This statue in Parque
del Buen Retiro, Madrid, Spain, is
probably the only public statue in
the world dedicated to the devil.
It depicts Lucifer, the fallen angel
who was cast out of heaven.
In early Christian
theology, Satan or the Devil was seen
as chief of all other demons. But
soon this changed and Hell was divided
in several hierarchies of demons.
This was presumably due to the division
of angels in hierarchies or choirs
taken from Judaism (see angelology),
and as demons were angels before,
their organisation had to be similar.
During the Middle Ages, many other
schema were proposed, some drawing
on and expanding on Pseudo-Dionysius,
others suggesting completely different
classifications. One of these divisions
is offered by Sebastien Michaelis,
who divided demons in three hierarchies
(first, second and third), not making
allusion to their rulers (see Michaelis'
classification of demons).
Soon this division took another
sense, and nobility titles were
granted to demons as if they were
part of an earthly monarchy. Demons
were Great Marshals, Knights, Presidents,
Great Presidents, Earls, Great Earls,
Dukes, Great Dukes, Marquises, Great
Marquises, Princes, Great Princes,
Kings, Great Kings, and the ruler
of all them the Emperor. As in the
earth, some of them had more than
one title. Curiously the titles
of Baronet, Baron, Viscount and
Viceroy were not used. It is unclear
if Earl was used as a synonym of
Count, or with the ancient meaning
of Eorl (Old English for 'nobleman,
Prince, Warlord, chief of soldiers'),
because the Latin term 'comes' has
both meanings. Other hierarchies
mention physicians, superintendents,
demons in charge of keeping the
fire of Hell lit, etc. The rest
of the demons were divided in legions.
Several grimoires rank demons according
to titles of nobility, among them
The Great Book of Saint Cyprian,
Le Dragon Rouge, and The Lesser
Key of Solomon.
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Christians believe that a
demon is an evil spirit, and can be either
a fallen angel or the spirit of a condemned
human, and its intention is to mislead mankind
into sin using every guile imaginable.
Lucifer - by Gustave Dore
The most damaging ways in
which demons (or malicious spirits) can
work are when they are given "ground"
for their workings, i.e. when they are accepted,
willingly or unwillingly, consciously or
unconsciously, by the human. Acceptance
often means committing sin; eg. demons gradually
gain control of the eyes when the eyes sin
by looking at things vile, gain control
of the tongue when it is used for slander
or blaspheme, and can make it slip, etc,
and this can spread to other parts of the
body, regardless of whether the sinner calls
himself Christian or no. This is called
possession. In more extreme cases of possession,
the demon gains an actual entrance into
the bodily frame, leading to disastrous
results, often hideous and agonestic, powerful
examples of which are given in the Gospels.
Some Christians believe that
symptoms of demon possession include voices
in one's mind or a horror of mind, especially
when there are no signs of insanity or mental
damage/unhealthiness, a sturbborness of
mind- holding fast to a particular belief
and refusing to listen to reason, a split
personality as if two separate personalities
share the same body. A fierce and unreasoning
hatred of God is a sure sign of possession,
and an unnatural sexual fascination is also
caused by accepting the influence of evil
spirits, often unknowingly- homosexuality,
bestiality, paedophilia etc.
Bronze amulet head of Pazuzu. Neo-Assyrian
period, circa 800-550 BCE. Probably from
Nimrud (ancient Kalhu), northern Iraq. British
Museum ANE 93089
To
read more on The Demon Pazuzu visit here
now.
ALSO
SEE: BAPHOMET
There have been many attempts
throughout the history of Christianity to
classify demons into categories. These systems
of classification of demons are a part of
Christian demonology. Classification systems
are based on the nature of the demon, the
sin with which they tempt people, the month
in which their power was strongest, the
saints that were their adversaries, or other
characteristics.
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Forbidden
rituals, the study of magic (black magic worse
than white magic, though both ultimately come
from demons and lead to ruin) bowing down
to false gods (the more evil the god, the
more damage done) accepting visions received
from evil spirits, (mediums and diviners)
and having faith that these visions will come
to pass i.e. faith in evil spirits are among
the worst things one can do to allow them
possession, which can lead to unimaginable
pain.
William Blake Lucifer
Perhaps the worst thing of all, however,
that gives ground for demonic possession,
is the disbelief in spirits of evil, or the
disbelief that one can (whether Christian
or not) be possessed by them.
Christians also believe that for protection
against demon possession, faith in God is
needed, an alert watchfulness, a guarding
of one's own mind (i.e. analysing one's thoughts
and actions often) and an aggressive, often
spoken refusal of all evil spirits and all
things of evil spirits over every aspect of
one's being, or over specific aspects of one's
being (where possession is suspected or known
to be manifest) in the Name of Jesus, and
done in co-operation with God. Prayer against
the evil spirit or spirits, prayer to shed
light on what action(s) was done or word(s)
said that allowed them ground for possession
so that this too can be refused are also often
necessary.
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Another
way they can be "accepted" is by
believing their lies whispered into the human
mind, or accepting their suggestions, subtly
disguised as one's own thoughts or otherwise
(typically this can be recognized when the
voices heard in the head seem to come from
*outside* the bodily frame, especially if
there are no signs of insanity in the person).
LILLITH
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The
Burney Relief, ca. 1950 BC.
