Demonology

Demonology is the systematic study of demons or beliefs about demons.[1]

Insofar as it involves exegesis, demonology is an orthodox branch of theology.[2]

Description

Demonology is the branch of theology relating to superhuman beings who are not gods.[3] It deals both with benevolent beings that have no circle of worshippers or so limited a circle as to be below the rank of gods, and with malevolent beings of all kinds. It may be noted that the original sense of "demon," from the time of Homer onward, was a benevolent being;[4] but in English the name now connotes malevolence. Demons, when they are regarded as spirits, may belong to either of the classes of spirits recognized by primitive animism;[5] that is to say, they may be human, or non-human, separable souls, or discarnate spirits which have never inhabited a body. A sharp distinction is often drawn between these two classes, notably by the Melanesians, the West Africans and others; the Arab djinn, for example, are not reducible to modified human souls; at the same time these classes are frequently conceived as producing identical results, e.g. diseases.[4][3] Demonology, though often referred to with negative connotation, was not always seen as evil or devilish as the term would have one believe. Witchcraft, or simply put; magic, was common throughout Europe in the 1500’s. Witches were often summoned to aid with problems and plagues ailing the masses of the period. It was not uncommon for a witch to be called upon to cast a spell or produce a potion in an effort to cure one’s physical ailments, provide a person with a view of their future and fortune or assist with the location of lost items or persons as a clairvoyant or psychic might do today.

Types

See also: Classification of demons

Under the head of demons are classified only such spirits as are believed to enter into relations with the human race; the term therefore includes: angels in the Judeo-Christian tradition that fell from grace,[4]

human souls regarded as genii or familiars,[6]

such as receive a cult (e.g., ancestor worship),[4]

ghosts or other malevolent revenants.[7]

Excluded are souls conceived as inhabiting another world. But just as gods are not necessarily spiritual, demons may also be regarded as corporeal; vampires for example are sometimes described as human heads with appended entrails, which issue from the tomb to attack the living during the night watches. The so-called Spectre Huntsman of the Malay Peninsula is said to be a man who scours the firmament with his dogs, vainly seeking for what he could not find on earth - a buck mouse-deer pregnant with male offspring; but he seems to be a living man; there is no statement that he ever died, nor yet that he is a spirit. The incubi and Succubi of the Middle Ages are sometimes regarded as spiritual beings; but they were held to give proof of their bodily existence, such as offspring (though often deformed).[8]

Belief in demons goes back many millennia. The Zoroastrian faith teaches that there are 3,333 Demons, some with specific dark responsibilities such as war, starvation, sickness, etc.

Prevalence of demons

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.[9]

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.[10]

In Korea, countless demons inhabit the natural world; they fill household objects and are present in all locations. By the thousands they accompany travelers, seeking them out from their places in the elements.[11]

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.[11]

Greek philosophers such as Porphyry, who claimed influence from Platonism,[12] and the fathers of the Christian Church, held that the world was pervaded with spirits,[11] the latter of whom advanced the belief that demons received the worship directed at pagan gods.[13]

Character of the spiritual world

The ascription of malevolence to the world of spirits is by no means universal. In West Africa the Mpongwe believe in local spirits, just as do the Inuit; but they are regarded as inoffensive in the main. Passers-by must make some trifling offering as they near the spirits' place of abode; but it is only occasionally that mischievous acts, such as the throwing down of a tree on a passer-by, are, in the view of the natives, perpetuated by the class of spirits known as Ombuiri.[14]

So too, many of the spirits especially concerned with the operations of nature are conceived as neutral or even benevolent; the European peasant fears the corn-spirit only when he irritates him by trenching on his domain and taking his property by cutting the corn;[15] similarly, there is no reason why the more insignificant personages of the pantheon should be conceived as malevolent, and we find that the Petara of the Dyaks are far from indiscriminating and malignant, being viewed as invisible guardians of mankind.[16]

Zoroastrian demonology

In the Zoroastrian tradition, Ahura Mazda, as the force of good Spenta Mainyu, will eventually be victorious in a cosmic battle with an evil force known as Angra Mainyu or Ahriman.[17]

Jewish demonology

While historical Judaism never "officially" recognized a rigid set of doctrines about demons,[18] many scholars believe that its post-exilic concepts of eschatology, angelology, and demonology were influenced by Zoroastrianism.[19][20] Some, however, believe that these concepts were received as part of the Kabbalistic tradition[21] passed down from Adam, Noah, and the Hebrew patriarchs.[22] See Sefer Yetzirah.

