A general understanding of the angelic world. Accounts of the appearances of good angels. In what form have good angels appeared? Signs by which one can recognize the presence of good and evil angels. Evil angels—demons. The certainty of their existence. The fall, moral state of evil spirits, and their relationship with man. On the manifestation of evil spirits and their manner of appearing. Christians can defeat the devil. His power is very limited. Means of combating demons. Should one believe in folk healers and sorcerers? What are «klikushi»?
The Mysterious World of Spirits: Angels and Demons
Besides the visible, material world, there exists an invisible world, a world of incorporeal spirits—the angelic world.
So, what are angels? «Angel» is not a Russian word but a Greek one; in Russian, «angel» means «messenger.» They are called messengers because God sends them to proclaim His will.
When were the angels created? In the biblical book of Job, it is said: «When the stars were created, all My angels praised Me with a great voice» (Job 38:7). From this, it is clear that the angels were created before all visible creatures.
What kind of beings are angels by their nature? By their nature, angels are incorporeal spirits endowed with reason and will far more perfect than those of man. Their intellect is much brighter, their knowledge more perfect, vast, and clear than ours—yet much is also hidden from them. Only God is omniscient. Angels are incorporeal and immortal, and therefore they have no need for food or clothing. In an instant, angels can descend from heaven to earth, yet they cannot be in two places at the same time. They can pass through locked doors. Because of their incredible swiftness, angels are often depicted with wings—though, being spirits, they have no actual need for them.
Why were angels created? For the same purpose as man—that is, to glorify God, to love Him, and to fulfill His will. Thus, God sent the Archangel Gabriel to announce to the Virgin Mary the conception of the Savior. He also sent an angel to stay the hand of Abraham, who had already raised the knife to sacrifice his son Isaac in obedience to God. Even now, angels are sent in service to all pious people seeking salvation, to guide them toward the Kingdom of Heaven.
But does each of us truly have such a guardian angel? Yes, absolutely—without a doubt. For the Lord Jesus Christ Himself speaks of this: «Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones: for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of My Father which is in heaven» (Matt. 18:10). That is, beware of doing evil to little children, for they have guardian angels who always stand before My heavenly Father. They will plead with Him if you harm the children. But, Orthodox Christian, understand that what is said about children applies to all people without exception. For every Christian is equally dear to God—whether an infant or an elder, man or woman, rich or poor. All are created by God, all are honored with His image and likeness, and all are destined by Him for eternal blessedness—though not all live in a way that merits this Kingdom of God. The Lord loves us all equally and desires the salvation of every soul. And our Holy Church daily implores the Lord God to grant His children a guardian angel. «Grant, O Lord,» she cries, «an angel of peace, a faithful guardian of our souls and bodies.» She herself prays and commands us to pray to our guardian angel every evening before sleep and every morning upon rising—that he, the protector and guide of our soul, may forgive us for all the ways we have grieved him throughout our lives.
But are all angels—that is, all incorporeal spirits—concerned with our salvation? Are they all good and holy? No, not all. There are also evil angels. There is the devil and his angels. They too were created good by God but later became evil. The devil desired to be equal to God. Along with other angels whom he managed to infect with this mad thought, he rebelled against God and refused to obey Him. For this, he was cast out from the dwelling place of the luminous spirits. Yet, unable to harm the Creator, the devil strives with all his might to harm man. However, it must be noted that he can do nothing to man unless God Himself permits it. Without God’s will, he could not even enter the herd of swine in the country of the Gadarenes (cf. Matt. 8:31-32). «He prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour» (1 Pet. 5:8). Beware, then, Orthodox Christian—beware, lest you fall into the clutches of this terrible foe. It rests entirely with you whether to join the host of God’s angels or the assembly of condemned spirits.
After these general observations about the angelic realm, let us now present accounts of angelic manifestations as recorded in the sacred books of both the Old and New Testaments.
The books of the Old Testament relate numerous instances of appearances by good angels. Cherubim were placed at the entrance to earthly paradise (Gen. 3:24). Angels appeared to Abraham and foretold the birth of his son (Gen. 18:1-10). They appeared to Lot and predicted the destruction of Sodom and other wicked cities (Gen. 19). An angel spoke to Hagar in the wilderness (Gen. 21:17). On his way to Mesopotamia, Jacob saw in a dream angels ascending and descending a mysterious ladder (Gen. 28:12). An angel revealed to Jacob the secret of how to ensure the birth of speckled sheep (Gen. 31:10-12) and wrestled with him on his return journey from Mesopotamia (Gen. 32). All these were good, beneficent angels of light. Likewise, the angel who spoke to Moses from the burning bush on Horeb (Ex. 3:6-7) and delivered to him the tablets of the law on Mount Sinai—and who is commonly identified by the name of God, since he acted by God’s commission and authority (Ex. 3:2); the angel who guided the Israelites through the wilderness, appearing by day as a dark cloud and by night as a luminous one; and the angel who spoke to Balaam and threatened to slay his donkey (Num. 22:23)—all these were undoubtedly good angels as well.
The same must be said of the angel who appeared to Joshua in the plains of Jericho with a drawn sword in his hand, identifying himself as the commander of the heavenly host (Josh. 5:13-15). It is rightly believed that this was none other than the Archangel Michael, who, according to the testimony of the Apostle Jude (Jude 1:9), contended with Satan over the body of Moses.
An angel appeared to Manoah’s wife and later to Manoah himself, announcing the birth of Samson (Judg. 13:3-5). An angel proclaimed to Gideon that he would deliver the Israelites from Moabite oppression (Judg. 6:12-14). The Archangel Gabriel appeared to Daniel in Babylon (Dan. 8:15-17; 9:21). Raphael accompanied young Tobias to Media (Tob. 5:4-5; 12:15). The prophet Zechariah, in his book, mentions the appearance of an angel to him (Zech. 1:9, 10, 11). In the Old Testament books, the throne of the Lord of Hosts is depicted in this way: «The Lord is enthroned upon the cherubim» (Ps. 80:1); before His throne stand seven exalted spirits, ever ready to fulfill His will (1 Kgs. 22:19-20); four cherubim ceaselessly sing His praises and bow down in prayer before His supreme holiness. The New Testament likewise records numerous appearances of good angels. The Archangel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah, the father of St. John the Baptist, announcing the birth of a son who would be the forerunner of the Messiah (Lk. 1:11-20). That same Archangel Gabriel proclaimed to the Most Holy Virgin Mary the birth of the Son of God (Lk. 1:26-38).
When the Lord Jesus was born in Bethlehem, an angel of the Lord appeared by night to the shepherds (Lk. 2:9-12) and proclaimed to them the good news of the Savior’s birth in Bethlehem. Furthermore, we can confidently affirm that the star which appeared to the Magi who came to worship the infant Jesus and led them directly to Jerusalem and thence to Bethlehem, was guided by a good angel (Mt. 2:2, 7, 9-10).
At the command of a heavenly messenger, righteous Joseph fled to Egypt with the infant Jesus and His Mother to deliver the Holy Child from the hands of cruel Herod. This same angel later informed Joseph of Herod’s death and commanded him to return to his homeland (Mt. 2:13-23). After Jesus Christ’s temptation in the wilderness, angels came and ministered to Him (Mt. 4:11). The tempter says to Jesus Christ: «He will command His angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone» (Mt. 4:6). These words are quoted from the ninetieth Psalm of David (Ps. 90:11-12) and demonstrate the Jewish belief in guardian angels. The Savior confirms the truth of such angels’ existence when He says that the angels of children continually behold the face of His heavenly Father (Mt. 18:10).
At the Last Judgment, the good angels will separate the righteous from the sinners (Mt. 13:49) and cast the sinners into eternal fire (Mt. 13:50).
During the spiritual struggle of Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane before His Passion, an angel descended from heaven to strengthen Him (Lk. 22:43). After His resurrection, angels appeared to the holy women who came to the Savior’s tomb to anoint His body. According to the testimony of the Acts of the Apostles, angels appeared to the apostles immediately after the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ into heaven (Acts 1:10-11).
The holy Apostle Peter, when imprisoned, was freed by an angel (Acts 12:7-9), who then walked with him down one street before disappearing. When Peter knocked at the door of the house where the faithful were gathered, none of them could believe it was actually Peter: they all thought it must be his angel knocking and speaking.
From the life of the Apostle Paul, we likewise see evidence of the reality of angels. When this apostle told the gathered crowd how he had been struck to the ground on the road to Damascus, the Pharisees present remarked to those crying out against Paul: «If a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, we ought not to oppose God» (Acts 23:9). The holy evangelist Luke relates that in Troas, Paul had a nighttime vision of a Macedonian man (likely the guardian angel of Macedonia) who begged him to come to Macedonia to preach the Gospel (Acts 16:9).
In Revelation, Saint John the Theologian speaks of seven angels entrusted with overseeing the seven churches of Asia Minor. It is known that by «angels» here John refers to the bishops of these churches. But according to Church tradition, each church also has its own guardian angel. The Book of Revelation presents many various visions and manifestations of angels. Saint John the Theologian writes: «I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth… so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, ‘Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads'» (Apok. 7:1-3).
Now let us recount stories of angelic protection from Church history, which confirm that:
a) Angels protect people from various life-threatening dangers.
When St. Cyril was building the Belozersk Monastery, all the neighboring inhabitants, amazed at the construction’s progress, considered Cyril immensely wealthy. Hearing these rumors, a greedy landowner gathered his servants and set out at night to rob Cyril and the monastery. Approaching the enclosure, the intruders saw countless warriors with drawn sabers patrolling the monastery. The robbers waited until morning for these guards to sleep, but in vain – they had to return home empty-handed. The next night, even more warriors were visible, and again the attempt failed. At daybreak, the landowner sent a servant to inquire which regiment was stationed at the monastery and how long they would remain. The messenger returned reporting that not a single pilgrim had visited the monastery in over a week, let alone soldiers. Then the landowner understood that God’s angels were guarding the monastery and repented of his wicked intention.
