Number Of Gospel References To Evil Spirits (111 Total)
Demon
Demons
Spirit
Spirits
Total Occurrences
Matthew
10
9
1
3
23
Mark
7
11
10
4
32
Luke
8
16
7
6
37
John
7
0
9
0
16
Characteristics Of Demons From The Gospels
Sometimes there are distinctions made between demon afflicted people and medical illness
Matthew 4:24; 8:16; Mark 1:34; 3:15; 6:13; Luke 7:21; 8:2; 9:1;
Increase in violent tendencies
Matthew 8:28
Cause muteness
Matthew 9:32-33; 12:22; Mark 9:17, 25; Luke 11:14
Cause deafness
Mark 9:25
Cause blindness
Matthew 12:22
Sometimes demonization is distinguished from epilepsy
Matthew 4:24
Sometimes demonization causes epilepsy
Matthew 17:15-18
Try to torment and kill the ones they afflict
Matthew 17:15; Mark 9:18-22
Interfere with rational thought
Mark 5:15; Luke 8:35-36
Increase physical strength
Mark 5:3-4; Luke 8:29
Convulse their victims when being exorcised
Mark 1:26; 9:20, 26; Luke 9:42
Foam at the mouth
Mark 9:18; Luke 9:39
Cause infirmities and sicknesses
Luke 13:11, 16
Can possess animals as well as humans
Matthew 8:30-32; Mark 5:12; Luke 8:31-32
Spirits Of The Nephilim
1 Enoch 15:8-12-My judgment for the giants is that since they are born from flesh they will be called evil spirits and will remain on the earth. 9 Because they were created from above, from the holy Watchers, at death their spirits will come forth from their bodies and dwell on the earth. They will be called evil spirits. 10 The heavenly spirits will dwell in heaven, but the terrestrial spirits who were born on earth will dwell on earth. 11The evil spirits of the giants will be like clouds. They will afflict, corrupt, tempt, battle, work destruction on the earth, and do evil ; they will not eat nor drink, but be invisible . 12 They will rise up against the children of men and against the women, because they have proceeded from them.
Jubilees 10:1-6 (emphasis added, M.T.) -1. And in the third week of this jubilee the unclean demons began to lead astray the children of the sons of Noah; and to make to err and destroy them. 2. And the sons of Noah came to Noah their father, and they told him concerning the demons which were, leading astray and blinding and slaying his sons’ sons. 3. And he prayed before the Lord his God, and said: God of the spirits of all flesh, who hast shown mercy unto me, And hast saved me and my sons from the waters of the flood, And hast not caused me to perish as Thou didst the sons of perdition; For Thy grace hath been great towards me, And great hath been Thy mercy to my soul; Let Thy grace be lift up upon my sons, And let not wicked spirits rule over them Lest they should destroy them from the earth. 4. But do Thou bless me and my sons, that we may increase and multiply and replenish the earth. 5. And Thou knowest how THY WATCHERS, THE FATHERS OF THESE SPIRITS, acted in my day: and as for these spirits which are living, imprison them and hold them fast in the place of condemnation, and let them not bring destruction on the sons of thy servant, my God; for these are malignant, and created in order to destroy. 6. And let them not rule over the spirits of the living; for Thou alone canst exercise dominion over them. And let them not have power over the sons of the righteous from henceforth and for evermore.”
Spirits Of The Wicked Dead
“We have, from a careful survey of the history of the term demon, concluded that the demons of Paganism, Judaism, and Christianity were the ghosts of dead men…1. All the Pagan authors of note, whose works have survived the wreck of ages, affirm the opinion that demons were the spirits or ghosts of dead men….2….Josephus says, “Demons are the spirits of wicked men, who enter into living men and destroy them, unless they are so happy as to meet with speedy relief. Philo says, “The souls of dead men are called demons.” 3. The Christian Fathers, Justin Martyr, Ireneus, Origen, &c. depose to the same effect. Justin, when arguing for a future state, alleges, “Those who are seized and tormented by the souls of the dead, whom all call demons, and madmen.” Lardner, after examining with the most laborious care the works of these, and all the Fathers of the first two centuries, says, “The notion of demons, or the souls of dead men, having power over living men, was universally prevalent among the heathen of these times, and believed by many Christians. 4. The Evangelists and Apostles of Jesus Christ so understood the matter. …(Quotation from Alexander Campbell, Lextures On Demonology, http:// www.mun.ca/ rels/ restmov/ texts/ acampbell/ mh1841/ DEMON1. HTM
“But despite the evil that they bring, these spirits are mostly called ‘unclean spirits’. They are ‘unclean’ because they are from the underworld, bringing with them all of its uncleanness, its miasma, pollution, impurity, filth and corruption—the rottenness of the grave. These spirits are also called demons, which is simply an English rendering of the original Greek word daimon. Across the years an elaborate picture of these beings has grown up around this term, so much so that they have often been explained as a fourth species of being in the universe—so that alongside God, his angels and human beings, there is this fourth class known as ‘demons’. With this kind of thinking in the background, it comes as a surprise to most English-speakers that the Greek word daimon was regularly and frequently used to refer to the spirits of the dead. That’s right: daimon was just another word for ghost.” (Peter Bolt, Living With The Underworld, 580-585 (Kindle Edition); Kingsford NSW, Australia; Matthias Media)
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