Demons: a First-Century Understanding
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Michael Defeats the Dragon
THE REVELATION OF JOHN Bible Study 31 Study by Lorin L Cranford Text: Rev. 12:7-12 All rights reserved © QUICK LINKS 1. What the text meant. Exegesis of the Text: Historical Aspects: A. War between Michael and Satan, vv. 7-9 External History B. Declaration of victory, vv. 10-12 Internal History Literary Aspects: Genre 2. What the text means. Literary Setting Literary Structure Michael Defeats the Dragon Greek NT Gute Nachricht Bibel NRSV NLT 7 Καὶ ἐγένετο πόλεμος ἐν 7 Dann brach im Himmel 7 And war broke out in 7 Then there was war τῷ οὐρανῷ, ὁ Μιχαὴλ καὶ οἱ ein Krieg aus. Michael mit heaven; Michael and his an- in heaven. Michael and the ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ τοῦ πολεμῆσαι seinen Engeln kämpfte gegen gels fought against the drag- angels under his command μετὰ τοῦ δράκοντος. καὶ ὁ den Drachen. Der Drache mit on. The dragon and his angels fought the dragon and his δράκων ἐπολέμησεν καὶ οἱ seinen Engeln wehrte sich; 8 fought back, 8 but they were angels. 8 And the dragon ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ, 8 καὶ οὐκ aber er konnte nicht stand- defeated, and there was no lost the battle and was forced ἴσχυσεν οὐδὲ τόπος εὑρέθη halten. Samt seinen Engeln longer any place for them in out of heaven. 9 This great αὐτῶν ἔτι ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ. musste er seinen Platz im heaven. 9 The great dragon dragon -- the ancient serpent 9 καὶ ἐβλήθη ὁ δράκων ὁ Himmel räumen. 9 Der große was thrown down, that ancient called the Devil, or Satan, μέγας, ὁ ὄφις ὁ ἀρχαῖος, ὁ Drache wurde hinunterg- serpent, who is called the the one deceiving the whole καλούμενος Διάβολος καὶ estürzt! Er ist die alte Sch- Devil and Satan, the deceiver world -- was thrown down to ὁ Σατανᾶς, ὁ πλανῶν τὴν lange, die auch Teufel oder of the whole world—he was the earth with all his angels. -
Can Interfaith Research Resolve the Global Conflicts Based on Faith?54
8th International Scientific Forum, ISF 2017, 7-8 September 2017, UNCP, USA, Proceedings Can Interfaith Research Resolve the Global Conflicts Based on Faith?54 Mahgoub El-Tigani Mahmoud Tennessee State University Doi: 10.19044/esj.2017.c1p15 URL:http://dx.doi.org/10.19044/esj.2017.c1p15 Abstract: Interfaith issues are quite central in the contemporary life as they had often been in ancient times. In the light of political striving, violence, and deep global concerns for the world order and peace, a great many people have been increasingly inspired to know about religions of the world, their similarities and differences, the roles they may play in conflict and conflict resolution, and the ways most desirable to get their members to know one another in justice and peace, regardless of the size of followers a religion enjoys or the tenets of faith they enjoin. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam maintain ancestral ties with a unique origin, namely the Abrahamic scriptural and spiritual heritages the Talmud, the Bible, and the Qur’an literally contained. These holy books contain a great wealth of knowledge about God and His messengers who enlightened mankind with the wisdom of religion to pursue the good life with perseverance and moral values. The discourse of interfaith ideals and practices has been in great demand globally, despite a few endeavors to enhance authentic knowledge about religion, in general, and the monotheistic religions, in particular. The need of the world is largely felt to appreciate the true meanings of religious life for individuals and social groups in order to advance the cause of peaceful co-existence between peoples of the world, especially in areas suffering deep ideological hostilities or prolonged violence through the negative influences of religious intolerance. -
Pronunciation of Samael
Pronunciation of Samael http://www.omnilexica.com/pronunciation/?q=Samael How is Samael hyphenated? British usage: Samael (no hyphenation) American usage: Sa -mael Sorry, no pronunciation of Samael yet. Content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License ; ad- ditional terms may apply. See Copyright for details. Keyword Tool | Romanian-English Dictionary Privacy Policy 1 of 1 6/14/2014 9:16 PM Samael definition/meaning http://www.omnilexica.com/?q=Samael On this page: Group Miscellanea Printed encyclopedias and other books with definitions for SAMAEL Online dictionaries and encyclopedias with entries for SAMAEL Photos about SAMAEL Scrabble value of S A M A E L 1 1 3 1 1 1 Anagrams of SAMAEL Share this page Samael is a industrial black metal band formed in 1987 in Sion, Switzerland. also known as Samaël members: Xytras since 1987 Vorph since 1987 Christophe Mermod since 1992 Makro since 2002 Kaos between 1996 and 2002 (6 years) Rodolphe between 1993 and 1996 (3 years) Christophe Mermod since 1991 Pat Charvet between 1987 and 1988 genres: Black metal, Dark metal, Industrial metal, Heavy metal , Symphonic metal, European industrial metal, Grindcore , 1 of 7 6/14/2014 9:17 PM Samael definition/meaning http://www.omnilexica.com/?q=Samael Symphonic black metal albums: "Into the Infernal Storm of Evil", "Macabre Operetta", "From Dark to Black", "Medieval Prophecy", "Worship Him", "Blood Ritual", "After the Sepulture", "1987–1992", "Ceremony of Opposites", "Rebel- lion", "Passage", "Exodus", "Eternal", "Black Trip", "Telepath", "Reign of Light", "On Earth", "Lessons in Magic #1", "Ceremony of Opposites / Re- bellion", "Aeonics: An Anthology", "Solar Soul", "Above", "Antigod", "Lux Mundi", "A Decade in Hell" official website: www.samael.info Samael is an important archangel in Talmudic and post-Talmudic lore, a figure who is accuser, seducer and destroyer, and has been regarded as both good and evil. -
