The Hebrew termAbaddon (Hebrew:אֲבַדּוֹן’Ăḇaddōn, meaning "destruction", "doom") and its Greek equivalentApollyon (Koine Greek:Ἀπολλύων,Apollúōn meaning "Destroyer") appear in theBible as both a place of destruction and anangel of the abyss. In theHebrew Bible,abaddon is used with reference to a bottomless pit, often appearing alongside the placeSheol (שְׁאוֹלŠəʾōl), meaning the resting place of dead peoples.
In theBook of Revelation of theNew Testament, an angel called Abaddon is described as the king of an army oflocusts; his name is first transcribed in Koine Greek (Revelation 9:11—"whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon") asἈβαδδών, and then translatedἈπολλύων,Apollyon. TheVulgate and theDouay–Rheims Bible have additional notes not present in the Greek text, "in LatinExterminans",exterminans being the Latin word for "destroyer".
In medieval Christian literature, Abaddon's portrayal diverges significantly, as seen in the "Song of Roland", an 11th-century epic poem. Abaddon is depicted as part of a fictional trinity, alongsideMahome (Mahound) andTermagant (Termagaunt), which the poem attributes to the religious practices of Muslims.[1]
According to theBrown–Driver–Briggs lexicon, the Hebrewאבדון’ăḇadōn is anintensive form of theSemitic root and verb stemאָבַד’ăḇāḏ "perish", transitive "destroy", which occurs 184 times in the Hebrew Bible. TheSeptuagint, an early Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, renders "Abaddon" as "ἀπώλεια" (apṓleia), while the GreekApollýon is theactive participle ofἀπόλλυμιapóllymi, "to destroy".[2]
The termabaddon appears six times in theMasoretic Text of the Hebrew Bible;abaddon means destruction or "place of destruction", or the realm of the dead, and is accompanied bySheol.
TheThanksgiving Hymns—a text found amongst theDead Sea Scrolls in 1947—tell of "the Sheol of Abaddon" and of the "torrents ofBelial [that] burst into Abaddon". TheBiblical Antiquities (misattributed toPhilo) mention Abaddon as a place (destruction) rather than as an individual. Abaddon is also one of the compartments ofGehenna.[4] By extension, the name can refer to an underworld abode of lost souls, or Gehenna.
In some legends, Abaddon is identified as a realm where thedamned lie in fire and snow, one of the places inGehenna thatMoses visited.[5]
The New Testament contains the first known depiction ofAbaddon as an individual entity instead of a place.
A king, the angel of the bottomless pit; whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek Apollyon; in Latin Exterminans.
— Revelation 9:11, Douay–Rheims Bible
In the Old Testament, Abaddon and Death can be personified:
Abaddon and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’
— Job 28:22, English Standard Version
And,
Sheol is naked before God, and Abaddon has no covering.
— Job 26:6, English Standard Version
And,
Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, and never satisfied are the eyes of man.
— Proverbs 27:20, English Standard Version
Hell and destruction are not filled; so also are the eyes of men insatiable.
— Proverbs 27:20, Brenton Septuagint Translation
And,
But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.
— Proverbs 6:32, King James Bible
But the adulterer through want of sense procures destruction to his soul.
— Proverbs 6:32, Brenton Septuagint Translation
The Hebrew text of Proverbs 6:32 does not contain the nounabaddon (אֲבַדּוֹן) but a participial form of the verbshachath (שָׁחַת).[6] But the Septuagint usesapoleian (ἀπώλειαν), the accusative case of the nounapoleia (ἀπώλεια) with which it also translatesabaddon in five of the six Hebrew verses that contain the word. (Though an English interlinear of the Septuagint might read "destruction the soul of him obtains", the reader should understand that "adulterer" is the subject, "soul" is the indirect object, and "destruction" is the direct object.)[7]
InRevelation 9:11, Abaddon is described as "Destroyer",[8] the angel of theAbyss,[8] and as the king of a plague of locusts resembling horses with crowned human faces, women's hair, lions' teeth, wings, iron breast-plates, and a tail with a scorpion's stinger that torments for five months anyone who does not have the seal of God on their foreheads.[9]
The symbolism of Revelation 9:11 leaves the identity of Abaddon open to interpretation. Protestant commentatorMatthew Henry (1708) believed Abaddon to be theAntichrist,[10] whereas theJamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary (1871) andHenry Hampton Halley (1922) identified the angel asSatan.[11][12]
Early inJohn Bunyan'sThe Pilgrim's Progress the Christian pilgrim fights "over half a day" long with the demon Apollyon. This book permeated Christianity in the English-speaking world for 300 years after its first publication in 1678.
In contrast, theMethodist publicationThe Interpreter's Bible states, "Abaddon, however, is an angel not of Satan but of God, performing his work of destruction at God's bidding", citing the context at Revelation chapter 20, verses 1 through 3.[13][page needed]Jehovah's Witnesses also cite Revelation 20:1-3 where the angel having "the key of the abyss" is actually shown to be a representative of God, concluding that "Abaddon" is another name for Jesus after his resurrection.[14]
In medieval Christian literature, the depiction of Abaddon often mirrors the religious and cultural contexts of the time. A notable illustration of this is found in theSong of Roland, an 11th-century epic poem. This work associates Abaddon with figures such as Mahome (Mahound), Apollyon (Appolin), andTermagant, which are presented as deities in the context of the poem's portrayal of Muslims. The inclusion of Apollyon, a name sometimes linked with Abaddon in Christian texts, highlights the interpretative approaches of the period towards Islamic practices.[1]
Such literary representations in medieval Christian literature are indicative of the broader context of interfaith understanding and relations during the Middle Ages. They reflect the complexities and nuances in the depiction of figures like Abaddon and their perceived associations with other faiths.[15]
Mandaean scriptures such as theGinza Rabba mention the Abaddons (Classical Mandaic:ʿbdunia) as part of theWorld of Darkness. TheRight Ginza mentions the existence of the "upper Abaddons" (ʿbdunia ʿlaiia) as well as the "lower Abaddons" (ʿbdunia titaiia). The final poem of theLeft Ginza mentions the "House of the Abaddons" (bit ʿbdunia).[16]
Häberl (2022) considers theMandaic wordʿbdunia to be a borrowing from Hebrew.[17]
In the 3rd-centuryGnostic textActs of Thomas, Abaddon is the name of a demon, or thedevil himself.
Abaddon is given particularly important roles in two sources, ahomily entitledThe Enthronement of Abaddon by pseudo-Timothy of Alexandria, and theBook of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, by Bartholomew the Apostle.[18][19] In the homily by Timothy, Abaddon was first namedMuriel, and had been given the task byGod of collecting the earth that would be used in the creation ofAdam. Upon completion of this task, the angel was appointed as a guardian. Everyone, including the angels, demons, and corporeal entities feared him. Abaddon was promised that any who venerated him in life could be saved. Abaddon is also said to have a prominent role in theLast Judgment, as the one who will take the souls to theValley of Josaphat.[18] He is described in theBook of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ as being present in theTomb of Jesus at the moment of theresurrection of Jesus.[20]
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