Beelzebub (Beelzeboul)

Syrian god who became demonized as a FALLEN ANGEL in Jewish and Christian lore. According to the KAB - BALAH , Beelzebub was the prince of DEMONS who gov- erned the nine evil hierarchies of the underworld. In Christian demonology, he is second to Satan among the fallen angels, the prince of devils and chief of demons. Also known as Baal-zebub, “the lord of the flies,” the name is a distortion of Baal-zebul, the chief Canaanite or Phoenician god meaning “lord of the divine abode” or “lord of the heavens.” Beelzebub has always been considered a demon of great power, and sorcerers have conjured him at great risk. Most depic- tions show him as an enormous fly. Pharisees tried to cast doubt on Jesus’ power to cast out demons by accusing him of being possessed by Beelzebub. The incident is recounted in Matthew (12:24–29), Mark (3:22–27), and Luke (11:14–22): And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, he hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of devils casteth he out devils. And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand but hath an end. No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house. (Mark 3: 22–27) This incident also presents the idea of binding (adjuring) Satan to the will of God before he can be thrown out of the “house,” or the body of the pos- sessed victim. During the time of ELIJAH , the god Baal was the main rival to the Israelite god Yahweh (Jehovah). King Ahab was not constant in his faith and had allowed his wife Jezebel to introduce the worship of the Canaanite Baals into Israel. In 1 Kings 18:20–40, Elijah chal- lenges the 450 prophets of Baal to a contest to see which god is greater. The prophets prepare a sacrificial bull and place it on a pyre but do not light the fire. Eli- jah does the same. The prophets of Baal call on their god all day, but to no avail. Elijah taunts the prophets, suggesting that Baal had gone on a journey, or perhaps is asleep or tending to bodily functions. Elijah takes 12 stones representing the 12 tribes of Israel and places them near the bull and altar. He digs a small trench around the altar and fills it with water, drenching the pyre as well. Water is added a second time. Elijah calls on the Lord to show Himself as God. The pyre and all the stones and water are consumed by flame. Elijah captures the 450 prophets of Baal and assassinates them. In the Testament of Solomon, Beelzebub (Beelze- boul) is the Prince of Demons, and he is summoned and subdued by King SOLOMON with the help of his magical ring. Solomon commands Beelzebub to explain the manifestation of demons, and he promises to bring to the king all unclean spirits bound. He tells Solomon that he lives in the Evening Star (Venus). He alone is the Prince of Demons because he was the highest-ranking angel in heaven, and he is the only one left of the heavenly angels who fell. He was accom- panied by another fallen angel (Abezethibou), who was cast into the Red Sea. Beelzebub says he destroys tyrants, causes men to worship demons, and arouses sexual desire in holy men and “select priests.” He also causes wars, instgates murders, and arouses jealousy. He is thwarted by “the Almighty God” and will disappear if anyone uses the oath “the Elo-i” (“my God,” which JESUS later cried on the cross). Solomon sets Beelzebub to cutting blocks of The- ban marble for his temple. All the other demons cry out. Solomon tells the demon that if he wishes to obtain his release, he will tell the king about other “heavenly things.” Beelzebub says that Solomon can strengthen his house by doing the following: burn oil of myrrh, frankincense, sea bulbs, spikenard, and saf- fron, and light seven lamps during an earthquake. Lighting the seven lamps at dawn will reveal the heav- enly dragons pulling the chariot of the sun. Solomon does not believe him, and he orders the demon to con- tinue cutting marble and producing other demons for interrogation. During the Inquisition, Beelzebub was regarded as one of the chief demons over witches. At sabbats, witches supposedly denied Christ in his name, and chanted it as they danced. Numerous accounts attest to him copulating with witches in wild orgies. Beelzebub also was among the demons blamed for the demonic possession cases. In 1566, he tormented a young girl named Nicole Obry in Laon, France. Her daily exorcisms before huge crowds were used by the Catholic Church, embroiled in religious struggles with the French Huguenots, as examples of the church’s power over the devil. Through Obry, Beelzebub claimed the Huguenots as his own people, gleefully noting that their supposed heresies made them even more precious to him. The demon was exorcised through repeated administration of holy wafers. Beelzebub also was blamed for the bewitchment of nuns at Loudon, Louviers, and Aix-en-Provence in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, leading to the fiery deaths of his accused lieutenants, Father Louis Gaufridi and Father Urbain Grandier. One of the demon’s most notorious appearances in the 20th century was as the possessing devil of Anna Ecklund. He entered the young woman at the behest of her father Jacob, angry that Anna would not engage in incestuous sex with him. The demon left on December 23, 1928, in a terrible roar of “Beelzebub, Judas, Jacob, Mina (Anna’s aunt and Jacob’s mistress)” followed by “hell, hell, hell” and a terrible stench.