Handbook of Religious Beliefs and Practices
STATE OF WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS HANDBOOK OF RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND PRACTICES 1987 FIRST REVISION 1995 SECOND REVISION 2004 THIRD REVISION 2011 FOURTH REVISION 2012 FIFTH REVISION 2013 HANDBOOK OF RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND PRACTICES INTRODUCTION The Department of Corrections acknowledges the inherent and constitutionally protected rights of incarcerated offenders to believe, express and exercise the religion of their choice. It is our intention that religious programs will promote positive values and moral practices to foster healthy relationships, especially within the families of those under our jurisdiction and within the communities to which they are returning. As a Department, we commit to providing religious as well as cultural opportunities for offenders within available resources, while maintaining facility security, safety, health and orderly operations. The Department will not endorse any religious faith or cultural group, but we will ensure that religious programming is consistent with the provisions of federal and state statutes, and will work hard with the Religious, Cultural and Faith Communities to ensure that the needs of the incarcerated community are fairly met. This desk manual has been prepared for use by chaplains, administrators and other staff of the Washington State Department of Corrections. It is not meant to be an exhaustive study of all religions. It does provide a brief background of most religions having participants housed in Washington prisons. This manual is intended to provide general guidelines, and define practice and procedure for Washington State Department of Corrections institutions. It is intended to be used in conjunction with Department policy. While it does not confer theological expertise, it will, provide correctional workers with the information necessary to respond too many of the religious concerns commonly encountered. -
9 the Mystical Bitter Water Trial [Text Deleted]
9 The Mystical Bitter Water Trial [text deleted] 9.1 Golems as Archetypes of the Trial’s Supernaturally Inseminated Seed [text deleted] 9.2 Lilith as the First Sotah [text deleted] 9.3 Lilith and Samael as Animating Forces in Golems [text deleted] 9.4 Azazel as the Seed of Lilith No study of Lilith would be complete without a discussion of the demon Azazel. This is true because several clues in many ancient texts - including the Torah, the Zohar, and the First Book of Enoch - indicate that Azazel was the seed of Lilith. The texts further hint that Azazel was not the product of Lilith mating with any ordinary man, but rather he was the firstborn seed resulting from her illicit mating with Semjaza, the leader of a group of fallen angels called Watchers. As the seed of the Watchers, Azazel was the first born of the Nephilim, a race of powerful angel-man hybrids who nearly pushed ordinary mankind to extinction before the flood. But Azazel was much more than just a powerful Nephilim. Regular Nephilim were the products of the daughters of Adam mating with Watchers. Azazel was the product of Lilith mating with the Watchers. He is thus less human than all, and the most powerful, even more powerful than the Watchers who sired him. Azazel’s role in the Yom Kippur ceremony of Leviticus 16 indicates he is a rival to Messiah and God. This identifies Azazel as the legendary seed of the Serpent of Eden. God declared in his curse against the Serpent that this great seed would bruise the heel of Eve’s promised seed (Messiah), but Eve’s seed in turn would crush the head of the Serpent Lilith and destroy her seed. -
Abraham, Prince Mastema, and the Paschal Offering in Jubilees* CANA
