De Moor IX:21: Terms for Evil Angels, Part 1

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On § 21 and following, carefully compare VOETIUS, Disputationum theologicarum, part I, pages 906-984, where he discourses concerning the Nature and Operations of Demons.

Others are Evil Angels, also called Angels without qualification; see above, § 2 at the end; elsewhere Angels of the Devil, Matthew 25:41, Angels of the Dragon, Revelation 12:7, Angels of Satan, 2 Corinthians 12:7.[1]

Likewise Dæmones, Dæmonia, δαίμονες, δαιμόνια, of which terms there are indeed other Etymologies, reviewed by our AUTHOR, Exercitationibus Textualibus XXIX, Part I, § 2; but he himself proves that more common one, whereby dæmones are supposed to be thus named, ὅτι φρόνιμοι καὶ δαήμονες, because they are wise and knowing, as PLATO wrote in Cratylus,[2] from δαέω, to learn, to be taught, to know, from the stem δαίω, to learn.  As if they are δαήμονες, says SERVIUS on Virgil,[3] because they know all.[4]  That is, because δαίμονες are knowing substances, νοεραὶ δυνάμεις or φύσεις, intellective powers or natures; to which is also applicable φρόνησις θαυμαστὴ, wonderful wisdom, according to PLATO in Epinomis.[5]  In accordance with their origin, these terms are able to be used of any Spirit, the good as well as the bad; as with others HENRICUS STEPHANUS[6] observes, that PLATO himself called God, the governor of the universe, μέγιστον δαίμονα, the greatest dæmon.[7]  Nevertheless, the Greeks usually make use of those as a certain middle nature, inferior to the gods, but superior to men; as PLATO in his Symposio, in the person of Diotima,[8] has:  καὶ γὰρ πᾶν τὸ δαιμόνιον μεταξύ ἐστι θεοῦ τε καὶ θνητοῦ, for indeed the entire daimonic realm is midway between god and mortal:[9]  and Cleombrotus in PLUTARCH, de Oraculorum defectu,[10] τῶν δαιμόνων γένος ἐν μέσῳ θεῶν καὶ ἀνθρώπων, the race of the daimones in the middle between gods and men.  Which Dæmones they have in turn acknowledged to be of two sorts, good and evil, whence out of Phocylides[11] CLEMENT of Alexandria observed, Stromata, book V, page 609, that he τοὺς ἀγγέλους δαίμονας καλῶν, in calling the angels daimones, indicated that, τοὺς μὲν εἶναι ἀγαθοὺς αὐτῶν, τοὺς δὲ φαύλους, some of them are good, but others perverse.  And they also applied the name δαίμονος/daimon to an evil spirit, as it is found in PLUTARCH’S Symposio Septem Sapientum:  τί ὠφελιμώτατον;  Θεός·  τί βλαβερώτατον;  δαίμων, What is most beneficial?  God:  What is most harmful?  a Dæmon.  See more things in our AUTHOR, in the place just now cited.  But in this last sense concerning Evil Spirits distinct from God and men, or Evil Angels, δαίμων/demon and δαιμόνιον, evil spirit, occur here and there in the New Testament; where, using this term, the Apostle not only speaks of an object of idolatrous Worship, 1 Corinthians 10:20, 21,[12] but also mentions διδασκαλίαις δαιμονίων, doctrines of devils, 1 Timothy 4:1.  Considering Dæmonia, not only as the object, but also as the authors, of doctrine, see our AUTHOR, Exercitationibus Textualibus XLIX, Part IV, § 3, 4.  James, in James 2:19, sets δαιμόνια/daimonia/devils in opposition to men, and describes the former, not only by some common knowledge, but also by their great terror.  John makes mention of πνεύματα ἀκάθαρτα δαιμονίων, unclean spirits of devils, Revelation 16:13, 14, and exegetically joins δαιμόνια/devils and πᾶν πνεῦμα ἀκάθαρτον, every unclean/foul spirit.  And there are in addition fifty more passages, in which the term δαίμονος/demon or δαιμονίου/devil is referred to those possessed, certainly in the same sense of Evil Angels.  Consult our AUTHORS Exercitationes XXIX, Part I, § 3, 4, 8-10, where he also at length vindicates this signification of the terms δαίμονος and δαιμονίου in the Histories of the Demoniacs from Exceptions.  Now, with good reason Evil Angels are denominated δαίμονες from knowledge, since to them belongs their own sort of σοφία/wisdom, called δαιμονιώδης/ devilish, James 3:15; to them are attributed πανουργία/subtilty, 2 Corinthians 11:3, μεθοδείαι/wiles, Ephesians 6:11, τὰ βάθη, the depths, Revelation 2:24.

Unclean Spirits, Mark 1:23, 26; 3:11; Luke 9:42:  add the passages out of Revelation 16 and 18 just now cited.  Now, to Evil Angels belong the term and the sign:  they are verily Unclean, the author of every sort of uncleanness, and the enemies of purity, and never to be cleansed:  compare COCQUIUS’ Anatomen Hobbesianismi, locus VIII, chapter XV, page 147.

They are called Principalities and Powers from power, which, with God permitting, they exercise, especially over the impious, who pertain to the kingdom of this World; although also much in the tempting and vexing of the pious, when God allows:  Ephesians 6:12; Colossians 2:15:  compare ODÉ’S Commentarium de Angelis, pages 591, 592, 726; our AUTHOR’S Exercitationes Textuales XXIV, Part VI, § 23, and XLIII, Part II, against Braun, Selectis Sacris, book I, § 112-122.

