1

What are these demons?

There are a lot written outside the Torah or New Testament on this. The comment on this question you might find in the book of Enoch or the Talmud, and many other scriptures. Fallen angels or created by the sin men commit.

Many say there are or if connected to the soul. But what are they and can they be more then one thing?

According to the Catholic Church.

1
  • I fixed up the formatting, and also used the term preferred by Catholics when referring to their Church (“Catholic Church” in stead of ”‘Roman’ Catholic Church”). Commented Nov 15, 2016 at 17:40

1 Answer 1

5

According to the Catholic Church, demons are simply fallen angels: i.e., angels who have sinned gravely against God and are now living the eternal consequences of their separation from Him.

Angels

Angels are creatures that, like us, are persons (that is, they are capable of intellectual knowledge and free acts of love). However, unlike us, they are not limited by corporeity—that is, they are pure spirits and have no bodies. In the words of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC),

As purely spiritual creatures angels have intelligence and will: they are personal and immortal creatures, surpassing in perfection all visible creatures, as the splendor of their glory bears witness (No. 330).

According to nature, therefore, angels are much mightier and more noble beings than we are.

The fallen angels, also called demons

Like us, angels are submitted to a kind of trial, in which they may choose to serve God for all eternity and enjoy the Beatific Vision, or else they may refuse to serve Him and be forever deprived of His presence. Those angels who chose the latter course are the “fallen angels,” also known as “demons.” As the Catechism puts it,

Scripture speaks of a sin of these angels. [The reference is to 2 Pet. 2:4.] This “fall” consists in the free choice of these created spirits, who radically and irrevocably rejected God and his reign. We find a reflection of that rebellion in the tempter's words to our first parents: “You will be like God.” [Gen. 3:5] The devil “has sinned from the beginning” [1 Jn. 3:8]; he is “a liar and the father of lies” [Jn. 8:44] (No. 392).

The Devil, or Satan, is simply the chief of these rebellious angels:

Behind the disobedient choice of our first parents lurks a seductive voice, opposed to God, which makes them fall into death out of envy. Scripture and the Church’s Tradition see in this being a fallen angel, called “Satan” or the “devil”. The Church teaches that Satan was at first a good angel, made by God: “The devil and the other demons were indeed created naturally good by God, but they became evil by their own doing” [Lateran Council IV (1215): DS 800] (No. 391).

6
  • Not sure if this is the "Truth" how it works but! I will give you the answer ,because this did answer the RCC question.Thank you
    – Aigle
    Commented Nov 16, 2016 at 2:11
  • I'm surprised to read about angels "surpassing in perfection all visible creatures." Is there no exception for the Blessed Virgin Mary? Or is the perfection mentioned here to be understood as perfection of nature, ignoring grace? Commented Nov 16, 2016 at 3:25
  • @AndreasBlass I specified that angels are more perfect “in the order of nature.” Mary is more perfect in the order of grace—i.e., no creature has ever received a greater gift than being the Mother of God. Commented Nov 16, 2016 at 6:26
  • @AndreasBlass As a consequence, if we have to choose which one—Mary or an angel—is more perfect, simply and without qualification, then it is Mary. Commented Nov 16, 2016 at 6:33
  • Thanks for the clarification. I was surprised only by the highlighted quotation from the Catechism. Presumably, the qualification, "in the order of nature," is in the Catechism also, not just in your summary of the quotation. Commented Nov 16, 2016 at 6:37

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .