Ancient Perspectives
Israel
In ancient Israelite perspective, some
strands of evidence point to violent sorts of activities in association with
spirits/demons. Beginning with the LXX, Psalm 91:6 LXX refers to demons that
cause terror night and day. Enochic literature refers to evil spirits who
“afflict, oppress, destroy, attack, do battle, and work destruction on earth,
and cause trouble . . .” (1 En. 15:8-12). In Jubilees demons cause bloodshed on
earth (7:27; 11:5) and seek to destroy Noah’s children to blind and kill them
(10:1-2). They are meant for destruction (10:8). In 49:2 demons seem to assist
Mastema in killing al the first-born in Egypt. Tobit further realizes the
extent of violence possible through its depiction of the demon Asmodeus who
kills Sarah’s seven fiancées. (Joy L. Vaughan, Phenomenal Phenomena:
Biblical and Multicultural Accounts of Spirits and Exorcism [Waco, Tex:
Baylor University Press, 2023], 137)
