Demonology

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Demonology is the systematic study of demons. Insofar as it involves exegesis, demonology is an orthodox branch of theology.

[edit] Description

Demonology is the branch of the science of religions which relates to superhuman beings which are not gods. It deals both with benevolent beings which 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" was a benevolent being; but in English the name now connotes malevolence; in German it has a neutral sense, e.g. Kornddmonen. Demons, when they are regarded as spirits, may belong to either of the classes of spirits recognized by primitive animism; 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 jinn, 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.

[edit] Types

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 (I) human souls regarded as genii or familiars, (2) such as receive a cult (for which see Ancestor Worship), and (3) ghosts or other malevolent revenants; 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 incubus and succubus of the middle ages are sometimes regarded as spiritual beings; but they were held to give very real proof of their bodily existence. It should, however, be remembered that primitive peoples do not distinguish clearly between material and immaterial beings.

[edit] Prevalence of Demons

According to a conception of the world frequently found among peoples of the lower cultures, 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. Thus, the Eskimo 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 of the malignant type, to be propitiated only by acceptable offerings from persons who desire to visit the locality where it is supposed to reside. A rise in culture often results in an increase in the number of spiritual beings with whom man surrounds himself. Thus, the Koreans go far beyond the Eskimo and number their demons by thousands of billions; they fill the chimney, the shed, the living-room, the kitchen, they are on every shelf and jar; in thousands they waylay the traveller as he leaves his home, beside him, behind him, dancing in front of him, whirring over his head, crying out upon him from air, earth and water.

Especially complicated was the ancient Babylonian demonology; all the petty annoyances of life - a sudden fall, a headache, a quarrel - were set down to the agency of fiends; all the stronger emotions - love, hate, jealousy and so on - were regarded as the work of demons; in fact so numerous were they, that there were special fiends for various parts of the human body - one for the head, another for the neck, and so on. Similarly in Egypt at the present day the jinn are believed to swarm so thickly that it is necessary to ask their permission before pouring water on the ground, lest one should accidentally be soused and vent his anger on the offending human being. But these beliefs are far from being confined to the uncivilized; Greek philosophers like Porphyry, no less than the fathers of the Church, held that the world was pervaded with spirits; side by side with the belief in witchcraft, we can trace through the middle ages the survival of primitive animistic views; and in our own day even these beliefs subsist in unsuspected vigour among the peasantry of the more uneducated European countries. In fact the ready acceptance of spiritualism testifies to the force with which the primitive animistic way of looking at things appealed to the white races in the middle of the last century.

[edit] Character of 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 Eskimo; but they are regarded as inoffensive in the main; true, the passerby must make some trifling offering as he nears their 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 Ombuiri. 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; 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, though disease and death are laid at their door.

[edit] Christian demonology

The most extensive exposition of Christian demonology are Heinrich Kramer's Malleus Maleficarum, once thought to have been co-written by Jacob Sprenger ^{[citation needed]}; and Nicholas Remy's Demonolatry, 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, 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 (hopefully) bend them to the conjuror's will.

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), 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

On another note, The Book of Enoch 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. On the other hand, the Talmud declares that there are 7,405,926 demons. Indeed, Satan was in early Judaism a prosecutor for God 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 humans that have become demons as well. Also, many Jewish legends tell that when God first created the angels, he gave them a choice of whether or not to follow him, and that those who denied were sent to the earth and became demons, though these are not fallen angels.

[edit] Islam, Judaism and Zoroastrianism

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 God's creation who have the "Will" to choose, the followers of "Iblis" could be Jinn or Humans. The Angels, on the other hand, are sinless and only obey the will of God.

The existence of a malevolent supernatural personality who works to thwart the will of a good God is a central tenet of Christianity.

Many scholars believe that Judaism originally received the concepts of eschatology, angelology, and demonology from Zoroastrianism. Although, some believe that these concepts were received as part of the Kabbalistic tradition passed down from Adam, Noah, and the three forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. See Sefer Yetzirah. 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.

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. The New Testament explicitly affirms the existence of lesser adversary spirits. In Christianity, Satan is the leader of a force of evil opposing the all-good God.

[edit] Buddhism and Hinduism

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. Hinduism contains traditions of combats between its gods and various adversaries, such as the combat of Indra and Vritra.

[edit] Tartaric Demonology

Though most Neopagans fervently oppose any mention of demonology in association with their faiths, and very actively condemn those who practice it within their faiths, there are those few individual persons or sects considered out of the mainstream even by neopagan standards who seek power and favor from the infernal. In Hellenistic Demonology, or Tartaric Demonology, some consider any attempt to seek boons from the gods and supernatural entities bound to the realm of Tartarus, or the Tartarian Abode, to be demonology. Hellenistic Neopagans by and large equate this to blasphemy and devil worship.

Tartaric Demonology may often include the calling out of the names of the infernal, vanquished gods, or cursed gods, for favors and boons. For example, some attempt to summon and make pacts with infernal Titans, some of which are believed to be nameless and embody aspects such as Chaos or Void. It is believed by some that such beings feed on fear, subjugation, and dominance. Some demonic practices may include blood letting (often in the form of blood rituals and the giving of ones own blood) and the drawing of symbols associated with various gods or entities considered wicked or infernal. Animal sacrifices may also be offered to such entities, and attempts to fetter them to worldly objects (providing them temporary release from Tartarus) may be made. In Example, those who attempt to call on furies typically desire revenge on others. It is often believed by practitioners of Tartaric Demonology that if they fulfill the desires of such entities they will in return be granted supernatural boons. Some believe that some people have, in the past, received unnaturally long life, inhuman power, and knowledge of things beyond mortal comprehension through such practices.

Also related to Tartaric Demonology is the attempt to fetter lampedes and other such entities to one's mortal self. Those who attempt to do this believe it creates a symbiotic relationship, and that so long as the vessel (one's self) lives the fettered being is free of Tartarus. It is expected that in return they will be granted supernatural luck and various other supernatural attributes. Contrast between such entities can be made with Djinn in Islam, particularly in areas with Hindu influence, there are common beliefs that Djinn (spirits born of fire) can fetter themselves to human bodies, sometimes resulting in abnormal constitution (good or ill) and also good or bad luck, depending on the disposition of the djinn. Other contrast can be made with Demons in christian mythology that some denominations believe "fetter" themselves to bodies and control them through Demonic possession.

Tartaric Demonology, though practiced, is extremely uncommon. It is much more common in the works of fiction than in reality. Some literature, most written to be intentionally blasphemous and offensive, have also held examples of Tartaric Demonology but such examples should not be taken seriously.

[edit] References

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

[edit] External links

• Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Demonology
• A to Z list of Demons