A reflection on Matthew 12:22-29, Mark 3:22-27, Luke 11:14-23
©️2024 Gloria M. Chang
Matthew 12:26-28
And if Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself; how, then, will his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
A Shapeshifting Libel
When Jesus’ enemies smeared him as Beelzebul’s accomplice, what did they mean? Biblical scholars, analyzing the Hebrew and Greek phonemes of the word Beelzebul, have proposed multilayered linguistic theories.
In the first scriptural instance, King Ahaziah summons Baal-zebub (Hebrew “lord of flies”), the pagan Philistine god, in his sickbed, inciting Elijah’s ire (2 Kings 1:2-16). Idols of golden flies excavated by archaeologists confirm the pagan devotion. Hebrew literature vilifies the impure and demonic fly, associated with plagues, illness, and death.
The name Baalzebub (Beelzebub in the Latin Vulgate) eventually evolved to Beelzeboul, meaning “lord of dung,” reflecting the Jewish contempt for the pagan deity, whom they associated with Satan. In the rabbinic lexicon, Zebul has a double meaning: “dung” or “manure” (זָבַל) and “temple” (זְבוּל). Were Christ’s enemies plying a pernicious pun when they accused him of consorting with Beelzebul?
Some scholars detect a wordplay in the mouths of detractors. While Jesus claimed he was “Lord of the Zebul” (temple), his enemies mocked him as “Lord of the Zebul” (dung heap). From Baalzebub to Beelzebul, the shapeshifting libel slung dung back into the faces of the revilers, whose words exposed their darkness in the presence of light. Jesus Christ, the Lord of Lords and the temple of God, expels demons and puts them to flight.
The Lord of the temple, Shepherd of sheep,
Rogues slur with the slam “Lord of the dung heap.”
Beware slanderers who spread vicious lies.
The Lord of Lords swats the Lord of the Flies.
Traditional Chinese Translation
《貶義雙關語？》
聖殿之主，羊群的牧人，
惡霸用「糞堆之王」來誹謗。
小心散佈惡意謊言的誹謗者。
萬王之王猛烈拍擊蒼蠅王。
References
“Beelzebub (Beelzebul, Baalzebub) – Encyclopedia of the Bible – Bible Gateway.” Biblegateway.com, 2015, www.biblegateway.com/resources/encyclopedia-of-the-bible/Beelzebub-Beelzebul-Baalzebub. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.
“BEELZEBUB – JewishEncyclopedia.com.” Jewishencyclopedia.com, 2021, www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/2732-beelzebub. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.