The Burney Relief is an early 2nd millennium
BC (ca. 1950 BC) Mesopotamian terracotta
relief (alternately said to be "Sumerian"
or "Assyrian") of a winged
goddess-figure with eagle's talons,
flanked by owls and perched upon supine
lions. It is housed in the British Museum
in London. The goddess has been identified
with the Sumerian Kisikil-lilla-ke of
the Gilgamesh epos, and, somewhat optimistically,
with 7th century BC Babylonian Lilitu.
A very similar relief dating to roughly
the same period is preserved in the
Louvre (AO 6501). |
LILLITH TEMPTING
ADAM AND EVE
Lilith
is a female Mesopotamian night demon believed
to harm male children. In Isaiah 34:14,
Lilith (Hebrew Lilit) is a kind of night-demon
or animal, translated as onokentauros; in
the Septuagint, as lamia; "witch"
by Hieronymus of Cardia; and as screech
owl in the King James Version of the Bible.
In the Talmud and Midrash, Lilith appears
as a night demon. She is often identified
as the first wife of Adam and sometimes
thought to be the mother of all incubi and
succubi, a legend that arose in the Middle
Ages. Lilith is also sometimes considered
to be the paramour of Satan. Also
see: Lillith
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Practitioners
of Ceremonial magic sometimes attempt to constrain
and command demons to do their bidding, using
methods such as the Goetia and The Book of
Abramelin. The demons are often those mentioned
in Christian demonology. These practitioners
do not necessarily worship demons, but seek
to deploy them to obtain their goals.
Aliester Crowley
Aleister Crowley defined Magick
as the science and art of causing changes
to occur in conformity with Will. Also
see: Aliester Crowley
Aleister Crowley's drawing
of Coronzon
Other followers of the occult do worship
demons, and some refer to their religion as
"demonolatry." Demonolators consider
methods such as the Goetia very disrespectful
towards the demons, and possibly dangerous
for the operator. They instead use forms of
prayer, magick and ritual which petition the
demons, asking for their aid rather than commanding
them.
Demonolators are not identical to practitioners
of Theistic Satanism. They worship other demons
(such as Belial and Leviathan) either alongside,
or instead of Satan. Some demonolators say
that their form of demonolatry is a tradition,
often familial, that is not related to the
modern religious and philosophical movements
collectively referred to as Satanism.
Not all of the occultists who claim to worship
demons are demonolators, just as not all Christians
are of one exclusive denomination.
ROMAN
RITUAL AND DEMONOLOGISTS By Ken Deel
Also
See: 20 Questions with
Ken Deel here now.
(17
more questions for Demonologist Kenneth Deel)
THE
SIGNIFICANCE OF 3:AM
Ken is a Demonologist, Spiritual
Warfare Counselor, and Catholic faith adviser,
as he has over 28 years of research / experience
on the topics, with his first experience
occurring when he was about seven years
old. He is near completion of his book:
”The realm of the Demonic”:
A comprehensive guide to the Demonic haunt”,
which should be in print by 2009. And will
begin a producing an educational documentary
as a companion to his book, after the book
is completed.
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Eliphas Levi's Pentagram,
figure of the microcosm, the magical formula
of Man.
the Occult tradition, there is controversy
regarding which demons should be classed as
archdemons. During different ages, some demons
were historically 'promoted' to archdemons,
others were completely forgotten, and new
ones were created. In ancient Jewish lore,
pagan gods of neighbouring cultures were classed
as extremely pernicious in order to protect
Jews from worshiping them; therefore, Baal
and Astarte were among the worst enemies of
God. During the middle ages these characterizations
were no longer important, but still persisted.
New ones emerged, mostly revolving around
Satan and the Antichrist.
In the Occult tradition, the stub, also referred
to as Penta/Pentagram, is the "doorway"
for the Demon of the given tradition through
which it will enter this world if given a
right Sacrifice. It is also said to fuel the
wearer/user with the power of the Satanic
host/superior.
The origin is not well known, but the most
common theory is that the stub is a flawed
David's star, which is a sacred symbol in
Judaism, the oldest of 3 monotheistic religions
( Judaism, Christianity, Islam ). Probably
most counter-religions/cults to them were
using that symbol ever since. David's star
has 6 points, while the stub has only 5, which
makes it a "powerful" symbol, yet
opposite to the "good" symbol, making
it "evil".
Stub is also known to have writings around
it and/or next to the points of the star.
In Christian occult tradition stub is usually
placed up-side down, but that is not necessary.
A pentagram (sometimes known as a pentalpha
or pentangle or, more formally, as a star
pentagon) is the shape of a five-pointed star
drawn with five straight strokes. The word
pentagram comes from the Greek word (pentagrammon),
(pentagrammos) or (pentegrammos), a word meaning
roughly "five-lined" or "five
lines".
Pentagrams were used symbolically in ancient
Greece and Babylonia. The pentagram has magical
associations, and many people who practice
Neopagan faiths wear jewelry incorporating
the symbol. Christians once more commonly
used the pentagram to represent the five wounds
of Jesus,] and it also has associations within
Freemasonry.
The pentagram has long been associated with
the planet Venus, and the worship of the goddess
Venus, or her equivalent. It is also associated
with the Roman word lucifer, which was a term
used for Venus as the Morning Star, associated
with the bringer of light and knowledge. It
is most likely to have originated from the
observations of prehistoric astronomers. When
viewed from Earth, successive inferior conjunctions
of Venus plot a nearly perfect pentagram shape
around the zodiac every eight years.
The word "pentacle" is sometimes
used synonymously with "pentagram",
although their technical usages are different,
and their etymologies may be unrelated.
