In Second Temple Judaism, “demons” had (1) ontological existence and (2)
were seen as divinities (albeit, they were in the bottom rung of the hierarchy
of divinities).
Suzanne Nicholson, commenting on 1 Cor 8:4-6 and 10:19-20, affirmed that
Paul was teaching the ontological existence of such lesser divinities, and were
“nothing” in a relational sense to the Father and Son, not that they lacked
ontological existence:
Christians, because
of their exclusive faith in the one God, must not allow themselves to become
united with any spiritual being other than God (10:21-22). Although Paul does
not explicitly use “one God” language here, he has in mind the statement from
8:4-6. In 10:19, ειδωλοθυτον
refers back to the discussion of chapter 8, as does the question of whether an
idol is anything. In 8:4 Paul agrees with the strong that an idol is “nothing,”
but here he clearly states than an ειδωλοθυτον is actually sacrifices to demons. Although
it may appear on the surface that Paul is inconsistent, the way he structures
his sentences gives us a clue to his intent. After saying that idols are
nothing in 8:4, Paul goes on to state in 8:6 that “for us” there is one God and
one Lord. In other words, whatever the true ontological status of these other “gods”
and “lords,” Christians recognize only one God and one Lord as the God of all
reality. thus, 8:4 is actually a relational statement, not an ontological one.
This is why Paul feels perfectly comfortable stating in 10:20 that behind these
“nothing” idols lurk real spiritual powers. They are not “gods” in any sense of
the Christian understanding—only one God has created the world and has the power
to sustain it and rule over it. But nonetheless these demonic powers can
influence Christians and so should be avoided. (Suzanne Nicholson, Dynamic Oneness: The Significance and
Flexibility of Paul’s One-God Language [Eugene, Oreg.: Pickwick Publications,
2010], 45)
‘When an unclean spirit goes out of a person’: An Assessment of the Accommodation Theory of Demon Possession and Exorcism in the Synoptic Gospels
Satanology and Demonology in the Apostolic Fathers: A Response to Jonathan Burke
