![]() The wicked spirit, bidden speak by the followers of Christ will as readily make the truthful confession that he is a demon as elsewhere he has falsely asserted that he is a god" (Apolog., tr. ![]() Treating of true and false divinity he addresses the pagans of his time: "Let a person be brought before your tribunals who is plainly under demoniacal possession. A quotation from Tertullian will suffice to bring before us the prevalent conviction. The history of the early Church is filled with instances of similar diabolical agency. And they continued to do so after His Ascension ( Acts 16:16-18). Yet, evil as the possessing spirits were, they could not help testifying to Christ's Divine mission ( Matthew 8:29 Mark 1:24, 34 3:12 5:7 Luke 4:34, 41 8:28). Some of the unfortunate victims were controlled by several demons ( Matthew 12:43, 45 Mark 16:9 Luke 11:24-26) in one case by so many that their name was Legion ( Mark 5:9 Luke 8:30). ![]() For having been often bound with fetters and chains, he had burst the chains, and broken the fetters in pieces, and no one could tame him" ( Mark 5:2-4). The possessed are sometimes gifted with superhuman powers: "a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling in the tombs, and no man now could bind him, not even with chains. and oftentimes hath he cast him into the fire and into waters to destroy him" ( Mark 9:17, 21). A young man is possessed of a spirit "who, wheresoever he taketh him, dasheth him, and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away. The effects are described in various passages. The victims were sometimes deprived of sight and speech ( Matthew 12:22), sometimes of speech alone ( Matthew 9:32 Luke 11:14), sometimes afflicted in ways not clearly specified ( Luke 8:2), while, in the greater number of cases, there is no mention of any bodily affliction beyond the possession itself ( Matthew 4:24 8:16 15:22 Mark 1:32, 34, 39 3:11 7:25 Luke 4:41 6:18 7:21 8:2). In New-Testament times, however, the phenomenon had become very common. Jud., VI, viii, 2 ii, 2), the Jews were inclined to give the word that meaning in this very case. The Hebrew rûah need not imply a personal influence, though, if we may judge from Josephus (Ant. We are told that "an evil spirit from the Lord troubled" Saul ( 1 Samuel 16:14). ![]() In the Old Testament we have only one instance, and even that is not very certain. des peuples de l'Orient", 41 Lenormant, "La magie chez les Chaldéens"), as it is still among their successors (Ward, "History of the Hindoos", v., I, 2 Roberts, "Oriental Illustrations of the Scriptures" Doolittle, "Social Life of the Chinese"). Cases of possessionĪmong the ancient pagan nations diabolical possession was frequent (Maspero, "Hist. i Ribet, "La mystique divine", Paris, 1883, pp. As we gather from the Fathers and the theologians, the soul itself can never be "possessed" nor deprived of liberty, though its ordinary control over the members of the body may be hindered by the obsessing spirit (cf. He may attack man's body from without ( obsession), or assume control of it from within ( possession). But the influence of the demon, as we know from Scripture and the history of the Church, goes further still. Even though redeemed by Christ, he is subject to violent temptation: "for our wrestling is not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places" ( Ephesians 6:12). orig., 1), and was through the fear of death all his lifetime subject to servitude ( Hebrews 2:15). By original sin he brought himself into "captivity under the power of him who thence had the empire of death, that is to say, the Devil" (Council of Trent, Sess. Man is in various ways subject to the influence of evil spirits. ( See also DEMONOLOGY, DEMONIACS, EXORCISM, EXORCIST.) Includes the Catholic Encyclopedia, Church Fathers, Summa, Bible and more all for only $19.99. Please help support the mission of New Advent and get the full contents of this website as an instant download.
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