The Talmud declares that there are 7,405,926 demons, divided in 72 companies.[citation needed] Indeed, some commentators hold that Satan was a prosecutor for God in early Judaism, and a somewhat minor angel at that.[23] While most people believe that Lucifer and Satan are different names for the same being, not all scholars subscribe to this view.[24]

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.[25][26]

Christian demonology

See article at Wikipedia: Christian demonology

Christianity is traditionally wary of the study of Demonology, typified by the words of Albert Magnus "It is taught by the demons, it teaches about the demons, and it leads to the demons."[27]

The most extensive exposition of Christian demonology are Heinrich Kramer's Malleus Maleficarum, once thought to have been co-written by Jacob Sprenger;[28] and Nicholas Remy's Daemonolatreiae libri tres, both assuming the reality of witchcraft and its capability of posing a threat to the Roman Catholic church.

Demonology refers to catalogues that attempt to name and set a hierarchy to demons and spirits thought to be malignant. In this sense, demonology can be seen as the mirror image of angelology, which attempts to compile the same information for good spirits.

In Christian tradition, demons are fallen angels,[3] so demonology could be considered a branch of angelology and vice versa. The grimoires of occult magic are the tomes that contain the lore of this version of demonology, containing instructions on how to summon them and bend them to the conjuror's will.[29]

In the 15th century it was estimated that 133,306,668 angels fell from the Heavens in a total of 9 days according to the Bishop of Tusculum (c. 1273),[30] and this was reaffirmed by Alphonso de Spina (c. 1460).

“ I am sure that this number astounds even the most open minded. I my self was not surprised by the total figure of the fallen angels, I expected the number to be very big for the simple reason that it is reported that the number of angels is very big and that one third of them fell, so this third should be a very large figure also, but I was and still am very skeptic about the accuracy of this number when I first came upon it.[31] ” On another note, The Book of Enoch, an apocryphal text, tells of 200 "sons of God" (angels) who became enamored with "daughters of men", and coupled with them, and were therefore banished from Heaven. Hence, the range between 200 and 133,306,668 is one estimate of the number of demons, at least according to some Christian sources.

The New Testament explicitly affirms the existence of lesser adversarial spirits. (Luke 4:41, 10:17-20; Ephesians 6:12; James 2:19; Revelation 16:13, 14) In Christianity, Satan is the leader of a force of evil opposing the all-good God.[3]

Occult demonology

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.

Other followers of the occult do worship demons, and refer to their religion as "demonolatry."[32]. 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. [33] 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.[34]

Islamic demonology

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.[35]

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.[36]

Demonology in Buddhism and Hinduism

Some branches of Buddhism affirm the existence of Hells[37] 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.[38]

Most of these "demons" are considered to be representations of mental obstructions. [39] Hinduism contains traditions of combats between its gods and various adversaries, such as the combat of Indra and the asura Vritra.[40]

See also

• Demon
• Category Demon Names on SuccuWiki
• Christian demonology
• Hierarchy of demons
• Classification of demons
• Exorcism
• Deal with the devil

References

1 "Demonology" at Dictionary.com Unabridged, (v 1.1) Random House, Inc., retrieved January 29 2007.

