11:15, 18–19, as well as in Matthew 10:25.

Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you."

—Matthew 12:25–28

It is unknown whether Symmachus the Ebionite was correct in identifying these names. Zeboul might derive from a slurred pronunciation of zebûb; from zebel, a word used to mean "dung" in the Targums; or from Hebrew zebûl found in 1 Kings 8:13 in the phrase bêt-zebûl, "lofty house".

In any case, the form Beelzebub was substituted for Beelzeboul in the Syriac translation and Latin Vulgate translation of the gospels, and this substitution was repeated in the King James Version, the resulting form Beelzeboul being mostly unknown to Western European and descendant cultures until some more recent translations restored it.

Beelzebub is also identified in the New Testament as the Devil, "the prince of demons". Biblical scholar Thomas Kelly Cheyne suggested that it might be a derogatory corruption of Ba'al-zəbûl, "Lord of the High Place" (i.e., Heaven) or "High Lord".

In Arabic translations, the name is rendered as Baʿl-zabūl (بعلزبول).

Gnostic tradition

See also: Gnosticism

Texts of the Gospel of Nicodemus vary; Beelzebul and Beelzebub are used interchangeably. The name is used by Hades as a secondary name for the Devil, but it may vary with each translation of the text; other versions separate Beelzebub from the Devil.

According to the teachings of the Modern Gnostic Movement of Samael Aun Weor, Beelzebub was a prince of demons who rebelled against the Black Lodge during World War II and was converted by Aun Weor to the White Lodge.

Christian tradition

Man being attacked by devils and demons

Beelzebub is commonly described as placed high in Hell's hierarchy. According to the stories of the 16th-century occultist Johann Weyer, Beelzebub led a successful revolt against the Devil, is the chief lieutenant of Lucifer, the Emperor of Hell, and presides over the Order of the Fly. Similarly, the 17th-century exorcist Sébastien Michaëlis, in his Admirable History (1612), placed Beelzebub among the three most prominent fallen angels, the other two being Lucifer and Leviathan. John Milton, in his epic poem Paradise Lost, first published in 1667, identified an unholy trinity consisting of Beelzebub, Lucifer, and Astaroth, with Beelzebub as the second-ranking of the many fallen angels. Milton wrote of Beelzebub "than whom, Satan except, none higher sat." Beelzebub is also a character in John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, first published in 1678.

In 1409–1410 The Lanterne of Light (an anonymous English Lollard tract often attributed to John Wycliffe) provided a classification of the princes of Hell based on the seven deadly sins and associated Beelzebub with the deadly sin of envy. However, Sebastien Michaelis associated Beelzebub with the deadly sin of pride, one of the other seven deadly sins, and according to Peter Binsfeld in his 1589 Treatise on Confessions by Evildoers and Witches Beelzebub was the demon of gluttony, whereas Francis Barrett asserted that Beelzebub was the prince of idolatry.

Not only had the Pharisees disparagingly accused Jesus of using Beelzebub's demonic powers to heal people (Luke 11:14–26), but others have been labelled possessed for acts of an extreme nature. Down through history, Beelzebub has been held responsible for many cases of demonic possession, such as that of Sister Madeleine de Demandolx de la Palud, Aix-en-Provence in 1611, whose relationship with Father Jean-Baptiste Gaufridi led not only to countless traumatic events at the hands of her inquisitors but also to the torture and execution of that "bewitcher of young nuns", Gaufridi himself. Beelzebub was also imagined to be sowing his influence in Salem, Massachusetts; his name came up repeatedly during the Salem witch trials, the last large-scale public expression of witch hysteria in either North America or Europe, and afterwards, the Rev. Cotton Mather wrote a pamphlet titled Of Beelzebub and his Plot.

Judaism

Rabbinical literature commentary equates the Baʿal-zəvuv of Ekron as lord of the "fly". The word Baʿal-zəvuv in rabbinical texts is a mockery of the worship of Baal, which ancient Hebrews considered to be idol worship.

Jewish scholars have interpreted the title of "Lord of the Flies" as the Hebrew way of calling Baʿal a pile of excrement, and comparing Ba'al followers to flies.

