>>19558056Balaam is a very interesting biblical character.
>He has a story in the Old Testament about cursing the Israelites and removing Yahweh's favour from them>He knew Yahweh but wasn't Israelite nor was he favourable to Israelites>He knew of sin hundreds and its interaction with Yahweh>He is the focus of the Deir Alla inscription in Jordan, the oldest piece of aramaic literature>There are depictions of him at ancient places of worship>He is associated with predicting the Bethlehem star and linking it with the birth of Christ>He is always depicted as a gentile/goy/non-jew but always powerful and has abilities like seeing the future or giving major curses>He gets a mention in the book of Revelation, which mentions people following his teachings>He is named as one of the kings of hell in the Ars Goetia, commanding legions of demons>In the Talmud and other Jewish writings, Balaam is a codeword for Jesus