SermonIndex Audio Sermons
SermonIndex - Promoting Revival to this Generation

Give To SermonIndex
Text Sermons : ~Other Speakers A-F : Early Christian Dictionary : Demons

Open as PDF



But, yielding to unreasoning passion, and to the instigation of evil demons, you punish us without consideration or judgment. For the truth shall be spoken; since of old these evil demons, effecting apparitions of themselves, both defiled women and corrupted boys, and showed such fearful sights to men, that those who did not use their reason in judging of the actions that were done, were struck with terror; and being carried away by fear, and not knowing that these were demons, they called them gods, and gave to each the name which each of the demons chose for himself. And when Socrates endeavored, by true reason and examination, to bring these things to light, and deliver men from the demons, then the demons themselves, by means of men who rejoiced in iniquity, compassed his death, as an atheist and a profane person, on the charge that "he was introducing new divinities;" and in our case they [make the same accusation].Justin Martyr (A.D. 160) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.1 pg.164
And neither do we honor with many sacrifices and garlands of flowers such deities as men have formed and set in shrines and called gods; since we see that these are soulless and dead, and have not the form of God (for we do not consider that God has such a form as some say that they imitate to His honor), but have the names and forms of those wicked demons which have appeared. Justin Martyr (A.D. 160) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.1 pg.165

For we forewarn you to be on your guard, lest those demons whom we have been accusing should deceive you, and keep you from reading and understanding what we say. For they strive to hold you their slaves and servants; and sometimes by appearances in dreams, and sometimes by magical impositions, they subdue all who make no strong opposing effort for their own salvation. Justin Martyr (A.D. 160) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.1 pg.167

For they who are called devils attempt nothing else than to seduce men from God who made them, and from Christ His first-begotten; and those who are unable to raise themselves above the earth they have riveted, and do now rivet, to things earthly, and to the works of their own hands; but those who devote themselves to the contemplation of things divine, they secretly beat back; and if they have not a wise sober-mindedness, and a pure and passionless life, they drive them into godlessness. Justin Martyr (A.D. 160) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.1 pg.182

He evidently made for man - committed the care of men and of all things under heaven to angels whom He appointed over them. But the angels transgressed this appointment and were captivated by love of women, and begat children who are those that are called demons; and besides, they afterwards subdued the human race to themselves… Justin Martyr (A.D. 160) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.1 pg.190

For numberless demoniacs throughout the whole world, and in your city, many of our Christian men exorcising them in the name of Jesus Christ, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, have healed and do heal, rendering helpless and driving the possessing devils out of the men, though they could not be cured by all the other exorcists, and those who used incantations and drugs. Justin Martyr (A.D. 160) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.1 pg.190

Such are the demons; these are they who laid down the doctrine of Fate. Tatian (A.D.160) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.2 pg.68

For, as the inhuman robber is wont to overpower those like himself by daring; so the demons, going to great lengths in wickedness, have utterly deceived the souls among you which are left to themselves by ignorance and false appearances. These beings do not indeed die easily, for they do not partake of flesh. Tatian (A.D.160) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.2 pg.71

And do not fewer kinds of sin break out among men owing to the brevity of their lives, while on the part of these demons transgression is more abundant owing to their boundless existence? Tatian (A.D.160) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.2 pg.71

Sometimes they themselves disturb the habit of the body by a tempest of folly; but, being smitten by the word of God, they depart in terror, and the sick man is healed. Tatian (A.D.160) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.2 pg.72

The demons do not cure, but by their art make men their captives. And the most admirable Justin has rightly denounced them as robbers. For, as it is the practice of some to capture persons and then to restore them to their friends for a ransom, so those who are esteemed gods, invading the bodies of certain persons, and producing a sense of their presence by dreams, command them to come forth into public, and in the sight of all, when they have taken their fill of the things of this world, fly away from the sick, and, destroying the disease which they had produced, restore men to their former state. Tatian (A.D.160) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.2 pg.73

These angels, then, who have fallen from heaven, and haunt the air and the earth, and are no longer able to rise to heavenly things, and the souls of the giants, which are the demons who wander about the world, perform actions similar, the one (that is, the demons) to the natures they have received, the other (that is, the angels) to the appetites they have indulged. Athenagorus (A.D. 137) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.2 pg.142

They who draw men to idols, then, are the aforesaid demons, who are eager for the blood of the sacrifices, and lick them. Athenagorus (A.D. 137) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.2 pg.143

The demons who hover about matter, greedy of sacrificial odors and the blood of victims, and ever ready to lead men into error, avail themselves of these delusive movements of the souls of the multitude; and, taking possession of their thoughts, cause to flow into the mind empty visions as if coming from the idols and the statues; and when, too, a soul of itself, as being immortal, moves conformably to reason, either predicting the future or healing the present, the demons claim the glory for themselves. Athenagorus (A.D. 137) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.2 pg.143

But those who bend around inflammatory tables, nourishing their own diseases, are ruled by a most gluttonous demon, whom I shall not blush to call the Belly-demon, and the worst and most abandoned of demons. He is therefore exactly like the one who is called the Ventriloquist-demon. It is far better to be happy than to have a demon dwelling with us. And happiness is found in the practice of virtue. Clement of Alexandria (A.D. 195) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.2 pg.241

We declare, then, that dreams are inflicted on us mainly by demons, although they sometimes turn out true and favorable to us. When, however, with the deliberate aim after evil, of which we have just spoken, they assume a flattering and captivating style, they show themselves proportionately vain, and deceitful, and obscure, and wanton, and impure. Tertullian (A.D. 198) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.3 pg.225

SEE ALSO: NOAH, ANGELS, SATAN






©2002-2024 SermonIndex.net
Promoting Revival to this Generation.
Privacy Policy