The pious ascetic Abba Isidore once led another struggling monk, Abba Moses, who was weary from battling evil thoughts, to a high place. «Look west,» said Isidore. Moses looked and beheld countless dragons in turmoil, noisily preparing for battle. Then Isidore said: «Now look east.» Moses saw innumerable glorious angels arrayed in splendor. Isidore explained: «These are whom the Lord sends to help the saints, while those in the west wage war against us. But our helpers far outnumber them.» This vision greatly encouraged the troubled elder in his spiritual warfare.
Blessed Theodore, Bishop of Edessa, once asked a clairvoyant stylite how he discerned the righteous from sinners. The stylite replied: «When a righteous man who fears God passes by my pillar, I see God’s grace upon him—bright angels walk on either side of him, while demons linger at a distance, not daring to approach. But when a sinner passes, I see a host of triumphant demons surrounding him, while his guardian angel follows far behind, grieving and lamenting over the sinner’s ruin. Yet when the demons seek to utterly destroy that man, the angel appears with a fiery weapon and drives them away.»
Thus do the holy angels guard us from being swallowed by the enemy. They watch over people not only while they are awake but also in sleep. Once, a monk came to St. Paisius, needing to speak with him. Finding the elder asleep, he saw his holy guardian angel standing before him in the form of a radiant youth. Amazed, the monk said: «Truly, God preserves those who love Him!» Not daring to disturb the sleeping elder out of reverence for the angel’s presence, he gave thanks to God and withdrew. Similarly, angels of God were seen holding fans over the reposed Peter, Bishop of Sebaste, the brother of Basil the Great, as he rested in peace.
These heavenly messengers care not only for the salvation of souls but also for the physical health of people. The Paterikon recounts how a hermit suffering from severe stomach pain was healed by an angel. Approaching the afflicted man and discerning the cause of his suffering, the guardian angel used his finger like a scalpel to open the diseased area, cleansed the accumulated pus, then smoothed the wound with his hand—restoring the hermit to full health through this divine intervention. Yet the most striking example of angels’ providential care is undoubtedly found in the story of young Tobias, which forms the core of the sacred Book of Tobit.
A certain man who had once lived piously fell into the heresy of Theodotian for several years. One night, as he slept deeply, an angel suddenly appeared and struck him repeatedly, awakening him to the error of abandoning his original faith. Roused by this miraculous visitation—and more so by the pain of the blows—the elder summoned a council of bishops. After recounting his vision, he humbly begged to be received back into the Orthodox Christian fold as a true son of the Church.
When St. Onuphrius the Great (4th century), yearning for the eremitic life, left his monastery in Thebaid and ventured into the desert, a beam of light appeared at the wilderness’ edge. Terrified, Onuphrius nearly fled back to the monastery—until the light drew near and a voice spoke:
«Fear not, for I am your angel, appointed by God to guard you from your birth. I have always walked with you, and now by the Lord’s command I lead you into this desert. Be perfect and humble of heart before God, serve Him with joy, and I shall never depart from you.»
b) Angels appeared to holy martyrs during their sufferings and strengthened them in their spiritual struggle.
When the holy martyr Acacius was tortured, angels appeared to him, washed his wounds with warm water, and healed them. Later, when he was imprisoned and bound in iron chains, the angels came again and freed him from his fetters.
The holy martyrs Eustathius and Anatolius, imprisoned and condemned to starve to death, were visited by an angel. He released them from their bonds, restored their health, and gave them manna to eat, saying: «I will be with you in all your sufferings, for I have been sent by Christ the Lord to guard you.»
When Theodore the Recruit (Tyro) prayed in his prison cell—securely locked and sealed—angels joined him in prayer. The guards first heard loud singing, then through a window saw many youths in white garments standing with Theodore and chanting together. Even the governor came and heard many voices singing, though the great martyr was alone in his cell.
c) Angels take special part in the salvation of the human soul.
Saint David had long been a robber, but after repenting and entering a monastery, he began to lead a strict ascetic life. The Archangel Gabriel appeared to him in his cell and said:
«David! The Lord has forgiven your sins, and from now on you shall work miracles.»
The Archangel Michael, appearing to Saint Eudokia, declared:
«I am the prince of God’s angels; it is given to me to receive repentant sinners and lead them into blessed life. Great is the joy in heaven among the heavenly hosts when a sinner brings repentance; for God, the Father of all, desires not the destruction of the human soul, created in His image. All angels rejoice when they see a human soul adorned with righteousness; they greet it as their sister.»
An angel who appeared to Saint Gregory the Dialogist said:
«The Lord has sent me to you, that I may be with you throughout your life and lift up your prayers to God, so that all you ask in faith, you may receive.»
The Venerable Niphon once saw an angel weeping at the gates of a harlot’s house, appearing in the form of a youth. When asked the reason for his tears, the angel replied:
«In this house with the harlot dwells a man whom God has entrusted to my care. I cannot bear to see the lawlessness he commits. How can I not weep when the image of God has fallen into such darkness?»
Saint Paul the Simple possessed the same gift of spiritual discernment. Once during evening prayers, he observed how people entered the church with different dispositions: Those with pure souls had radiant faces, and their guardian angels entered joyfully with them; But one sinful brother entered surrounded by demons, while his guardian angel followed at a distance, weeping.
d) Angels preserve those who trust in the Lord unharmed from evil—whether it merely threatens or has already befallen them.
How do angels act in the first case? The Psalm answers: «They will bear you up in their hands, lest you strike your foot against a stone» (Ps. 91:12). Just as a mother watches every step when her child learns to walk, and if she sees it might stumble, immediately lifts it into her arms—so do angels act toward those who, with childlike devotion to God’s will, are entrusted to their care. With maternal tenderness, they guard them from «striking against a stone,» that is, they prevent them from falling into temptation and sinful snares. Joseph, the betrothed of the Virgin Mary, when troubled by doubts about Her purity, considered quietly ending their betrothal. But an angel restrained him from this injustice, ensuring he did not «strike against the stone» of scandal (Matt. 1:19–20). Angels protect not only our souls but also our bodies—from visible and invisible enemies, from overt and hidden dangers. When a Syrian king sent troops to capture the prophet Elisha, the city where he hid was surrounded. At the sight of this threat, Elisha’s servant was terrified—until the prophet prayed, and the young man’s eyes were opened to see «the mountain full of horses and chariots of fire» (angels) guarding them (2 Kgs. 6:17).
This same defense is granted to all who seek God. Each of us can attest to this through personal experience. How often have we narrowly escaped dangers we only recognized in hindsight? Who but angels turns aside these invisible threats—hidden to us but plain to their foresight? Whose but their quiet promptings steer us from paths where we would surely «strike against the stone» of ruin?
e) Angels participate in a person’s hour of death. The holy guardian angels do not abandon us even during our passage from temporal life into eternity. St. Theodore the Studite advises: «Always keep the thought of death in your mind. Meditate on the very separation of soul from body—a separation that will take place under the vigilant care of your angel.» This is why the Holy Church directs us to pray to our guardian angel with these words: «Before that (dread) judgment, do not forget your servant, my guide… Cover me as I depart from the body, that I may not see the vile faces of demons» (Canon to the Guardian Angel). We believe that the presence of the guardian angel and his radiant, joyful countenance ease the difficult moments of the soul’s separation from the body, bringing comfort to the faithful Christian who has not deprived himself of this final heavenly aid on earth.
The Holy Church also believes that the guardian angel becomes the protector of the Christian soul even after its separation from the body—during its passage through the toll-houses. This is why every Christian prays to his guardian angel: «Be my defender and invincible champion when I traverse the fierce toll-houses of the prince of this world» (Canon to the Guardian Angel).
The holy fathers of the Church likewise testify to this truth. For example, St. Cyril of Alexandria writes in his Sermon on the Departure of the Soul: «The soul is upheld by holy angels as it journeys through the air. Ascending, it encounters the toll-houses that guard the ascent, seeking to detain and hinder the rising souls.» A vivid illustration of how guardian angels intercede during the toll-houses is found in the life of St. Niphon, Bishop of Cyprus. While praying in church and lifting his eyes to heaven, St. Niphon beheld the heavens opened. He saw: Hosts of angels descending to earth and ascending back to heaven, carrying human souls; Two angels bearing a particular soul upward. As they approached the toll-house of fornication, demons rushed out angrily, shouting: «This soul is ours! How dare you carry it past? It belongs to us!» The angels replied: «What mark do you have on it to claim it as yours?» The demons countered: «She sinned unto death, defiled herself, condemned her neighbors, and—worst of all—died without repentance! What say you to this?» The angels responded: «Truly, we will not believe you or your father, the devil, until we consult the guardian angel of this soul.» The guardian angel then testified: «It is true this soul sinned greatly. But from the hour she fell ill, she wept and confessed her sins to God. If God has forgiven her—He knows why. He has the authority. To His righteous judgment be glory!» Then the angels, mocking the demons, entered the heavenly gates with the soul.
The believing Christian soul awaits comfort and aid from its guardian angel even on that dreadful «day when the thrones will be set, the books opened, and the Ancient of Days will sit in judgment; when men will be judged, angels will stand present, the earth will tremble, and all will shudder and quake with fear. Then,» the Christian prays, «show your mercy upon me, pleading with Christ to deliver me from Gehenna… When the terrible trumpet’s call raises me from the earth to the judgment, stand quietly and joyfully beside me, lifting my fear with the hope of salvation» (Canon to the Guardian Angel).
Yet, of course, the guardian angel will stand «quiet and joyful» only beside the one who, in this life, «fought the good fight and kept the faith,» as the Apostle says (2 Tim. 4:7).
