Demons and Ghosts in the Bible™

The Bible includes several stories concerning demons, ghosts, and related spirits. What is a “demon,” and a “ghost”? Where do these ideas come from, and where do they show up in the Bible? This session introduces the course by answering these fundamental questions, defining some key terms we will use in class, and thinking about what it means to study these spirits and the Bible in an academic setting. 

Before there were demons, there were fallen angels. According to most ancient accounts, demons were the primordial offspring of semi-divine angels who had betrayed their divinely-given stations and descended to earth to fulfill illicit desires. In this lecture, we explore the earliest accounts of fallen angels, including both biblical and “apocryphal” narratives, paying careful attention to how they explain the origins of evil, the fall of humanity, and the emergence of evil spirits on earth. 

Among the activities attributed to fallen angels is their “revelation” of secret, forbidden knowledge, transmitted surreptitiously from the heavenly to mundane realms. In this lecture, we explore ancient Jewish and Christian accounts, both biblical and “apocryphal,” for how angels revealed hidden knowledge to humanity and so helped bring “evil” into the world of humans. 

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul of Tarsus tells his readers that women ought to wear a veil “because of the angels.” What does Paul mean by this? In this lecture, we explore various scholarly explanations for Paul’s phrasing, including various traditions regarding angels (fallen and otherwise) in ancient Judaism in early Christianity. Along the way, we will analyze the social functions that fallen angels (and other demon-like figures) may have performed in the earliest Jesus movement communities. 

While Paul’s mention of “angels” in 1 Corinthians remains enigmatic to many modern readers, his later interpreters understood Paul to be referring to the fallen angels known from Jewish apocryphal writings such as 1 Enoch. In this lecture, we explore the early Christian “afterlives” of ancient Jewish concepts of fallen angels, noting how such ideas played important roles in the social formation of early Christianity.

The most famous fallen angel of all, Satan, makes surprisingly few appearances in our earliest biblical texts. In this lecture, we explore the origins of Satan in ancient Jewish cultures, noting where the idea of a lead fallen angel and chief demon figure emerged. We also explore famous biblical passages, such as the story of Adam and Eve, where the presence of Satan has been questioned by modern biblical scholars.

In the development of ancient Jewish thought, Satan begins as the “adversary” in God’s heavenly court, but eventually transforms into an evil chief demon figure, famous to us today as the “devil.” When and why did this transformation take place? This lecture traces the origins and evolution of the idea of Satan within ancient Judaism.

By time of Jesus and his earliest followers, Jewish culture had developed the idea that there was a chief demon figure known as “Satan.” In this lecture, we explore how Satan appears in our earliest writings from the Jesus movement, including the temptation of Jesus in the desert, the possession of Judas, and Paul’s reference to an “angel of light.”

Many ancient cultures held that some diseases were caused by malevolent spirits such as demons. In this lecture, we explore the ancient roots for this idea, its influence on New Testament demonology, as well as “alternative” ancient understandings of disease (in the “Hippocratic” corpus, for example). 

In the ancient Mediterranean, demons were often thought to serve roles as magical “assistants,” helping “magicians” and “sorcerers” ply their craft. In this lecture, we examine the ancient connections between demons and magic, noting how demons appear within ancient magical spells as well as how “magical” formulas were often used to thwart demonic attacks.

In the New Testament, letters associated with Paul associate certain “powers” and “authorities” with apparently-evil forces that existed in the cosmos. Who are these “powers” and “authorities”, and what are their relations to the demonic? In this lecture, we explore the ancient roots for this terminology, its apocalyptic associations, and its relevance for early Christian demonology.

What is a “ghost” and where does this idea come from? In this lecture, we explore the ancient roots for our modern concept of ghost, noting how humans have had surprisingly-consistent views on what might cause a deceased person’s soul to linger in the land of the living. We will examine ancient ghost stories, noting their distinctive elements as well as perennial themes.

Some biblical texts imply that ancient Israelites venerated “teraphim,” or “household gods,” thought to be sacred images of deceased ancestors. In this lecture, we explore how these representations of revered family “ghosts” were likely a part of ancient worship practices, and how they were later condemned by biblical authors.

One of the most fascinating scenes of the Hebrew Bible occurs when King Saul, desperate for counsel as he faced the Philistines, asks a mysterious woman at Endor to conjure the spirit of the deceased prophet Samuel. In this lecture, we explore the ancient roots of this enigmatic scene, including its foundations in ancient “necromancy,” its connection to biblical condemnation of magic, and its later interpretive “afterlives.”

According to the Gospels, Jesus was inhabited by a “holy spirit” sent from God, who helped inaugurate his mission and provide him divine power. This idea later became the foundation for the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. This lecture explores the origins and significance of the “holy ghost,” contextualizing it within broader themes of divine spirits and “ghosts” in the ancient Mediterranean.

At the center of Christian tradition lies the claim that Jesus was resurrected. And yet in his resurrection appearances, his followers often mistake him for others, or misperceive him as being some kind of “spirit” or “ghost.” In this lecture, we explore traditions regarding revived spirits and “ghosts” and their significance for early Christian storytelling regarding the risen Jesus.