Demons in the Bible

Here’s the Devil from the movie _Spawn_ (1997), and he looks a lot like the demon Mavet (Canaanite Mot), who personified death in ancient Judaism. The role of demons in Jewish and Christian history changed during Biblical times. In the Ancient Mesopotamian world, the _daimons_ were originally not as evil as their eventual manifestations — they could cause harm, but they also might be just sub-divine forces. However, in the Hebrew Bible, (one of many texts arising from the Mesopotamian cultures), the daimons/a.k.a. “demons” consistently bring about human suffering. For instance, the demon Mavet, who represents death, appears in the Book of Hosea, Jeremiah, and Isaiah . .

Still later in Judaism — the last two centuries BCE — the demons weren’t considered in opposition to the angels. In fact, the idea that demons are fallen angels didn’t evolve until after the Bible was written. But even the concept that demons act as servants of Satan in the underworld only gained traction in the first centuries BCE and CE. Before that, God Himself commands the demons — for instance, God sends out Mavet to destroy the children and young men who go against him in the book of Jeremiah (9:21).

However, the Zoroastrian religion had a profound impact upon Judaism after the sixth century BCE. The Zoroastrian religious taught that good and evil forces were distinct, and in opposition. Zoroastrians also believed in a great cosmic battle between these two sides, and by the time of the New Testament, had influenced many Jewish people (and Jesus followers) with an idea that the end of the world was coming soon.

Apocalyptic endings and wars between demons (who worked for Satan) and God (who no longer acted like the demon boss) were lasting influences from Zoroastrianism on Judaism of the first century BCE/CE and on the formation of the Christian Bible.