Méphistophélès


In Gounod’s Faust, Méphistophélès is presented as Satan himself, but in the usual hierarchy of the underworld, he is a minor figure, just one of the fallen angels.

The story of Satan goes back to the Old Testament. Before man was created, he was Lucifer (denoting Light), the Prince of Angels, placed at the head of the angelic hosts. He organized a revolt against God by some of the angels and as punishment was cast out from heaven. His cohorts were changed into demons. From then on, Satan has tried to seduce men to sin. As the serpent in the Garden of Eden, he caused the fall of man through Adam and Eve (Genesis 3). At first, he worked with God as an agent of divine wrath. For example, in the Book of Job he appears as the partner of God, who on behalf of God, puts the righteous ones to the test. It is only later that he became his adversary. In the New Testament he evolves into several devils: Satan; Belial, the angel of darkness; and Beelzebub, the enemy. Christ speaks of Beelzebub as the chief of demons and equates him with Satan.

In the Middle Ages the devil was sometimes presented as the “ape of God”, who tries to imitate his former master. During the Reformation, various hierarchies of demons were developed. In one of these a devil is associated with each of the Seven Deadly Sins: Lucifer with Pride, Mammon with Avarice, Asmodeus with Lechery, Satan with Anger, Beelzebub with Gluttony, Leviathan with Envy, and Belphegor with Sloth. There was no mention of Méphistophélès as yet. At the time of the Enlightenment, theologians tried to demythologize Satan, but later apologists for him, including C.S. Lewis (the author of the Narnia books), point out the irony of this. The demythology could be Satan’s way of camouflaging himself and thus proof of his existence.

Méphistophélès, as Mephisto, was probably invented by the author of the Faustbuch (See the article 500 years of Faust, Part 1), and he is mentioned only in literature connected with Faust. In the early stories he is one of the demons, not an important member of the hierarchy of hell.

In the Faustbuch, after the bargain between Faust and Méphistophélès is sealed, the philosopher asks the demon several questions about hell:

Q1: How came thy Lord and master Lucifer to have so great a fall from heaven?
A1: My Lord Lucifer was a fair Angel, created of God as immortal, and being placed in the Seraphims, which are above the Cherubims, he would have presumed unto the Throne of God, with intent to have thrust God out of his seat. Upon this presumption the Lord cast him down headlong, and where before he was an Angel of Light, now dwells he in darkness, not able to come near his first place.
Q2: What Kingdoms are there in hell and who rules them?
A2: There are ten kingdoms: Lacus mortis, Stagnum ignis, Terra tenebrosa, Tartarus, Terra oblivionis, Gehenna, Herebus, Barathrum, Styx and Acheron. They are governed by five kings: Lucifer in the Orient, Beelzebub in Septentrio, Belial in Meridie, Astaroth in Occidente and Phlegeton in the middest of the all.

Add the inhabitants of these kingdoms and you have truly a plethora of devils.

In the Prologue to Goethe’s Faust Méphistophélès has clearly been promoted. He visits God in Heaven and converses with him about Faust just as Satan visits God and converses with him about Job (Job I). Yet he is modest, claiming at first to be only one of many devils. Finally, however, a witch recognizes him as Satan himself. With his disguise revealed, Gounod’s Méphistofélès is indeed The Devil, although more debonaire than evil, having lost his tail and horns.