See also

References

  1. "Beelzebub". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d.
  2. "Beelzebub | Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable – Credo Reference". search.credoreference.com. Retrieved 2023-06-11.
  3. van der Toorn, Karel; Becking, Bob; van der Horst, Pieter W., eds. (1999). "Baal Zebub". Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible (2nd extensively rev. (154) ed.). Boston, Massachusetts; Grand Rapids, Michigan: Brill; Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0-8028-2491-2. For etymological reasons, Baal Zebub must be considered a Semitic god; he is taken over by the Philistine Ekronites and incorporated into their local cult.
  4. Arndt, Walter William; Danker, Frederick William; Bauer, Walter (2000). "Βεελζεβούλ". A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd (173) ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-03933-6. Βεελζεβούλ, ὁ indecl. (v.l. Βεελζεβούβ and Βεεζεβούλ W-S. § 5, 31, cp. 27 n. 56) Beelzebul, orig. a Philistine deity; the name בַּעַל-זְבוּב means Baal (lord) of those who are capable of flying (4 Km 1:2, 6; Sym. transcribes βεελζεβούβ; Vulgate Beelzebub; TestSol freq. Βεελζεβούλ,-βουέλ).
  5. Balz, Horst; Schneider, Gerhard (1990). Exegetical dictionary of the New Testament. Vol. 1 ((211) ed.). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0-8028-2412-7. 1. According to 2 Kgs 1:2–6 the name of the Philistine god of Ekron was Lord of the Flies (Heb. ba'al zeaûḇ), from whom Israel's King Ahaziah requested an oracle.
  6. Freedman, David Noel, ed. (1996). "Beelzebul". The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary. Vol. 1 ((639) ed.). New York City: Doubleday. ISBN 978-0-300-14001-9. The etymology of Beelzebul has proceeded in several directions. The variant reading Beelzebub (Syriac translators and Jerome) reflects a long-standing tradition of equating Beelzebul with the Philistine deity of the city of Ekron mentioned in 2 Kgs 1:2, 3, 6, 16. Baalzebub (Heb ba˓al zĕbûb) seems to mean "lord of flies" (HALAT, 250, but cf. LXXB baal muian theon akkarōn, "Baal-Fly, god of Akkaron"; Ant 9:2, 1 theon muian).
  7. ^ Freedman, David Noel (2000). Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Eerdmans. p. 137]. ISBN 978-0-8028-2400-4.
  8. Seracino, Francesco (July 1982). "Ras Ibn Hani 78/20 and Some Old Testament Connections". Vetus Testamentum. 32 (3). Boston: Brill: 338–343. doi:10.1163/156853382X00351.
  9. Bromiley, Geoffrey W., ed. (2002) . "Baal-Zebub". The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 (Revised (381) ed.). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0-8028-3785-1. It is not as probable that b'l-zbl, which can mean "lord of the (heavenly) dwelling" in Ugaritic, was changed to b'l zbb to make the divine name an opprobrius epithet. The reading Beelzebul in Mt. 10:25 would then reflect the right form of the name, a wordplay on "master of the house" (Gk oikodespótēs).
  10. Freedman, David Noel, ed. (1996). "Beelzebul". The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary. Vol. 1 (639 ed.). New York City: Doubleday. ISBN 978-0-300-14081-1. An alternative suggested by many is to connect zĕbûl with a noun meaning "(exalted) abode".
  11. Millard, Alan R.; Marshall, I. Howard; Packer, J.I.; Wiseman, Donald, eds. (1996). "Baal-Zebub, Beelzebul". New Bible dictionary (3rd (108) ed.). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press. ISBN 978-0-8308-1439-8. In contemporary Semitic speech it may have been understood as 'the master of the house'; if so, this phrase could be used in a double sense in Mt. 10:25b.
  12. Fenlon, John Francis (2021) . "Beelzebub". Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. New York City: Robert Appleton Company.
  13. Testament of Solomon 6.2
  14. Testament of Solomon 6.7
  15. "The Testament of Solomon". Jewish Quarterly Review. 11 (1). Translated by F. C. Conybeare. Philadelphia: The University of Pennsylvania Press. October 1898. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  16. "In NT Gk. beelzeboul, beezeboul (Beelzebub in TR and AV) is the prince of the demons (Mt. 12:24, 27; Mk. 3:22; Lk. 11:15, 18f.), identified with Satan (Mt. 12:26; Mk. 3:23, 26; Lk. 11:18).", Bruce, "Baal-Zebub, Beelzebul", Wood, D. R. W., & Marshall, I. H. (1996). New Bible dictionary (3rd ed.) (108). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press.
  17. "Besides, Matt 12:24; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15 use the apposition ἄρχων τῶν δαιμονίων 'head of the →Demons'.", Herrmann, "Baal Zebub", in Toorn, K. v. d., Becking, B., & Horst, P. W. v. d. (1999). Dictionary of deities and demons in the Bible DDD (2nd extensively rev. ed.) (154). Leiden; Boston; Grand Rapids, Mich.: Brill; Eerdmans.
  18. Wex, Michael (2005). Born to Kvetch. New York City: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-30741-1.
  19. Van Dyck Version, Bible Society of Egypt, 1860, retrieved 2015-09-09
  20. Holy Bible, New Arabic Version (كتاب الحياة — Ketab El Hayat), Biblica (formerly International Bible Society), 1997, retrieved September 9, 2015
  21. Weor, Samael Aun (2007). The Revolution of Beelzebub: Gnosis, Anthropogenesis, and The War in Heaven. Thelema Press. ASIN B007RDMHKE.
  22. Rudwin, Maximilian (1970) . The Devil in Legend and Literature (2nd ed.). New York: AMS Press. p. 76. ISBN 0-404-05451-X.
  23. Milford, Humphrey. "Introduction", The Lanterne of Liȝt. Oxford University Press, 1917
  24. Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology, by Rosemary Guiley, pp. 28–29, Facts on File, 2009.
  25. Dictionary of Demons, by Fred Gettings, Guild Publishing, 1998, pp. 55–56
  26. Mather, Cotton (1693). Of Beelzebub and his Plot. Archived from the original on September 21, 2002.
  27. The Babylonian Talmud, Vol. 1 of 9: Tract Sabbath – Page 186 "made themselves Baal-berith for a god"; by Baal-berith is meant the Zebub (fly) idol of Ekron, and every idolater (at that time) made an image of his idol in miniature in order to keep it constantly at hand and to be able at any time to take it out, .."
  28. ^ Kohler, Kaufmann (1904). "Beelzebub". Jewish Encyclopedia. New York City: KTAV Publishing House.
  29. Lurker, Manfred (2004). "Beelzebub". The Routledge dictionary of gods and goddesses, devils and demons. London, England: Routledge. p. 31. ISBN 978-0-415-34018-2 – via Google Books.
  30. Easton's Bible Dictionary Archived 2011-10-03 at the Wayback Machine
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