Narrative in the Service of Halakha Abraham, Prince Mastema, and the Paschal Offering in Jubilees* CANA WERMAN The interest aroused by the book of Jubilees – the second written Torah narrated by the Angel of Presence to Moses on Mount Sinai1 – has in recent years placed this late second century BCE Qumranic rewriting of Genesis and Exodus at the center of scholarly investigation.2 One method- ology employed in the scholarly attempt to explicate Jubilees’ perplexing passages is to find evidence of literary layers.3 Two passages to which this methodology is applied are Jub. 17–18, where the seven-day festival cele- brated by Abraham is seen as a later Qumranic addition to the main subject of the chapters – the Aqedah – and Jub. 32, where the shift from the first to the second tithe in the process of retelling Jacob‟s payment of his vow is similarly attributed to a later Qumranic hand. The present paper suggests a different approach to these enigmatic passages, proposing that they can be elucidated by viewing them within the framework of the Second Temple priestly halakha to which Jubilees adheres. Analysis of these episodes exemplifies the major part that halakha plays in the formation of Jubilees’ narrative. * I would like to thank Avi Aronsky for translating the first draft and Dena Ordan for helping me to modify the present paper. 1 WERMAN, The Torah and Teudah, 75–103. 2 For a discussion of the book‟s date of composition and origin, see WERMAN, Attitude towards Gentiles, 11–34; IDEM, Jubilees and the Qumran Community, 37–55. -
Dark Mirrors: Azazel and Satanael in Early Jewish Demonology
Orlov Dark Mirrors RELIGIOUS STUDIES Azazel and Satanael in Early Jewish Demonology Dark Mirrors is a wide-ranging study of two central figures in early Jewish demonology—the fallen angels Azazel and Satanael. Andrei A. Orlov explores the mediating role of these paradigmatic celestial rebels in the development of Jewish demonological traditions from Second Temple apocalypticism to later Jewish mysticism, such as that of the Hekhalot and Shi ur Qomah materials. Throughout, Orlov makes use of Jewish pseudepigraphical materials in Slavonic that are not widely known. Dark Mirrors Orlov traces the origins of Azazel and Satanael to different and competing mythologies of evil, one to the Fall in the Garden of Eden, the other to the revolt of angels in the antediluvian period. Although Azazel and Satanael are initially representatives of rival etiologies of corruption, in later Jewish and Christian demonological lore each is able to enter the other’s stories in new conceptual capacities. Dark Mirrors also examines the symmetrical patterns of early Jewish demonology that are often manifested in these fallen angels’ imitation of the attributes of various heavenly beings, including principal angels and even God himself. Andrei A. Orlov is Associate Professor of Theology at Marquette University. He is the author of several books, including Selected Studies in the Slavonic Pseudepigrapha. State University of New York Press www.sunypress.edu Andrei A. Orlov Dark Mirrors Azazel and Satanael in Early Jewish Demonology Andrei A. Orlov Published by State University of New York Press, Albany © 2011 State University of New York All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. -
The Names of Spirits
THE NAMES OF SPIRITS Doug Mason [email protected] SCRIPTURALLY, A PERSON’S “NAME” IS THEIR VERY BEING For the writers of the Judaeo/Christian Scriptures, the term “name” has deep meaning. Even in today’s usage, although we commonly use names as handles that provide identification, the word “name” can have a wider meaning. It could mean “reputation”—good, bad, or otherwise. A person may have a “good name” in the community. The ancients considered a person’s “name” even more profoundly. A person’s “name” was their very self, their total being (1 Sam. 25:25). The margins of Bibles often reveal the reason for a person’s given name or new name. So intimate was the person’s being to their name that when a radical change in a person’s character took place, so that they became a new person, they were given a new name. Examples include: Abraham (Gen. 17:5); Sarah (Gen. 17:15); Israel (Gen. 32:28); Joshua (Num. 13:16); Jedidiah (2 Sam. 12:25); Mara (Ruth 1:20); and Peter (Mark 3:16). “THE SATAN” IN THE HEBREW BIBLE “Satan” appears in only three contexts in the Hebrew Bible: in Job and in Zechariah, where the satan is the prosecuting accuser in the Divine Court in heaven; and in Chronicles, where the blame for David’s census is laid on Satan. “Satan” with the definite article (“the”)—ha satan When the name “satan” appears in the Hebrew Bible with the definite article—”the” satan, ha- satan—it means the role, function, and title1. -
Death of Moses
Dr Maurice M. Mizrahi B”H D’var Torah on V’zot ha-berachah The (reluctant) death of Moses In the last Torah portion of the year, V’zot ha-berachah, traditionally read on Simchat Torah, we hear about the death of Moses: So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab… And [God] buried him in a valley…; but no man knows his grave till this day. And Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eye was not dim, nor had his natural force abated… And there has not arisen since in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. [Deut. 34:5-7, 10] The Midrash on Deuteronomy gives a detailed account of the death of Moses. It reads like a thriller, which is unusual for ancient commentary. It tells about how Moses absolutely, positively does not want to die, and uses every argument he can think of to get a reprieve. He fights off the Angel of Death, even beats him up. He recites all his merits one by one. He asks to at least be allowed in the Promised Land, saying: Just as I witnessed Israel’s troubles, I want to witness their good fortune. He tells God, “I served you faithfully all these years, and this is how You repay me?” He accuses God of not following His own Torah by not paying the laborer’s wages on time. He asks God to turn him into a bird instead of dying. The angels refuse to take away Moses' soul. -
