6,626 research outputs found

    Demonologie in die Nuwe- Testamentiese tydvak

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    Demonology in New Testament timesModem demonology has become a cult just as it had been in mediaeval times. But there is a difference. Then people opposed the Devil; now people believe in the Devil. This paper argues that modem demonology is an escapism of reality and in direct contrast to the New Testament's message. The thesis is debated against the background of a discussion of demonology in New Testament times. In this discussion it is indicated how the face of evil has changed from Old Testament times up to the New Testament period. Evil has become an extraterrestrial figure, symbol and power. As the personification of the prince of evil, the Devil is inter alia identified with the mythological serpent in a lost paradise and is defeated at the reaUzation of God's messianic kingdom in Jesus Christ, the prince of light. The New Testament proclaims that salvation means that man determines to exist as man of God before evil made man his slave

    Imagining Demons in Post-Byzantine Jerusalem: John of Damascus and the Consolidation of Classical Christian Demonology

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    This dissertation traces the consolidation of a classical Christian framework for demonology in the theological corpus of John of Damascus (c. 675 – c. 750), an eighth century Greek theologian writing in Jerusalem. When the Damascene sat down to write, I argue, there was a great variety of demonological options available to him, both in the depth of the Christian tradition, and in the ambient local imagination. John’s genius lies first in what he chose not to include, but second in his ability to synthesize a minimalistic demonology out of a complex body of material and integrate it into a broader theological system. John’s synthesis was so effective, in fact, that it looks reflexively obvious as a statement of Christian demonology in the Scriptural-patristic tradition: it would not necessarily have been so to his contemporaries.I begin the study with an invitation to enter into an imaginative of reading John through the epithet “destroyer of demons” attached to him in his commemoration, and conclude it with an analysis of John’s understanding of the demonic as a “demon destroying” demonology. Between these terminal points are four chapters: two parsing what John drew from the Christian faith as he knew and had received it, and two considering extrinsic factors shaping John’s thought and imagination, including a discussion of alternate systems of demonology that we can locate in John’s approximate context. The final analysis mirrors my initial discussion of the themes that John inherited, drawing attention to the subtle ways he transformed his theological tradition in laying out a precise paradigm for future theological reflection on the nature of the devil and demons.John’s demonology – though minimal – is robust, and to read John using his ideas about the devil and demons as a focal point both draws attention to the complexities hidden within demonology as a subject and heightens our appreciation for the extraordinary qualities of the Damascene’s intellect and contribution. In broadest application, finally, recognizing the vast difference between the assumptions, methods, and means underwriting John’s demonology and our own in seeking to understand it prompts reflection on the nature and limits of the historical imagination in theology

    Calvyn oor die verskynsel van demonologie

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    Scripture teaches an increased occurrence of demonology at the end of time (cf. 1 Tim. 4:1; Rev. 16:13, 14). This truth can already be observed in increasing occultism, witchcraft and other forms of demonology in Europe and in Africa, where traditional African culture plays a decisive role. In order to combat demonology from a Reformed point of view, it is important to note John Calvin’s opinion and approach. Not only was he one of the greatest Reformed theologians, but he also lived and worked in the “devil’s golden age”. Calvin’s hermeneutical principles and his interpretation of Scripture are still essentially important

    Jean Bodin and the Romance of Demonology

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    This article proposes a comparison between the French Renaissance demonologist Jean Bodin and the fictional character Don Quijote. Like the hero of Cervantes’ novel, Bodin believes everything he reads. Consequently, Bodin makes his own discipline of demonology a species of romance that eagerly blurs the boundary of fact and fiction. This type of credulity can be usefully juxtaposed to Michel de Montaigne’s understanding of the imagination and to his more philosophical exploration of the realm of possibility.Keywords: Demonology, fiction, imagination, Jean Bodin, Cervantes, Montaigne.This article proposes a comparison between the French Renaissance demonologist Jean Bodin and the fictional character Don Quijote. Like the hero of Cervantes’ novel, Bodin believes everything he reads. Consequently, Bodin makes his own discipline of demonology a species of romance that eagerly blurs the boundary of fact and fiction. This type of credulity can be usefully juxtaposed to Michel de Montaigne’s understanding of the imagination and to his more philosophical exploration of the realm of possibility.Keywords: Demonology, fiction, imagination, Jean Bodin, Cervantes, Montaigne

