Belial

Belial (Beliar; Belial, Beliel) - One of the leaders of the dark forces, a strong and powerful king (in the Black Raven grimoire - the Viceroy of the Infernal Empire), the closest associate of Satan. He was created immediately after Lucifer and, according to his own statement, fell first among the worthiest and wisest angels ("Lemegeton")

## traditional demonology

Traditional demonology cannot bypass such an important figure in the Kabbalistic and Jewish tradition. During the Middle Ages, the demon Belius appeared in almost all meaningful grimoires. Among them is the famous Lesser Key of Solomon. Also, he says a little less known about him, but who gave the world a huge number of illustrations of the appearance of infernal creatures grimoire. Pseudomonarchia daemonum, known as "Hierarchy of Demons" by Johann Weyer. Belial was considered one of the highest demons. The ars goetia of Lemegetona says that he is one of the four most powerful infernal rulers, despite the fact that he is considered the sixty-eighth among the other demons. This is only the order of calculation, not a place in the hierarchy. He is in the rank of king, but in this source he is believed to be, on the contrary, one of the last angels expelled from heaven, and distinguished by greater bravery and honor than the archangel Michael. He prefers to appear before the summoner by appearing to the two angels in a chariot of bright flames. He is responsible for all magic, as well as all governmental privileges. Also, very often, Belial is called the Father of Lies, because he has a very pleasant voice, but at the same time, whenever possible, he deceives everyone who communicates with him. Even King Solomon, although he was able to attach the demon with a special seal to a copper jug and drown him along with legions of other evil spirits in the lake, finally for a time came under the baneful influence of his power and even worshiped him, erecting idols. insistence of one of his many heathen wives. Belial in this story is the only one of the demons who did not take his place, but chose to become a full-fledged deity for the pagans, happily accepting their gifts and seducing people. According to Christian tradition, the demon Beliar was originally created by God to contain evil within him. He was entrusted with the protection of all evil forces, spirits and creatures, he carried out the most cruel orders of God. That is why he is considered the progenitor of all the evil that exists in the world, since his soul was created so paraded.

## In the Qumran text

“The war of the sons of light against the sons of darkness” (c. 1st century BC) Belial acts as the leader of the dark forces (“For the sake of corruption, You created Belial, the angel of enmity. All his possessions are in darkness, and his goal is to sow around evil and sin. All spirits subject to him are nothing but angels of destruction”); he is cursed and doomed to disappear at the coming of the Prince of Light after a grandiose eschatological battle. In the Old Testament, the word "belial" (from the Hebrew beli ya'al - "having no dignity", "useless", in the synodal translation is most often transmitted descriptively) is used along with such concepts as "vanity", "nothing" and “not-god” (cf. Deut. 32:21), to designate “alien gods”, understood at the same time as something unreal and dangerous, harmful precisely by their illusory nature. Belial can cause trouble and illness to a person (“The word of Belial came upon him; he fell ill; he could not get up again”, Ps. 40, 9), he acts as a seducer of a person, seducing him to a crime (“the cause of Belial” - Ps. 100 / 101, 3, in the synodal translation - “obscene things”), recruiting him into the ranks of the “sons of belial” (Deut. 13, 13; 1 Sam. 2, 21 and 10, 27; Judg. 19, 22, etc.) and making a “belial” out of himself (1 Sam. 30, 22 - “belials among men”, in the synodal translation “evil and worthless of people”). In the intertestamental apocrypha (“The Testaments of the 12 Patriarchs”, “The Martyrdom of Isaiah”) Belial is the leader of evil spirits, “prince of deceit”, “angel of lawlessness”, “angel of darkness”, “ruler of this world”. The Martyrdom of Isaiah says: “The angel of iniquity, who is the ruler of this world, is Belial, whose name is Matanbuchus” (2:4). On the second of the seven heavens there are angelic hosts who, on the Day of Judgment, will take revenge on the “spirits of delusion and Belial” (“Covenant of Levi”). He incites people to sinful acts, especially sexual perversion, adultery and lust. In the "Divinations of the Sibyl" Belial is interpreted as the Antichrist. In the New Testament, the apostle Paul asks, “What fellowship is there between righteousness and iniquity? What agreement is there between Christ and Belial?” (2 Cor. 6:14-15).

## **scientific classification**

* **Physical Description**: "Belial" is applied to ideas, words, and counsel, to calamitous circumstances, and most frequently, to worthless men of the lowest sort, such as men who would induce worship of other gods; those of Benjamin who committed the sex crime at Gibeah; the wicked sons of Eli; insolent Nabal; opposers of God's anointed, David.
* **Personality**: Lord of Arrogance.Goetial King.
* **type/class**: fallen angel/demon
* **Domain**: Hell
* **Alignment**: evil
* **Symbolism**: independence, self-sufficiency, and personal accomplishment
* **enemy**: angels and holy trinity (god the son/god the father/god the holy spirit)
* **special: powers:** fire manipulation, magic, hell and demons control.

## References in literature

J. Milton "Paradise Lost" (1658-1667): Belial is one of the fallen angels along with Satan, participating in the hellish council, he cowardly tries to turn the spirits away from an attempt to re-risen ("The last to appear was Belial, / The most profligate of the Spirits; he himself / He betrayed vice, having loved vice. No idols were set up in his honor / And altars were not smoked, but who / More often penetrated into temples, creating / Impiety, and corrupted themselves / Priests who indulged in sin / Godlessness, like the sons of Eli, / Who repaired impudence and revelry / In the Lord's House? He warns everywhere - / In courts, palaces and magnificent cities - / Where the deafening, shameless noise / Violence, injustice and revelry / Rise above the highest towers, Where in the twilight the Belial sons scurry along the street / Crowd of Belial's sons, / Intoxicated, arrogant; I saw such / Sodom, and later - Gibe, where that night / A hospitable shelter was forced / To betray his wife to insult them, / To avert the most vile fornication.
“Belial has risen; he was meek / And human in appearance; of all / The most beautiful that Heaven / Lost, and apparently created / For the highest glory and worthy deeds, / But false and empty, though his speech is sweet, / Like manna; a dexterous verbiager / Could pass off any lie as the truth, / Could distort any good advice, / His thoughts are so vile. In evil / Artful, he was lazy and idle / In deeds of honor ... "