Baal (also called Bael, Beelzebub and the Lord of the Flies) is one of the seven princes of hell who also represents the sin of gluttony. Also, this figure is named several times in the Old Testament, since it refers to one of the main male gods that was worshiped in Canaan and Phenicia.
In the biblical and Christian context, Baal (whose name also means "teacher", "lord" and "owner"), has legions of demons under his command and acts as a kind of personal assistant to Satan. During the Middle Ages it was said that Baal was a cherub in heaven who followed Satan when he was sent to hell.
Source: wikimedia. Representation of the demon Baal.
There are various theories within Christianity that explain his arrival in hell, which state that it was a cherub that followed Lucifer to the land of darkness. On the other hand, it is believed that it was an angel who accompanied Satan in his fight to take over heaven and who, once in hell, became his assistant.
In other passages of the sacred scriptures it is stated that Baal and Satan are the same person and that he is in charge, within his functions, of the cardinal sin of gluttony and of causing men to fall into sin.
It should be noted that Baal acquired his demonic conception from the birth of Judaism and Christianity in the sense that all gods other than Yaveh or Jehovah came to be considered demons.
According to mythology, as soon as the Israelites ignored the only god and leaned towards the worship and belief of the Baal god of fertility, they were severely punished.
Consequently, the monotheistic conception conferred diabolical characteristics on all the deities that were worshiped in the Phoenician civilization and the perverse actions of these figures were reflected in detail in the sacred writings.
The name of the Phoenician deity was transformed by the Hebrews and became the "lord of the flies", in reference to the large number of these animals that invaded the temples of Baal as a result of the offerings reaching the state of putrefaction.
The elements that were used to worship the deity were related to human or animal sacrifices and later this meat was left in the temple.
Etymology
The etymological root of the name Baal has its origin in the Semitic religion, in which it represented one of the most important deities associated with fertility.
Baal was given various cults in order to obtain prosperous crops and, within these mythologies, he was considered a figure who performed good deeds; the term came from Ba'al.
The meaning of this name can be translated as master, lord or owner, however, in the Bible, specifically in the old testament as soon as it refers to the god of the Phoenicians, it acquires other connotations.
In this case, Baal or Bael is synonymous with the owner or teacher and is considered a demon since it goes against the designs of God.
With respect to another of the names used to refer to the devil, Beelzebub is believed to come from the Hebrew word tsebal, which in combination with Baal referred to the lord of the great abyss or abode.
The term was replaced by tsebub, which means fly, an adjective that was used by the Hebrews as a mockery in view of the fact that the meats that were placed in the temples as offerings attracted large numbers of these animals when decomposing.
In judaism
Stories based on Semitic mythology tell how the Israelites were punished for adopting the polytheistic customs of the Cannán peoples.
At the time, the god known as Yaveh, through various prophets such as Elijah, sent a message to men with which he warned them of the consequences of worshiping false deities since there was only one god.
This is how the belief in various gods or polytheism was condemned and demonized and all those divinities that were part of the Semitic tradition came to play demonic roles within the sacred scriptures.
Ba'al Zebub was used as a contempt for the Semitic deity by the Israelites plus some evidence indicates that the real name of the deity was Ba'al Zebûl, whose meaning refers to the lord of the divine dwelling.
On the other hand, its association with flies may come from texts of Semitic origin that attributed healing powers to the god by removing the disease from people.
The account recounts how Baal drove out a large number of flies that had caused illness in one of his devotees.
In Semitic religion
Baal was one of the main gods of the Semitic pantheon related to the fertility of the lands and men, as well as storms and rain. According to the stories of the time, he presented himself as a bull.
In each of its temples, which were distributed in the villages, offerings were placed in order that they did not lack water and their lands would produce abundant crops.
It was believed that each birth was carried out at the intersection of the good god Baal and in his honor, on many occasions, human sacrifices were celebrated.
In Canaanite mythology it represented an important place within the main deities that were worshiped, such as the god El, the goddess Athirat and the goddess Anat.
The accounts of the time affirmed that the fertility divinity was the son of the god El and brother of the deity known as Mot, with whom, according to legend, he had great confrontations in defense of the town.
In times of drought the belief revolved around Mot would have defeated Baal in combat.
In islam
In Islamic culture there is a figure similar to the demons of the Christian religion, known as Shaitan, who is said to have committed the sin of revealing himself against the designs of God.
It should be noted that within Islam, polytheism is severely punished, which includes worshiping or worshiping other deities different from the supreme god, which in this case receives the name of Allah.
Similar to the Christian conception of Lucifer, Shaitan is considered to be a fallen angel, whose mission associated with evil is to cause men to fall into sin.
In Islam, through the Koran, the maximum sin or offense against God is exposed to polytheism or the belief in other gods.
In christianity
According to the Christian religion, Baal is a demon located within the highest hierarchies, who became a figure of darkness after having accompanied Lucifer in his idea of taking over heaven.
Other theories affirm that he is Satan or his main assistant and characteristics related to wickedness and great abilities are attributed to him to tempt men to fall into sin.
In the Bible, the main Phoenician god has been associated with various demons and under different names; one of them is Beelzebub, who is also considered Satan himself.
As stated in some biblical passages, this demon was a cherub who decided to follow Lucifer to hell and represents the capital sin known as gluttony.
The truth is that it is classified within the sacred scriptures as one of the seven kings that belong to hell and represents evil in all its forms.
Beelzebub appeared in various forms related to monstrous figures that could be animals but with a disproportionate or altered size, such as a goat with a large tail or a giant fly, among others.
Baal, in Christianity, because he represented the polytheistic religion and the worship of false gods, according to the sacred scriptures, he was cataloged as a figure of evil.
Appearance
There are various ways in which Baal has been represented. With regard to Semitic culture, this was shown under the figure of a man or a bull.
Regarding the demonic figure, according to biblical accounts, it can be shown as a monstrous figure that usually takes the form of an animal.
The most common images in which it is usually exhibited are like a large fly, a calf of great proportions or a goat whose tail is not very characteristic of these animals.
Some theories indicate that the lord of darkness, one of the most fearsome demonic figures, possesses a voice with a harsh sound.
Also, one of the images that define it is composed of the mixture of several animals in which spider legs with three heads are combined.
The heads are distributed as follows: On the left side there is a cat's head, which can be white or black, the central head is of a man with a crown and on the right side the head corresponds to a toad. The three heads are attached to their respective neck, which merges with the spider's body.
This illustration is a true reflection of one of the beliefs that sustain that the prince of darkness can take the form of a human or of any of these animals.
References
- C. G, (2.014). Brief History of… Satan from the Persians to Heavy Metal. Taken from books.google.com
- Through the scriptures. (2016). Baal "god" - both in Scripture and across cultures, mythology, and history. Taken from atravesdelasescritura.com
- Báez, J. F, (1999). Around the genealogy of the Christian demon. Taken from uv.mx
- Corpas, M, A, (2.016). Does the devil exist in Islam? Taken from aleteia.org
- Mythology Wiki. Baal (Demon). Taken from Fandom.com
- Beelzebub. Taken from en.wikipedia.org