    The Marked and the Magic in \u3cem\u3eProspero’s Daughter\u3c/em\u3e: Contextualizing Postmodern Witchcraft Accusations Using the Early Modern

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    Despite Prospero’s Daughter having won Elizabeth Nunez a handful of awards and having been received positively by critics, little aside from reviews about the novel exists in the literary sphere. Several articles discuss her memoir or two of her novels, namely Boundaries, Beyond the Limbo Silence, and When Rocks Dance, but it is challenging to find literary criticism about Prospero’s Daughter, let alone in reference to witchcraft and magic. This essay provides that literary criticism, placing it in context with historical research on early modern witchcraft theory. Although Nunez’s novel is a postmodern Shakespeare adaptation centered in 1960s Trinidad, it contains depictions of witchery and magic consistent with those of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century witch trial records, demonology, Christian teachings of the time, and cultural anthropological and historical research. My analysis of Prospero’s Daughter, in featuring a reframing of witchcraft-related issues like sexuality, poisoning, and witch’s marks, bridges the scholarly gap between early modern historical past and postcolonial literary present. This paper explores how the aforementioned issues appear in main characters like Sylvia, Gardner, and Carlos, and was written to provide an updated perspective on witchcraft in literary scholarship for others who are intrigued by Nunez’s depictions

    Wesley’s invisible world: witchcraft and the temperature of preternatural belief

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    Owen Davies,'Wesley’s invisible world: witchcraft and the temperature of preternatural belief', in Robert Webster, ed., Perfecting Perfection: Essays in honor of Henry D. Rack (Eugene: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2015), ISBN: 978-1-61097-849-1.Non peer reviewe

    'Detestable slaves of the Devil': changing attitudes to witchcraft in Sixteenth-Century Scotland

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    No Sympathy for the Devil: The Significance of Demons in John Chrysostom\u27s Soteriology

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    This dissertation is a study of John Chrysostom’s demonology as it relates to his theological anthropology and soteriology. Demons run rampant in Chrysostom\u27s thought, though few scholars have taken note of this. Studies of Chrysostom often focus on his exegetical practices, his asceticism, or his social vision and morality. Indeed, many scholars dismiss Chrysostom as unsophisticated and therefore of little value in the landscape of fourth-century theology. In analyzing Chrysostom’s demonology, we see that Chrysostom’s thought is complex and worth further consideration. One cannot treat demons in Chrysostom’s work without treating other theological topics as well. When Chrysostom discusses demons he does so for the sake of bringing his congregation to salvation. Drawing on Stoic categories for discussing “true” versus “apparent” harm, Chrysostom uses rhetoric about demons to highlight humanity’s freedom and self-determination. Each person has a Ï€ÏÎżÎ±ÎŻÏÎ”ÏƒÎčς, which is free and is the locus of moral responsibility, a faculty demons cannot compel. The Ï€ÏÎżÎ±ÎŻÏÎ”ÏƒÎčς is what enables a person to be virtuous. Chrysostom then argues that because each person is able to be virtuous, God expects each person to be virtuous, and this virtue is a necessary aspect of salvation. Though God reconciles humanity to God’s self in the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and though Christ continues to help a person be virtuous, the responsibility for virtue, and thus salvation, lies with the human being. In short, Chrysostom\u27s demonology and account of self-determination exert a mutual influence on one another, self-determination is necessary for virtue, and virtue is integral to salvation. Therefore, in order to have a fully developed account of Chrysostom\u27s theological anthropology and soteriology, one must also understand Chrysostom’s demonology. Chrysostom\u27s soteriology is better understood when the role of demonology in his theology is taken into account because Chrysostom\u27s engagements with demonology are an entrance to his soteriology and highlight the depth to which Chrysostom believes humans are responsible for their own salvation
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