Demonology: Encyclopedia - Demonology

Demonology

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

Demonology - 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— 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. 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, yet not all occultists modern and ancient necessarily invoked demons.

It is somewhat unclear how many angels were actually engaged in the war in Heaven and the exact number of the host is open to conjecture for many.

In the 15th century though 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 enarmored with "daughters of men", and coupled with them, and were therefore banished from Heaven.

Hence, it can be assumed that the amount of demons number between those two, at least in some Christian traditions. On the other hand, the Talmud declares that there are 7,405,926 demons, and it should be noted that pre-Biblical Judaism knew nothing of evil or fallen angels. 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.

Demonology - Islam Judaism and Zoroastrianism

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

These faiths, in turn, derive the Satan or Shaitan figure from Judaism.

Many scholars believe that Judaism originally received the concepts of eschatology, angelology, and demonology from Zoroastrianism. 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.

The New Testament explicitly affirms the existence of lesser adversary spirits, as does the Qur'an. In Christianity, Satan is the force of evil opposing the all-good God.

Demonology - Ayyavazhi Buddhism and Hinduism

Ayyavazhi says about a series of demons, but all as the descendants of Kroni, a primordial manifestation of evil. Though it was monistic there are signs of hell according to this belief. 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.

Demonology - 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 and may be no more than delusion on the part of those who practice it. In its most tantalizing and outrageous forms 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 always (if ever) be taken seriously.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Demonology", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki