Early Christian Views of the Devil and Demons

Justin Martyr, Hortatory Address to the Greeks Direct teaching

And the same holds good regarding the enemy of mankind who was cast out of heaven, whom the Sacred Scriptures call the Devil, a name which he obtained from his first devilry against man;

Justin Martyr, The First Apology Direct teaching

For among us the prince of the wicked spirits is called the serpent, and Satan, and the devil, as you can learn by looking into our writings.

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book I Direct teaching

Hence the devil, whom they also call Cosmocrator (the ruler of the world), and the demons, and the angels, and every wicked spiritual being that exists, found the source of their existence.

Origen, De Principiis (On First Principles) Direct teaching

Moreover, certain angels of the devil are mentioned, and also a prince of this world, who, whether the devil himself or some one else, is not yet clearly manifest.

Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Direct teaching

The latter are the wicked spirits, the authors of all the evils which are done, and the same devil is their prince.

Revelation 12:9 Background

And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

Revelation 16:14 Background

For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

2 Corinthians 11:14 Background

And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

Tatian, The Diatessaron Direct teaching

..., Jesus, Son of the most high God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me." And Jesus commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man, for he had suffered a long time since the time when he came into captivity to it. Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He said to him, "Legion," for many devils had entered into him. They begged him not to command them to depart into the depths. There was there a herd of many swine, feeding in the mountain, and those devils begged him to let them enter the swine; and he gave them permission. The devils went out of the man and entered into the swine. And that herd hurried to the summit and fell down into the midst of the sea, about two thousand, and they were choked in the water. When the keepers saw what had happened, they fled and told those in the cities and villages. The people went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man whose devils had gone out, clothed, modest, seated at the feet of Jesus; and they feared. They reported what they saw, and how the man was healed who had a devil, and also concerning those swine.

Tatian, The Diatessaron Supporting witness

...ere almost falling on him because they were seeking to come near him. And those who had plagues and unclean spirits, as soon as they saw him, would fall down and cry out and say, "You are the Son of God." And he rebuked them much, so that they should not make him known. And those who were under the constraint of unclean spirits were healed. And all the crowd were seeking to come near him, because power went out from him, and he healed them all.

Tatian, The Diatessaron Supporting witness

And Jesus commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man: and he had suffered a long 46 time since the time when he came into captivity to it.

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Direct teaching

...ou catechumens, in peace. And after they have gone out, let him say: You energumens, afflicted with unclean spirits, pray, and let us all earnestly pray for them, that God, who loves mankind, will by Christ rebuke the unclean and wicked spirits, and deliver His supplicants from the dominion of the adversary. May He who rebuked the legion of demons, and the devil, the prince of wickedness, Mark 5:9; Zechariah 3:2, even now rebuke these apostates from piety, and deliver His own workmanship from his power, and cleanse those creatures whom He has made with great wisdom. Let us still pray earnestly for them. Save them, O God, and raise them up by Your power. Bow down your heads, you energumens, and receive the blessings. And let the bishop add this prayer, and say:

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness

May He that rebuked the legion of demons, and the devil, the prince of wickedness, Mark 5:9;

Origen, Against Celsus Direct teaching

...hings they have come under the power of other demons, they may suffer punishment from them. But the Christian, the true Christian, I mean, who has submitted to God alone and His Word, will suffer nothing from demons, for He is mightier than demons. And the Christian will suffer nothing, for the angel of the Lord will encamp about those who fear Him and will deliver them. And his angel, who always beholds the face of his Father in heaven, offers up his prayers through the one High Priest to the God of all, and also joins his own prayers with those of the man committed to his keeping. Therefore let not Celsus try to frighten us with threats of harm from demons, for we despise them. And when demons are despised, they can do no harm to those who are under the protection of Him who alone can help all who deserve His aid. And He does no less than set His own angels over His devout servants, so that none of the hostile angels, nor even he who is called the prince of this world, can do anything against those who have given themselves to God.

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book II Supporting witness

For some do certainly and truly drive out devils, so that those who have thus been cleansed from evil spirits frequently both believe [in Christ], and join themselves to the Church.

Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Supporting witness

Nor, indeed, is it a slight cause that the unclean spirits of demons, having received permission, throw themselves into the bodies of many;

Lactantius, The Epitome of the Divine Institutes Supporting witness

And as He Himself before His passion put to confusion demons by His word and command, so now, by the name and sign of the same passion, unclean spirits, having insinuated themselves into the bodies of men, are driven out, when racked and tormented, and confessing themselves to be demons, they yield themselves to God, who harasses them.

Luke 8:29 Background

(For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.)

Luke 4:33 Background

And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice,

Luke 8:30 Background

And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him.