The first known uses of the pentagram are
found in Mesopotamian writings dating to about
3000 BC. The Sumerian pentagrams served as
pictograms for the word "UB," meaning
"corner, angle, nook; a small room, cavity,
hole; pitfall," suggesting something
very similar to the pentemychos (see below
on the Pythagorean use for what pentemychos
means). In René Labat's index system
of Sumerian hieroglyphs/pictograms it is shown
with two points up. In the Babylonian context,
the edges of the pentagram were probably orientations:
forward, backward, left, right, and "above".[citation
needed] These directions also had an astrological
meaning, representing the five planets Jupiter,
Mercury, Mars and Saturn, and Venus as the
"Queen of Heaven" (Ishtar) above.
Abraxas
The word Abraxas (or Abrasax
or Abracax) was engraved on certain antique
stones, called on that account Abraxas stones,
which were used as amulets or charms. The
name is found in the Greek Magical Papyrii,
and the word may be related to the word abracadabra,
although other explanations exist. The name
is also found in Gnostic texts such as the
Gospel of the Egyptians.
The letters of Abraxas, in the Greek system
of alphabetic numerology, sum to the number
365, and the Basilideans gave the name to
the 365 orders of spirits which, as they conceived,
emanated in succession from the Supreme Being.
These orders were supposed to occupy 365 heavens,
each fashioned like, but inferior to that
above it; and the lowest of the heavens was
thought to be the abode of the spirits who
formed Earth and its inhabitants, and to whom
was committed the administration of its affairs.
In addition to the word Abraxas and other
mystical characters, they have often symbolic
mystical figures engraved on them. The most
common of these have the head of a fowl, and
the arms and bust of a man, and terminate
in the body and tail of a serpent.
On the Abraxas gems, the figure had a Chimera-like
appearance (somewhat resembling a basilisk):
he had the head of a rooster (or sometimes
a king), the body of a man, and legs fashioned
like snakes and sometimes depicted with a
whip in his hand - a form referred to as the
Anguipede.
Source:
Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraxas)
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| The
Testament of Solomon is an Old Testament pseudepigraphical
work, purportedly written by King Solomon, in
which Solomon mostly describes particular demons
whom he enslaved to help build the temple, the
questions he put to them about their deeds and
how they could be thwarted, and their answers,
which provide a kind of self-help manual against
demonic activity.The date is very dubious, perhaps
1st century to 3rd century, certainly the oldest
work surviving particularly concerned with individual
demons.
Psellus' classification of demons
This is a classification of demons prepared
by Michael Psellus in the 11th century and
that undoubtedly was an inspiration for the
one Francesco Maria Guazzo prepared later.
Avoid daylight and are invisible to people
Demons of fire, which dwell far from us...
pina's classification of demons
Alfonso de Spina, in 1467, prepared a classification
of demons based on several criteria:
Demons of fate
Goblins
Incubi and succubi
Wandering groups or armies of demons
Familiars
Druden
Demons that are born from the union of a demon
with a human being.
Liar and mischievous demons
Demons that attack the saints
Demons that try to induce old women to attend
Sabbaths
This classification is somewhat capricious
and it is difficult to find a criterion for
it. It seems that Spina was inspired by several
legends and stories. The drudes belong to
German folklore. Familiars, goblins, and other
mischievous demons belong to the folklore
of most European countries.
The belief in incubi and succubae (and their
ability to procreate) seem to have inspired
the sixth category, but it could also have
been inspired in the Talmudic legend of demons
having sexual intercourse with mortal women
(see also Mastema).
The visions of tempting demons that some
early (and not too early) saints had, perhaps
inspired the ninth category (i.e. the visions
of Anthony the Great).
The idea of old women attending Sabbaths
was common during the European Middle Age
and Renaissance, and Spina mentioned it before
the Malleus Maleficarum as it is possible
to see.
Binsfeld's classification of demons
Binsfeld's classification of demons was prepared
in 1589 by Peter Binsfeld. His demon classification
based on the seven deadly sins, establishing
that each one of the mentioned demons tempted
people by means of one of those sins.
Lucifer: arrogance (pride)
Leviathan: envy
Amon: wrath
Belphegor: sloth (laziness)
Mammon: avarice (greed)
Beelzebub: gluttony
Asmodeus: lust
Guazzo's classification of demons
Francesco Maria Guazzo prepared this classification
of demons based on a previous work by Michael
Psellus. It was published in his book Compendium
Maleficarum in 1608.
Demons of the superior layers of the air,
which never establish a relationship with
people.
Demons of the inferior layers of the air,
which are responsible for storms.
Demons of earth, which dwell in fields, caves
and forests.
Demons of water, which are female demons,
and destroy aquatic animals.
Demons of the underground part of the earth,
responsible of keeping hidden treasures, causing
earthquakes, and causing the crumbling of
houses.
Demons of the night, which are black and evil.
These demons avoid daylight.
Michaelis' classification of demons
In 1613 Sebastien Michaelis wrote a book,
Admirable History, in which included a classification
of demons as it was told to him by the demon
Berith when he was exorcising a nun, according
to the author. This classification is based
in hierarchies, the sins by means of which
the temptation is made, and includes the demons'
adversaries (who suffered that temptation
without falling).
Note that many demons' names are exclusively
French or unknown in other catalogues. St.
John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist
are the two St. John's to whom Michaelis refers.
The other saints are cited only by their name
without making clear, i.e., which Francis
is (of Assisi?).