Conversely, the angel will remain distant from a soul that has shut the gates of the heavenly kingdom against itself while on earth. St. Niphon also beheld such a soul—a certain slave, tormented by his master with starvation and beatings, who, unable to endure the suffering and instigated by demons, took a rope and hanged himself. As the demons dragged his soul to hell, his guardian angel followed from afar, weeping bitterly, while the demons rejoiced. So grave is the sin of suicide!
The Word of God teaches that not only every believer but every human community, every nation, every state, and every church has its own guardian angel.
The Evangelist Matthew, as we mentioned at the beginning of our discussion, records how Jesus Christ, urging respect for every believer no matter how small or weak they may seem, told His apostles: «Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven» (Mt. 18:10). The Apostle Paul likewise states: «Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?» (Heb. 1:14). Both passages clearly affirm the existence of guardian angels. The Old Testament contains numerous accounts demonstrating their protective ministry: an angel visibly accompanied Tobias to Rages, delivering him from danger at the Tigris River, offering wise counsel, arranging favorable circumstances, and ultimately securing Tobit’s healing (Tov. 5-11); the prophet Elijah received angelic assistance, instruction, and guidance during his extraordinary ministry (1 Kings 19:2-19); Abraham assured his servant that God would send an angel before him to secure a wife for Isaac (Gen. 24:7). Certain Psalms, unanimously interpreted by Church Fathers as teaching guardian angel ministry, declare: «The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and delivers them» (Ps. 33:8), and «No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways» (Ps. 90:10-11). Scripture also clearly indicates that human communities, nations, and churches have special guardian angels: Daniel describes two interceding angels – one representing Persia and another Israel (Dan. 10:20), suggesting all nations have such protectors. While Revelation’s «angels of the seven churches» (Apok. 1:20) primarily signify bishops, Church Fathers like Gregory the Nazianzen affirm they simultaneously represent each church’s guardian angel, as he states: «I am convinced that a special guardian angel protects each church, as John teaches in Revelation.»
This truth has always been clearly acknowledged by the Orthodox Church. Saint Basil the Great wrote to the presbyters of Nicopolis: «You grieve that you have been cast outside the enclosure of walls, but you dwell under the shelter of the heavenly God, and with you remains the guardian angel of the Church.» Gregory the Theologian, bidding farewell to the see of Constantinople, exclaimed: «Farewell, O angels, overseers of this church!»
Knowing that guardian angels constantly abide with us as our closest and perpetual witnesses, we must exercise caution lest we offend them—not only in our actions but also in our words and thoughts—and thereby drive them away. And if we should fall into sin, let us hasten with swift and sincere repentance to draw our heavenly protectors and helpers back to us, that we may bring joy not only to them but to all the angels in heaven who rejoice over one repentant sinner (Lk. 15:10).
Now let us address the question: in what forms did the good angels appear?
The most common form in which good angels appeared, according to the accounts of the Old and New Testaments, was human. In this form, they appeared to Abraham, Lot, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Manoah (the father of Samson), David, Tobit, and the prophets. The angel who appeared to Joshua in the plains of Jericho took the form of a warrior, so much so that Joshua had to ask him, «Are you for us, or for our adversaries?» (Joshua 5:13). Likewise, angels appeared in human form to the holy women after the Savior’s resurrection.
However, at times, angels appeared not in human form but in other manifestations. For example, an angel appeared to Moses in the burning bush (Exodus 3:3-4) and guided the Israelites through the wilderness in the form of a pillar—cloud by day and fire by night (Exodus 13:21-22). The Psalmist says that God, in executing His will, «makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire» (Ps. 103:4). In the prophet Ezekiel, the cherubim are depicted as part-human and part-beast, with human torsos, eagle’s wings, and oxen’s legs. Their heads vary—some human, some bovine, some leonine, and some aquiline. Two of their wings are spread out, while the other two cover their bodies. They shine like burning coals, like blazing torches, like the sky illuminated by lightning. It is truly a fearsome sight.
The angel who appeared to Daniel (Dan. 10:5-6) had a human form, clothed in linen with a belt of fine gold around his waist. His body was like beryl, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the roar of a multitude.
Saint John the Theologian saw around the throne of the Most High four living creatures (who were undoubtedly four angels), with many eyes in front and behind. «The first living creature was like a lion, the second like a calf, the third had the face of a flying eagle. And each of the four living creatures had six wings around them; day and night they do not cease to say: ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!'» (Apok. 4:6–8).
The angel stationed at the entrance to the earthly paradise was armed with a flaming sword (Gen. 3:24). The angel who appeared to Balaam and threatened to kill his donkey (Num. 22:22–23), the angel who appeared to Joshua in the plains of Jericho (Joshua 5:13), and the avenging angel who appeared to David (1Chron. 21:15–16) were also armed with swords. The angel Raphael, who accompanied young Tobias to Media, appeared as a traveler (Tov. 5:5–6). The face of the angel seen by the holy women at the Savior’s tomb—who had rolled away the great stone and sat upon it—shone like lightning, and his garments were white as snow (Mt. 28:3).
The angel who, according to the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 5:18–20), freed the apostles from prison and commanded them to fearlessly preach Christ in the temple, also appeared in human form. The manner in which this angel liberated the apostles was most remarkable: the officers sent by the high priest to the prison to bring the apostles before the council found the doors securely locked and the guards standing watch, but upon opening them, they found no one inside (Acts 5:23). How the angel could lead the apostles out without damaging the doors—when there was certainly no other exit—and do so unnoticed by the guards or other prisoners, surpasses human understanding. Yet this was just as possible as the Savior’s bodily resurrection from the tomb without breaking its seal or opening it, His passing through locked doors to the room where the apostles were gathered (Jn. 20:19–26), His speaking with the disciples on the road to Emmaus while remaining unrecognized, then opening their eyes and vanishing from their sight (Lk. 24:13–31). It was just as possible as His appearing to His disciples for forty days after His resurrection, eating, drinking, and conversing with them—yet visible only to those whom the heavenly Father had ordained to witness His resurrection.
Angels, like God Himself, sometimes appeared without any visible form, making their presence known through a loud voice, moral inspiration, striking natural phenomena, dreams, revelations of the unknown future or past, or even by inducing confusion, blindness, or paralysis—thereby manifesting God’s wrath. For example, when God spoke to Moses on Horeb and gave him the Law (Deut. 4:12–15), the Israelites saw no semblance of God. Similarly, when the Archangel Gabriel revealed to Daniel the fate of the great kingdoms that would rise and fall, only Daniel saw the vision; the men with him perceived nothing, yet a great terror fell upon them, and they fled in fear (Dan. 10:7).
When the Lord first spoke to Samuel, foretelling the calamity He would bring upon the house of the high priest Eli, the young Samuel saw no form but only heard a voice, which he initially mistook for Eli’s. Likewise, the men of Sodom first saw the angels who entered Lot’s house, but when they tried to force their way in, the same angels struck them with blindness, leaving them groping helplessly for the door.
Saint Cyprian recounts that during the persecution of Christians in Africa, a certain bishop fell ill and persistently begged to receive the Holy Mysteries before his death. One day, he beheld a majestic young man with piercing, luminous eyes. The angel sternly rebuked him: «You fear suffering and cling unwillingly to life—what then do you want from me?» Realizing this reproach was meant for all the faithful, the bishop mustered his remaining strength to exhort his flock to courage in the face of impending trials. After partaking of the Holy Mysteries, he died in peace. Church history abounds with similar accounts of angels appearing in human form.
Now let us outline the signs by which one may discern the presence of evil and good angels.
«The vision of holy angels,» says Saint Anthony, «is always peaceful. They usually appear silently and gently, immediately filling the soul with joy, gladness, and boldness. The thoughts remain undisturbed, and the soul overflows with longing for future blessings and communion with the saints. Even if some are initially frightened by the sudden appearance of good angels, the fear is instantly dispelled by their love—as Gabriel did with Zechariah, the angel at the Lord’s tomb did with the women, and the angel who told the shepherds of Bethlehem, ‘Do not be afraid!’ The fear in such cases does not come from dread but from the awareness of a higher presence. Such is the vision of the holy ones… «By contrast, the assault and appearance of evil spirits is tumultuous—filled with noise, cries, and shrieks, like the attack of robbers. This brings fear, confusion, disordered thoughts, despondency, sorrow, terror of death, and finally, wicked desires, neglect of virtue, and moral ruin. Therefore, if you see a vision and feel fear, but it is immediately replaced by inexpressible joy, serenity, boldness, inspiration, clarity of mind, and love for God—take heart and pray. But if the apparition is accompanied by agitation, external clamor, worldly pomp, threats of death, or the like—know that this is the assault of evil angels.»
As we mentioned above, besides good angels, there are evil angels, called devils, demons, or unclean spirits. And the existence of evil spirits is beyond any doubt.
Tradition has preserved the concept of evil spirits among all nations. For example, there is the teaching of the Persian religion about the evil principle—Ahriman—and evil spirits, the daevas; likewise, the Greek religion speaks of the Furies. The Egyptians believed that at birth, every person is given a guardian demon; Chinese Buddhists also acknowledge evil spirits—according to their teaching, there are two realms of spirits: the pure, the Devas of Nirvana, and the impure, the Asuras.
It goes without saying that all these beliefs, not being sanctified by divine Revelation, are distorted; yet the mere existence of such beliefs among nations shows that the existence of evil spirits does not contradict the principles of sound reason, just as the existence of good spirits does not. Indeed, first, if the visible world contains many diverse beings, why not allow that rational-moral beings are not limited to the human race alone? Second, if we observe a gradation in creation, progressing from lower forms to higher ones, a similar gradation can be assumed in moral beings—in relation to God. This is why even the philosopher Plato taught that «there are spirits intermediate between man and God, who withdraw from wicked men and aid the good; they cannot be seen, though they are present with us.» The actions of spirits are possible in themselves, just as the actions of one person upon another exist, or the actions of a person’s soul upon their body. Therefore, only corrupted people deny the existence of good spirits, because they are far removed from them, and of evil spirits—since, without even realizing it, they are their slaves.