They are called שְׂעִירִים/satyrs/devils[13] in Leviticus 17:7;[14] 2 Chronicles 11:15;[15] Isaiah 13:21;[16] 34:14.[17]  This term denotes in general Bristly/Shaggy, in particular He-goats; just as Evil Angels are able to be called, because they were indeed wont to appear in that form as Fauns, and were also being represented and worshipped by the Gentiles under a similar form:  indeed, concerning the images of Satyrs and Fauns thus KIPPING:[18]  Satyrs and Sileni,[19] deformed, exceedingly large-eared, some horned, goat-footed and all nude….  Faunus[20] is old, grim and dreadful:  see his Antiquitatum Romanarum, book I, chapter VII, § 6, and whom he commends there in addition:  add MANASSEH BEN ISRAEL, de Creatione, problem XXII, page 90.  Or Evil Angels are also able to be called שְׂעִירִים with the signification of the Bristly ones, or ones to be Dreaded, or the Horrors, because they themselves φρίσσουσι/tremble, James 2:19, and instill terror in others, and ought to be a horror and abomination to all:  see our AUTHOR’S Exercitationes Textuales VII, Part IV, where in § 12 he also adds another name of Evil Angels, ‎שֵׁדִים/devils, occurring in Deuteronomy 32:17;[21] Psalm 106:37,[22] which he thinks ought to be derived from שָׁדַד, to destroy, seeing that this, in every way with respect to the soul and body of man, is the work of Demons or Evil Spirits, so that it means destroyers, and thus comes into particular agreement with the name of the Angel of the Abyss, Abaddon in Hebrew, Apollyon in Greek, Revelation 9:11.[23]  Thus also COCCEIUS, GUSSETIUS, STOCKIUS,[24] etc.  But MICHAELIS[25] on Deuteronomy 32:17 has:  Arabic Root سَدَا/Sada, to dominate, because of the arrogated title of dominion, Luke 4:6; others from שָׁדַד, that is to say, the destroyers of the human race, or because they dwelt in waste places, Luke 11:24.

[1] 2 Corinthians 12:7:  “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan (ἄγγελος Σατᾶν, an angel of Satan) to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.”

[2] Line 398.

[3] Maurus Servius Honoratius was a fourth century Roman commentator on Virgil.

[4] Servius on the Æneid, book 1, line 366; book 2, line 488; book 6, line 743; book 8, line 165; book 9, line 699.

[5] Lines 984, 985.

[6] Henri Estienne, or Henricus Stephanus (c. 1530-1598), was the eldest son of Robert Estienne, who had printed several famous editions of the Greek New Testament.  Henri continued in the family printing business, editing, collating, and preparing many classical works for the press.  His most famous work is his Thesaurus Linguæ Graecæ, which was a standard work in Greek lexicography until the nineteenth century.  He also rendered a selection of Psalm portions into Greek meter.

[7] Politicus 272e.  Stephanus published an annotated edition of the Opera of Plato in three volumes.

[8] In the Symposium, Diotima is presented as a wise woman and prophetess, a teacher of Socrates.

[9] Symposium 202d, e.

[10] In Plutarch’s de Oraculorum defectu, Cleombrotus is philosopher, who has traveled extensively, gathering material for a history of philosophy and theology.

[11] Phocyclides of Miletus (sixth century BC) was a Greek gnomic poet.  His work survives only in fragments.

[12] 1 Corinthians 10:20, 21:  “But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils (δαιμονίοις), and not to God:  and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils (τῶν δαιμονίων).  Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils (δαιμονίων):  ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils (δαιμονίων).”

[13] שָׂעַר signifies to bristle.

[14] Leviticus 17:7:  “And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils (‎לַשְּׂעִירִם), after whom they have gone a whoring.  This shall be a statute for ever unto them throughout their generations.”

[15] 2 Chronicles 11:15:  “And he ordained him priests for the high places, and for the devils (‎וְלַשְּׂעִירִים), and for the calves which he had made.”

[16] Isaiah 13:21:  “But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs (‎וּשְׂעִירִים) shall dance there.”

[17] Isaiah 34:14:  “The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr (‎וְשָׂעִיר) shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.”

[18] Heinrich Kipping (c. 1623-1678) was a German Lutheran philologist and historian.

[19] Sileni are like Satyrs, only more horse-like.

[20] Faunus is the Roman god of the woods and fields, the rough equivalent of the Greek Pan.

[21] Deuteronomy 32:17:  “They sacrificed unto devils (‎לַשֵּׁדִים), not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.”

[22] Psalm 106:36-38:  “And they served their idols:  which were a snare unto them.  Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils (‎לַשֵּׁדִים), and shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan:  and the land was polluted with blood.”

[23] Revelation 9:11:  “And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit (τῆς ἀβύσσου, of the abyss), whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon (Ἀβαδδών/אֲבַדּוֹן, from אָבַד, to perish), but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon (Ἀπολλύων, from ἀπόλλυμι, to destroy).”

[24] Christian Stock (1672-1733) was a German philologist and professor of oriental languages at Jena (1698).

[25] Johann David Michaelis (1717-1791) was a German biblical scholar and orientalist.  He served as Professor at Gottingen from 1746 to 1791.