2 Theology definition and kinds of Theology at biblia.com

3 a b c d "Demon" from Funk & Wagnalls® New Encyclopedia, © 2006 World Almanac Education Group, retrieved from history.com

4 a b c d van der Toorn, Becking, van der Horst (1999), Dictionary of Deities and Demons in The Bible, Second Extensively Revised Edition, Entry: Demon, pp. 235-240, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, ISBN 0-8028-2491-9

5 Animism at The Catholic Encyclopedia

6 Demon, entry in the Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper, hosted at dictionary.com

7 Ghost, entry in The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, Copyright © 2000, Houghton Mifflin Company, hosted at dictionary.com

8 Masello, Robert, Fallen Angels and Spirits of The Dark, pp. 64-68, © 2004, The Berkley Publishing Group, 200 Madison Ave. New York, NY 10016, ISBN 0-399-51889-4

9 Ludwig, Theodore M., The Sacred Paths: Understanding the Religions of the World, Second Edition, pp. 48-51, © 1989 Prentice-Hall, Inc., ISBN 0-02-372175-8

10 Rink, Henry (1875), "Chapter IV: Religion" of Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo, London, 1875, at sacred-texts.com

11 a b c Demonology at the Online Encyclopedia, Originally appearing in Volume V08, Page 10 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica

12 Cumont, Franz (1911), The Oriental Religions in Roman Paganism, Chapter VI: Persia, p. 267 at sacred-texts.com

13 Augustine, The City of God, Book 8, Chapter 24, at the Christian Classics Etherial Library

14 Hamill Nassau, Robert (Rev.) M.D., S.T.D., (1904), Fetichism in West Africa, Chapter V: Spiritual Beings in Africa - Their Classes and Functions, Charles Scribners Son

15 Frazer, Sir James George (1922), The Golden Bough: A Study of Magic and Religion, Chapter 46, "The Corn-Mother in Many Lands," at The University of Adelaide Library

16 Greem, Eda (c. 1909), Borneo: The Land of River and Palm at the Project Canterbury website

17 "Who are the Zoroastrians," at tenets.zoroastrianism.com

18 Mack, Carol K., Mack, Dinah (1998), A Field Guide to Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels and Other Subversive Spirits, p. XXXIII, New York: Henry Holt and Co., ISBN 0-8050-6270-X

19 Zoroastrianism at net.bible.org

20 Jahanian, Daryoush, M.D., "The Zoroastrian-Biblical Connections," at meta-religion.com

21 Franck, Adolphe (1843), translated by Sossnitz, I. (1926), The Kabbalah, or, The Religious Philosophy of the Hebrews, Part Two, Chapter IV, "Continuation of The Analysis of The Zohar: The Kabbalists' View of The World," p. 184 at sacred-texts.com

22 Mathers, S.L. McGregor (Translation from Latin - 1912), Kabbala Denudata: The Kabbala Unveiled, Introduction, at sacred-texts.com

23 "Satan: The OT View of Satan," at bibletexts.com

24 Davidson, Gustav (1967), A Dictionary of Angels, Including The Fallen Angels, p. 176, Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 66-19757

25 Demonology at jewishencyclopedia.com

26 Josephus, Flavius, Wars of The Jews, Book VII, Chapter VI, Par. 3, at Early Jewish Writings

27 "Demonology". Catholic Encyclopedia. (1913). New York: Robert Appleton Company.

28 "Impact of Malleus Maleficarum on persecution of witches in England," at Medieval World - Etrusia's Guide to Medieval Britain

29 Masello, Robert, Fallen Angels and Spirits of The Dark, p. 85, © 2004, The Berkley Publishing Group, 200 Madison Ave. New York, NY 10016, ISBN 0-399-51889-4

30 Davidson, Gustav (1967), A Dictionary of Angels, Including The Fallen Angels, p. 352, Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 66-19757

31 The Fallen Host & The War in Heavens

32 [1]

33 [2]

34 http://www.ofs-demonolatry.org/faq.htm#prove

35 "Who is Satan?" at understanding-islam.com

36 The Qur'an (Yusuf Ali, tr.): Sūra 38: Sād: Section 5 (65-88) at sacred-texts.com

37 Boeree, Dr. C. George (2000), Chapter: "Buddhist Cosmology", An Introduction to Buddhism, Shippensburg University

38 "Demon" and "Mara" in the Glossary of Buddhist Terms at kadampa.org

39 Ibid.

40 Vritra at the Encyclopedia Mythica