The living conviction of the ancient world regarding the existence of evil spirits is further confirmed by the fact that ancient philosophy was often intertwined with magic (Exodus 7:11), as seen in the case of Pharaoh’s sorcerers who opposed Moses, and in Cyprian—later a martyr and bishop of Antioch.
To gain an accurate understanding of the spirits of wickedness, we have one reliable source—Christian teaching, as contained in Holy Scripture, expounded and affirmed by the writings of the Holy Fathers and teachers of the Church. What the devil is, and the nature of his actions, we learn from Scripture, which also shows us the means to resist him. And how to apply these means in practice—we learn from the works of the Holy Fathers and the lives of ascetics who devoted their entire lives to battling the spirit of wickedness. The discernment of evil spirits by holy ascetics is a special gift of God; it is the «discerning of spirits» (1 Cor. 12:10). Along with it comes victory over sinful thoughts, illusions, and sensations. True, due to our carnal state, we are incapable of seeing spirits, but we «have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place» (2 Pet. 1:19). Thus, we can recognize our enemies well enough to stand against them.
According to the wisdom of this age, the devil is merely the personification of the evil principle inherent in us and active in the world, while subordinate spirits are a further development of this personification. But the Word of God reveals to us that the space between heaven and earth, the vast azure expanse we see, serves as the dwelling place of fallen angels, cast down from heaven (Eph. 6:12; Apok. 12:7).
The teaching of the devil as a real, personal, living, and evil spirit meets us on the very first pages of the Bible. As Genesis testifies, the devil, entering the serpent, deceived our first parents and persuaded them to transgress God’s commandment (Gen. 3:1–19). That the devil was the instigator of the sin that, through Adam, brought ruin to all mankind, is attested by the wise Solomon: «For God created man to be immortal and made him in the image of His own eternity; but through the devil’s envy, death entered the world, and those who belong to his party experience it» (Wisdom 2:23–24). For this reason, the devil is called «a murderer from the beginning» (Jn. 8:44).
That the existence of evil spirits was known even to Moses is attested by the book of Deuteronomy. Listing the iniquities of the Jews, Moses says that they «sacrificed to demons, not to God» (Deut. 32:17)—that is, as St. John Chrysostom explains, they offered sacrifices to idols in which demons dwell. The evil spirit depicted in the book of Genesis is described in the same way in the book of Job—as a slanderer. There, he slanders God, and here he slanders God’s righteous servant, whom he «afflicted with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.» He would have struck down the righteous man he hated with death itself, had God not forbidden him (Job 1:6–22; 2:1–7). The devil incited David «to number Israel» (1Chron. 21:1; 2 Samuel 24:1). The demon Asmodeus killed seven husbands who were successively given in marriage to Sarah, the daughter of Raguel (Tov. 3:8). An evil spirit also tormented Saul (1 Samuel 16:1–15).
St. John the Theologian closely connects the truth of the existence of evil spirits with the truth of the coming of the Son of God into the world: «He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil» (1 John 3:8). From these words, it follows that without knowing who the devil is, we cannot understand what Jesus Christ has done for us. The denial of evil spirits leads to the denial of the mystery of the Fall and, consequently, the mystery of Redemption. Indeed, why would Christ need to come to earth if the devil does not exist? And the denial of Redemption must inevitably lead to the denial of Christianity as a whole.
That Jesus Christ came to destroy the works of the devil is attested by the entire Gospel narrative. «You are of your father the devil,» Jesus Christ says to the Jews, «and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of lies» (Jn. 8:44).
Then in both His direct teaching and in the parables – in their explanatory parts – Jesus Christ frequently mentions the devil and his angels, everywhere teaching about them as evil spirits who seek to harm people, destroy them, and are reserved for eternal fire. Depicting the final dreadful judgment, Christ says: «Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels'» (Mt. 25:41). The Lord pronounces His condemnation upon sinners – real beings; does this not clearly show that the devil and his angels are likewise real beings, since the eternal fire was prepared first of all for them, awaiting their followers – the sinners?
According to Christ the Savior, Satan had bound the unfortunate stooped woman for eighteen years (Lk. 13:11-16); it was he who asked the Lord to sift the apostles like wheat (Lk. 22:31).
In other places of the Holy Gospel, we find the words of Jesus Christ stating that there exists an entire kingdom of evil spirits, that the devil is the malicious prince of this kingdom, has his servants and is therefore called the prince of demons (Mt. 12:25-27; Luke 11:17-20), that the devil – the prince of demons – is «the ruler of this world» (Jn. 12:31), and that the devil and his angels act jointly, not hindering but supporting each other to harm people (Mt. 12:25-27; Mk. 3:23-24; Lk. 11:17-20).
The holy apostles also had no doubt about the devil’s existence. Like Jesus Christ, they taught about the soul-damaging activity of evil spirits and their destructive influence on mankind. Speaking of Christ as One who healed all who were oppressed by the devil (Acts 10:38), the apostles themselves, following the example of their Divine Teacher, healed those possessed by demons (Acts 5:15-16) and, while preaching Christ to people, viewed conversion from paganism to Christianity as a transition from the power of Satan to God (Acts 26:18). According to the apostles’ teaching, Christ took on our flesh and blood so that through His death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil (Heb. 2:14). The devil is a real person, otherwise the apostle Jude would not have depicted him disputing with the archangel Michael over the body of Moses (Jude 1:9). The apostles taught that demons are intelligent spirits (James 3:15) but evil ones (Acts 19:13). Being numerous (Apok. 12:4), they form their own kingdom headed by Satan.
From these passages of apostolic scripture, it is clear that the devil is a truly existing person. This is how these passages were understood by the holy Fathers of the Church. Saint Ignatius the God-Bearer repeatedly exhorts in his epistles to avoid the cunning and deceit of the prince of this age and to strengthen oneself against the devil’s wiles through meekness, faith, and love. The angel who by his primacy was wiser than the others, through his transgression and disobedience became a demon, and together with him, those who imitated him and were carried away by his fantasies formed a regiment of demons. The devil, according to the teaching of Saint Irenaeus of Lyons, is a creation of God, like the other angels. He himself was the cause of his apostasy. According to Tertullian’s conviction, everything that offends God must be attributed to demons and unclean spirits.
All other Fathers and teachers of the Church also acknowledge the existence of evil spirits. In their writings, they discuss the nature of evil spirits, their first sin, their schemes against people, and so forth. The existence of evil spirits is particularly convincingly proven by the history of holy ascetics, as we can observe from their edifying writings. Throughout their lives, the ascetics waged a fierce battle against the spirits of wickedness. It often happened that demons appeared to them in a sensory form. Resisting demons through their lofty moral life, the holy ascetics cast out demons from other people, boldly pointing this out to pagans as proof of the truth of the Christian faith. In the second apology of Justin Martyr, we read: «Jesus became man and was born, by the will of God the Father, for the sake of people who believe in Him and for the crushing of demons. This we can now learn from what is happening before our eyes, for many Christians have healed and still heal a multitude of those possessed by demons, adjuring them by the name of Jesus Christ, crucified under Pontius Pilate—whereas they were not healed by other exorcists.» «Most of you know,» says Minucius Felix, «that the demons themselves tremble violently at our words of exorcism in the name of the one true God and either immediately leave the bodies of those they possess or gradually withdraw, depending on the faith of the sufferer or the will of the healer.» Tertullian writes: «As for demons, we not only do not deny them, but we fight against them, pursue them, and cast them out of the human body, as is known to everyone. Bring before the tribunal a man known to be possessed by a demon, and let any Christian, whoever he may be, command the demon to speak. The demon will confess that he is indeed a demon and that in other cases he falsely presents himself as a god.»
The belief of the Holy Church in the existence of evil spirits and their destructive influence on man is most convincingly expressed in her prayers and liturgical rites. In her prayers, the Holy Church persistently instructs believers to ask God for deliverance from evil demons, cunning spirits, and bodiless enemies. «Deliver me, O Lord, from the present demonic assault… Snatch me from the jaws of the destructive serpent, gaping to devour me and drag me alive into hell» (Prayer Before Sleep, 8). «Let God arise and let His enemies be scattered… Let demons perish before those who love God and make the sign of the cross…» «Deliver me, O Lord, from the devil’s snares.» «Save me, for You are my God and Creator… Lest Satan seize me and boast, O Word, that he has torn me from Your hand and protection… Grant me, O God, to serve You without sloth, as I formerly served the deceitful Satan» (Prayer of St. Macarius).
The Holy Church instructs us to turn to the Most Holy Theotokos with this prayer: «Deliver me from eternal fire and the wicked worm and Tartarus; let me not become a cause of joy for the demons, who am guilty of many sins.» She also teaches us to pray to our guardian angel, that he might not give «place to the wicked demon to dominate this mortal body by force» (Canon to the Guardian Angel, Ode 6), and that he might prevent demons from tormenting us.
In the rite of Holy Baptism, still used in the Church to this day, the godparents are required to renounce «the devil and all his works, and all his pride» on behalf of the catechumen. The Church acknowledges the possibility of demonic possession as real oppression by evil spirits by maintaining a special rite «for deliverance from unclean spirits.» This service also reveals to us the Church’s undoubted faith in the power of Christ’s name and the authority He gave to the shepherds of the Church «over unclean spirits, to cast them out» (Mt. 10:1).
Thus, everything convinces us of the existence of evil spirits: the traditions of nations, sound reason enlightened by the light of Divine Revelation, the experience of holy ascetics, and finally, the belief of the Church. Therefore, as Fr. John of Kronstadt says: «Stubborn disbelief in the existence of evil spirits is itself a form of possession, for it opposes the truth – it opposes Divine Revelation.» A person who denies the evil spirit is already consumed by the devil (1 Peter 5:8) and, sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, is unable to behold the Sun of righteousness.