First Hierarchy
Beelzebub: arrogance; adversary, St. Francis
Leviathan: attacks Christian religious beliefs;
adversary, St. Peter
Asmodai: lust; adversary: St. John
Berith: murdering and blasphemy; adversary,
St. Barnabas
Astaroth: laziness and vanity; adversary,
St. Bartholomew
Verrin: impatience; adversary, St. Dominic.
See Verrine
Gressil: impurity, uncleanness and nastiness;
adversary, St. Bernard
Sonneillon: hate; adversary, St. Stephen.
Second Hierarchy
Lilith: first wife of Adam, succubus
Third Hierarchy
Belial: arrogance; adversary, St. Francis
of Paula
Olivier: fierceness, greediness and envy;
adversary, St. Lawrence
Jouvart: sexuality; adversary, not cited.
Barrett's classification of demons
Francis Barrett, in his book The magus (1801),
offered this classification of demons, making
them princes of some evil attitude, person
or thing:
Mammon: seducers
Asmodai: vile revenges
Satan: witches and warlocks
Pithius: liars and liar spirits
Belial: fraud and injustice
Merihem: pestilences and spirits that cause
pestilences
Abaddon: war, evil against good
Astaroth: inquisitors and accusers
Classification by month
During the 16th century it was believed that
each demon had more strength to accomplish
his mission during a special month of the
year. In this way, he and his assistants'
powers would work better during that month.
Belial in January
Leviathan in February
Satan in March
Belphegor in April
Lucifer in May
Berith in June
Beelzebub in July
Astaroth in August
Thammuz in September
Baal in October
Asmodai in November
Moloch in December
The classification of demons by month seems
to have astrological implications more than
religious ones.
Classification by office
There were also classifications by office,
like those written in several grimoires.
Le Dragon Rouge (or Grand Grimoire)
Like many works of mystical nature, Le Dragon
Rouge (or the Red Dragon) claims to come from
Solomon and his priests and is said to be
published in 1517 by Alibeck the Egyptian.
However, it was most likely written in France
in the 18th century.
The grimoire details the different hosts
of hell and their powers, describing how to
enter a pact with them to attain the magicians'
goals. The demons of hell are classified by
three different tiers from Generals to Officers.
Elite, veteran members of Le Dragon Rouge
bear a ring of an onyx stone with the form
of Le Dragon Rouge in red enamel for official
stamping of letters between members.
Pseudomonarchia Daemonum
Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, by Johann Weyer,
is a grimoire that contains a list of demons
and the appropriate hours and rituals to conjure
them in the name of God, Jesus and the Holy
Ghost (simpler than those cited by The Lesser
Key of Solomon below).
This book was written around 1583, and lists
sixty-eight demons. The demons Vassago, Seir,
Dantalion and Andromalius are not listed in
this book. Pseudomonarchia Daemonum does not
attribute seals to the demons. Weyer said
to have been inspired by another grimoire
also attributed to King Solomon.
The Lesser Key of Solomon
Main article: The Lesser Key of Solomon
The Lesser Key of Solomon or Lemegeton Clavicula
Salomonis is an anonymous 17th century grimoire,
and one of the most popular books of demonology.
The Lesser Key of Solomon contains detailed
descriptions of spirits and the conjurations
needed to invoke and oblige them to do the
will of the conjurer (referred to as the "exorcist").
It details the protective signs and rituals
to be performed, the actions necessary to
prevent the spirits from gaining control,
the preparations prior to the invocations,
and instructions on how to make the necessary
instruments for the execution of these rituals.
The author of The Lesser Key of Solomon copied
Pseudomonarchia Daemonum almost literally,
but added demons' descriptions, their seals
and details.
Also
see: The Lesser Key
of Solomon
Retrieved
from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classification_of_demons"
|
Satan
(from the Hebrew word for "adversary")
is a term that originates from the Abrahamic
faiths, being traditionally applied to an
angel in Judeo-Christian belief, and to a
jinn in Islamic belief.
While Hebrew Ha-Satan is "the accuser"
— the one who challenged the religious
faith of humans in the books of Job and Zechariah
— Abrahamic religious belief systems
other than Judaism relate this term to a demon,
a rebellious fallen angel, devil, minor god
and idolatry, or as an allegory for evil.
ALSO
SEE: SATAN
Satan has as many appearances as there are
religions. For example, some people believe
that Satan is invisible, some believe he is
like the Minotaur, (half-man, half-bull).
Others believe he is a small devilish spirit
and others think that he is like a man. In
many descriptions he looks like an angel.
He is typically depicted with horns, a pointed
tail, batlike wings, and a staff or trident.
In the Bible book of Revelation, he is described
as the dragon.
Prayer to Saint Anthony of
Padua, Disperser of Devils
Dear Saint Anthony, it is still as Saint
Peter said: The devil prowls about, lion-like,
looking for someone to devour. I confess that
I don't always resist him; I sometimes toy
with temptation.
Saint Anthony, Disperser of Devils, remind
me of my duty to avoid all occasions of sin.
May I always pray when in temptation that
I may remain loyal to my Lord Jesus. Pray
for my other intentions, please. [name them.]
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| MYTHOLOGY
OF THE DEMON
|
According to some societies, all the affairs of
life are supposed to be under the control of spirits,
each ruling a certain "element" or even
object, and themselves in subjection to a greater
spirit. For example, the Inuit are said to believe
in spirits of the sea, earth and sky, the winds,
the clouds and everything in nature. Every cove
of the seashore, every point, every island and prominent
rock has its guardian spirit. All are potentially
of the malignant type, to be propitiated by an appeal
to knowledge of the supernatural. By the thousands
they accompany travelers, seeking them out from
their places in the elements.
