Belial

[bee-lee-uhl, beel-yuhl]

Belial, name applied to Satan.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2004.
Licensed from Columbia University Press

Belial (also Belhor, Baalial, Beliar, Belias , Beliall, Beliel, Bilael, Belu; from Hebrew בְּלִיַּ֫עַל Bəliyyáʻal; also named Matanbuchus, Mechembuchus, Meterbuchus in older scripts) is an evil demon in the Bible, Christian apocrypha and Jewish apocrypha, and also a term used to characterize the wicked or worthless.

The etymology of the word is uncertain but is most commonly translated as "without worth". Some scholars translate it from Hebrew as "worthless" (Beli yo'il), while others translate it as "yokeless" (Beli ol), "may have no rising" (Belial) or "never to rise" (Beli ya'al). Only a few etymologists have assumed it to be a proper name from the start. In the Book of Jubilees, uncircumcised heathens are called "sons of Belial".

In the Goetia, Belial is said to be very respectful. Belial is also the demon of lies and guilt. As a Prince of Hell, he commands 80 Legions of Demons and is specifically the Prince reigning over the Northern Reaches of Hell. He controls the element of earth and reigns over the Earth demons. The other princes of Hell include Olias, Asmoday, and Vassago.

In Judaism

In the Hebrew Bible the term appears in several places to indicate the wicked or worthless, such as :

idolaters (Deut. 13:13)
the men of Gibeah (Judg. 19:22, 20:13)
the sons of Eli (1 Sam. 2:12), Nabal (1 Sam. 25:17), and Shimei (2 Sam. 20:1).

The Dead Sea Scrolls

In The War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness (1QM), one of the Dead Sea scrolls, Belial is the leader of the Sons of Darkness:

'But for corruption thou hast made Belial, an angel of hostility. All his dominions are in darkness, and his purpose is to bring about wickedness and guilt. All the spirits that are associated with him are but angels of Sweed, a type of drug.'

In Christianity

In early Christian writings, Belial was identified first as an angel of confusion and lust, created after Lucifer. Paradoxically, some apocrypha credit Belial as being the father of Lucifer and the angel that convinced him to wage a rebellion in Heaven against God, and that Belial was the first of the fallen angels to be expelled.

In the New Testament the word is used to refer to Satan when asked by St. Paul as to how Christ and Belial can agree. The passage in the Bible NIV states: "What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?" (2 Cor 6:15).

Since the Middle Ages he has been considered to be a powerful king of Hell that gives excellent familiars to his followers. As a demon he was said to have an agreeable aspect, and to induce to any type of sins, especially those related to sex and lust. Sebastien Michaelis states that Belial seduces by means of arrogance and his adversary is St. Francis of Paola; in this sense his name is translated as "Lord of Arrogance" or "Lord of Pride" (Baal ial).

In the Biblia Vulgata fewer allusions to this demon are made, referring to Belial as torrents of death, and to impious men as sons of Belial and men of Belial.

Belial is listed as the sixty-eighth spirit of the Ars Goetia, and appears in The Lesser Key of Solomon as well.

Apocrypha

The word "belial" appears frequently in Jewish apocrypha and pseudepigrapha. In addition to his appearance in the Book of Jubilees, Belial appears in other texts as well.

Belial is also mentioned in the Fragments of a Zadokite Work (which is also known as The Damascus Document (CD)), which states that during the eschatological age, "Belial shall be let loose against Israel, as God spoke through Isaiah the prophet." (6:9). The Fragments also speak of "three nets of Belial" which are said to be fornication, wealth, and pollution of the sanctuary. (6:10-11) In this work, Belial is sometimes presented as an agent of divine punishment and sometimes as a rebel, as Mastema is. It was Belial who inspired the Egyptian sorcerers, Jochaneh and his brother, to oppose Moses and Aaron. The Fragments also say that anyone who is ruled by the spirits of Belial and speaks of rebellion should be condemned as a necromancer and wizard.

Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs

Belial is also mentioned in the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs. The author of the work seems to be a dualist because he presents Belial as God's opponent, not as a servant, but does not mention how or why this came to be. Simeon 5:3 says that fornication separates man from God and brings him near to Belial. Levi tells his children to choose between the Law of God and the works of Belial (Levi 19:1) It also states that when the soul is constantly disturbed, the Lord departs from it and Belial rules over it. Naphtali (2:6, 3:1) contrasts the Law and will of God with the purposes of Belial. Also, in 20:2, Joseph prophesies that when Israel leaves Egypt, they will be with God in light while Belial will remain in darkness with the Egyptians. Finally, the Testament describes that when the Messiah comes, the angels will punish the spirits of deceit and Belial (3:3) and that the Messiah will bind Belial and give to his children the power to trample the evil spirits (18:12). Belial has been known to watch over young children during sleep.

The Martyrdom of Isaiah

In The Martyrdom of Isaiah, Belial is the angel of lawlessness and "the ruler of this world."