Having established the fact of evil spirits’ existence beyond any doubt, we shall now speak in more detail about their nature.
Where did evil spirits come from? God, teaches Saint Anthony the Great, did not create any evil; demons did not receive the beginning of their wickedness from His will or from their own nature, but from their own volition. They were initially created good, for they were created by the good God; but through their pride they were cast down from heaven to earth. The evil angel, as the holy martyrs Eustratius, Mardarius and others said, who had authority among the other angels, willfully turned away from his Creator and, becoming proud, fell from his rank and from God, and God deprived him of angelic glory.
The Bible tells us that God finds fault even in His angels (Job 4:18). This shows that the bodiless spirits have not yet attained that high degree of moral perfection possible for them, which they must necessarily reach according to the creative thought concerning them; and from this it necessarily follows that the creative command of the divine will brought them into being not in a state of completed perfection, but only in a state of moral purity and spiritual power for the actual realization of the divine idea of spiritual being. Therefore, the life of bodiless spirits must undoubtedly be subject to the law of development, and by virtue of the free creativity of life among them, there naturally must exist both diversity of spiritual ministries and differences in degrees of spiritual perfection. Depending on the predominant content of their impressions, some of the bodiless spirits, for example, may be most struck by God’s omnipotence, and therefore in contemplating God’s creation they will naturally strive for reverent contemplation of the divine power of the Almighty; others, contemplating the wise arrangement of the universe, may strive most of all to understand the ultimate principles of being hidden in God’s mind; still others, in the consciousness of their existence as a holy gift from God, may have as the central object of their thought the recognition of God’s authority over them and over all being in general; some, through the power of contemplating the moral perfections of the divine nature, may primarily serve as reverent confessors of God’s dominion over all possible degrees of created perfection; others, in contemplating the fullness of divine perfections, may be most struck by the royal majesty of God and therefore may naturally desire that everything in the world and, first of all, they themselves be worthy thrones of God’s glory. In short, the universe can evoke many different impressions and feelings, and each feeling can determine for itself a corresponding form of spiritual service to God…
According to a passing biblical reference (1 Tim. 3:6), the first instigator of the fall became proud of the height of his position and conceived a desire to subjugate the world to himself, so as to replace God for it. From the standpoint of psychological analysis (study), there can be no doubt that the fallen spirit’s position provided ample grounds for the boundless manifestation of his pride. If he desired to become a god for the world, it means that, in terms of his level of development, he surpassed all his brethren and enjoyed among them the authority of the most perfect personality in all of God’s world. Otherwise, his sinful thought about himself would undoubtedly have been far more modest. That is, had he been merely one of many equal spirits and a leader of only a portion of the spiritual world, then, of course, he might have grown proud of his authoritative position and might have desired to expand his power—but not at the expense of God’s authority, necessarily at the expense of the authority of other spirits equal to him. This would necessarily have been the case because the very existence of many equal spirits would have spoken too clearly to the first instigator of the fall about the obvious madness of his desire to become a god, when in reality he had no advantage over many other leaders of the spiritual world and was in fact only one among many. Under such conditions, his criminal pride would undoubtedly have driven him down a different path. As a crude egoist, he might, of course, have had no fear of God at all, but as one of many equal leaders, he could not have failed to fear his comrades and could not have failed to see in them his irreconcilable enemies.
After all, lacking divine glory and honor yet tormenting himself with the thought of acquiring them, he must inevitably have reasoned that as soon as his comrades learned of his ambition, they too would become claimants (aspirants) to the alluring prize—since the right to it was equal for all, or rather, given the equal absence of any legitimate claim, all could equally seize it for themselves. Therefore, as a monstrous thief in his thoughts, the first instigator of the fall must necessarily have suspected his comrades of being equally capable of theft, and consequently, he must have concluded that if they resolved to pursue divine dignity, he would inevitably have to fight them, perhaps ending up not with divine glory but with the disgrace of shame. Given the inescapable logic of this suspicion and reasoning, the primary objective of the proud spirit’s criminal activity could only have taken the form of a malicious desire—at any cost—to destroy his exalted comrades, so as to eliminate them as potential rivals. Thus, consumed by thoughts of divine honor, he might, under these circumstances, have striven not to replace God for the world but merely to monopolize divine honor within it, reserving it for himself alone. Consequently, if his goal was not to undermine the moral authority of his comrades in order to be regarded as the highest of God’s creations, but rather to sever the world from God Himself so as to assume God’s place within it—and if, therefore, he directed his criminal struggle not against his comrades but precisely against God—then it is evident that his position in the world was exceptional.
The fallen great spirit was undoubtedly superior to all and had no equal in all of God’s creation, so that in the realm of the spiritual world he enjoyed immense and universally recognized authority, lacking only one thing – to be regarded and worshiped as God… Therefore, overwhelmed by monstrous egoism, he naturally began to feel secret envy toward God, and this envy naturally gave rise to a desire that it would be most excellent for him if God did not exist at all. Yet he knew with certainty – and could not help knowing – that God exists, because while aspiring to divine dignity, he nevertheless clearly understood that he was not God at all, that his limited being in reality owed its existence solely to the creative power of the true, self-existent God. And since all other incorporeal spirits knew this with equal certainty, God’s existence naturally became for him an insurmountable obstacle to achieving his proud dream. Meanwhile, this dream had taken complete possession of his being – he lived only for this dream and refused to abandon it. Therefore, seeing God as an obstacle to its fulfillment, he naturally ceased to think about God’s infinite goodness or almighty power, focusing exclusively on the fact that God’s very existence was the sole obstacle preventing him from attaining divine honor. And so he came to see God as his enemy and was consumed by feelings of implacable hatred toward Him.
Under the influence of this feeling—if one can judge the character of the fallen spirit by all his subsequent actions in human history—he likely erupted in audacious blasphemy against God, most likely striving to ascribe to God all the moral flaws that had grown from his own pride and had distorted his God-created nature. At the very least, it is otherwise completely impossible to explain even the relative success of his schemes. According to indirect biblical references (e.g., Eph. 6:12), he undoubtedly led astray a considerable number of incorporeal spirits. Yet, for pure spirits—who positively knew their existence to be a free gift of God’s goodness—to nevertheless join the avowed enemy of God, it was necessary for a hostile feeling toward God to be aroused within them. Consequently, the instigator of their fall must have succeeded in provoking this feeling within them, and in that case, there can be no doubt that he pursued his goal through slander. If we were to ask how truly good spirits could suddenly prove ungrateful toward the Creator of their life, psychologically, only one answer is possible: they could have become ungrateful toward God in one and only one case—if somehow it occurred to them, and they became convinced, that God had created them solely for His own sake, so that He might have someone to rule over and someone to glorify Him… And if we were to ask how good spirits could suddenly become hostile to God, psychologically, here too only one answer is possible: they could have become enemies of God only in that single case—if it occurred to them, and they convinced themselves, that within the limits of their nature and powers, they could have attained a far higher position than the one they actually occupied, if only God had willed to place them in the most favorable conditions of life—but that He supposedly did not wish to do so out of fear of losing in them His obedient slaves. Such a conception of God could, of course, naturally determine only a hostile feeling toward Him, because by portraying God as a Being who, out of unwillingness to do good to His rational creatures, deliberately hinders them from achieving their essential goals, it thereby presents God as an obvious enemy of His own creations—and consequently, it must naturally evoke toward God precisely the kind of attitude that is possible only toward a personal enemy. Therefore, considering the necessary conditions under which the fall of the spirits could indeed have occurred, and correlating the possible presence of these conditions with the perspective of that criminal disposition that had seized the first instigator of the fall, it seems to us that we have sufficiently strong grounds to determine, at least psychologically, the probable course of the ancient celestial catastrophe.
This catastrophe likely unfolded in the following manner: the first hater of the divine world order, disguising himself with feigned love for his brethren and pretending to champion their interests, skillfully planted within them the false notion about the true motives of divine creation—that God had created the world solely to satisfy His own egoism; then, he likely planted another false idea in them—that under different conditions of existence, they could have attained such a high degree of perfection as to become worthy of divine glory; and finally, he instilled in them yet a third false thought—that the essential interests of their lives, as free and rational beings, were not only alien to but entirely opposed to God’s intentions, so that in God they supposedly had nothing but a heartless ruler, thus making them, in essence, nothing more than doomed victims of His imagined tyranny. The first of these ideas is, of course, potent enough to undermine in any spirit who accepts it the belief in God’s unconditional holiness and, consequently, to shake the feeling of reverent worship toward Him; the second idea is likewise sufficiently powerful to awaken in the spirit who embraces it a sense of self-love and to direct his thoughts toward rebellious dreams of new conditions of existence; and finally, the third idea is strong enough to stir in the accepting spirit a feeling of protest against the imagined oppression that contradicts his very nature, thereby provoking within him a sense of enmity toward God.
The moral state of evil spirits is the darkest, and their activity towards man is the most harmful and destructive, aimed at leading him astray from the path of virtue.
«Great is the power of Christ helping you,» the devil said to St. Pachomius, «but I will not cease to fight against you and will continue my work.» «The malice of demons is varied and manifold,» instructs St. Anthony, «they wage war against every virtue. Fierce is their hatred for all Christians, especially monks and virgins of Christ: they obstruct their paths with snares, striving to fill their hearts with godless, impure thoughts. And even if they cease to deceive them, it is only for a short time—having been put to shame, they attack with even greater force.»