ALSO
SEE: Demonology
... AND
The Lesser Key of Solomon
In ancient Babylon, demonology had an influence
on even the most mundane elements of life, from
petty annoyances to the emotions of love and hatred.
The numerous demonic spirits were given charge over
various parts of the human body, one for the head,
one for the neck, and so on. In present-day Egypt,
the ubiquitous jinn are believed to be so densely
distributed that acts such as pouring water unto
the ground are accompanied by seeking the permission
of a potentially dampened spirit.
Greek philosophers such as Porphyry, who claimed
influence from Platonism, and the fathers of the
Christian Church, held that the world was pervaded
with spirits, the latter of whom advanced the belief
that demons received the worship directed at pagan
gods.
While historical Judaism never "officially"
recognized a rigid set of doctrines about demons,
many scholars believe that its post-exilic concepts
of eschatology, angelology, and demonology were
influenced by Zoroastrianism. Some, however, believe
that these concepts were received as part of the
Kabbalistic tradition passed down from Adam, Noah,
and the Hebrew patriarchs.
The Talmud declares that there are 7,405,926 demons,
divided in 72 companies. Indeed, some commentators
hold that Satan was a prosecutor for God in early
Judaism, and a somewhat minor angel at that.While
most people believe that Lucifer and Satan are different
names for the same being, not all scholars subscribe
to this view.
There is more than one instance where demons are
said to have come to be, as seen by the sins of
the Watchers and the Grigori, of Lilith leaving
Adam, of demons such as vampires, the demon-locusts
from the Book of Revelation, impure spirits in Jewish
folklore such as the dybbuk and of wicked humans
that have become demons as well.
In Islam, the devil Iblis (Satan and/or Lucifer
in Christianity) was not an angel, but of a different
kind, the jinn. (Humans are created from earth,
Angels from light, and jinn from fire). The jinn
though, are not necessarily evil; they could be
good doers or sinners just like humans. Since the
jinn and humans are the only kinds of creation who
have the will to choose, the followers of Iblis
could be jinn or human. The angels, on the other
hand, are sinless and only obey the will of God.
In the Qur'an, when God ordered those witnessing
the creation of Adam to kneel before him (before
Adam), Iblis refused to do so and was therefore
damned for refusal to obey God's will.
Some branches of Buddhism affirm the existence
of Hells peopled by demons who torment sinners and
tempt mortals to sin, or who seek to thwart their
enlightenment, with a demon named Mara as chief
tempter. Most of these "demons" are considered
to be representations of mental obstructions. Hinduism
contains traditions of combats between its gods
and various adversaries, such as the combat of Indra
and the asura Vritra.
In Chaldean mythology the seven evil deities were
known as shedu, meaning storm-demons. They were
represented in winged bull form, derived from the
colossal bulls used as protective genii of royal
palaces, the name "shed" assumed also
the meaning of a propitious genius in Babylonian
magic literature.
It was from Chaldea that the name "shedu"
came to the Israelites, and so the writers of the
Tanach applied the word as a dylogism to the Canaanite
deities in the two passages quoted. But they also
spoke of "the destroyer" (Exodus xii.
23) as a demon whose malignant effect upon the houses
of the Israelites was to be warded off by the blood
of the paschal sacrifice sprinkled upon the lintel
and the door-post (a corresponding pagan talisman
is mentioned in Isaiah lvii. 8). In II Samuel xxiv;
16 and II Chronicles xxi. 15 the pestilence-dealing
demon is called "the destroying angel"
(compare "the angel of the Lord" in II
Kings xix. 35; Isaiah xxxvii. 36), because, although
they are demons, these "evil messengers"
(Psalms lxxviii. 49; A. V. "evil angels")
do only the bidding of God; they are the agents
of His divine wrath.
There are indications that popular Hebrew mythology
ascribed to the demons a certain independence, a
malevolent character of their own, because they
are believed to come forth, not from the heavenly
abode of God, but from the nether world (compare
Isaiah xxxviii. 11 with Job xiv. 13; Psalms xvi.
10, xlix. 16, cxxxix. 8).
Hebrew demons were workers of harm. To them were
ascribed the various diseases, particularly such
as affect the brain and the inner parts. Hence there
was a fear of "Shabriri" (lit. "dazzling
glare"), the demon of blindness, who rests
on uncovered water at night and strikes those with
blindness who drink of it; also mentioned were the
spirit of catalepsy and the spirit of headache,
the demon of epilepsy, and the spirit of nightmare.
These demons were supposed to enter the body and
cause the disease while overwhelming or "seizing"
the victim (hence "seizure"). To cure
such diseases it was necessary to draw out the evil
demons by certain incantations and talismanic performances,
in which the Essenes excelled. Josephus, who speaks
of demons as "spirits of the wicked which enter
into men that are alive and kill them", but
which can be driven out by a certain root,[6] witnessed
such a performance in the presence of the Emperor
Vespasian, and ascribed its origin to King Solomon.
In some rabbinic sources, the demons were believed
to be under the dominion of a king or chief, either
Asmodai (Targ. to Eccl. i. 13; Pes. 110a; Yer. Shek.
49b) or, in the older Haggadah, Samael ("the
angel of death"), who kills by his deadly poison,
and is called "chief of the devils". Occasionally
a demon is called "satan": "Stand
not in the way of an ox when coming from the pasture,
for Satan dances between his horns".
