Christianity

In the New Testament the word is used to refer to a demon, perhaps Satan^{[citation needed]}, when asked by St. Paul as to how Christ and Belial can agree. The passage in the Bible NIV states (2 Corinthians 6:15): "What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?".
Sebastien Michaelis states that Belial seduces by means of arrogance and his adversary is St. Francis of Paola; in this sense his name is translated as "Lord of Arrogance" or "Lord of Pride" (Baal ial).^{[citation needed]}
In the Biblia Vulgata fewer allusions to this demon are made, referring to Belial as torrents of death, and to impious men as sons of Belial and men of Belial.
Belial is listed as the sixty-eighth spirit of The Lesser Key of Solomon.
(Be′li·al) [from Heb., meaning "Good for Naught"; a compound of beli′, "not, lacking," and ya·‛al′, "be of benefit; be beneficial"].
The quality or state of being useless, base, good for naught. The Hebrew term beli·ya′‛al is applied to ideas, words, and counsel,^[9] to calamitous circumstances,^[10] and most frequently, to good-for-nothing men of the lowest sort—for example, men who would induce worship of other gods;^[11] those of Benjamin who committed the sex crime at Gibeah;^[12] the wicked sons of Eli;^[13] insolent Nabal;^[14] opposers of God’s anointed, David;^[15] Rehoboam’s unsteady associates;^[16] Jezebel's conspirators against Naboth;^[17] and men in general who stir up contention.^[18] Indicating that the enemy power would no longer interfere with the carrying out of true worship by his people in their land, Jehovah declared through his prophet: "No more will any good-for-nothing person pass again through you. In his entirety he will certainly be cut off."^[19]
By the time Bible writing resumed in the first century, "Belial" was used as a name for Satan.^{[citation needed]} So when Paul wrote^[20] in his series of parallel contrasts, "What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?" the conclusion usually drawn is that "Belial" is Satan. The Syriac Peshitta here reads "Satan."^[21]