Evil spirits act upon both the soul and body of a Christian, stirring up unclean and blasphemous thoughts in the soul while afflicting the body with illnesses. Gradually, a demon whispered to St. Niphon: «There is no God—where is God? Christ does not exist! I alone sustain all things and reign over everything.» To Nikita, the recluse of the Kiev Caves, a demon appearing in the guise of an angel forbade him to pray to God, instructing him only to read books so that he might offer useful words to those who came to him—while promising to pray himself for his salvation. The body of St. Simeon the Stylite was struck by the devil with such a terrible sore that it began to rot, and pus with worms oozed from his wounds. The devil afflicted St. Ioannikios in the ribs with such a sickness that he was left speechless for seven days. To deceive and tempt the holy ascetics, evil spirits transformed themselves into various forms and employed every means of seduction—great and small, even the most insignificant. A demon once appeared to Pachomius in radiance, saying: «Rejoice, Pachomius! I am Christ and have come to you as a friend.»
To deceive St. Simeon the Stylite, the devil transformed himself into a radiant angel and descended to him from heaven in a fiery chariot. To tempt St. Hilarion, the devil placed shameless naked women on his bed, and when he felt hunger or thirst, presented him with sweet delicacies and drinks. St. Pachomius saw a demon in the form of a beautiful woman entering the monastery with a multitude of servants. To the venerable widow Theodora, the devil appeared in the likeness of her deceased husband.
The venerable Theodorus was healed of the ailment of avarice by St. Basil. A demon, taking on Basil’s appearance, came to Theodorus and said: «Theodore, how fare you? Has the demonic warfare ceased, or does the devil still trouble you by bringing to mind the wealth you distributed to the poor?» Theodorus replied that through his (Basil’s) prayers he was progressing and promised to continue obeying all his instructions. The demon then commanded him to ask God for an abundance of gold—so that he might have peace, receive recompense for the distributed wealth, and continue giving alms. Theodorus began praying for this, and the devil pointed him to a cave filled with gold. When Theodorus obtained the treasure, the demon advised him to leave the monastery for another land, purchase estates there, and thus avoid further temptation of grieving over lost riches. Theodorus was inclined to agree, but God sent St. Basil to him, who exposed the devil’s deception and saved his soul.
The devil once appeared to St. Theodore of Sykeon in the guise of a youth—his childhood friend Gerontius, with whom he had studied. While walking with Theodore, he led him to the edge of a high cliff overlooking an abyss and urged him to prove his courage by leaping down. «I am afraid,» Theodore replied, «it is too high.» «At school, you were the bravest of us all,» the devil taunted, «yet now you falter? See, I am unafraid—I will jump.» Theodore pleaded with him, fearing he might perish. «No harm will come—do not fear.» «If you leap first and I see you unharmed, then I will follow.» The devil hurled himself down, landed unharmed, and called for Theodore to join him. As Theodore stood amazed at Gerontius’ feat, the Great Martyr George appeared, took his hand, and said: «Come away—this is not Gerontius, but the enemy of our race.»
Sometimes, to deceive holy ascetics, demons appeared in the guise of pious individuals. While the recluse St. Abraham was praying, a demon placed a lamp beside him and began chanting psalms. On one occasion, a multitude of demons came at night to St. Macarius of Egypt, urging him: «Arise, Macarius, and sing with us—why do you sleep?» Recognizing their demonic deception, the saint cried out: «O Christ God, help me and deliver me from those who surround me!»—and with a clamor, the demons vanished.
Demons also assumed the forms of various animals. During St. Hilarion’s prayers, the devil appeared now as a howling wolf, now as a leaping fox. St. Sergius of Radonezh was terrorized by demons transforming into beasts and serpents. To St. Tryphon, the devil appeared as a massive hound. Even those who commune with demons can produce demonic illusions—altering the air, summoning winds, thunder, and rain, stirring sea waves, or bringing blight upon gardens and fields. The sorcerer Cyprian, for instance, cast a bird-like form upon a youth consumed by lust for St. Justina, granting him the ability to fly through the air. To deceive people, demons sometimes foretell the future—not through prophetic gifts, but by predicting what they themselves have orchestrated or incited evil men to do, such as murder or theft. Thus, when seekers came to the recluse Nikita for comforting words, a demon in angelic guise would reveal their past and prophesy their future—and it came to pass. As incorporeal spirits, they may deduce future events through long observation of human affairs, yet they often lie and deceive. «Do you know,» St. Pachomius once asked an appearing demon, «whether after our death the brethren will serve the Lord as fervently as now?» «I know for certain,» the demon replied. «You lie, foul one—to know the future belongs to God alone, and you are utter falsehood.» «I have no foreknowledge,» the demon confessed, «nor do I know anything of myself. I infer what will happen only by reasoning from past and present things.»
Evil spirits, having assailed and tormented man during his earthly life, do not abandon him even after death. They attack with particular ferocity at the hour of death to disturb the soul’s peace. «When the time came for my soul to part from the body,» recounted St. Theodora, «I beheld a host of dark figures standing about my bed—their faces black as soot, their eyes like fiery coals. They glared at me with fury, gnashing their teeth, unrolling scrolls where all my evil deeds were recorded. I turned my eyes away, but those dreadful visages surrounded me, and my soul trembled in terror.» «O Lord my God!» prayed St. Joseph the Hymnographer at his deathbed, «You have guarded me all the days of my life—now preserve my spirit to the end! Deliver me from the prince of darkness and the horrors of the air, lest my enemy rejoice over me.»
So dark is the moral state of evil spirits, and so ruinous their influence upon man! Some of their methods may seem trivial, even absurd, as if unworthy of incorporeal beings. Yet what matters is not the means themselves, but the malignant purpose behind them. The utterly crafty, deceitful, and vile spirit is content when his seemingly petty or ridiculous tactics achieve their wicked end—to tempt a righteous ascetic, to mock him, to degrade his holy struggles and ensnare him in sin. This foul spoiler of flesh will employ any abomination to deceive the devout.
The bleak and ruinous moral state of evil spirits becomes even more hopeless because they cannot escape it—that is, they are incapable of repentance. Once, a demon in the guise of a sinful man came to St. Anthony the Great and, comparing himself to an evil spirit, asked whether God would accept repentance from demons if any of them were to repent. St. Anthony turned to prayer, beseeching the Lord for an answer to this question. An angel sent by God revealed to him that ancient evil cannot become new goodness, that the former prince of wickedness cannot initiate righteous deeds, and that one long accustomed to pride cannot humble himself in repentance to obtain God’s mercy. To convince Anthony of this, the angel commanded him to demand that the demon fulfill the following: for three years, day and night, the demon was to cry out in one place, «God, have mercy on me, the ancient malice! God, save me, the darkened deception! God, have mercy on me, the abomination of desolation!» The next day, when the demon returned, the venerable saint presented these terms. «No, elder,» the demon replied, «how can I call myself ancient evil when I am now so glorious and so many obey me? How can I name myself the abomination of desolation and darkened deception when all sinners love me and do as I please? No, let it never be that through repentance I should become worthless and humble, exchanging my great honor for such disgrace.» Thus, the evil spirit himself testified that repentance is impossible for demons—not because of God’s refusal, but because of their own freedom, irrevocably bent toward evil, and their boundless pride, which utterly excludes humility.
Let us now present several instances of evil spirits’ manifestations and say a few words about the manner of their appearance.
Both the Old and New Testaments, as well as Church history, recount numerous cases of evil spirits’ manifestations.
The most famous and most disastrous manifestation of the devil for mankind was when he appeared to Eve in the guise of a serpent and tempted her (Gen. 3:1–23). Since then, the image of the serpent has become the most common sensory representation of the devil. In Scripture, the devil is often called the «ancient serpent» (Apok. 12:9)—it is said that the infernal dragon will wage war against the woman (symbolizing the Church) and that he will be struck down by the Archangel Michael and cast down from the heights of heaven (Apok. 12:7–9). From the Old Testament, we know that in this form, he was worshipped by pagans. In Babylon, for instance, divine honors were paid to a living dragon, which Daniel killed by making it swallow a mixture of poisonous substances (Dan. 14:23–27). The pagans also practiced a form of divination through serpents, which they called ophiomancy.
The Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans revered serpents, regarding them as something divine and offering them worship.
Blessed Augustine notes that no animal was used as frequently in sorcery as the serpent—as if in punishment for having deceived the first man. However, the more common form in which demons appeared to people and tempted them was the human image: it was likely in this form that he appeared to Jesus Christ in the wilderness (Mt. 4) and tempted Him. In nearly all the devil’s manifestations recorded in the countless accounts of saints’ lives, he took on human form. To provide evidence of the reality of the devil’s manifestations and a few examples of the forms he assumed and for what purpose, we will now present several cases drawn from the lives of the saints.
Shortly before the Persian invasion of the Greek Empire, in the Second Cilician Diocese, in the city of Adana, the following incident occurred with Theophilus, the steward of the city’s cathedral church.
Theophilus was distinguished by his impeccable honesty and meticulous fulfillment of his official duties, as well as by his Christian virtues. He was the eye and right hand of his bishop—a father to orphans, a provider for widows, a generous benefactor to the poor, a defender of the oppressed, and a helper to the helpless, earning universal love and respect. When the bishop of Adana died, the entire community unanimously desired Theophilus to succeed him and petitioned the primate of Cilicia to this effect. The archbishop shared this desire, but Theophilus, out of Christian humility and profound reverence for the episcopal office, firmly refused the honor. All entreaties from the people, clergy, and primate proved futile, and Theophilus remained steadfast in his refusal. Another man was consecrated bishop, while Theophilus retained his former position as steward.