According to some texts, the queen of demons is
Lilith, pictured with wings and long flowing hair,
and called the "mother of Ahriman" (B.
B. 73b; 'Er. 100b; Nid. 24b). "When Adam, doing
penance for his sin, separated from Eve for 130
years, he, by impure desire, caused the earth to
be filled with demons, or shedim, lilin, and evil
spirits" (Gen. R. xx.; 'Er. 18b.)
Demonology never became an essential feature of
Jewish theology. The reality of demons was never
questioned by the Talmudists and late rabbis; most
accepted their existence as a fact. Nor did most
of the medieval thinkers question their reality.
Only rationalists like Maimonides and Abraham ibn
Ezra, clearly denied their existence. Their point
of view eventually became the mainstream Jewish
understanding.
Rabbinical demonology has three classes of, demons,
though they are scarcely separable one from another.
There were the shedim, the mazziaim ("harmers"),
and the ruiin ("evil spirits"). Besides
these there were lilin ("night spirits"),("shade",
or "evening spirits"), ("midday spirits"),
and ("morning spirits"), as well as the
"demons that bring famine" and "such
as cause storm and earthquake" (Targ. Yer.
to Deuteronomy xxxii. 24 and Numbers vi. 24; Targ.
to Cant. iii. 8, iv. 6; Eccl. ii. 5; Ps. xci. 5,
6.)
In the New Testament and Christianity
"Demon" has a number of meanings, all
related to the idea of a spirit that inhabited a
place, or that accompanied a person. Whether such
a daemon was benevolent or malevolent, the Greek
word meant something different from the later medieval
notions of 'demon', and scholars debate the time
in which first century usage by Jews and Christians
in its original Greek sense became transformed to
the later medieval sense. It should be noted that
some denominations asserting Christian faith also
include, exclusively or otherwise, fallen angels
as de facto demons; this definition also covers
the "sons of God" described in Genesis
who abandoned their posts in heaven to mate with
human women on Earth before the Deluge (Genesis
6:2, 4, also see Nephilim).
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus casts out many demons,
or evil spirits, from those who are afflicted with
various ailments (such as epileptic seizures). The
imagery is very clear: Jesus is far superior to
the power of demons over the beings that they inhabit,
and he is able to free these victims by commanding
and casting out the demons, by binding them, and
forbidding them to return. Jesus also apparently
lends this power to some of his disciples, who rejoice
at their new found ability to cast out all demons.
By way of contrast, in the book of Acts a group
of Judaistic exorcists known as the sons of Sceva
try to cast out a very powerful spirit without believing
in or knowing Jesus, but fail with disastrous consequences.
However Jesus himself never fails to vanquish a
demon, no matter how powerful (see the account of
the demon-possessed man at Gerasim), and even defeats
Satan in the wilderness (see Gospel of Matthew).
There is a description in the Book of Revelation
12:7-17 of a battle between God's army and Satan's
followers, and their subsequent expulsion from Heaven
to earth to persecute humans — although this
event is related as being foretold and taking place
in the future. In Luke 10:18 it is mentioned that
a power granted by Jesus to control demons made
Satan "fall like lightning from heaven."
Augustine of Hippo's reading of Plotinus, in The
City of God (ch.11) is ambiguous as to whether daemons
had become 'demonized' by the early 5th century:
"He [Plotinus] also states that the blessed
are called in Greek eudaimones, because they are
good souls, that is to say, good demons, confirming
his opinion that the souls of men are demons.
The contemporary Roman Catholic Church unequivocally
teaches that angels and demons are real personal
beings, not just symbolic devices. The Catholic
Church has a cadre of officially sanctioned exorcists
which perform many exorcisms each year. The exorcists
of the Catholic Church teach that demons attack
humans continually but that afflicted persons can
be effectively healed and protected either by the
formal rite of exorcism, authorized to be performed
only by bishops and those they designate, or by
prayers of deliverance which any Christian can offer
for themselves or others.
In Christianity
Building upon the few references to daemons in the
New Testament, especially the visionary poetry of
the Apocalypse of John, Christian writers of apocrypha
from the 2nd century onwards created a more complicated
tapestry of beliefs about "demons" that
was largely independent of Christian scripture.
War in Heaven
According to the Bible, the fall of the Adversary
is portrayed in Isaiah 14:12-14 and Ezekiel 28:12-19.
However, the connection between Isaiah 14:12-14
and the fall is mostly based on mistranslation and
tradition. The King James Version (KJV), popular
among most Christian sects, reads:
"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,
son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the
ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou
hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I
will sit also upon the mount of the congregation,
in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the
heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High"
(Isaiah 14:12:-14).
The word "Lucifer" was inspired by the
Latin Vulgate, a translation that the authors of
the KJV adhered to in several occasions to elucidate
Christian traditions (see KJV, "The Project").
Lucifer is a Latin word meaning "light-bearer"
(from lux, lucis, "light", and ferre,
"to bear, bring"), a Roman astrological
term for the "Morning Star", the planet
Venus. The word Lucifer was the direct translation
of the Septuagint Greek heosphoros, ("dawn-bearer");
(cf. Greek phosphoros, "light-bearer")
and the Hebrew Helel, ("Bright one").
