DEMONOLOGY

"The spirit that I have seen
May be a devil, and the devil hath power
T' assume a pleasing shape,
yea, and perhaps
Out of my weakness and my melancholy,
As he is very potent with such spirits,
Abuses me to Damn me."

~ William Shakespeare
Hamlet Prince of Denmark (Hamlet at II, ii)

Well, I must say...
Researching DEMONS has been at times as humerous as it was frustrating. There is a lot to filter through...
Either the author sounds a little loopy and off-balance OR it's polarized into CHRISTIAN ideals of what DEMONS are and what purpose they serve (if any). My interest was sparked in DEMONOLOGY and I have decided to dedicate more time & research to the topic here in my more in depth BLOG.

It may surprise some of you to know that HOMER described GODS & DEMONS often interchangeably. PLUTARCH speaks of "human souls as commencing, first heroes, then demons, and afterward as advancing to a more sublime degree." PHILO of BYBLUS seems to draw from this same tradition when he states that, "The most ancient of the barbarians, especially the Phoenicians and Egyptians, from whom other people derived this custom, accounted those the greatest gods who had found out things most necessary and useful in life -- and had been benefactors to mankind."

Some historians through the ages have believed there have been spikes of marked intensity of DEMONIC influence upon the earth. They saw these as cycles and explained many of societies problems & suffering on the influx of DEMONS. These time periods include: the destruction of Jerusalem; the fall of Rome; and the French Revolution. One would imagine they would have included many occurences of the 20th & 21st centuries, such as World War II, HITLER & the NAZI'S, to name just a few.

DEMONS & PROPHECY
Although demonic POSSESION was feared by the people of the *old world*, it was true that they still paid attention to the *blabbering* of the possessed. Many believed that what was being said, was prophetic in nature and should be taken with the utmost seriousness.

SPECIES of DEMONS
as Described by Alphonse de Spina (1467)

Fates, who alter destiny
Poltergeists, who cause mischief
Incubi and Succubi, who stimulate lust and perversion
Marching Hordes, who bring about war
Familiars, who assist witches
Nightmares, who disturb sleep through bad dreams
Demons formed from Human Semen
Disguised Demons
Demons who Assail the Saintly
Demons who Instigate Witchcraft