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Mastema

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For the moth genus, see Mastema (moth).

Mastema (Hebrew: מַשְׂטֵמָה Masṭēmā; Ge'ez: መሰቴማ Mesetēma), Mastemat, or Mansemat,[1][2] is an evil angel in the Book of Jubilees.[3] He first appears in the literature of the Second Temple Period as a personification of the Hebrew word mastemah (מַשְׂטֵמָה), meaning "hatred", "hostility", "enmity", or "persecution".

In the Book of Jubilees, Mastema requests hosts of demons, the spirits of the Nephilim, from God in order to tempt and corrupt humanity. He appears to various prophets and puts them to the test. Throughout the work, Mastema substitutes evil actions attributed to Yahweh in the Torah and abolishes the Godhead of the Hebrew tradition from malice. Nevertheless, Mastema remains subordinative to the Godhead.

Book of Jubilees

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According to the Book of Jubilees, Mastema ("hostility") is the chief of the Nephilim, the demons engendered by the fallen angels called Watchers with human women.

Although leading a group of demons, the text implies that he is an angel instead, as he does not fear imprisonment along with the Nephilim.[4][5] Yet, the matter is blurred because angels and other kinds of spirits are not clearly differentiated in the work.[4]

His function is similar to Satan in the Book of Job, as a servant of God.[6] Another devilish entity, Beliar, is mentioned twice in Jubilees, and probably identical with Mastema.[7]

The story

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According to the Book of Jubilees, a retelling of Book of Genesis and Book of Exodus,[8] Mastema requests permission from God to spare some of the giants (demons) and put them under his control (Jubilees 10:8).[9][10] In Jubilees 11:10, Mastema is behind the birds mentioned in Genesis 15:11. At the time of Terah, Mastema sends ravens to eat devour the seeds from the fields.[11] It is Mastema who initiates the binding of Isaac and by that, substitutes Yahweh.[12][13] Likewise, not Yahweh but Mastema hardens the Pharao's heart (Jub. 48:15–17).[14][15]

The account of Zipporah at the Inn where Yahweh meets Moses and tries to kill him is retold in a way that attributes the attack to Mastema instead (Jubilees 48:1-3).[16][17] Mastema is also said to have been chained that while the Israelites left Egypt, but then let go to encourage the Egyptians to chase after the Israelites and so come to their doom in the Red Sea. The deaths of the firstborn of the Egyptians are attributed to "all the powers of Mastema".[7] Mastema is also behind the powers of the Pharao's sorcerers.[18]

Historical perspectives

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The figure Mastema might be a step in the development of the concept of the Devil as independent from God, during the Second Temple period.[19] By substituting Yahweh's malevolent role throughout the Torah by one of his angels, God is abolished from evil actions.[20][21] Yet, the authors of the Book of Jubilees assert that ultimately, evil is caused by God, as it is God who explicitly grands Mastema hosts of demons.[22] Accordingly, God allows evil to exist, but only for a limited period of time, without committing evil himself.[23]

Although a prince of evil, Mastema never actually harms any of God's servants. Whenever Mastema acts, it is only by God's permission or Mastema is immediately restraint.[24] In cases when harm actually befalls God's people, Mastema is not associated with the act. Mastema and his demons only succeed when they attack a non-Jewish nation.[25] Throughout the Book of Jubilees, God's loyalty for the people of Israel remains unshaken.[26] Mastema might be understood as a figure of evil befalling the non-Jewish nations. As such, the text inverts the audience's expectations by nullifying the power of the agent of evil as long as they stay loyal to the Jewish tradition.[27]

There are no parallel stories to that of Mastema and Abraham in later Jewish traditions.[28] However, parallels are found between Mastema and Nimrod in Muḥammad al-Kisāʾī's Qisas al-Anbiya.[29] In the Quran, Mastema's function is reflected in the figure Iblis, who likewise requests God to tempt humanity and receives hosts of demons in order to do so, and is subordinative to God, unable to harm God's servants.[30]

Dead Sea Scrolls

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The name is appears in the Dead Sea Scrolls. In the Zadokite Fragments the expression "angel of mastema" (mal'ak ha-mastema) occurs.[31] Given the definite article ha- indicates that mastema is not threated as a proper name here.[32] The Serek ha-yahad declares that God:

"made Belial for the pit, an angel of mastema; and in dark[ness is] his [rule] and in his counsel is to bring wickedness and guilt about; and all the spirits of his lot are angels of destruction; they walk in the statutes of darkness."[33]

It is unclear if it is meant to refer to a type of angel that Belial is or a proper name.[34]