Despite Theophilus’s blameless life, there were those who, moved by a spirit of malice and envy, began slandering him to the new bishop, accusing him of the most shameful deeds. The bishop, knowing Theophilus to be a man of exceptional piety and virtue, initially paid no heed to these calumnies. Yet as the accusations persisted and intensified, he gradually gave them credence and ultimately resolved to remove Theophilus from his office under the pretext of granting him rest from his long and arduous labors. Theophilus obeyed without protest. Now the demon’s envy and malice took a new direction. Having previously worked through others, he now assailed Theophilus’s own soul, planting and nurturing the thought that he had suffered unjust humiliation at the bishop’s hands—that his labors and virtues had been repaid with insult and contempt. This idea grew in Theophilus until he became convinced he had been profoundly degraded, insulted, and mocked. Soon, his soul was seized by an irresistible craving to elevate himself above others. His first ambition was to reclaim his former position, but his lust for power grew so overwhelming that he resolved to achieve his goals through sorcery and demonic aid. Thus, he sought out the most renowned sorcerer of the time, revealed his desires, and tearfully begged for help, promising due reward. The sorcerer gladly agreed and, after reassuring him, instructed him to return the following night. Theophilus left rejoicing and returned at midnight. The sorcerer led him to the hippodrome (a horse-racing arena) and warned, «If you see any vision or hear any voice, do not fear or make the sign of the cross.» Theophilus consented, and immediately a spectral host appeared before them: a multitude of strange figures clad in bright garments, holding candles—a gathering of demons glorifying their prince, Satan, who sat proudly in their midst. The sorcerer took Theophilus by the hand, brought him before the assembly, and presented him to the prince of demons. «Why have you brought this man to us?» Satan demanded. The sorcerer replied, «I have brought him, my lord, because his bishop has grievously wronged him, and he seeks your aid.» Satan answered, «How can I help a man who is his God’s slave? But if he agrees to become my slave and join my servants, I will grant him power greater than he once held—greater even than the bishop’s.» «Do you hear what the prince says?» the sorcerer asked Theophilus. «I hear,» he replied, «and I will do whatever he commands.» With these words, he prostrated himself at the feet of the demonic prince and kissed them. Then the devil addressed Theophilus: «Let this man renounce the Son of Mary and His Mother, for I hate them deeply. Let him write this renunciation in his own hand, deliver the document to me, and then demand whatever he desires—I shall grant it all.» «I agree to all you command,» said Theophilus, «if only I may obtain my wish.» Hearing this, Satan stretched out his demonic hands, embraced and kissed Theophilus, exclaiming, «Rejoice, my true and faithful friend!» Theophilus then renounced Christ and His Pure Mother, wrote the renunciation on parchment prepared by the sorcerer, sealed it, and handed it to the prince of darkness. After a final embrace and kiss, the new allies parted. Satan and his retinue vanished, while Theophilus and the sorcerer returned home in triumph.
The day after these events, the bishop—undoubtedly moved by divine rather than demonic inspiration—repented of having removed Theophilus from his stewardship. He summoned Theophilus, reinstated him to his former position, and even granted him twice the authority in church affairs than he had previously held. Moreover, the bishop publicly begged Theophilus’ forgiveness before the entire clergy and congregation. All the honor and respect Theophilus had once enjoyed not only returned to him but increased beyond measure. His ambition was satisfied; his heart was at ease. Yet this fatal peace was short-lived. The merciful Lord would not allow the sinner to perish utterly. Soon He stirred repentance in Theophilus’ heart, making him acutely aware of the wretchedness of his condition. His remorse was profound and sincere—day and night he wept over his boundless offense against the Lord and His Pure Mother, over his utter downfall. Though his guilt before God was immense, the thought of divine mercy—which desires not the death of a sinner but that all should come to repentance—kindled in him hope for pardon and emboldened him to entreat the All-Merciful One with prayers for forgiveness and salvation. Abandoning all official duties, Theophilus resolved to devote himself entirely to seeking God’s mercy. He secluded himself in a church dedicated to the Mother of God, where for forty days and nights he remained before her icon in ceaseless contrition, strict fasting, and tearful supplication. At last, at midnight on the fortieth day, the Virgin appeared to him and said: «Why do you so shamelessly appeal to Me, begging My help? Did you not renounce My Son and Me? How shall I pray for you to My Son and God when you have given yourself to the devil and signed that accursed document? I Myself cannot endure insults to My Son and God. I may forgive what you have sinned against Me—but the blasphemies you have committed against My Son, crucifying Him anew, I cannot bear. Those guilty of such offenses must undertake great labors and profound repentance to obtain the Lord’s mercy, for though He is all-compassionate, He is also the righteous Judge who rewards each according to his deeds.» Encouraged by this visitation, Theophilus poured out his heartfelt contrition before the Theotokos, begging her intercession. Seeing his genuine repentance, she commanded him to recite the Orthodox confession of faith, which he did with fervor. The Virgin then promised to pray for him and vanished. Theophilus continued his penitential struggles until, three days later, the Mother of God appeared again—now radiant with joy—and announced that his repentance had found favor with the Lord. His prayer was heard; God granted him pardon on condition that he remain faithful until death. Overflowing with gratitude, Theophilus vowed lifelong devotion and begged the return of his signed renunciation. After another three days of unceasing prayer, as Theophilus slept exhausted, he saw in a vision the Mother of God bringing him the document. Waking in joy, he found it lying on his chest. Overwhelmed by spiritual exertion and rapture, he fell into a deathlike swoon. Upon reviving, he offered tearful thanks to God and the merciful Protectress of Christians. Seeking further purification, he resolved to make a public confession. During the liturgy, he approached the bishop, recounted his fall and redemption, and begged him to proclaim the story for all to hear. The bishop complied, addressing the assembled people while Theophilus wept at his feet. After partaking of the Holy Mysteries, Theophilus spent his remaining days in prayer and asceticism, while the people glorified God for His mercy.
The Holy Hieromartyr Cyprian, who before his conversion to Christianity was a sorcerer and had direct dealings with demons, himself recounts the following: «Believe me,» he says, «I saw the devil himself—I obtained meetings with him through numerous sacrifices; when I met him, I embraced and kissed him, and took delight in his conversations and those of his most honored servants.»
In The Lausiac History, it is told that an ascetic named Valens, having long lived in the desert, severely mortified his flesh and was a great struggler in asceticism. But later, deceived by a spirit of self-conceit and pride, he fell into extreme arrogance, becoming a plaything of demons. Inflamed by the destructive passion of vainglory, he began to delude himself into believing that angels conversed with him and served him in all things. The devil, having assured himself that Valens had completely surrendered to deception, took on the appearance of the Savior and came to him at night, surrounded by a host of demons disguised as angels with lighted lamps. A fiery circle appeared, and within it Valens beheld what seemed to be Christ. One of the demons, in the guise of an angel, approached him and said: «You have pleased Christ by your ascetic labors and holy life, and He has come to visit you. Therefore, do nothing else—only stand at a distance, and when you see Him standing amid the host, fall down and worship Him. Then return to your cell.» Valens went out and, seeing the multitude of spirits with lamps, fell down and worshiped the Antichrist. So utterly deluded was he that the next day, entering the church, he declared before all the brethren: «I have no need of Communion—today I have seen Christ!» Seeing that he had fallen into madness, the holy fathers bound him with chains. For a full year, they healed him, eradicating his pride through prayers, various humiliations, and a harsh life—truly curing like with like.
One of the elders of the Thebaid recounted this story about himself: he was the son of a pagan priest, and as a child, he would sit in the temple watching his father offer sacrifices to idols. One day, after his father had left the temple, the boy secretly entered and saw Satan sitting upon a throne, surrounded by a vast army of demons. Then, one of the princes of darkness approached and bowed before him. «Where have you come from?» Satan asked. The prince replied: «I was in such-and-such a land—I stirred up war and great turmoil there, spilled much blood, and now come to bring you word of it.» «How long did this take you?» Satan demanded. «Thirty days,» the demon answered. At this, Satan ordered him flogged, saying: «So little accomplished in so much time!» Next, another demon approached and bowed. «Where have you come from?» Satan asked. The demon replied: «I was upon the sea—I raised a storm, sank ships, and drowned many souls. I come to bring you word of it.» «How long did this take you?» Satan asked. «Twenty days,» said the demon. Again, Satan commanded him flogged, saying: «Why so little in so many days?»
A third demon came forward and bowed. «And you—where from?» Satan asked. «From a certain city,» the demon answered. «A wedding was being celebrated—I sowed strife, spilled much blood, and even slew the bridegroom. I come to bring you word.» «How long?» Satan demanded. «Ten days,» replied the demon. Yet even this one was flogged for insufficient zeal. Then a fourth demon approached and bowed. «Where?» asked Satan. «From the desert,» the demon said. «For forty years I have warred against a certain monk—and only last night did I finally overcome him, casting him into fornication.» Hearing this, Satan rose from his throne, kissed the demon, removed his own royal diadem, and placed it upon the demon’s head. He seated him beside him on the throne and declared: «You have accomplished a great and glorious deed.» Witnessing this, the priest’s son thought to himself: «The monastic rank must hold immense value before God.» He embraced Christianity and became a monk.
One day, St. Niphon saw how the devil approached a man working in the field, whispered something in his ear (which the worker didn’t even notice), and then walked away. Then he approached another man working nearby and whispered something to him as well. Both workers left their tasks, came together and began talking – at first calmly and kindly, but then started arguing and eventually had a violent quarrel.