Theological Questions the Akedah Story
CHAPTER NINE THE AKEDAH AND THE FESTIVALS OF PASSOVER/ UNLEAVENED BREAD (17:15–18:19) Theological Questions The Akedah story (Gen 22) has raised numerous difculties for interpret- ers throughout history, rst and foremost of which was the question, how God could have tested Abraham with such a cruel ordeal, and what purpose it could possibly have served. These issues are interrelated with other, more general, theological questions. If God can create such a cruel test, which is fundamentally evil, one can then conclude that God is not completely good. One who wishes to defend the assumption that God is all-good by assigning evil to some other being (as is done in polytheistic religions) must then limit God’s omnipotence. If another power is able to bring about events in the world, then that power controls certain areas that God does not. The existence of evil in the world thus leads to one of two possibilities according to a monotheistic worldview: God is limited either in his power (or knowledge), or he is the source of the evil. God’s desire to test Abraham raises another theological conun- drum. If God did not know the results of the test in advance, and he therefore needed to put him through this ordeal in order to nd out whether Abraham would obey or not, one can conclude that God is not omniscient. On the other hand, if God knew the results of the ordeal before Abraham passed, then one can conclude that Abraham lacked the free will to choose whether to observe his commandment or not. -
Angelic Hierarchies Wikibook
Angelic Hierarchies Wikibook PDF generated using the open source mwlib toolkit. See http://code.pediapress.com/ for more information. PDF generated at: Sun, 27 Apr 2014 17:14:19 UTC Contents Articles Hierarchy of angels 1 Christian angelic hierarchy 2 Yazata 10 Jewish angelic hierarchy 14 Angels in Judaism 15 Living creatures (Bible) 27 Ophanim 28 Er'el 30 Hashmal 31 Seraph 32 Elohim 35 Sons of God 41 Cherub 45 Thrones 49 Archangel 50 Seven Archangels 58 Islamic view of angels 60 Israfil 64 Holy Spirit (Islam) 67 Buraq 70 References Article Sources and Contributors 73 Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors 75 Article Licenses License 76 Hierarchy of angels 1 Hierarchy of angels A Hierarchy of Angels is a belief or tradition found in the angelology of different religions, which holds that there are different levels or ranks of angels. Higher ranks may be asserted to have greater power or authority over lower ranks, and with different ranks having differences in appearance, such as varying numbers of wings or faces. Abrahamic faiths The Assumption of the Virgin by Francesco Botticini at the National Gallery The Jewish angelic hierarchy is established London, shows three hierarchies and nine orders of angels, each with different in the Hebrew Bible, Talmud, Rabbinic characteristics. literature, and traditional Jewish liturgy. They are categorized in different hierarchies proposed by various theologians. For example, Maimonides, in his Mishneh Torah or Yad ha-Chazakah: Yesodei ha-Torah, counts ten ranks of angels. The most influential Christian angelic hierarchy was that put forward by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite in the 4th or 5th century in his book De Coelesti Hierarchia (On the Celestial Hierarchy). -
The Destroying Angel
THE DESTROYING ANGEL SHAUL BAR The particular term "destroying angel" ( malakh ha-mashhit ) occurs twice in the Bible, in II Samuel 24:16 and its parallel, I Chronicles 21:15. Other allu- sions to this "destroyer" (mashhit ), can be found in Exodus 12:23 and Isaiah 54:16. The story of Sennacherib's siege of Jerusalem may also allude to a destroying angel (II Kgs. 19:35; Isa. 37:36; II Chron. 32:21), although the term used there is simply malakh . In the cultures of the ancient Near East, gods were believed to be responsible for death and destruction. The Bible, however, does not portray such a configuration. Instead, the destructive agents act according to God's instruction: they are His messengers and it is the Lord who initiates death and destruction. We will see that the Bible refers to the angelic forces of destruction in a way that negates the ideas of neigh- boring cultures. DAVID AND THE DESTROYING ANGEL The destroying angel is sent to afflict Israel with pestilence, in punishment for David's census (II Sam. 24:16). According to the account in the Book of Samuel, the destructive angel was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite (ibid.). The parallel account in Chronicles provides a more extensive description of what happened. David looks up and sees the angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand directed against Jerusalem (I Chron. 21:16). This description of the angel draws on earlier biblical literature, the story of Joshua before the conquest of Jericho (Josh.