In theBook of Jubilees, Mastema requests hosts ofdemons, the spirits of theNephilim, from God to tempt and corrupt humanity. He appears to various prophets and puts them to the test. Throughout the work, Mastema substitutes evil actions attributed toYahweh in theTorah and removes malice from theGodhead of the Hebrew tradition. Nevertheless, Mastema remains subordinate to the Godhead.
Although leading a group of demons, the text implies that he is anangel working for God instead, as he does not fear imprisonment along with the Nephilim.[4][5] Yet, the matter is blurred because angels and other kinds of spirits are not clearly differentiated in the work.[4]
His function is similar toSatan in theBook of Job, as a servant of God.[6] Another devilish entity,Belial, is mentioned twice in Jubilees and is probably identical to Mastema.[7]
According to the Book of Jubilees, a retelling ofBook of Genesis andBook of Exodus,[8] Mastema requests permission from God to spare some of the giants (demons) and put them under his control (Jubilees 10:8).[9][10] In Jubilees 11:10, Mastema is behind the birds mentioned in Genesis 15:11. At the time ofTerah, Mastema sends ravens to eat and devour the seeds from the fields.[11] It is Mastema who initiates thebinding of Isaac and, by that, substitutesYahweh.[12][13] Likewise, not Yahweh but Mastema hardens thePharaoh's heart (Jub. 48:15–17).[14][15]
The account ofZipporah at the Inn where Yahweh meetsMoses and tries to kill him is retold in a way that attributes the attack to Mastema instead (Jubilees 48:1-3).[16][17] Mastema is also said to have been chained while theIsraelites left Egypt, but then let go to encourage the Egyptians to chase after the Israelites and so come totheir doom in the Red Sea. The deaths of thefirstborn of the Egyptians are attributed to "all the powers of Mastema".[7] Mastema is also behind the powers of the Pharaoh's sorcerers.[18]
The figure Mastema might be a step in developing the concept of the Devil as independent from God during theSecond Temple period.[19] By substituting Yahweh's malevolent role throughout theTorah with one of his angels, God is abolished from evil actions.[20][21] Yet, the authors of the Book of Jubilees assert that, ultimately, evil is caused by God, as it is God who explicitly grants Mastema demons.[22] Accordingly, God allows evil to exist, but only for a limited period of time, without committing evil himself.[23]
Although a prince of evil, Mastema never harms God's servants. Whenever Mastema acts, it is only by God's permission, or Mastema is immediately restrained.[24] In cases when harm actually befalls God's people, Mastema is not associated with the act. Mastema and his demons only succeed when they attack a non-Jewish nation.[25] Throughout the Book of Jubilees, God's loyalty to the people of Israel remains unshaken.[26] Mastema might be understood as a figure of evil befalling the non-Jewish nations. As such, the text inverts the audience's expectations by nullifying the power of the agent of evil as long as they stay loyal to the Jewish tradition.[27]
There are no parallel stories to that of Mastema and Abraham in later Jewish traditions.[28] However, parallels are found between Mastema andNimrod inMuḥammad al-Kisāʾī'sQisas al-Anbiya.[29] In theQuran, Mastema's function is reflected in the figureIblis, who likewise requests God to tempt humanity and receives hosts of demons in order to do so, and is subordinative to God, unable to harm God's servants.[30]
The name appears in theDead Sea Scrolls. In theDamascus Document, the expression "angel of mastema" (mal'ak ha-mastema) occurs.[31] The definite articleha- indicates thatmastema is not a proper name here.[32] TheSerek ha-Yahad declares that God:
"made Belial for the pit, an angel of mastema; and in dark[ness is] his [rule] and in his counsel is to bring wickedness and guilt about; and all the spirits of his lot are angels of destruction; they walk in the statutes of darkness."[33]
It is unclear if it is meant to refer to the type of angel that Belial is or a proper name.[34]
In theMegami Tensei series of video games and its spin-offs, Mastema is portrayed as ademon, although, within the context of the franchise, the term "demon" is used in its classical meaning (cf.daemon) to refer to any supernatural creature. Mastema can be fought but can also join the player's group. InStrange Journey, Mastema represents the Law alignment and plays a significant role within the game.
In theDigimon game,Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth, Mastemon is an Angel Digimon who manipulates light and darkness, and has the power to cross through space-time.[36]
In theYu-Gi-Oh! trading card game, the card "Darklord Nasten" (堕天使マスティマ,datenshi [= Fallen Angel] Mastema) is based on this demon.
In the comic bookBirthright, Mastema is the name of one of the mages living on Earth that maintain the barrier between worlds. She is revealed shortly after her introduction to be the daughter of the series' main villain.
In the mobile gameArknights, Mostima is the name of an operator that has angelic and demonic qualities.
In the KoreanMMORPGMapleStory, Mastema (마스테마) is the name of the devout follower of the playable class "Demon", and it can transform into a purple cat to conceal its power.
^Oliver, Evelyn Dorothy; Lewis, James R. (2008).Angels A to Z (2nd ed.). Canton, MI: Visible Ink Press. pp. 240–1.ISBN978-1-57859-212-8Internet Archive{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
