Balaam

Balaam was a diviner living in Pethor, a city in Mesopotamia (Deuteronomy 23:4), which was thought to belong to the Midianites (Numbers 31:8).

Balaam's Ass
"As the Jack Ass spoke God's Word
To the heretic prophet Balaam,
We do boldly speak the Word,
Trash hirelings and Heretics,
And hug God's true saints " ...

Figure 33. BALAAM'S SORCERY.
Meloch, hel alokim tiphret hod jesath.
This brings vengeance upon enemies, and must not be disregarded, because it contains the names of the Seven Tables of the Ark of the Covenant.

Another reference to to an adversary angel which is commonly ascribed to Satan is the angel who stops Balaam's donkey and keeps Balaam from further displeasing God. Once again, Satan acts in the providence of God and not as an enemy.

Another possibility is offered by images of the Gentile prophet Balaam from the 4th century Roman catacombs (Stevenson 1978).

The Fifty-first Spirit is Balam, Balaam, or Balan. He is a Terrible, Great, and Powerful King. He appeareth with three Heads: the first is like that of a Bull; the second is like that of a Man; the third is like that of a Ram.

Must we believe that the knowledge of good and evil were really and truly a tree, and that the bitter fruits of this double-stemmed tree that yields life and death were peaches or apples? The Serpent of Eden and the Ass of Balaam, ...

See also: Angel, Christ, Spirit, World, Anima