Beelzebub

Known as "the Lord of the Flies," Beelzebub is the patron deity of the Philistine city of Ekron, mentioned in 2 Kings in the Hebrew bible.

In Judaism, he was a mockery of the polytheistic religions surrounding them. In Rabbinical texts the name Baal-Zebub was a mockery of the religion of Ba'al-Hadad, who was sometimes referred to as Ba'al Zəbûl ("Lord of the High Place"). Some scholars believe the name Ba'al-Zebub ("Lord of the Flies") was a pun in Hebrew wordplay that referred to Ba'al-Hadad as a pile of dung, and his followers as flies. Other scholars believe that the title Ba'al-Zebub was part of an incantation used to summon Ba'al in order to clear a ritual sacrifice site of the flies that would accumulate in the area.

In later Christian extra-biblical sources Beelzebub is a high ranking demon and one of the seven princes of Hell. In some formal demonologies Beelzebub is considered to be a representation of one of the seven deadly sins (sometimes Envy, other times Gluttony). Beelzebub is sometimes considered to be synonymous with Satan.

Beelzebub in the Hebrew Bible
Beelzebub is only referenced once in the Hebrew bible in 2 Kings Ch. 1 Vs. 1-4:


 * After Ahab’s death, Moab rebelled against Israel. Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers, saying to them, “Go and consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, to see if I will recover from this injury.”


 * But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Go up and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?’ Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘You will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!’” So Elijah went.


 * -NIV Translation

Beelzebub in the New Testament
Beelzebub is mentioned multiple times in the Christian New Testament.

Beelzebub in the Book of Mark:
In the Book of Mark, which is the oldest of the four gospels, Jesus of Nazareth is falsely accused of being a servant of Beelzebub by the Pharisees (members of a school of Jewish thought):


 * And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”


 * -Mark Ch. 3 Vs. 22, NIV Translation

Jesus replies:


 * So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come.


 * -Mark Ch. 3 Vs. 23-26, NIV Translation

Here Jesus seems to equate Beelzebub with Satan.

Beelzebub in the Book of Matthew:
In the Book of Matthew, one of the four gospels, Jesus is again shown to have been accused of being a servant of Beelzebub after healing people. In this passage Beelzebub is referred to as "the prince of demons":


 * As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”


 * After Jesus had entered the house, the blind men came to Him. “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” He asked.


 * “Yes, Lord,” they answered.


 * Then He touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith will it be done to you.” And their eyes were opened. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one finds out about this!” But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout the land.


 * As they were leaving, a demon-possessed man who was mute was brought to Jesus. And when the demon had been driven out, the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!”


 * But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that He drives out demons.”


 * -Matthew Ch. 9 Vs. 27-34, NIV Translation

In Matthew Chapter 10 Jesus explains to his disciples that he is being accused of being Beelzebub, and that they as his followers should expect to experience the same persecution and scorn he is experiencing:


 * “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!


 * -Matthew Ch. 10 Vs. 24, 25, NIV Translation

In Matthew Chapter 12, Matthew gives his account of the scene found in the Book of Mark:


 * Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”


 * But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”


 * 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 it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.


 * -Matthew Ch. 12 Vs. 22-28, NIV Translation

Beelzebub in the Book of Luke:
The third gospel to mention Beelzebub is the Book of Luke. Here Luke gives his account of the scene found in the Book of Mark:


 * Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. But some of them said, “By Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.” Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven.


 * Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.


 * -Luke Ch. 11 Vs. 14-20, NIV Translation

Beelzebub in Christian and Occult Demonologies
Throughout history multiple formalized classifications of demons have been proposed. None of them however are considered canon by modern mainstream Christian denominations. Instead, lists of formalized demonologies tend to remain popular in occult traditions.

The Lantern of Light:
 The Lantern of Light  is an anonymously written formal demonology published between 1409-1410. In this work demons are categorized based off of the seven deadly sins. In this classification Beelzebub is identified with the sin of envy.

De Occulta Philosophia (The Occult Philosophy):
The Occult Philosophy is a series of three books written by the German polymath Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim between 1509-1510. In the third book of the series there is a formalized demonology. Within this demonology Beelzebub is associated with false gods and idolatry:


 * "Therefone the first of these are those which are called false gods, who usurping the name of God, would be worshipped for gods, and require sacrifices and adorations, as that Devil, who saith to Christ, if thou wilt fal [fall] down and worship me, I will give thee all these things, shewing him all the kingdoms of the world; and the Prince of these is he who said, I will ascend ahove the height of the clouds, and will he like to the most High; who is therefore called Beelzebub, that is, an old god. "

Princes of Hell:
 Princes of Hell  is a formal demonology written by the German bishop and theologian Peter Binsfeld in 1589. Like in the Lantern of Light, his classification was based around the seven deadly sins. In this case though, Beelzebub represents gluttony as opposed to envy.

