Holy Mary walk on the serpent (aka the devil)
In Christianity and Judaism, the snake makes its infamous appearance in the first book of the Bible when a serpent appears before Adam and Eve and tempts them with the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. The snake returns in the Book of Exodus when Moses turns his staff into a snake as a sign of God's power, and later when he makes the Nehushtan, a bronze snake on a pole that when looked at cured the people of bites from the snakes that plagued them in the desert. The serpent makes its final appearance symbolizing Satan in the Book of Revelation: "And he laid hold on the dragon the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years."
Archbishop Eric Michel, founder of the EMMI Christian Catholic Apostolic Ministry
An Independent Catholic Benedictines of Our Lady of High Grace
Catholic Anglican Tradition
Demonology is the study of demons within religious belief. It refers to studies within theology and religious doctrine. In many faiths, it concerns the study of a hierarchy of demons. Demons may be nonhuman, separable souls or discarnate spirits which have never inhabited a body. A sharp distinction is often drawn between these two classes, notably by the Melanesians, several African groups, and others. The Islamic jinn, for example, are not reducible to modified human souls. At the same time, these classes are frequently conceived as producing identical results, e.g. diseases.
Demons are NOT a part of the paranormal but part of the theology. (See Catholic Paranormal)
Devils or Demons
Lucifer is the Latin name for the morning appearances of the planet Venus. It corresponds to the Greek names Phosphorus Φωσφόρος, "light-bringer," and Eosphorus Ἑωσφόρος, "dawn-bringer." The entity's Latin name was subsequently absorbed into Christianity as a name for the devil. Modern scholarship generally translates the term in the relevant Bible passage (Isaiah 14:12), where the Greek Septuagint reads ὁ ἑωσφόρος ὁ πρωὶ, as "morning star" or "shining one" rather than as a proper noun, Lucifer, as found in the Latin Vulgate. The word "Lucifer" appears in The Second Epistle of Peter (2 Peter 1:19) in the Latin Vulgate to refer to Jesus. The word "Lucifer" is also used in the Latin version of Exsultet, the Easter proclamation.
As a name for the Devil in Christian theology, the more common meaning in English, "Lucifer" is the rendering of the Hebrew word הֵילֵל, hêlēl, (pronunciation: hay-lale) in Isaiah given in the King James Version of the Bible. The translators of this version took the word from the Latin Vulgate, which translated הֵילֵל by the Latin word lucifer (uncapitalized), meaning "the morning star," "the planet Venus," or, as an adjective, "light-bringing."
As a name for the planet in its morning aspect, "Lucifer" (Light-Bringer) is a proper noun and is capitalized in English. In Greco-Roman civilization, it was often personified and considered a god and, in some versions, considered a son of Aurora (the Dawn). The Roman poet Catullus used a similar name for the planet in its evening aspect: "Noctifer" (Night-Bringer).
Mephistopheles, also known as Mephisto, is a demon featured in German folklore. He originally appeared in literature as the demon in the Faust legend and has since become a stock character appearing in other works of art and popular culture.
Satan, also known as the Devil and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehood. In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the yetzer hara, or "evil inclination". In Christianity and Islam, he is usually seen as a fallen angel or jinn who has rebelled against God, who nevertheless allows him temporary power over the fallen world and a host of demons. In the Quran, Shaitan, also known as Iblis, is an entity made of fire who was cast out of Heaven because he refused to bow before the newly created Adam and incites humans to sin by infecting their minds with waswās ("evil suggestions").
A figure known as ha-satan ("the satan") first appears in the Hebrew Bible as a heavenly prosecutor, subordinate to Yahweh (God), who prosecutes the nation of Judah in the heavenly court and tests the loyalty of Yahweh's followers. During the intertestamental period, possibly due to influence from the Zoroastrian figure of Angra Mainyu, satan developed into a malevolent entity with abhorrent qualities in dualistic opposition to God. In the apocryphal Book of Jubilees, Yahweh grants satan (Mastema) authority over a group of fallen angels, or their offspring, to tempt humans to sin and punish them.
Although the Book of Genesis does not mention him, Christians often identify the serpent in the Garden of Eden as Satan. In the Synoptic Gospels, Satan tempts Jesus in the desert and is identified as the cause of illness and temptation. In the Book of Revelation, Satan appears as a Great Red Dragon, defeated by Michael the Archangel and cast down from Heaven. He is later bound for one thousand years but is briefly set free before being ultimately defeated and cast into the Lake of Fire.
Pazuzu Demon Assyria 1stMil
A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore, as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, and television series.
Belief in demons probably goes back to the Paleolithic age, stemming from humanity's fear of the unknown, the strange and the horrific. In ancient Near Eastern religions and in the Abrahamic religions, including early Judaism and ancient-medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered a harmful spiritual entity which may cause demonic possession, calling for an exorcism. Large portions of Jewish demonology, a key influence on Christianity and Islam, originated from a later form of Zoroastrianism and was transferred to Judaism during the Persian era.