Justin Martyr, The First Apology Direct teaching

Thirdly, after Christ's ascension into heaven, the devils influenced certain men who claimed to be gods. Not only were they not persecuted by you, but they were even honored. There was a Samaritan named Simon, from a village called Gitto, who, during the reign of Claudius Caesar, performed mighty acts of magic in your royal city of Rome, through the influence of devils working in him. He was regarded as a god and honored by you with a statue, which was erected on the River Tiber between the two bridges, bearing this inscription in the Roman language: "Simoni Deo Sancto," meaning "To Simon the holy God." Almost all the Samaritans and even a few people from other nations worship him and acknowledge him as the first god. A woman named Helena, who traveled with him at that time and was formerly a prostitute, is said to be the first idea generated by him. A man named Menander, also a Samaritan from the town of Capparetæa and a disciple of Simon, was inspired by devils and is known to have deceived many in Antioch with his magical arts. He convinced his followers that they would never die, and even now some people still hold his beliefs. Marcion, a man from Pontus, is alive today and tea

Clement of Alexandria, Exhortation to the Heathen Direct teaching

...ry to me to find out whether those whom you place in this second rank, next to the gods, are really demons. For if demons are greedy for pleasure and impure, then native demons that have received sacred honors can be found in crowds throughout your cities: Menedemus among the Cythnians; among the Tenians, Callistagoras; among the Delians, Anius; among the Laconians, Astrabacus; at Phalerus, a hero fastened to the prow of ships is worshipped; and the Pythian priestess ordered the Plataeans to sacrifice to Androcrates and Democrates, and Cyclaeus and Leuco, while the Median war was at its height. Anyone who looks around a little can bring many other demons to light.

Minucius Felix, Octavius Direct teaching

...parate others from God by bringing in degraded superstitions. The poets know that those spirits are demons. The philosophers speak of them. Socrates knew it too. At the nod and decision of a demon beside him, he either declined actions or undertook them. The Magi also not only know that there are demons, but whatever miracle they claim to perform, they do it by means of demons. By their aspirations and communications, they display their wondrous tricks, making things appear which are not, or making things not appear which are. Of those magicians, Sosthenes, first both in eloquence and in deed, not only describes the true God with fitting majesty, but also the angels who are the ministers and messengers of the true God. And he knew that it enhanced His veneration, that they trembled in awe at the very nod and glance of their Lord. The same man also declared that demons were earthly, wandering, and hostile to humanity. What did Plato say, he who believed that finding God was difficult? Does he not also plainly speak of both angels and demons? And in his Symposium, does he not also try to explain the nature of demons? For he says that a demon is a substance between mortal and immor

Minucius Felix, Octavius Supporting witness

These impure spirits, therefore — the demons— as is shown by the Magi, by the philosophers, and by Plato, consecrated under statues and images, lurk there, and by their afflatus attain the authority as of a present deity;

Origen, Against Celsus Direct teaching

Celsus next states what is brought forward by Jews and Christians alike in defense of abstaining from idol sacrifices, namely, that it is wrong for those who have dedicated themselves to the Most High God to eat with demons. We have already seen what he brings forward against this view. In our opinion, a man can only be said to eat and drink with demons when he eats the flesh of what are called sacred victims, and when he drinks the wine poured out to the honor of the demons. But Celsus thinks that we cannot eat bread or drink wine in any way whatever, or taste fruits, or even take a draught of water, without eating and drinking with demons. He also adds that the air we breathe is received from demons, and that not even an animal can breathe without receiving air from the demons appointed over the air. If anyone wishes to defend this statement of Celsus, let him show that it is not the divine angels of God, but demons, whose whole race is evil, that have been appointed to communicate all those blessings that have been mentioned. We also maintain, with regard not only to the fruits of the earth, but to every flowing stream and every breath of air, that the ground brings forth those

Origen, Against Celsus Supporting witness

...at they may be gracious." In response to this statement, it would be useful for us to take up and clearly explain the whole passage of the first Epistle to the Corinthians in which Paul deals with offerings to idols. From the fact that an idol is nothing in the world, the apostle draws the conclusion that it is harmful to use things offered to idols. He shows, to those who have ears to hear on such matters, that whoever takes part in things offered to idols is worse than a murderer, for he destroys his own brothers, for whom Christ died. Further, he maintains that the sacrifices are made to demons. From that he goes on to show that those who join the table of demons become associated with the demons. And he concludes that a man cannot both be a partaker of the table of the Lord and of the table of demons. But since it would take a whole treatise to explain fully all that is contained on this subject in the Epistle to the Corinthians, we will be content with this brief statement of the argument. For it will be clear to anyone who carefully considers what has been said that even if idols are nothing, it is nevertheless an awful thing to join in idol festivals. And even if there ar

Cyprian, Epistles Direct teaching

and he who, in committing sins, does the will of the devil, serves demons and idols.