Dictionnaire Infernal (Infernal Dictionary):
The  Infernal Dictionary  is a book of demonology written in 1818 by the French occultist Jacques Auguste Simon Collin de Plancy. The entry for Beelzebub is as follows:


 * Belzebuth or Belzebub or Beelzebuth, prince of demons, according to the scriptures; foremost in power and crime after Satan, according to Milton; supreme chief of the infernal empire, according to most demonographers. His name signifies "lord of the flies." Bodin claims that he is no longer seen in his temple. He was the most revered god of the Canaanites, who sometimes represented him with the figure of a fly, more often with attributes of a sovereign power. He rendered oracles, and King Ochozias (King Ahaziah) consulted him over a troubling malady; he was severely reprimanded for this by the prophet Elijah.


 * One attributed to him the power to deliver men from flies who ruined harvests.


 * Almost all the demonomaniacs regard him as the sovereign of a gloomy empire; and each depicts him colored by their own imagination. Milton gives him an imposing aspect and high wisdom breathes on his face. One says he is as high as a tower; another of a size equal to our own; some give him the form and figure of a snake; in that form he is often seen with feminine traits.


 * The monarch of hell, said Palingene, in Zodiaco vitae, is of a prodigious size, seated on an immense throne surrounded by a ring of fire. He has a swollen chest, bloated face, flashing eyes, raised eyebrows and a menacing air. He has extremely large nostrils and two great horns on his head; he is black like a Moor: two vast bat-like wings are attached to his shoulders; he has two large duck's feet, a lion's tail, and and shaggy hair from his head to his feet.


 * Some say greater than Belzebuth is Priapus; others, like Porphyrus confuse him with Bacchus. Some believed that they found in him the Belbog or Belbach (white god) of the Slavs, because his bloody image was always covered with flies, like the Belzebuth among the Syrians. One said also that he was the same as Pluto. It is more reasonable to believe that he is Bael, whom Wierus made emperor of hell; all the more so since Belzebuth is not found by that name in his inventory of the infernal monarchy.


 * One sees in Solomon's Clavicules that Belzebuth appears sometimes in monstrous form, like that of an enormous calf or a goat with a long tail; nonetheless, he is often shown with the face of an ugly fly. He appeared to Faust 'dressed like a bee and with two dreadful ears and his hair painted in all colors with a dragon's tail." The Marechal of Retz saw him as a leopard. When he was angry, one swears that he breathed fire and howled like a wolf. Finally, sometimes Astaroth appears at his side in the form of an ass .

Paradise Lost:
 Paradise Lost  is an epic poem written by the English poet John Milton in 1667. The poem concerns the fall of the angel Satan, as well as the fall of Adam and Eve. In the poem Beelzebub is a separate angel from Satan, and serves as Satan's second in command and advisor:


 * "One next himself in power, and next in crime,
 * Long after known in Palestine, and named
 * Beelzebub..."


 * -Paradise Lost, Pg. 4

Lord of the Flies:
 Lord of the Flies  is a novel written by the Nobel Prize-winning author William Golding in 1954. The title of the novel is a reference to the demon Beelzebub. The plot of the novel revolves around a group of pre-adolescent boys who end up deserted on an island. They begin to form their own society, but without adults around they become violent and brutal.  Lord of the Flies  was been listed as one of Modern Libraries 100 Best Novels.

Biology:
Beelzebub's Tube-nosed Bat (Murina beelzebub) is a species of bat from the family Vespertilionidae (also known as "vesper bats") discovered in 2011. The holotype for the species was collected in the Huong Hoa District or the Quang Tri Province of Vietnam, in the Bac Huong Hoa Nature Reserve. The reason for the naming the species after Beelzebub is as follows:


 * "Beelzebub commonly appears as a high ranking personality of the underworld in Christian texts; one of the presumed original meanings of the name is ‘‘Lord of the Flies.’’ The specific epithet (a noun in apposition) was chosen to reflect the dark ‘‘diabolic’’ coloration and the fierce protective behavior of the species experienced in the field, and also in reference to the insectivorous diet of tube-nosed bats "