In fiction

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  • In Anne Rice's 1999 novel Vittorio the Vampire, Mastema is an angel that aids the main character in attacking a vampire coven.[35]
  • In the Megami Tensei series of video games and its spin-offs, Mastema is portrayed as a demon, although, within the context of the franchise, the term "demon" is used in its classical meaning (cf. daemon) to refer to any supernatural creature. Mastema can be fought but can also join the player's group. In Strange Journey, Mastema represents the Law alignment and plays a significant role within the game.
  • In the Digimon game, Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth, Mastemon is an Angel Digimon who manipulates light and darkness, and has the power to cross through space-time.[36]
  • In the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game, the card "Darklord Nasten" (堕天使マスティマ, datenshi [= Fallen Angel] Mastema) is based on this demon.
  • In the comic book Birthright, Mastema is the name of one of the mages living on Earth that maintain the barrier between worlds. She is revealed shortly after her introduction to be the daughter of the series' main villain.
  • In the mobile game Arknights, Mostima is the name of an operator that has angelic and demonic qualities.
  • In the Korean MMORPG MapleStory, Mastema (마스테마) is the name of the devout follower of the playable class "Demon", and it can transform into a purple cat to conceal its power.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Oliver, Evelyn Dorothy; Lewis, James R. (2008). Angels A to Z (2nd ed.). Canton, MI: Visible Ink Press. pp. 240–1. ISBN 978-1-57859-212-8Internet Archive{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  2. ^ Bane, Theresa (2012). Encyclopedia Of Demons In World Religions And Cultures. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 220. ISBN 978-0-7864-6360-2Internet Archive{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  3. ^ PREGILL, E. B. M. (2017). The Evolution and Uses of the Stories of the Prophets. EVOLUTION, 2. 65
  4. ^ a b Stokes, Ryan E. (2013). The Satan: How God's Executioner Became the Enemy. Mohr Siebeck. ISBN 9783161510311.
  5. ^ Bamberger, Bernard J. (2010). Fallen Angels: Soldiers of Satan's Realm. Jewish Publication Society. ISBN 9780827610477.
  6. ^ PREGILL, E. B. M. (2017). The Evolution and Uses of the Stories of the Prophets. EVOLUTION, 2. 68
  7. ^ a b Michalak, Aleksander R. (2012). Angels as Warriors in Late Second Temple Jewish Literature. Mohr Siebeck. p. 173. ISBN 978-3-16-151739-6. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  8. ^ PREGILL, E. B. M. (2017). The Evolution and Uses of the Stories of the Prophets. EVOLUTION, 2. 68
  9. ^ Ellens, J. H. (Ed.). (2011). Explaining Evil:[3 volumes]. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. 136
  10. ^ PREGILL, E. B. M. (2017). The Evolution and Uses of the Stories of the Prophets. EVOLUTION, 2. 73
  11. ^ PREGILL, E. B. M. (2017). The Evolution and Uses of the Stories of the Prophets. EVOLUTION, 2. 68
  12. ^ Ellens, J. H. (Ed.). (2011). Explaining Evil:[3 volumes]. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. 136
  13. ^ PREGILL, E. B. M. (2017). The Evolution and Uses of the Stories of the Prophets. EVOLUTION, 2. 70
  14. ^ Ellens, J. H. (Ed.). (2011). Explaining Evil:[3 volumes]. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. 136
  15. ^ Löfstedt, Torsten. "Who is the Blinder of Eyes and Hardener of Hearts in John 12: 40?." Svensk Exegetisk Årsbok 84 (2019): 191.
  16. ^ Anderson, Bernhard. "NEW CREATION IN THE JEWISH SCRIPTURES: AN OVERVIEW." New Creation in Paul's Letters and Thought 119 (2002): 39.
  17. ^ Segal, M. "Chapter Ten. The Exodus (Jubilees 48–49)." The Book of Jubilees. Brill, 2007: 203.
  18. ^ Ellens, J. H. (Ed.). (2011). Explaining Evil:[3 volumes]. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. 136
  19. ^ Russell, Jeffrey Burton. The devil: Perceptions of evil from antiquity to primitive Christianity. Cornell University Press, 1987. p. 204
  20. ^ Löfstedt, Torsten. "Who is the Blinder of Eyes and Hardener of Hearts in John 12: 40?." Svensk Exegetisk Årsbok 84 (2019): 191.
  21. ^ Russell, Jeffrey Burton. The devil: Perceptions of evil from antiquity to primitive Christianity. Cornell University Press, 1987. p. 204
  22. ^ Russell, Jeffrey Burton. The devil: Perceptions of evil from antiquity to primitive Christianity. Cornell University Press, 1987. p. 194
  23. ^ Russell, Jeffrey Burton. The devil: Perceptions of evil from antiquity to primitive Christianity. Cornell University Press, 1987. p. 204
  24. ^ Hanneken, Todd R. The Subversion of the Apocalypses in the Book of Jubilees. Vol. 34. Society of Biblical Lit, 2012. p. 81
  25. ^ Hanneken, Todd R. The Subversion of the Apocalypses in the Book of Jubilees. Vol. 34. Society of Biblical Lit, 2012. p. 63-64
  26. ^ Hanneken, Todd R. The Subversion of the Apocalypses in the Book of Jubilees. Vol. 34. Society of Biblical Lit, 2012. p. 81
  27. ^ Hanneken, Todd R. The Subversion of the Apocalypses in the Book of Jubilees. Vol. 34. Society of Biblical Lit, 2012. p. 63
  28. ^ PREGILL, E. B. M. (2017). The Evolution and Uses of the Stories of the Prophets. EVOLUTION, 2. 68
  29. ^ PREGILL, E. B. M. (2017). The Evolution and Uses of the Stories of the Prophets. EVOLUTION, 2. 74
  30. ^ Kadari, Tamar, et al. "Religious Stories in Transformation: Conflict, Revision and Reception" (2016): 72.
  31. ^ Ellens, J. H. (Ed.). (2011). Explaining Evil:[3 volumes]. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. 135
  32. ^ Ellens, J. H. (Ed.). (2011). Explaining Evil:[3 volumes]. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. 135
  33. ^ Ellens, J. H. (Ed.). (2011). Explaining Evil:[3 volumes]. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. 135
  34. ^ Ellens, J. H. (Ed.). (2011). Explaining Evil:[3 volumes]. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. 135
  35. ^ Rice, Anne (1999). Vittorio the Vampire. Random House, Knopf. ISBN 0-375-40160-1.
  36. ^ Romano, Sal (26 February 2015). "Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth details and screenshots: Mirei and Rina, Tower Records, more Royal Knights". Gematsu. Gematsu.com. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
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