The word does not specifically refer to Satan. To
the contrary, in context, Isaiah 14:12-14 actually
refers to one of the popular honorific titles of
a Babylonian king (see Isaiah 14:4 for context);
however, later interpretations of the text, and
the influence of embellishments in works such as
Dante's The Divine Comedy and Milton's Paradise
Lost, led to the common idea in Christian mythology
and folklore that Lucifer was a poetic appellation
of Satan (see: The
Devil for more information).
Ezekiel 28:12-19, in context, refers to the King
of Tyrus (see Ezekiel 28:2 for context). The passage,
however, is popularly attributed as a reference
to, or allegory of, Satan, and even by some commentators,
an allegory of the fall of Adam.
The Christian teachings of [source missing] built
upon later Jewish traditions that the Adversary
and the Adversary's host declared war with God,
but that God's army, commanded by the archangel
Michael, defeated the rebels. Their defeat was never
in question, since God is by nature omnipotent,
but Michael was given the honour of victory in the
natural order; thus the rise of Christian veneration
of the archangel Michael, beginning at Monte Gargano
in 493, reflects the full incorporation of demons
into Christianity.
According to tradition, God then cast God's enemies
from Heaven to the abyss, into a newly created prison
called Hell, where all God's enemies should be sentenced
to an eternal existence of pain and misery. This
pain is not all physical; for their crimes, these
angels, now called demons, would be deprived of
the sight of God, this being the worst possible
punishment.
An indefinite time later (some biblical scholars
believe that the angels fell sometime after the
creation of living things), when God created the
earth and life, the Adversary and the other demons
were allowed to tempt humans or induce them to sin
by other means. The first time the Adversary did
this was as a serpent in the earthly paradise called
the "Garden of Eden" to tempt Eve, who
became deceived by Satan's evil trickery. Eve then
gave Adam some of the forbidden fruit and both of
their eyes were opened to the knowledge of good
and evil.
Demonologies
At various times in Christian history, attempts
have been made to classify these beings according
to various proposed demonic hierarchies.
According to most Christian demonology demons will
be eternally punished and never reconciled with
God. Other theories postulate a Universal reconciliation,
in which Satan, the fallen angels, and the souls
of the dead that were condemned to Hell are reconciled
with God. This doctrine is today often associated
with the Unification Church. Origen, Jerome and
Gregory of Nyssa also mentioned this possibility.
In contemporary Christianity, demons are generally
considered to be angels who fell from grace by rebelling
against God. Some contest that this view, championed
by Origen, Augustine and John Chrysostom, arose
during the 6th century. Another theory that may
have preceded or co-existed with the hypothesis
of fallen angels was that demons were ostracized
from Heaven for the primary sin of mating with mortal
women, giving rise to a race of half-human giants
known as the Nephilim. That theory is accepted by
some contemporary Christian sects.
There are still others who say that the sin of
the angels was pride and disobedience. It seems
quite certain that these were the sins that caused
Satan's downfall (Ezek. 28). If this be the true
view then we are to understand the words, "estate"
or "principality" in Deuteronomy 32:8
and Jude 6 ("And the angels which kept not
their first estate, but left their own habitation,
he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness
unto the judgment of the great day.") as indicating
that instead of being satisfied with the dignity
once for all assigned to them under the Son of God,
they aspired higher.
In Hinduism
Hindu mythology include numerous varieties of anthropomorphic
beings that might be classified as demons, including
Rakshasas (belligerent, shapechanging terrestrial
demons), Asuras (demigods), Vetalas (bat-like spirits),
and Pishachas (cannibalistic demons).
Asuras
Originally, the word Asura in the earliest hymns
of the Rig Veda (the holy book of the Indo-Aryans)
meant any supernatural spirit—good or bad.
Hence even some of the devas (demigods), especially
Varuna, have the epithet of Asura. In fact, since
the /s/ of the Indic linguistic branch is cognate
with the /h/ of the Early Iranian languages, the
word Asura, representing a category of celestial
beings, became the word Ahura (Mazda), the Supreme
God of the monotheistic Zoroastrians. But very soon,
among the Indo-Aryans, Asura came to exclusively
mean any of a race of anthropomorphic but hideous
demons. All words such as Asura, Daitya (lit., sons
of the demon-mother "Diti"), Rakshasa
(lit. from "harm to be guarded against")
are translated into English as demon. These demons
are inherently evil and are in a constant battle
against the demigods. Hence in Hindu iconography,
the gods / demigods are shown to carry weapons to
kill the asuras. Unlike Christianity, the demons
are not the cause of the evil and unhappiness in
present mankind (which occurs on the account of
ignorance from recognizing one's true self). In
later Puranic mythology, exceptions do occur in
the demonic race to produce god-fearing Asuras like
Prahalada. Also, many Asuras are said to have been
granted boons from one of the members of the Hindu
trinity, viz., Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva when the
latter had been appeased from penances. All Asuras,
unlike the devas, are said to be mortals (though
they vehemently wish to become immortal). Many people
metaphorically interpret these demons as manifestations
of the ignoble passions in human mind.
Evil spirits
On the account of the Hindu theory of reincarnation
and transmigration of souls according to one's Karma,
other kinds of demons can also be enlisted. If a
human does extremely horrible and sinful karmas
in his life, his soul (Atman) will, upon his death,
directly turn into an evil ghostly spirit, many
kinds of which are recognized in the later Hindu
texts. These demons could be Grimnex Vetalas, Pishachas,
Bhutas etc.