Cyprian, Treatises Background

...flesh; and whatever soul eats of the flesh of the saving sacrifice, which is the Lord's, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from his people." Leviticus 7:20 Also, the apostle testifies and says, "You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils; you cannot be partakers of the Lord's table and of the table of devils." 1 Corinthians 10:21 Moreover, he threatens the stubborn and those who approach the Lord unworthily, saying, "Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of the body and blood of the Lord." 1 Corinthians 11:27

Lactantius, The Epitome of the Divine Institutes Supporting witness

... and rest. But how important this sign is, and what power it has, is clear, since the whole host of demons is driven out and put to flight by this sign. And just as before His suffering He put demons to confusion by His word and command, so now, by the name and sign of that same suffering, unclean spirits that have slipped into the bodies of men are driven out. While they are racked and tormented, and while they confess that they are demons, they give way to God, who afflicts them. Therefore, what can the Greeks expect from their superstitions and from their wisdom, when they see that their gods, whom they also do not deny to be demons, are overcome by men through the cross?

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book I Supporting witness

...ls—one wicked and the other good. Since demons support the most wicked, the Saviour came to destroy evil people and demons, but to save the good. They also claim that marriage and procreation come from Satan. Many followers of his school abstain from eating animal food, misleading many with a pretended form of self-restraint. Additionally, they believe that some prophecies were spoken by the angels who made the world, and some by Satan. Saturninus describes Satan as an angel who is an enemy of the creators of the world, but especially of the God of the Jews.

Clement of Alexandria, Exhortation to the Heathen Supporting witness

How, then, can shades and demons be still reckoned gods, being in reality unclean and impure spirits, acknowledged by all to be of an earthly and watery nature, sinking downwards by their own weight, and flitting about graves and tombs, about which they appear dimly, being but shadowy phantasms?

Clement of Alexandria, Exhortation to the Heathen Supporting witness

For the forms of the images are plainly stamped with the characteristic nature of demons.

Origen, Against Celsus Direct teaching

... of them are wicked. These, instead of keeping the law of God, sin against it. But according to our belief, this is true of all demons: they were not demons at first, but became so by departing from the true way. So the name demons is given to those beings who have fallen away from God. Therefore, those who worship God must not serve demons. We can also learn the true nature of demons if we consider what those do who call on them by charms, either to prevent certain things or for many other purposes. For this is the method they use: by incantations and magical arts they call on demons and lead them to help carry out their wishes. Therefore, the worship of all demons would be inconsistent for us who worship the Supreme God. And the service of demons is the service of so-called gods, for all the gods of the heathen are demons. The same thing is also clear from the fact that the dedication of the most famous so-called sacred places, whether temples or statues, was accompanied by elaborate magical incantations, performed by those who eagerly served the demons through magical arts. So we are determined to avoid the worship of demons just as we would avoid death. And we hold that the

Tertullian, Apology Supporting witness

...s that there is only one race — I mean the race of demons, the true race in both cases. So let your search now be for gods. For those whom you had imagined to be such, you now find to be spirits of evil. The truth is this: since we have thus shown, from your own gods, that neither they themselves nor any others have any claim to deity, you may at once see who truly is God, and whether it is He, and He alone, whom we Christians confess. You may also see whether you ought to believe in Him and worship Him according to the manner of our Christian faith and discipline. But at once they will say, "Who is this Christ with his fables? Is he an ordinary man? Is he a sorcerer? Was his body stolen by his disciples from its tomb? Is he now in the world below? Or is he not rather in heaven, from there about to come again, shaking the whole world, filling the earth with dreadful alarms, making all but Christians wail — as the Power of God, and the Spirit of God, as the Word, the Reason, the Wisdom, and the Son of God?" Mock as much as you please. But if you can, get the demons to join you in mocking. Let them deny that Christ is coming to judge every human soul that has existed from the worl

Justin Martyr, The First Apology Supporting witness

... should this be the case? For us, who commit to doing no wickedness and do not hold these atheistic beliefs, you do not investigate the accusations made against us. Instead, driven by unreasoning passion and the influence of evil demons, you punish us without consideration or judgment. For the truth must be told: since ancient times, these evil demons, creating apparitions of themselves, defiled women, corrupted boys, and showed such terrifying sights to men that those who did not use reason to judge their actions were struck with terror. Carried away by fear and unaware that these were demons, they called them gods and gave each demon the name it chose for itself. When Socrates tried, through true reason and examination, to expose these truths and free men from the demons, the demons themselves, using men who delighted in iniquity, orchestrated his death, branding him an atheist and a profane person on the charge that "he was introducing new divinities." In our case, they show similar intent. For not only among the Greeks did reason (Logos) prevail to condemn these things through Socrates, but also among the Barbarians were they condemned by Reason (or the Word, the Logos) Hims

