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According to legend, when Heavens rebellion began, Satan recruited several
very powerful seraphim, Beelzebub being one of them. When he took up his kingdom
in Hell, Beelzebub learned to tempt men with pride.
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Etymology
Origins of Beelzebub in Judeo-Christian Lore
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Beelzeboul -
"Lord of the High Place" or
"Lord of the heavenly dwelling"
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He was originally a
Philistine Canaanite god and was mentioned in
2 Kings 1:2 .
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"Ba'al Zeboul" translates as , "Lord
of the High Place" or "Lord of the heavenly dwelling".
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Beelzebub - “Lord of the Flies”
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Beelzebul - “Lord of the dung,”
Parallels in
Other Cultures
In Cyrene an area in North Africa near present day Tripoli, Achor was
worshipped as a Lord of Flies and some scholars have equated him with
Beelzebub.
In Germanic legends the Evil One , in this instance Loki takes the
form of a fly in several Myths. One story describes how Loki
challenged two brothers to craft an item which was more beautiful
than those created by the sons of Ivaldi, who created such items as
Odin's spear. As the two brothers worked, Loki, as a fly, bit Brokkr,
on the arm, neck, and eyelid. One brother, blinded by his own blood
still managed managed to craft a hammer, which was judged to be more
valuable than the items of the sons of Ivaldi. The hammer was to
become Mjollnir {Thor's hammer} . Another tale tells how he
attempts to steal Freya's necklace by biting her cheek while in fly
form.
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In
Demonology
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In
Zodiacus Vitae 
[Zodiake of Life], a
16th Century philosophical poem by Marcellus Palingenius.
Placed on the Vatican's list of prohibited books in 1559
it later became popular among protestants.
Zodiacus Vitae
states that as the monarch of hell, Beelzebub was of
enormous size with a swollen chest and a bloated face
with flashing eyes and raised eyebrows. He also gives a
menacing aura and sits on a throne surrounded by fire.
He is black as a Moor, with large nostrils and 2 horns
on his head. He has 2 bat-like wings attached to his
shoulders, 2 duck feet, a lion's tail, and is covered
from head to foot in shaggy fur.
In
Solomon's Clavicules
, he is called
Belzebuth and appears as an enormous goat with a long
tail, but with the face of a fly.
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The
Unholy Trinity
Johannes Wier {Johann Weyer  }
a respected 16th Century 'Demonologist' and
Physician who wrote On the Illusions of the
Demons and on Spells and Poisons, And
Pseudomonarchia Daemonum (1563)
states that Beelzebub led a successful revolt
against Satan and is second only to Lucifer, Lucifer
being Emperor of Hell . Several 18th Century
texts describe an unholy trinity consisting of
Beelzebub, Lucifer, and Astaroth - similar to Obama,
Biden and Clinton or Larry Mo, and Curly. With the
later example we all know Mo is the guy in charge ,
with the earlier two there is an uncertainty.
In Paradise lost {1667} John
Milton also ranks Beelzebub as the second in charge
in the Hierarchy of Hell - "than whom, Satan
except, none higher sat." in describing the
Lord of the Flies.
"Beelzebub was Prince of the Seraphim, the next
unto Lucifer. For all the princes, that is to say
all the chief of the nine choirs of angels, are
fallen; and of the choir of Seraphim there fell the
three first, to wit, Lucifer, Beelzebub, and
Leviathan, who did all revolt."
(Possessed Catholic nun Sister Madeleine of
Aix-en-Provence) Other
scenarios such as the seven princes of Hell place him in the
Hierarchy although at a different level.
The leader of the Golden Dawn, S. L. MacGregor
Mathers, put Beelzebub in the second demonic order in the sphere
of Chokmah, below Satan and Moloch but above Lucifer
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New Testament
In the new testament Synoptic Gospels of Matthew,
Mark and Luke, Beelzebub is identified with the
prince of devils.
{Matthew 10:25;12:24,27; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15,18,19
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Mark 3:22
And the teachers of the law who came down from
Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by
Beelzebub ! By the
prince of demons he is driving out demons."
Matthew 12:24
But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "It is
only by Beelzebub,
the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out
demons."
Luke uses both the names Satan and
Beelzebub possibly acknowledging them as separate
entities.
Luke 11:18
If Satan is divided against himself, how can his
kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I
drive out demons by
Beelzebub.
Old Testament
In
the Old Testament, Beelzebub is the Philistine god of Ekron,
(2 Kings 1:2)
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."
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The Prince of Darkness: Radical Evil and the Power of Good in History
The Secret History of Lucifer: Evil Angel or the Secret of Life Itself?
The Birth of Satan: Tracing the Devil's Biblical Roots
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The story of Beelzebub evolves
further in the Testament of Solomon where Beelzebub is
identified as one of the
fallen Angels. {The name in a variant form
Beelzeboul }
"Then I summoned Beelzeboul
to appear before me again. When he was seated, I
thought it appropriate to ask him, 'Why
are you alone Prince of the
Demons?' He replied, 'Because I am the
only one left of the heavenly angels (who fell).
I was the highest-ranking angel in heaven, the
one called Beelzeboul. There is also accompanied
me another ungodly (angel) whom God cut off and
now, imprisoned here, he holds in his power the
race of those bound by me in Tartarus. He is
being nurtured in the Red Sea; when he is ready,
he will come in triumph."
"I said to him, 'What are your activities?' He
replied, 'I bring destruction by means of
tyrants; I cause the demons to be worshiped
alongside men; and I arouse desire in holy men
and select priests. I bring about jealousies and
murders in a country, and I instigate wars." -
TSol 6:1-4
In the Testament of Solomon
Beelzebub is not only associated with the fallen
Angels but also with the Morning Star, (Hesperus /
Venus) which would tie in with the Legend of Lucifer
.
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Apocrypha
In the apocryphal Gospel of
Nicodemus , after Jesus Christ's crucifixion,
Beelzebub is conversing with Hell about how he would
now bring Christ down to Hades. While conversing,
Christ frees Adam and those residing in Hades and
then ascends with them into paradise.
"Then Hell, receiving Satan the prince, with sore reproach
said unto him: O prince of perdition and chief of destruction, Beelzebub, the
scorn of the angels and spitting of the righteous why wouldest thou do this?
Thou wouldest crucify the King of glory and at his decease didst promise us
great spoils of his death: like a fool thou knewest not what thou didst. For
behold now, this Jesus putteth to flight by the brightness of his majesty all
the darkness of death, and hath broken the strong depths of the prisons, and let
out the prisoners and loosed them that were bound. And all that were sighing in
our torments do rejoice against us, ..... nor is there any sign of tears upon
the face of any of them. O prince Satan, holder of the keys of hell, those thy
riches which thou hadst gained by the tree of transgression and the losing of
paradise, thou hast lost by the tree of the cross, and all thy gladness hath
perished. When thou didst hang up Christ Jesus the King of glory thou wroughtest
against thyself and against me. Henceforth thou shalt know what eternal torments
and infinite pains thou art to suffer in my keeping for ever. O prince Satan,
author of death and head of all pride, thou oughtest first to have sought out
matter of evil in this Jesus: Wherefore didst thou adventure without cause to
crucify him unjustly against whom thou foundest no blame, and to bring into our
realm the innocent and righteous one, and to lose the guilty and the ungodly and
unrighteous of the whole world? And when Hell had spoken thus unto Satan the
prince, then said the King of glory unto Hell: Satan the prince shall be in thy
power unto all ages in the stead of Adam and his children, even those that are
my righteous ones" - Gospel of Nicodemus VII (XXIII)
