Recent from talks
Mastema
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Mastema
Mastema (Hebrew: מַשְׂטֵמָה Masṭēmā; Ge'ez: መሰቴማ Mesetēma), Mastemat, or Mansemat, is an antagonistic angel in the Book of Jubilees. 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 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 removes malice from the Godhead of the Hebrew tradition. Nevertheless, Mastema remains subordinate to the Godhead.
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 working for God instead, as he does not fear imprisonment along with the Nephilim. Yet, the matter is blurred because angels and other kinds of spirits are not clearly differentiated in the work.
His function is similar to Satan in the Book of Job, as a servant of God. Another devilish entity, Belial, is mentioned twice in Jubilees and is probably identical to Mastema.
According to the Book of Jubilees, Mastema requests permission from God to spare some of the giants (demons) and put them under his control (Jubilees 10:8). In Jubilees 11:10, Mastema is behind the birds mentioned in Genesis 15:11. At the time of Terah, Mastema sends ravens to eat and devour the seeds from the fields. It is Mastema who initiates the binding of Isaac and, by that, substitutes Yahweh. Likewise, not Yahweh but Mastema hardens the Pharaoh's heart (Jub. 48:15–17).
The account of Zipporah at the Inn where Yahweh meets Moses and tries to kill him is told in a way that attributes the attack to Mastema instead (Jubilees 48:1-3). Mastema is also said to have been chained 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". Mastema is also behind the powers of the Pharaoh's sorcerers.
The figure Mastema might be a step in developing the concept of the Devil as independent from God during the Second Temple period. By substituting Yahweh's malevolent role throughout the Torah with one of his angels, God is absolved of his otherwise evil actions. Yet, the authors of the Book of Jubilees assert that, ultimately, evil is caused by God, as it is God who explicitly grants Mastema demons. Accordingly, God allows evil to exist, but only for a limited period of time, without committing evil himself.
Hub AI
Mastema AI simulator
(@Mastema_simulator)
Mastema
Mastema (Hebrew: מַשְׂטֵמָה Masṭēmā; Ge'ez: መሰቴማ Mesetēma), Mastemat, or Mansemat, is an antagonistic angel in the Book of Jubilees. 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 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 removes malice from the Godhead of the Hebrew tradition. Nevertheless, Mastema remains subordinate to the Godhead.
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 working for God instead, as he does not fear imprisonment along with the Nephilim. Yet, the matter is blurred because angels and other kinds of spirits are not clearly differentiated in the work.
His function is similar to Satan in the Book of Job, as a servant of God. Another devilish entity, Belial, is mentioned twice in Jubilees and is probably identical to Mastema.
According to the Book of Jubilees, Mastema requests permission from God to spare some of the giants (demons) and put them under his control (Jubilees 10:8). In Jubilees 11:10, Mastema is behind the birds mentioned in Genesis 15:11. At the time of Terah, Mastema sends ravens to eat and devour the seeds from the fields. It is Mastema who initiates the binding of Isaac and, by that, substitutes Yahweh. Likewise, not Yahweh but Mastema hardens the Pharaoh's heart (Jub. 48:15–17).
The account of Zipporah at the Inn where Yahweh meets Moses and tries to kill him is told in a way that attributes the attack to Mastema instead (Jubilees 48:1-3). Mastema is also said to have been chained 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". Mastema is also behind the powers of the Pharaoh's sorcerers.
The figure Mastema might be a step in developing the concept of the Devil as independent from God during the Second Temple period. By substituting Yahweh's malevolent role throughout the Torah with one of his angels, God is absolved of his otherwise evil actions. Yet, the authors of the Book of Jubilees assert that, ultimately, evil is caused by God, as it is God who explicitly grants Mastema demons. Accordingly, God allows evil to exist, but only for a limited period of time, without committing evil himself.