English

BEELZEBUB, (Mythological), which means fly god, or god of the fly, was the name of a famous god of the Accaronites, as referred to in IV. Book of Kings, ch. j. Some authors believed that the Jews gave him this name out of derision, because in the temple of Jerusalem no flies were seen on the victims. Scaliger is of this opinion. But it is much more probable that the Accaronites themselves had given this name to their god; this can be proved through the words of Ochosias, who was sent to consult this god beelzebub; there is no evidence that he would have wanted to consult a god who he mocked. Maldonet is of the latter belief, in his commentary on Ch. X of St. Matth. This idol was therefore called the fly god or god of the fly because one invoked it against flies. Those from Arcadia offered sacrifices every year to a similar god called Myagros. The Jews, who were horrified by this idol, would call it the devil beelzebub; one reads nevertheless in most Greek versions of the New Testament beelzebul, or god of excrement, which the Jews would have been able to derive from the word beelzebub, out of scorn for this idol, as noted in the previous article. Therefore one should be able to read beelzebub in the New Testament as well as the Old Testament; & beelzebul is an old error of Greek copyists. See BAAL. (G)