Demons may or may not be considered devils: minions of the Devil. In many traditions, demons are independent operators, with different demons causing different evils (destructive natural phenomena, specific diseases, etc.). In religions featuring a principal Devil (e.g. Satan) locked in an eternal struggle with God, demons are often also thought to be subordinates of the principal Devil. As lesser spirits doing the Devil's work, they have additional duties— causing humans to have sinful thoughts and tempting humans to commit sinful actions.
The original Ancient Greek word daimōn (δαίμων) did not carry negative connotations, as it denotes a spirit or divine power. The Greek conception of a daimōn notably appears in the philosophical works of Plato, where it describes the divine inspiration of Socrates.
In Christianity, morally ambivalent daimōn were replaced by demons, forces of evil only striving for corruption. Such demons are not the Greek intermediary spirits but hostile entities already known in Iranian beliefs. In Western esotericism and Renaissance magic, which grew out of an amalgamation of Greco-Roman magic, Jewish Aggadah and Christian demonology, a demon is believed to be a spiritual entity that may be conjured and controlled.
Belief in demons remains an integral part of many modern religions and occultist traditions. Demons are still feared largely due to their alleged power to possess living creatures. In the contemporary Western occultist tradition (perhaps epitomized by the work of Aleister Crowley), a demon (such as Choronzon, which is Crowley's interpretation of the so-called "Demon of the Abyss") is a helpful metaphor for specific inner psychological processes (inner demons), though some may also regard it as an objectively natural phenomenon.
Saint Michael is an archangel in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baha'i faith; he is the chief of the angels and archangels. He is mentioned explicitly in Revelation 12:7–12, where he battles Satan.
The Hammer of Witches which destroyeth Witches and their heresy like a most powerful spear
A Witches' Sabbath is a purported gathering of those believed to practice witchcraft and other rituals. The phrase became especially popular in the 20th century.
The most infamous and influential work of witch-phobia, Malleus Maleficarum (1486), does not contain the word sabbath (sabbatum).
The first recorded English use of sabbath referring to sorcery was in 1660, in Francis Brooke's translation of Vincent Le Blanc's book The World Surveyed: "Divers Sorcerers […] have confessed that in their Sabbaths […] they feed on such fare." The phrase "Witches' Sabbath" appeared in a 1613 translation by "W. B." of Sébastien Michaëlis's Admirable History of Possession and Conversion of a Penitent Woman: "He also said to Magdalene, Art not thou an accursed woman, that the Witches Sabbath [French le Sabath] is kept here?
The Malleus Maleficarum, usually translated as the Hammer of Witches, is the best-known treatise purporting to be about witchcraft. It was written by the German Catholic clergyman Heinrich Kramer (under his Latinized name Henricus Institor) and first published in the German city of Speyer in 1486. Some describe it as the compendium of literature in demonology of the 15th century. Kramer blamed women for his lust and presented his views as the Church's position. Top theologians of the Inquisition condemned the book at the Faculty of Cologne for recommending unethical and illegal procedures and being inconsistent with Catholic doctrines of demonology.
Le Petit Albert
Petit Albert (English: Lesser Albert) is an 18th-century grimoire of natural and cabalistic magic. The Petit Albert is possibly inspired by the writings of Albertus Parvus Lucius (the Lesser Albert). Brought down to the smallest hamlets in the saddlebags of peddlers, it represents publishing success, despite its association with "devil worshipers" or instead because of it. It is associated with a second work, the Grand Albert. It is a composite, heterogeneous work, collecting texts of value written by various authors; most of these authors are anonymous, but some are notable, such as Cardano and Paracelsus. Due to its historical nature, Albertus Magnus' attribution to the text is considerably uncertain, and since the text quotes from many later sources, it is an ethnological document of the first order.
The Grand Grimoire, or Le Dragon Rouge or The Red Dragon, is a black magic goetic grimoire. Different editions date the book to 1521, 1522 or 1421. Owen Davies suggests 1702 is when the first edition may have been created, and a Bibliothèque bleue version (a popular edition, similar to a chapbook) of the text may have been published in 1750. The 19th-century French occultist Éliphas Lévi considered the contemporary edition of Le Dragon Rouge to be a counterfeit of a true, older Grand Grimoire.
The "introductory chapter" was written by Antonio Venitiana del Rabina, who said he had gathered his information from the original writings of King Solomon. Much of the material of this grimoire derives from the Key of Solomon and the Lesser Key of Solomon, pseudepigraphical grimoires attributed to King Solomon. The first book contains instructions for summoning Lucifer or Lucifuge Rofocale to form a deal with the Devil.
