Demon
The Ancient Greek word daimon denotes a spirit or divine power, much like the Latin numen. It does not carry negative connotations initially understood by implementation of the Koine daimonion. The term had first acquired its negative connotations in the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek. This was then inherited by the Koine text of the New Testament. By the early centuries of the Roman Empire, cult statues were seen, by Pagans and their Christian neighbors alike, as inhabited by the numinous presence of the Greco-Roman gods. Like pagans, Christians still sensed and saw the gods and their power, and as something, they had to assume, lay behind it, by an easy traditional shift of opinion they turned these pagan daimones into malevolent demons. Far into the Byzantine period, Christians eyed their cities' old pagan statuary as a seat of the demons' presence. It was no longer beautiful, it was infested. The English use of demon as synonym for devils goes back at least as far as about 825.
In ancient Egypt, the language lacks a term for the modern English demon. Both deities and lesser spirits can act as intermediaries to deliver messages to humans. Magical writings indicate that ancient Egyptians acknowledged the existence of malevolent demons by highlighting the demon names with red ink. Demons in this culture appeared to be subordinative and related to a specific deity, yet they may have occasionally acted independently of the divine will. The existence of demons can be related to the realm of chaos, beyond the created world. Ancient Egyptian demons can be divided into two classes: guardians and wanderers. Guardians are tied to a specific place; their demonic activity is topographically defined and their function can be benevolent towards those who have the secret knowledge to face them. Demons protecting the underworld may prevent human souls from entering paradise. Only by knowing the right charms is the deceased able to enter the Halls of Osiris. The wanderers are associated with possession, mental illness, death and plagues. Many of them serve as executioners for the major deities, such as Ra or Osiris, when ordered to punish humans on earth or in the netherworld. Wanderers can also be agents of chaos, arising from the world beyond creation to bring about misfortune and suffering without any divine instructions.
The Zoroastrian concept of demons (Daeva) had strong influence on the Abrahamic religions, especially Christianity and Islam. By elevating Ahura Mazda to the one supreme God, the founder Zoroaster relegated the daevas to demons. Emphasizing free will, Zoroaster taught that demons became evil by their own volition in rejecting truth over falsehood. At a later stage, Mazdaism makes Ahriman, the principle of Evil, the creator of demons and leader of daevas. The battle between the hosts of deities against evil demons are described in the Bundahishn. Humankind lives in a world between the good powers of God and the Devil and suffers corruption through defection of humankind. Therefore, Zorastrianism proposes a threefold nature for humans: divine, animalistic, and demonic. As such, humans are obligated to keep fighting the demonic traits. After death, people must cross the Chinvat Bridge to enter paradise. However, those who have chosen evil in their life will fall into the pit of hell. In hell, the damned are tormented by the demons. In the Younger Avesta, demons cause diseases and death.
The concept of demons as servants of the Devil entered the Christian tradition via Post-exilic Judaism. Inspired by Zoroastrian dualistic cosmology, the non-Jewish deities were demonized, as evident from intertestamental writings. The apocalyptic literature then builds the foundation for the authors of the Gospels in first-century Judea. In antiquity, belief in demonic agents of misfortune were widespread. The early Christian community took it for granted that people outside the Judeo-Christian community were worshipping demons. Conversion to Christianity meant renunciation of the demons by the bearers of the Holy Spirit. By the end of the sixth century, the Mediterranean Christian society widely considered themselves to be unequivocally Christian, with an exception to Jews, the last record of worshipping another pre-Christian deity being in 570s. Medieval Christian Europe magical rites, charms, and beliefs in spiritual entities were prominent in pre-Christian Europe. While the Church officially declared such beliefs as false, the persistence of such beliefs among the wider populations led Christian monks to assimilate Christian with non-Christian rites. To sanction the invocation of non-Christian supernatural powers, Christian missionaries, such as John Cassian in the fifth century, declared the pagan gods to be demons, servants of Lucifer, who bring disorder to the world.
Under influence of Islamic philosophy, Medieval occult traditions and Renaissance magic, demons are often seen as beneficial and useful, lacking an inherent negative connotation. In fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Renaissance magic, the terms demon and devil have two different, although not exclusive, meanings. The term demons refers to a cluster of supernatural beings, such as daimons, spirits, and devils, affecting the mind. While some people fear demons, or attempt to exorcise them, others willfully attempt to summon them for knowledge, assistance, or power. William of Conches understands demon closer to the Greek daimon, reserving the concept of the devil only for the demons of the lower regions. You think, as I infer from your words, that a demon is the same as a devil, which is not the case. For a demon is said to be any invisible being using reason, as if knowing. Of these the two high orders are called calodemons, that is, good knowing ones, the lower order is called cacodemon, that is, evil knowing one, for calos means good, cacos bad. In the sixteenth century, among proponents of demons as ambivalent spirits, Paracelsus was the most vocal. He asserted that these beings are spirit-like and thus not human, but they have bodies and flesh and are thus, not angels.
In the 16th to early 17th centuries, the idea inherited from Renaissance magic and occultism that demonic forces could be conjured and controlled may have paved the way for the development of modern sciences. Hermetic- and Kabbalist philosophy held that demons could be subjugated. This shaped the idea that humans can control their social environment and their surrounding natural forces. The Age of Enlightenment conceptualizes humans as autonomous individuals, mostly independent from external invisible forces, such as demons or gods ruling over human fate. While in the pre-modern period, spirits and demons were assigned to various natural phenomena, the rationalistic school of thought increasingly rejected the attribution of demons to unknown causes. The rejection of demons as a form of superstition was also welcomed by religious perspective, considered to be a removal of remaining pagan beliefs. According to Wouter Hanegraaff, demons are pagan beliefs, removed by the Age of Enlightenment. Many considered demons to be non-existent and alleged visions of demons and ghosts were explained as results of superstition. By that local religious customs were also oppressed in favor of nationwide ideas or deities. Wilkinson Duran states that people who believe in demons are often marginalized in the United States.
Common questions
What is the origin of the negative meaning of demon in ancient Greek?
The Ancient Greek word daimon initially denoted a spirit or divine power without negative connotations. The term acquired its negative meaning through the Koine daimonion and was inherited by the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek.
How did ancient Egyptians classify demons and what were their functions?
Anc Egyptian demons are divided into two classes: guardians and wanderers. Guardians are tied to specific places and can be benevolent if one knows the right charms, while wanderers cause possession, mental illness, death, and plagues as agents of chaos.
When did Zoroastrianism influence Christian views on demons?
Zoroastrian concepts influenced Abrahamic religions like Christianity starting when Zoroaster elevated Ahura Mazda to supreme God and relegated daevas to demons. This dualistic cosmology shaped later Christian beliefs that non-Jewish deities were actually demons serving Lucifer.
Who declared pagan gods to be demons in the fifth century?
Christian missionaries such as John Cassian in the fifth century declared pagan gods to be demons and servants of Lucifer who bring disorder to the world. This occurred during Medieval Christian Europe when monks assimilated Christian with non-Christian rites.
What distinction does Paracelsus make between calodemons and cacodemons?
Paracelsus distinguished calodemons as good knowing ones and cacodemons as evil knowing ones within the sixteenth-century Renaissance magic tradition. He asserted these beings have bodies and flesh making them spirit-like but not human or angels.