The fourth demon prince according to Binsfeld was Leviathan, which represented the sin of envy. The Cabala explains this as him being a Cambian-a half-human half-demon offspring-his mother, a Succubus and his father, King David. His appearance can vary, but most of the time, we see a part-man part-animal hybrid. In the Talmud and the Testament of Solomon, Asmodeus has numerous encounters with Solomon, and there is a passage that mentions him marrying Lilith and taking her as his demon queen. He placed a fish’s heart and liver over some burning coals, and when Asmodeus visited them that evening, the smell caused him to flee where he would later be bound by Raphael. Following the advice given to him by the Archangel Raphael, he was able to repel the demon. The eighth husband, Tobias, was lucky enough not to suffer a similar fate. He also killed seven of her husbands the night of their wedding, just before they could consummate the marriage. In the book of Tobit, he fell in love with a woman named Sarah and prevented her from marrying anyone else. Many saw his role as spreading lust through the land, from common people to kings and queens-nobody was safe. Most of what we know about Asmodeus comes from the book of Tobit, as well as some other Talmudic stories such as the Construction of the Temple of Solomon. The third prince of hell is Asmodeus, who represented the sin of Lust. Over time, this began to change, and it was during the Middle Ages Mammon became more than just a concept, he was personified as the demon of greed in numerous pieces of art and literature, and thus some scholars began to classify him as one of the princes of hell, who would enslave those who were driven by greed and the accumulation of wealth.Īt times, Mammon can be confused with Beelzebub, and though they both can be seen as demons of greed, greed and gluttony aren’t necessarily the same thing. In scripture, Mammon isn’t necessarily a physical being, more so a concept surrounding money, wealth, and greed. The second demon Binsfeld mentioned is Mammon, whose name roughly translates to mean money-and I’m sure you’ve guessed, he is the embodiment of our next sin, Greed. Mammon (Greed) Mammon, oil on canvas by George Frederick Watts, 1884–85 in the collection of the Tate, London. They even sometimes replace Lucifer with another fallen angel figure, such as Azazel. Other classifications who don’t agree see Satan as the figurehead of hell, an entity separate from Lucifer. Some consider Lucifer to be the ruler of the seven princes, these accounts often believe Lucifer and Satan are the same individuals. His overwhelming pride led to him believing that he could rule heaven, and so, he was cast out and demonized when his rebellion was unsuccessful-The ever-present reminder of the dangers when one allows pride to overcome them. But in this regard, Binsfeld is referring to Lucifer, the fallen angel. The first of these is Lucifer, who represented the sin of pride, the original and most serious of the seven deadly sins.Īs there is an entire article devoted to Lucifer, I won’t go into too much detail here. So, who are these demons? Lucifer (Pride) According to Binsfeld, the seven deadly sins were much more than just deadly vices. In 1589, amongst the chaos of these witch trials, he published a list of demons that he believed to be the Lords or Princes of Hell. This is important because, at the time, Peter was considered a rather intelligent man, an expert in religion and its supernatural elements. Binsfeld wrote an influential piece titled “Of the Confessions of Warlocks and Witches,” which contained the alleged confessions of these individuals that had been obtained through torture and, therefore, according to him should be believed and trusted. What he was most well-known for was the part he played in the witch trials of trier, which took place from 1581 until 1593. When he returned, he became a prominent figure in many anti-protestant campaigns. As a child, Peter was gifted enough to be sent to Rome to study. Peter Binsfeld was a German bishop and religious scholar born in Germany in 1540 or 1545, depending on varying sources. Today we’ll take a look at some of these ideas, mostly focusing on the Classification of Demons by Peter Binsfeld, which borrows heavily from the idea of the Seven Deadly Sins. It’s not necessarily one that is mentioned explicitly in scripture, but it is an interesting idea that many scholars have attempted to explain in the last 600 years. The Seven Princes of Hell is an idea we mentioned when we discussed Lucifer. The Seven Princes of Hell are as follows: In Conclusion Who are the Seven Princes of Hell?Īccording to Peter Binsfield (German Bishop and Religious Scholar), the Seven Princes of Hell are classified as the personifications of the Seven Deadly Sins.
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