The work is divided into two books. The first book contains instructions for summoning a demon and for the construction of tools with which to force the demon to do one's bidding. The second book is divided further into two parts: the Sanctum Regnum and Secrets, de L'Art Magique du Grand Grimoire ("Secrets, of the magic art of the Grand Grimoire"). The Sanctum Regnum contains instructions for making a pact with the demon, allowing one to command the spirit without the tools required by the book one but at greater risk. Secrets contain simple spells and rituals one can employ after performing the first book's ritual. Some editions contain a short text between these two parts, Le Secret Magique, où le Grand Art de pouvoir parler aux Morts (The Magic Secret, or the Grand Art of being able to speak with the dead), dealing with necromancy.
The book describes several demons and the rituals to summon them to make a pact with them. It also details several spells for winning a lottery, talking to spirits, being loved by a girl, making oneself invisible, etc.
This book mentions three greater demons.[citation needed] These demons are similarly prioritized in Grimorium Verum.
Lucifer, emperor
Beelzebub, prince
Astaroth, grand duke
It also mentions six lesser demons:
Lucifuge Rofocale, prime minister
Satanachia, commander in chief (in French, "commandant en chef")
Agaliarept, commandant
Fleurèty, lieutenant-general
Sargatanas, brigadier-major
Nebiros, marshal and inspector general
Le Grand Albert
Author Albert Le Grand (1200-1280)
The Grand Albert is a grimoire that has often been attributed to Albertus Magnus. Begun perhaps around 1245, it received its definitive form in Latin around 1493, a French translation in 1500, and its most expansive and well-known French edition in 1703. Its original Latin title, Liber Secretorum Alberti Magni virtutibus herbarum, lapidum and animalium quorumdam, translates to English as "the book of secrets of Albert the Great on the virtues of herbs, stones and certain animals". It is also known under the names of The Secrets of Albert, Secreta Alberti, and Experimenta Alberti.
Bibliographer Jacques-Charles Brunet described it as being "among popular books, the most famous and perhaps the most absurd... It is only natural that the Book of Secrets was attributed to Albert the Great because this doctor, very learned for his time, had, among his contemporaries, the reputation of being a sorcerer."
This book is often accompanied by another similar text, the Petit Albert, which has been called its "little brother." Its title is Alberti Parvi Lucii Libellus Mirabilibus Naturae Arcanis or the "Book of the Marvellous Secrets of Little Albert." There are recipes taken from Gerolamo Cardano (De subtilitate, 1552) and Giambattista Della Porta (Magia Naturalis, 1598), and there is an original chapter on talismans.
The Grand Albert grimoire was not an isolated phenomenon but rather part of a long occult literature tradition stretching back centuries. From the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead to medieval grimoires like the Key of Solomon and the Lesser Key of Solomon, people have long been drawn to books like the Grand Albert for their promises of power and knowledge.
During the 19th century, this grimoire was widely circulated in France, where it was distributed on the streets in miniature paperback versions in the Bibliothèque bleue style. This mass availability was one of the factors that contributed to the rise in popularity of the grimoire. While it was intended for those interested in magic and the occult, its contents and purported power often appealed to those desperate for solutions to their problems.
The book contained instructions on summoning spirits, demons, and other supernatural beings, as well as spells and incantations for various purposes, such as healing, protection, and love. It also recommended herbal remedies and potions for common ailments, such as using theriac, a concoction made of serpent’s flesh and opium, as a remedy for animal poisons.
However, folk cures and occult rituals, like the ones in Grand Albert, were much more familiar to peasants. Those who had access to mainstream medical care and education tended to avoid such practices, as they were often viewed as superstitious and ineffective, and there was a stigma attached to reading grimoires like the Grand Albert.
The Grand Albert's popularity was also partly due to its reputation for granting spiritual powers to its readers. Some believed that simply reading the book could result in demonic possession, while others saw it as a means of gaining supernatural abilities. However, such beliefs were not supported by mainstream religious authorities, who often viewed such practices as heretical and potentially dangerous.
Despite their reputation as sources of dangerous and forbidden knowledge, grimoires like Grand Albert have also played a role in developing science and medicine. Many early scientists and physicians were also practitioners of magic and alchemy; some believed that magic and science were two sides of the same coin.
There is still interest in the occult and esoteric practices, with many recent versions of Grand Albert and other ancient texts that modern audiences can read in search of hidden knowledge and spiritual enlightenment. This has led to a resurgence in the popularity of grimoires and other occult literature, with some modern practitioners adapting ancient rituals and spells to suit their spiritual beliefs and practices.
Some scholars have attempted to trace the origins of the Grand Albert grimoire, but its true authorship remains unknown. Despite the controversy surrounding the Grand Albert grimoire and similar books, they fascinate and intrigue people. The book's enduring popularity is a testament to society's interest in the supernatural and the unknown.
Demonology isn't a subject that can be studied at university. It's not a recognized profession, and the title has little or no credibility outside the church. By studying demonology, by the very nature of the title, become a demonologist.
