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.
When God created the angels, he offered them the same choice he was to offer humanity: follow, or be cast apart from Him. Some chose not to follow, instead choosing the path of evil. One of these angels, vain, arrogant, defiant, envious and selfish, desired 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 war with the Creator, but God's army, commanded by the archangel Michael, defeated the rebels. Their defeat was never in question, since God is by nature omnipotent, but Michael was given the honor of victory in the natural order. God then cast his enemies from Heaven to the abyss or the earth, into a newly created prison called Hell (allusions to this place are made in the Book of Revelation, as pits of sulphur and fire) where all his enemies should be sentenced to an eternal existence of pain and misery. This pain is not all physical, for their crimes, these angels, now called demons, would be deprived of the sight of God (2 Thessalonians 1:9), this being the worst possible punishment.
An indefinite time later, 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 subsequently drew her husband Adam into her crime. Upon their failure, as part of the punishment, the permission granted to Satan and his demons to tempt the first humans away from their Creator will now last until the end of this world for all people.
In C. S. Lewis' fictional work The Screwtape Letters a senior demon in Hell's hierarchy writes a series of letters to his subordinate trainee, Wormwood, offering advice in the techniques of temptation of humans. Though fictional, it offers a plausible contemporary Christian viewpoint of the relationship of humans and demons.
There is a description 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 before it was generally accepted that the fallen state is eternal, and since that time it has 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.
See also: Demonology - Demonolatry - List of specific demons and types of demonsChristian view of demons
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.
