>>21217352Balaam 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 and was supposedly the demon to whom Gilles de Rais, Joan of Arc's partner, sacrificed children>In the Talmud and other Jewish writings, Balaam is a codeword for Jesus 