On October 30th, 1938, a radio broadcast on the CBS Radio station "The War of…
How does one become possessed by a demon?
“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.” C.S. Lewis
In the New Testament, Jesus drove countless demons out of men and even children and gave his disciples the power to do the same. But how did a person become possessed by a demon?
Today, there are plenty of theories about demonic possession. Here are just a few:
Today, there are plenty of theories about demonic possession. Here are just a few:
Dabbling in the occult: this is often seen as anything from hypnotism, to tarot cards, to voodoo
Drug use
Curses, even those from generations past
Intense emotional trauma
The Bible itself says little about how a demon enters a person, but the Jewish rabbis of the time had many precautions when it came to avoiding demons. They believed that any type of ritual impurity—be it eating defiled food, not washing in the proscribed manner, or visiting defiled places such as the tombs, could open a person to possession.
The Talmud advised against the following activities, which were believed to invite demons:
Do not walk alone at night, Demons were said to be most active on Wednesday nights and on the Sabbath eve.
Take caution against doing things in pairs, such as drinking an even number of cups of wine (excepting the 4 cups on Passover)
Demons were known to infest food and drink left under a bed
Don’t drink from pools or rivers at night
Demons were especially active around palm trees. Do not:
- Go to the bathroom between a palm tree and a wall
- Pass between two palms
- Sleep in the shadow of a palm
- Relieve yourself on the stump of a palm
- Lean your head against a palm tree
Other trees were also dangerous:
- The eyeless demon Ruhe resided in the caper bush
- 60 demons were said to haunt the sorb tree
Our view of demons and the causes of demonic possession has changed dramatically in 2,000 years. Is demonic possession still a threat to our spiritual life?If it is, what must we do to safeguard ourselves from demonic influence?
Is #demonic possession still a threat to our spiritual life? http://www.stephanielandsem.com/?p=801 — click to tweet
What did the Jews of the first century believe about demonic possession? http://www.stephanielandsem.com/?p=801 — click to tweet
Next time: What do demons and demonic possession in the Bible tell us about Jesus?
My research into demons and demonic possession went to good use in The Tomb, A Novel of Martha, in which the exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac, frequently known as the Miracle of the (Gadarene) Swine, is an important part of Martha’s story. Have you read The Tomb?
Related Posts
