In is a story of a man that refuses St. Peter’s judgment saying his sins were justified. The main character, Tempest Landry, is sent to earth to be convinced of his sins. With him is sent an accounting angel, Joshua Angel. Later in the novel Basel Bob is introduced. Basel Bob is both a character and a symbol for evil.
As shown in the book the name Basel Bob comes from Beelzebub.
“Basel Bob?”
He smiled and my heart went cold.
“Beelzebub,” I whispered.
“At your service, accounting angel,” he said with a slight bow of his head.( 94 The Tempest Tales)
Basel Bob accepts the label of Beelzbub a title use for Satan. Beelzbub is a Jewish corruption of Baalzebul the original Hebrew. Baal means Lord and zebul means dung so the literal translation is “Lord of dung,” a term of contempt. Zebul also was used a term for a heathen deity. Under this translation Baalzebul means “Chief of false gods” or the arch-fiend. This labels Basel Bob as the lord of false gods or Satan.
Satan is often used as a symbol of evil. The bible says:
And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels battled with the dragon and the dragon and it’s angels battled but it did not prevail, neither was a place found for them any longer in heaven. So down the great dragon was hurled the original serpent the one called Devil and Satan who is misleading the entire inhabited earth; he was hurled down to earth and his angels were hurled down with him. (New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures Revelation 12:8-12:9)
The bible refers to Satan as a dragon. Which is a symbol its self for evil and paganism.( http://www.catholic-saints.info/catholic-symbols/dragon.htm) It also says that “the one called Devil and Satan who is misleading the entire inhabited earth.” This states outright that Satan is misleading all of humanity, making Basel Bob as Satan someone who misleads humanity as a whole.
Basel Bob’s physical appearance also indicates he is a symbol for evil. He wears all black...