Tatian, Address to the Greeks Direct teaching

.... You accept the rule of many instead of the rule of one, and you have trained yourselves to follow demons as if they were powerful. For just as a cruel robber usually overpowers others like himself by boldness, so the demons, by going to extremes in wickedness, have completely deceived the souls among you that are left on their own through ignorance and false appearances. These beings do not die easily, because they do not share in flesh. But while they live, they practice the ways of death, and they themselves die as often as they teach their followers to sin. Therefore, what is now their main distinction, that they do not die like men, they will still have when they are about to suffer punishment. They will not share in everlasting life, so that they might receive it instead of death in a blessed immortality. And just as we, for whom it now happens easily to die, later receive either immortality with joy or immortality with pain, so the demons, who misuse the present life for wrongdoing, and who die continually even while they live, will later have the same immortality that they had while they lived. But its nature will be like that of men who willingly did what the demons to

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness

...phesy, though he himself was ungodly. Caiaphas also did so, the falsely named high priest. Yes, the devil foretells many things, and the demons about Him also. Yet for all that, there is not a spark of piety in them. For they are weighed down with ignorance because of their voluntary wickedness. Therefore, it is clear that the ungodly, although they prophesy, do not cover their own impiety by their prophesying. Nor will those who cast out demons be sanctified because the demons are made subject to them. For they only mock one another, as those do who play childish tricks for laughter, and they destroy those who pay attention to them. For a wicked king is no longer a king, but a tyrant. Nor is a bishop who is weighed down with ignorance or an evil disposition a bishop, but only falsely so called. He is not one sent out by God, but by men, like Ananiah and Samoeah in Jerusalem, and Zedekiah and Achiah, the false prophets in Babylon. And indeed Balaam the prophet, when he had corrupted Israel by Baal-peor, suffered punishment. Caiaphas at last was his own murderer. The sons of Sceva, trying to cast out demons, were wounded by them and fled away in an unseemly manner. And the kings

Archelaus, Disputation with Manes Supporting witness

The judges said, "He has given enough proof about the origin of the devil. And since both sides admit that there will be a judgment, that admission necessarily shows that every individual has free will. Since this has been made clear, there can be no doubt that every individual, by the proper power of his own will, may direct his course in whatever way he pleases." Manes said, "If only the good is from your God, as you claim, then you make Jesus Himself a liar." Archelaus said, "First, admit that the account we have presented is true. Then I will give you proof about his father." Manes said, "If you prove to me that his father is a liar, and yet show me that even so you ascribe no such evil notion to God, then you will be believed on every point." Archelaus said, "Surely, once a full account of the devil has been presented, and the divine arrangement set forth, anyone with an ordinary degree of understanding could simply think the matter over carefully and get an idea of who is meant here by the father of the devil. But though you present yourself as the Paraclete, you fall far short of the ordinary good sense of men. Therefore, since you have shown your ignorance, I will tell you

Archelaus, Disputation with Manes Supporting witness

...cle, I believe I have the right to think this about you. For we have been told beforehand that the devil himself will be changed into an angel of light, and that his servants will appear in the same way, and that they will do signs and wonders, so that, if it were possible, even the elect would be deceived. But who are you, I ask, since no such close relation has been assigned to you by your father Satan? Whom have you raised from the dead? What bleeding have you ever stopped? What blind eyes have you ever anointed with clay and caused to see? When have you ever fed a hungry crowd with a few loaves? Where have you ever walked on the water, or who among those living in Jerusalem has ever seen you do it? O Persian barbarian, you have never been able to know the language of the Greeks, or of the Egyptians, or of the Romans, or of any other nation. Only the Chaldean tongue has been known to you, and truly that is not a language used by any great number of people. You are not able to understand even one person of another nation when he speaks. But the Holy Spirit is not like that. God forbid. He gives to all, and knows every kind of language, and understands all things, and becomes a

Tertullian, On Idolatry Supporting witness

Hence the devil gets men's early faith built up from the beginnings of their erudition.

Cyprian, Treatises Supporting witness

It is an ancient adversary and an old enemy with whom we wage our battle: six thousand years are now nearly completed since the devil first attacked man.

1 John 3:8 Background

Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

1 Peter 5:8 Background

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Matthew 12:27 Background

And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.