"And Manasseh turned aside his heart to serve Beliar; for the angel of lawlessness, who is the ruler of this world, is Beliar, whose name is Matanbuchus." - Martyrdom of Isaiah 2:4

Belial also plays a significant role in the Ascension of Isaias.

In other religious traditions

The Satanic Bible names Belial as one of the Four Crown Princes of Hell (specifically, the North Crown), and states that his name means "'without a master' and symbolizes true independence, self-sufficiency, and personal accomplishment. Belial represents the earth element, is the Master of Mankind and the Champion of Humanity, and represents the carnal and base urges of mankind.

In fiction

Belial (or a likeness thereof) figures in many works of fiction, both medieval and modern. An early work focusing on Belial was Jacobus de Teramo's Buche Belial (1473). In it, Belial was depicted with a man's body with talons instead of feet, and having a man's head with the horns and ears of a bull and the tusks of a boar. In it, Belial keeps the door of Hell. Belial also figures in John Milton's Paradise Lost (1667). There, he is the Fallen Angel responsible for making "atheists" of priests, including the sons of Eli. In Book II of Paradise Lost, Milton depicts Belial as handsome and smooth-tongued, but one who realizes that the war against Heaven is dangerous and hopeless of success. Thus, he counsels sloth and ease. His hope is that if Hell does not provoke Heaven further, that the fallen angels may grow accustomed to the pains and fires of the underworld, and live in comfort. Belial does not advise seeking forgiveness or pleading for mercy from the heavenly victor.

More recent adaptations have taken Belial in many ways, sometimes only using the name. The classic 1922 film Nosferatu says that the titular vampire originated from "Belial's seed," implying Belial's hand in the creation of vampires. One of the possessing demons in the later film The Exorcism of Emily Rose claims to be Belial, in this case possessing a small child.

The role-playing game In Nomine, based around angels and fallen angels, has Belial as Hell's Demon prince of Fire and the enemy of Gabriel, Archangel of Fire, something of a change from other versions of Belial which identify him more with earth of the four classical elements. In Aldous Huxley's Ape and Essence, the post-apocalyptic civilization of Los Angeles worships Belial.

Novels have done many interpretations of Belial as well. In Philip K. Dick's The Divine Invasion, Belial is The Adversary, whose influence around Earth obfuscates reality and interferes with Yah's powers. Steven Brust's To Reign in Hell features Belial as one of the Firstborn, an angel of the highest order that takes the form of a dragon.

In the video games Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy XII, Belial appears as one of the games Lucavi and Espers respectively, entitled "Belias the Gigas". In Final Fantasy Tactics, the character Weigraf turns into the Lucavi Belias once he is defeated. However in Final Fantasy XII, the player must collect him in order to progress through the Feywood. In both cases Belial must be defeated as a boss to progress the game.

The video game Odin Sphere, which is heavily based on Norse mythology, features a dragon named Belial as a boss character that regurgitates the armor of fallen soldiers to harm the player. For most of the game he is enslaved by magicians or elves.

In the video game Devil May Cry 4, one of the early bosses is "Berial" ('R's are interchangeable for 'L's when translating from Japanese). He appears as a flaming centaur and introduces himself as the "conqueror of the Fire Hell."

In the horror action-adventure video game Realms of the Haunting, Belial appears as one of the main antagonists of character Adam Randall.

It is not uncommon to use variants of the name as well; one example might be Be'lal in Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time fantasy series. In it, Be'lal is a member of the thirteen Forsaken, a rough analogue to demons in the world of the novels.

Belial was also in the manga and anime Angel Sanctuary as the Mad Hatter, a fallen angel and the Satan of Pride. She was in love with Lucifer, though her love was never returned, and because of such, she put a curse on him: the day he would love her would be when her feelings would change. She was once Raphael's assistant, but aided Lucifer in turning angels. Though she is female, she has the appearance of a man, and thus confuses many of the characters.

In the anime Kaze no Stigma (Stigma of the Wind) during the last episode the Character Lapis is trying to summon Belial, she says that she is attempting to become "human" through others' pain.

In Dungeons and Dragons, Belial is the former ruler of the fourth layer of the Nine Hells, Phlegethos. Like his classical self, he is described as a very lustful being.

In the Diablo video game series, Belial is one of the seven Great Evils. He is never seen in the games, but is described in the first game's manual as the Lord of Lies.

In the book Waking Brigid, by Francis Clark, Belial is summoned by a group of Satanists in antebellum Savannah and is battled by a group of Catholic priests.

In Metalocalypse, Belial is one of the demons summoned by a Satanic priest. He later appears (albeit, with only his arm visible) to destroy the Church of Satan and kill its inhabitants.

Belial makes appearances in the Megami Tensei games, wherein he is depicted as a large, red-scaled, and winged demon wielding a trident. He also makes an appearance in the BloodRayne game (as Beliar), where he is a monster that keeps growing until it kills you.

In the Warhammer 40k universe, Belial is the company master of the veteran first company unit of the Dark Angels chapter, the Deathwing. In keeping with the Dark Angels theme other characters from the chapter are similarly named after darker archangels such as the chapter master Azrael named for the archangel of death and Sammael, a distortion of Samael.