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Biography
redirect|ApollyonAbout|the Hebrew word Abaddon (lang-he|?????????, ''lang|he-Latn|'A?addon , Koine Greek|Greek : lang|el|Apollyon , lang-la|Exterminans, Coptic language|Coptic : lang|cop-Latn|Abbaton'', meaning "A place of destruction", "The Destroyer", "Depths of Hell") in the Book of Revelation|Revelation of John the Evangelist|St. John , is the king of tormenting locusts and the angel of the bottomless pit.KJV, Rev. 9:1-11. The exact nature of Abaddon is debated, but the Hebrew word is related to the Semitic root|triliteral root ??? (ABD), which in verb form means "to perish."See any Hebrew dictionary entry for Strong number 6; you can search for it using http://unbound.biola.edu/index.cfm? method=strongsLex.showSearchForm The Unbound Bible's lexicon search tool.
In Judaism and Christianity
Biblical mentions
In the Hebrew scriptures, Abaddon comes to mean "place of destruction," or the realm of the dead, and is associated with Sheol .See Book of Job|Job 26:6, Book of Proverbs|Proverbs 15:11, Proverbs 27:20 and Book of Psalms|Psalm 88:3, among others.
The Christian scriptures contain the first knowncite book |last = Davidson |first = Gustav | origyear = 1967 | year = 1994 | title = A Dictionary of Fallen Angels, Including the Fallen Angels | publisher = Macmillan, Inc. | location = New York, New York | isbn = 978-0-02-907052-9 depiction of Abaddon as an individual entity instead of a place. In St. John's Revelation 9:1-11, Abaddon is described as the angel of the bottomless pit and king over a plague of locusts that resemble war horses with crowned human faces and having women's hair, lions' teeth, locusts' wings, and the tail of a scorpion that are told to torment the people, but not to kill them or harm the Earth.
Other theological works
The text of the Thanksgiving Hymns —which was found in the Dead Sea Scrolls —tells of "the Sheol of Abaddon" and of the "torrents of Belial that burst into Abaddon". The Pseudo-Philo| Biblical Antiquities attributed to Philo mentions Abaddon as a place ( sheol , hell), not as a spirit or demon or angel. In the 3rd century Acts of Thomas , Abaddon is the name of a demon, or the Devil himself. Abaddon has also been identified as the angel of death and destruction, demon of the abyss, and chief of demons of the underworld hierarchy, where he is equated with Samael or Satan . In magic (paranormal)|magic , Abaddon is often identified with the Destroying Angel of the Apocalypse . http://www.occultopedia.com/a/abaddon.htm Occultopedia article on Abaddon
Abaddon is also one of the compartments of Gehenna .Metzger & Coogan (1993) Oxford Companion to the Bible , p3. By extension, it can mean an underworld abode of lost souls, or hell . In some legends, it is identified as a realm where the damned lie in fire and snow, one of the places in Hell that Moses visited. http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/loj/loj206.htm The Legends of the Jews, volume II: From Joseph to Exodus , Lewis Ginzberg, 1909.
In the lore of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria|Coptic Church , Abbaton is the name given to the Death (personification)|angel of death . He is given particularly important roles in two sources, a homily entitled The Enthronment of Abbaton by Timothy of Alexandria , and the Apocalypse of Bartholomew. Atiya, Aziz S. The Coptic Encyclopedia . New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1991. ISBN 0-02-897025-X In the homily by Timothy, Abbaton was first named Muriel , and had been given the task by God of collecting the earth which would be used in the creation of Adam . Upon completion of this task, the angel was then named to be guardian. Everybody, including the angels, demons, and corporeal entities, felt fear of him. Abbaton engaged in prayer and ultimately obtained the promise that any men who venerated him during their lifetime stood the chance of being saved. Abbaton is also said to have a prominent role in the Last Judgement , as the one who will take the souls to the Valley of Josaphat . He is described in the Apocalypse of Bartholomew as being present in the Tomb of Jesus at the moment of his Resurrection of Jesus|resurrection . http://www.pseudepigrapha.com/LostBooks/bartholomew.htm Gospel of Bartholomew Featured as Abbaton
Identifying Abaddon
The symbolism of Revelation 9:11 leaves the exact identification of Abaddon open for interpretation. Some bible scholars believe him to be the antichrist http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/comm_read.pl? book=Rev& chapter=9& verse=11& Comm=Comm%2Fmhc%2FRev%2FRev009.html%231%26Matthew%26Henry& Select.x=18& Select.y=9#1 Matthew Henry Commentary on Revelation 9 , accessed 15 April 2007 or Satan.Jamieson, Robert; Fausset, A.R.; and Brown, David (2000-02-19). Commentary on Revelation 9. Blue Letter Bible. Retrieved on 2007-04-15 from http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/comm_read.pl? book=Rev& chapter=9& verse=11& Comm=Comm%2Fjfb%2FRev%2FRev009.html%2359238%26JF+%5E%26B& Select.x=24& Select.y=0.Halley (2000) ''Halley's Bible Handbook with the New International Version , p936.MacDonald (1995) Believer's Bible Commentary , p2366.
The International Bible Students Association (precursor to Jehovah's Witnesses) identified Abaddon as Satan in C.T. Russel's 1917 posthumous work. Charles Taze Russell ’s Studies in the Scriptures , vol. 7, p. 159, 1917 edition Jehovah's Witnesses now take the contrasting view, believing that Abaddon is another name of the resurrected and enthroned Jesus Christ.Insight on the Scriptures Page 12Watchtower, Dec. 1, 1961, p. 719
Some theologians believe Abaddon to be just an angel. Concerning the angel holding the key to the bottomless pit from Revelation 9 and 20, Gustav Davidson , in A Dictionary of Angels, Including the Fallen Angels , writes:
:In Revelation 20:2 he "laid hold of the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years". According to the foregoing, Apollion is a holy (good) angel, servant, and messenger of God; but in occult and, generally, in noncanonical writings, he is evil.
See also
Abaddon in popular culture
References
Reflist|1
Bibliography
cite book
| last =Metzeger | first =Bruce M. (ed) | authorlink = | coauthors = Michael D. Coogan (ed) | title = The Oxford Companion to the Bible | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 1993 | location = Oxford, UK | pages = | url = | doi = | isbn = 0-19-504645-5
cite book
| last =Halley | first =Henry H. | authorlink = | coauthors = James E. Ruark (ed) | title = Halley's Bible Handbook | publisher = Zondervan Publishing House | year = 2000 | location = Grand Rapids, MI | pages = | url = | doi = | isbn = 0-310-22479-9
cite book
| last =MacDonald | first =William | authorlink = | coauthors = Art Farstad (ed) | title = Believer's Bible Commentary | publisher = Thomas Nelson (Publishing House)|Thomas Nelson Publishers | year = 1995 | location = Nashville, TN | pages = | url = | doi = | isbn = 0-8407-1972-8
External links
http://www.cblibrary.org/schaff_h/aa/abaddon.htm Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Abaddon
Wikisource1911Enc|Abaddon
Catholic|wstitle=Abaddon
1911
Schaff-Herzog
Category:Angels in Christianity Category:Book of Revelation Category:Demons in Christianity Category:Hebrew Bible places Category:Hebrew words and phrases Category:Individual angels Category:New Testament places
