Demon

In medieval and modern usage, a demon is an evil or malicious spirit. The
word demon was first adapted in the New Testament from the earlier Greek
word daemon. The Greek word meant something different from the later
medieval notion of demons, and some scholars argue that Jews and Christians
in the 1st century used the word demon in its original Greek sense, rather
than in the later medieval sense. In most polytheistic religions, the
distinction between demons, gods and demigods can be fairly vague, and not
all demons would be considered malevolent.

Christian view of demons

When God created the angels, some of them with an evil nature were also
created. One of these angels, vain, arrogant, defiant, envious and selfish,
wanted to be as powerful as God and seduced a host of his companions to
follow him against their ruler, to become himself the new sovereign. This
rebellious angel was named Satan (lit. "adversary").

Satan and his host declared a war to the Creator, but God's army, commanded
by the archangel Michael, defeated the rebels. God then threw all his
enemies from Heaven to the abyss or the earth, and later was considered that
God created a new place called Hell (allusions to this place were made in
the Book of Revelation, as pits of sulphur and fire) where all his enemies
should live in their new home, sentenced to an eternal existence in that
place with the worst punishment: since that time on, the fallen angels, now
called demons, were going to be deprived of the sight of God (2 Thessalonians 1:9).

When God created the earth and humans, Satan and the other demons were
allowed to tempt humans or induce them to sin by other means. The first time
Satan did this was in the earthly paradise or Garden of Eden to tempt Eve,
who later did the same to Adam induced by the Devil. This permission granted
to demons will last until the end of this world. Hell was then designated to
be as well the last home of the souls of those humans that died out of God's grace.

There is a description of this in the Book of Revelation 12:7-17, telling
about the battle between God's army and Satan's followers, and their
subsequent expulsion from Heaven to earth to persecute humans. In Luke 10:18
is mentioned how Satan fell from Heaven.

According to Christian demonology demons will be eternally punished and
never reconciled with God, as it is mentioned in the Bible. Other theories
alleging the reconciliation of Satan, the fallen angels, the souls of the
dead that were condemned to Hell, and God are not part of Christian
demonology but the theory of the Unification Church. Origen, Jerome and
Gregory of Nyssa mentioned this possibility, but it remained as an idea
without any reason to be contemplated.

In contemporary Christianity, demons are generally considered to be angels
who fell from grace by rebelling against God. However, this view, championed
by Origen, Augustine and John Chrysostom, arose during the 6th century.
Prior to that time, the primary sin of fallen angels was considered to be
that of mating with mortal women, giving rise to a race of half-human giants
known as the Nephilim.

Demons in other cultures and religions

Demons are found in many religions, and many cultures have developed a rich
mythology of demons. The study of demons is called demonology, while the
worship of demons is known as demonolatry. In Judaism and Christianity, the
chief of demons is generally known as Satan or the Devil; in Islam he is
known as Iblis. Many classic books and plays feature demons, such as
Paradise Lost and Faust.

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