In pre-Islamic Arab culture
Pre-Islamic mythology does not discriminate between
gods and demons. The jinn are considered as divinities
of inferior rank, having many human attributes:
they eat, drink, and procreate their kind, sometimes
in conjunction with human beings. The jinn smell
and lick things, and have a liking for remnants
of food. In eating they use the left hand. Usually
they haunt waste and deserted places, especially
the thickets where wild beasts gather. Cemeteries
and dirty places are also favorite abodes. When
appearing to man, jinn sometimes assume the forms
of beasts and sometimes those of men.
Generally, jinn are peaceable and well disposed
toward men. Many a pre-Islamic poet was believed
to have been inspired by good jinn, but there are
also evil jinn, who contrive to injure men.
In Islam
Islam recognizes the existence of the jinn. Jinns
are not the "genies" of modern lore, and
they are not all evil, as demons are described in
Christianity, but as creatures that co-exist with
humans.
In Islam the evil jinns are referred to as the
shayatin, or devils, and Iblis (Satan) is their
chief. Iblis was the first Jinn who disobeyed Allah.
According to Islam, the jinn are made from the light
of flame of fire deviation of "light"
(and mankind is made of clay).
According to the Qur'an, Iblis was once a pious
servant of Allah, but when Allah created Adam from
clay, Iblis became very jealous, and arrogant and
disobeyed Allah.
Adam was the first man, and man was the greatest
creation of Allah. Iblis could not stand this, and
refused to acknowledge a creature made of "dirt"
(man). Allah condemned Iblis to be punished after
death eternally in the hellfire. Allah had created
hell.
Iblis asked Allah if he may live to the last day
and have the ability to mislead mankind and jinns,
Allah said that Iblis may only mislead those whom
have forsaken Allah. Allah then turned Iblis's countenance
into horridness and condemned him to only have powers
of trickery.
Adam and Eve (Hawwa in Arabic) were both together
misled by Iblis into eating the forbidden fruit,
and consequently fell from the garden of Eden to
Earth.
The word "genie" comes from the Arabic
jinn. This is not surprising considering the story
of `Ala' ad-Din, (anglicized as Aladdin), passed
through Arabian merchants en route to Europe.
In New Age / Shamanism
Carlos Castaneda referred to demonic predators called
“flyers” which have the appearance of
frightening dark shadows and which vampirize human
energy. According to this view ancient humans were
complete, with much greater energetic resources
than effete, decadent, modern humans possess. At
the time when agriculture was invented the flyers
gave human beings their mind (constant internal
dialogue of beliefs, ideas, social mores, expectations,
and dreams of success or failure). By playing on
this self-reflection, sucking the angry and worried
energy it generates, the flyers began to farm human
beings for energy, just as humans began farming
animals. Modern humans are the hypnotized slaves
of these flyers; and the pseudoconcerns of modern
society are a flyer mechanism of mind control.
In science Hypothetical Demons
In thought experiments scientists occasionally imagine
entities with special abilities in order to pose
tough intellectual challenges or to highlight apparent
paradoxes. Examples include:
Descartes’ malicious demon - Cartesian skepticism
(also called methodological skepticism) advocates
the doubting of all things which cannot be justified
through logic. Descartes uses three arguments to
cast doubt on our ability to objectively know: The
dream argument, the deceiving God argument, and
the malicious demon argument. Since our senses cannot
put us in contact with external objects themselves,
but only with our mental images of such objects,
we can have no absolute certainty that anything
exists in the external world. In the evil demon
argument Descartes proposes an entity who is capable
of deceiving us to such a degree that we have reason
to doubt the totality of what our senses tell us.
Laplace's demon - A hypothetical all-knowing entity
(later called "Laplace's Demon") who knows
the precise location and momentum of every atom
in the universe, and therefore could use Newton's
laws to reveal the entire course of cosmic events,
past and future. Based upon the philosophical proposition
of causal determinism.
Maxwell's demon - An demon able to distinguish between
fast and slow moving molecules. If this demon only
let fast moving molecules through a trapdoor to
a container, the temperature inside the container
would increase without any work being applied. Such
a scenario would violate the second law of thermodynamics.
Real Demons
M. Scott Peck, an American psychiatrist, wrote two
books on the subject.
Peck describes in some detail several cases involving
his patients. In People of the Lie: The Hope For
Healing Human Evil he gives some identifying characteristics
for evil persons whom he classifies as having a
character disorder. In Glimpses of the Devil, A
Psychiatrist's Personal Accounts of Possession,
Exorcism, and Redemption Peck goes into significant
detail describing how he became interested in exorcism
in order to debunk the “myth” of possession
by evil spirits – only to be convinced otherwise
after encountering two real-word cases which did
not fit into any category known to psychology or
psychiatry. Peck came to the conclusion that possession
was a rare phenomenon related to evil. Possessed
people are not actually evil; they are doing battle
with the forces of evil. His observations on these
cases are listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders (IV) of the American
Psychiatric Association.
Although Peck’s earlier work was met with
widespread popular acceptance, his work on the topics
of evil and possession has generated significant
debate and derision. Much was made of his association
with (and admiration for) the controversial Malachi
Martin, a Roman Catholic priest and a former Jesuit,
despite the fact that Peck consistently called Martin
a liar and manipulator. Other criticisms leveled
against Peck include misdiagnoses based upon a lack
of knowledge regarding dissociative identity disorder
(formerly known as multiple personality disorder),
and a claim that he had transgressed the boundaries
of professional ethics by attempting to persuade
his patients into accepting Christianity.
ALSO
SEE: BAPHOMET
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