Mastema
Mastema (also known as Mastemah or Mansemat)
Mastema is a powerful and complex figure in Jewish demonological and apocalyptic literature, variously described as an angel of evil, hostility, adversity, and destruction, an accuser, and a prince of demons and injustice. His name derives from the same Hebrew root as the noun meaning hostility or enmity, a term that appears in the Old Testament, notably in Hosea 9:7–8, where it conveys opposition, persecution, and animosity.
According to later lore, Mastema was once an Angel of the Lord, tasked with executing divine punishment, but over time became demonised, evolving into a figure closely aligned with Satanic functions. He occupies a liminal role between obedience and rebellion, justice and cruelty, divine testing and malevolent accusation.
Mastema in Qumran and Apocalyptic Texts
In the Qumran texts, Mastema is referenced approximately ten times and is frequently equated with Belial, the great adversarial force whose purpose is destruction and deception. Within this framework, Mastema is portrayed as ruling over the children of falsehood, leading them in opposition to the children of light. He exists between the Prince of Light and the Angel of Darkness, embodying the tension between cosmic order and corruption.
Mastema is said to lead even the righteous astray, testing their faith and sowing confusion. His role is not merely to oppose God, but to operate within a divinely permitted structure of trial and judgment.
Mastema in the Book of Jubilees
The Book of Jubilees offers the most detailed portrait of Mastema and is notable for naming him as the only angel explicitly identified by name within the text. Here, Mastema is called the Angel of Hostility and is equated with Satan. His origins are not fully explained, but he is clearly established as the prince of evil spirits who harass, tempt, and corrupt humankind.
In one pivotal episode, when God expels the evil spirits from the world, Mastema pleads with the Creator to allow him to retain some of them so that he may continue to exercise power over humanity. God grants his request, allowing one-tenth of the fallen spirits to remain under Mastema’s command. These spirits then become agents of temptation, idolatry, sin, and moral pollution.
Mastema as Accuser and Adversary
Acting in a role similar to the Satan of earlier biblical tradition, Mastema urges God to test Abraham through the command to sacrifice his son, Isaac. He also plays a central adversarial role in the Exodus narrative, aiding the Egyptians against Moses and attempting to kill him. Mastema supports the magicians of Pharaoh, empowering them to rival the miracles performed by Moses and Aaron.
According to Jubilees, Mastema’s demons also lead the sons of Noah astray, encouraging sin, idolatry, violence, and corruption in the post-Flood world.
Nature and Interpretation
Mastema is not a purely rebellious figure acting outside divine authority; rather, he functions as an instrument of testing, punishment, and opposition within a divinely sanctioned cosmic order. He represents hostility made manifest, the force that challenges righteousness through adversity and trial. In later demonological interpretations, Mastema becomes increasingly identified with Belial, Satan, and the principle of destructive accusation.
Within occult and esoteric thought, Mastema is often viewed as an archetype of adversarial intelligence—a being whose role is to expose weakness, provoke downfall, and enforce harsh spiritual lessons through suffering and conflict.
FURTHER READING:
- Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible. 2nd ed. Edited by Karel van der Toorn, Bob Becking, and Pieter W. van der Horst. Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans, 1999.
SEE ALSO:
SOURCES:
- The Dictionary of Demons written by Michelle Belanger.
- The Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology – Written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley – Copyright © 2009 by Visionary Living, Inc.
NOTE:
Edited and revised for the Web by Occult Media, the 23rd of April 2021. We use British English spelling.
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