BEHEMOTH вЂ“ Devil said to take the form of a monstrous elephant.

BALAAM вЂ“ Hebrew devil of avarice and greed.

AZAZEL вЂ“ The demon who taught man to make weapons of war and introduced women to cosmetics.

ASTAROTH вЂ“ Female demon worshipped by the Phoenicians as the goddess of lasciviousness.

ASMODEUS вЂ“ The orgy-loving ancient Hebrew devil of sensuality.

In addition to what he called the вЂњcrown princesвЂќ of Hell (Satan, the fallen angel Belial, and the destructive sea monster Leviathan) LaVey lists other vicious demons who also occupy the вЂњRoyal Palace of Hell.вЂќ Here are the 13 of the worst and most dangerous demons: вЂњTheologians have cataloged some of the names of devils in their lists of demons, but the roster which follows contains the names most effectively used in Satanic ritual,вЂќ wrote LaVey, known to his followers as The Black Pope. вЂњI see the contemporary interest in angels as an example of this.Demonic possession is no laughing matter вЂ“ but if you find yourself pitted against one of the 13 most dangerous demons in Hell, watch out! Blackman and Martin are 2 of them.ДЄnton Szandor LaVey, the former High Priest of the Church of Satan, listed the most powerful of LuciferвЂ™s minions in his notorious book, The Satanic Bible. вЂњNorth American Christianity has always been innovative, adaptive and diverse,вЂќ she said. While non-Christians also believe in angels, Muehlberger says the belief is especially prevalent today in Christianity, especially in the United States. But if you went away from the community, into the village, and engaged in вЂworldlyвЂ™ activities, that companion angel might leave you.вЂќ вЂњYour companion angel was an assistant who could help you fight off demons, and only arrived if you proved yourself worthy. Instead, they expected to get a companion angel only as a reward for virtuous behavior,вЂќ Muehlberger said.

вЂњCertain monks in late ancient Egypt didnвЂ™t believe that they were born with a guardian angel who watched over them throughout their lives. These were вЂњcompanion angels,вЂќ and not everyone had one. In those times, while some Christians assumed that guardian angels protected all human beings, others were convinced that angels were only given to those who had demonstrated their virtue. One of the most widespread modern notions about angels emerged in the late ancient era of Christianity that Muehlberger is studying. вЂњIn a way, angels were like computers-very, very good at figuring things out and getting things done because they had rational minds but did not have the difficulty of having desires and passions, like humanity.вЂќ вЂњIn antiquity, some Christians believed that angels were minds, or intellects, detached from bodies,вЂќ Muehlberger said. Most people did not envision angels looking the way we imagine them today-as beautiful winged creatures in diaphanous gowns. The monastic emphasis on humility was in direct conflict with the reputation ascetics had as special, holy people, equal to the angels, she explains.Д®xactly how angels looked and acted, and what humans could do to gain or lose their help was a frequent topic of debate, according to Muehlberger. вЂњThey said, вЂWe act like animals, not angels,'вЂќ Muehlberger said. But Muehlberger says when the Egyptian monks learned they were being considered angels, they emphatically rejected the idea. In late antiquity, the identity of angels was much broader than what it is now: some Christians spoke of Christ as an angel, or suggested that Christian ascetic monks who renounced family, food, drink and sex and lived out in the desert were really angels. An author living in Syria around the year 500 organized what little was known about angels into a вЂњCelestial HierarchyвЂќ: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Authorities, Principalities, Archangels and Angels. Christians worked out what angels did and what they were during the fourth and fifth centuries, according to Muehlberger, who is writing a book on angels in late ancient times. Various types of angels are named, but not defined, in the Bible. вЂњJust as many people today think of pets as part of their families, many people in the first 500 years of Christianity were convinced that angels were part of their lives,вЂќ said Ellen Muehlberger, assistant professor of Near Eastern studies and history at the U-M College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. According to a University of Michigan historian, angels stirred intense interest in the early years of Christianity as well.

But interest in angels is more than a contemporary fad. William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905) вЂ“ Song of the Angels (1881)ANN ARBOR-Angels are everywhere today-on lapel pins, magnetic dashboard figures, keepsake ornaments and in a Pulitzer Prize-winning play.

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