To some people Mammon is the name of a powerful devil. According to those that believe this, Mammon is a corruptor who will offer wealth and riches, the shiny baubles of the mortal world in the same way a succubus will tempt with sexual gratification. Activities that will make men chase after the almighty dollar rather than the true will of the Almighty are his domain. While entertaining and filled with all the intrigue of a fallen angel story… these people are wrong.
This is not to say that Mammon is not a demon, but rather a demonized pagan god from an older culture like Beelzebub is a version of Baal either. No, the word Mammon has never been the proper name of a divine or infernal being, but it’s a word used in Aramaic. The word, simply put, means “wealth” or “riches.” It doesn’t mean ill-gotten riches, or wealth gained in some sinful way, but just the idea of money and a lot of it. What then do phrases like “a man cannot serve God and Mammon” really mean? Simple; do not stunt your spiritual life chasing after wealth and material goods that you don’t need. This is modified by the “render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s,” which tells you to pay taxes and earn what you need to survive and live, but don’t sacrifice the spiritual for the physical as the physical is an eye blink and the spiritual is a greater and eternal after.
How then did a simple word for a simple idea grow to such strange dimensions that people in the Middle Ages regarded Mammon as a force on par with the devil himself? The simple answer; pop culture. Honestly, pop culture is responsible for a huge amount of what people think they know about religion in general, and Abrahamic religion specifically. John Milton in “Paradise Lost” turned Mammon into a fallen angel that coveted the goods of the world, perhaps in reflection of how the biblical angel Azazel coveted mortal women and eventually helped father the race of Nephilim. It was also Milton who wrote the phrase, “better to rule in Hell than serve in Heaven.”
The misunderstanding about Mammon is just one of many examples. For instance, Dante and his Divine Comedy are responsible for the modern image of hell (there’s no biblical description other than fire and darkness). Robert de Boron is actually responsible for the idea of the Holy Grail, and he supplanted it for the quest Arthur and his knights were really on, which was to find Dagda’s cauldron of plenty. Even the idea of a pre-tribulation Rapture is a modern invention that was popularized first by the clergy, and then by pop culture such as the “Left Behind” series (which is just the most recent contribution). Even Christianity itself draws suppositions not mentioned in biblical text though, such as the idea of Lucifer being a fallen angel (it’s a mistranslation), or the myth of Adam’s first wife Lilith which was explained centuries later. Really the only safe thing you can do is to read the book yourself, and then try to sort out fact from fiction.
“Mammon,” by Anonymous at New Advent
“Mammon,” by Anonymous at Wise Geek
“Mammon,” by Krista at Delerium’s Realm