St. Nikita, Bishop of Novgorod, was a native of Kiev and entered the Kiev Caves Monastery in his youth. Striving for higher spiritual feats, he soon decided to become a recluse, despite the abbot’s warnings about the premature nature of such an arduous undertaking for a young monk. And indeed, in his seclusion he suffered a bitter temptation. Following the suggestion of the devil, who appeared to him in the form of a radiant angel, Nikita completely stopped praying to God, devoted himself entirely to reading Old Testament books, began receiving visitors, giving them advice, making predictions, and thus gaining vain glory. No one could match his knowledge of the Old Testament, while he not only didn’t read the Gospels and other New Testament books, but refused to even see or hear them. The joint prayers of the Kiev Caves fathers (among whom were Abbot Nikon, Matthew the Clairvoyant, Isaac the Saint, Gregory the Wonderworker, Pimen the Faster, and chronicler Nestor) freed the unfortunate monk from the tempter’s spell. Nikita left his seclusion, suddenly losing all the knowledge he had boasted of, and began learning literacy and monastic life anew in the monastery. This time he followed the path of true humility, abstinence and obedience, and gradually surpassed everyone in virtue. For his high spiritual achievements, the ascetic was elevated to the rank of Bishop of Novgorod (in 1096), and for 11 years served as a model of piety for his flock. The Lord granted His saint the gift of miracles during his lifetime: twice he saved Novgorod from disasters – once by his prayer bringing rain from heaven during a prolonged drought; another time stopping with prayer a terrible fire that was destroying the city…
The devil once appeared not only as an angel but even as Jesus Christ Himself to tempt St. Isaac of the Caves, a wondrous ascetic who had struggled for seven years in solitary seclusion, remaining in unceasing prayer. His daily sustenance consisted of one prosphora and a little water. This remarkable ascetic never lay down to sleep but rested sitting up. One night, having grown weary from chanting the Psalter, he extinguished his candle and sat in his place when suddenly he saw an extraordinary light in the cave. Two demons appeared to him in the form of radiant youths, saying: «We are angels, and behold, Christ Himself comes to you.» The venerable one failed to guard himself against the tempting, prideful thought of seeing Christ, did not overcome this thought with humble awareness of his unworthiness, nor protected himself with the sign of the cross. Instead, he foolishly fell down and worshiped Satan in the guise of Christ. As soon as this happened, the demons joyfully exclaimed: «Isaac is ours!» Immediately surrounding the saint with tambourines, flutes and harps, they seized him, began dancing with him, and tormented him so severely that by morning he was found unconscious and remained for several years afterward in both spiritual and physical infirmity.
Among manifestations of evil spirits toward people, what is rightly called demonic possession holds a significant place. Those possessed by evil spirits fall into two categories: some are influenced externally by the evil spirit, while others are internally dominated by it – the demon takes complete control of their being, compels them to utter blasphemies, speak in tongues they never learned, reveals various hidden things to them, and acquaints them with obscure philosophical concepts, etc.
The possibility and reality of demonic possession is beyond any doubt. This is clearly affirmed both by Holy Scripture and Church teaching. Scripture on one hand provides us with many cases of possession, and on the other hand relates that Jesus Christ Himself and His apostles recognized the possessed as being truly under the power of evil spirits. Saul was possessed by an evil spirit (1 Samuel 16:14-15); the evil spirit periodically stirred in him melancholy, anger and envy toward David; or even when Saul became angry for natural reasons, the demon would seize him and send him into a rage. The demoniacs mentioned in the Gospels (Mt. 8:29; Mk. 1:24), who cried out loudly that Jesus was the Christ, that He had come to torment them before the appointed time, that He was the Son of God – these present clear, undeniable examples of those possessed by evil spirits.
The Savior, as proof of His divine mission, pointed to His healing of the demon-possessed. He refuted the Pharisees who claimed He cast out demons by the power of Beelzebub, proving instead that He drove them out by the power of God (Mt. 12:24-29). He spoke directly to the demons dwelling within the possessed, threatened them, and commanded them to be silent. All this clearly demonstrates that Jesus Christ viewed the demon-possessed as being truly under the control of evil spirits. Following their Divine Teacher, the apostles and early Christians likewise regarded them as being possessed by evil spirits.
When the seventy disciples of Christ returned from their apostolic ministry and gave account of their labors to Jesus, they specifically mentioned that even the demons were subject to them (Lk. 10:17). After His resurrection, Jesus Christ promised His disciples that they would perform miracles in His name—casting out demons and receiving the gift of prophecy (Mk. 16:17). This was fulfilled literally. Even the enemies of Christianity—both Jews and pagans—who witnessed these miraculous exorcisms performed by Jesus Christ, His apostles, and Christians in general, did not deny their reality but merely offered their own explanations: some attributed them to the power of the prince of demons, others to magic or the power of certain herbs.
The Church Fathers of the early centuries—Saint Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Lactantius, Saint Cyprian, and others—speak with such confidence and certainty about Christians casting out demons from the possessed that there remains no room for doubt concerning the reality of what they describe. They testify to these events not as abstract theological concepts but as concrete manifestations of Christ’s power working through His Church, continuing the same spiritual warfare that the Lord Himself began during His earthly ministry. Their unanimous witness across different regions and generations confirms that demonic possession was neither superstition nor mental illness (as some modern thinkers might claim), but a genuine spiritual reality confronted by the authority of Christ’s name.
Arnobius says: “Was there ever a mortal like Jesus? One need only speak His name, and evil spirits flee, soothsayers fall silent, priest-prophets are struck dumb, and all the craft of cunning magicians is put to shame.” Lactantius says: “The disciples of Jesus cast out unclean spirits in His name and by the sacred sign of His suffering. This is proven by the fact that in the presence of Christians, magical sacrifices lose all power, and even the most renowned oracles give no answers.” St. Cyprian wrote to the Roman governor Demetrius: “Come, see, and hear what happens in our presence to the gods you worship. Exorcised and driven out by the power of the Divine Word, they are forced to abandon those they possess. Struck by divine might, they cry out pitifully, proclaiming in human voices the truth of the coming judgment, which our faith teaches. Come and see for yourselves the truth of our words; you will behold the spirits you so slavishly admire, so slavishly revere—trembling, captive, and bound—lying at our feet. You will recognize your error most clearly when you see your gods, cast out by the power of our command, confessing against their will, in your very presence, their own deceit and falsehood.” “Bring forth,” says Tertullian in a work against pagans, “bring to trial someone truly possessed by an evil spirit, and the demon, at the demand of any Christian, will openly confess that he is an evil spirit, just as he once openly claimed to be a god. Or summon one of those among you who claim to act by divine power alone, who fall into ecstasy under the influence of foul sacrifices and from time to time hear words they proclaim at the top of their lungs as oracular utterances… And if the demon working through these people, in the presence of Christians, does not confess that he is indeed an evil spirit and is thus put to shame—then shed the blood of those Christians. Could there be any clearer proof, any stronger argument?”
What confidence, what conviction rings through this solemn speech! How numerous and well-known must have been the cases when Christians, appearing publicly before the worshippers of that very power which worked pagan miracles, forced it to confess its own nothingness. What a triumph over ancient magic the Christians thus achieved even before proving through their own deaths that the name of their God conquers all the sorcerous powers of hell.
«There is scarcely a single Church Father,» says one learned writer, «who did not ascribe to Christians the power to cast out demons in the name of Christ. All believers of the early centuries were convinced of the reality of this power; no truth was clearer or more certain to them, and none was more widely attested. Nor can we point to a single pagan—even among those most hostile to the Christian religion—who, I will not say was not entirely convinced that Christians truly cast out demons as they claimed in their writings, but who even suspected them of fraud and outright denied the reality of these exorcisms.»
The perpetual existence within the Church of exorcismal prayers against demoniacs serves as further proof of the actual existence of demonic possession; it demonstrates that the Church and its ministers have always acknowledged the reality of possession, since they have continually employed these prayers against it. Even Jewish exorcists drove out evil spirits in the name of Christ (Mk. 9:38); they too believed that Jesus Christ could grant such deliverance. At times, they also invoked the name of Solomon and used incantations supposedly established by that king, as well as various roots and herbs. Yet all this achieved nothing more than what a skilled physician accomplishes in treating hypochondriacs (that is, people perpetually afflicted by dark moods), the insane, or those who imagine themselves possessed by an evil spirit—or what a spiritual father does in calming and restoring to a normal state souls tormented by conscience, deeply shaken by the awareness of their sinfulness, and agonized by the fear of hell’s torments.
«The demoniacs who were healed by Jesus Christ and the Christians were truly possessed by an evil spirit and could only be cured by divine power—through the name of Jesus Christ and the force of exorcisms. The son of a Jewish priest named Sceva (Acts 19:14–16) once attempted to cast out a demon from a possessed man using the name of Jesus, whom Paul preached. But the demoniac leaped on him, declaring, «I know Jesus and Paul, but who are you?»—and the Jew was nearly strangled by the evil spirit. A clear distinction must be made between genuine demoniacs and those who merely feign possession, just as we must distinguish true exorcists from deceivers. There are even cases where individuals pretend to be possessed to evoke pity and receive alms.
Thus, from these accounts, it is evident that evil spirits can interfere in human life. Yet their power is severely limited. Here are a few testimonies of Christians triumphing over demons:
One of the holy ascetics recounts: «Among the hermits was a revered elder. Tormented by demonic temptations, I once went to him for counsel. He lay ill in his cell. After greeting him, I sat beside him and said, ‘Pray for me, Father, for I am grievously afflicted by demonic assaults.’ He opened his eyes, fixed them intently on me, and said, ‘My son, you are young; God will not send such trials upon you.’ I replied, ‘True, I am young, yet I endure temptations fit for mature men.’ He answered, ‘Then God wishes to grant you wisdom.’ I said, ‘How can He grant me wisdom? Every day I taste death.’ He responded, ‘Be silent. God loves you—He bestows His grace upon you.’ Then he added, ‘Know this, my son: for thirty years I wrestled with demons, and for twenty of those years, I fought utterly without relief. But after five more years, I began to find peace, which grew with time. By the seventh and eighth year, it increased further. And when the thirtieth year drew to its close, such measureless peace came upon me that I cannot describe it.’ He continued, ‘Now, when I rise for prayer, I can only glorify God. And even if I stand in worship for three days, I remain in such divine ecstasy that I feel no weariness at all.’»»
«This is what once happened to me,» said St. Theodosius of the Caves. «I was standing in my cell at prayer, chanting the usual psalms, when suddenly a black dog appeared before me, preventing me from bowing. It stood there for a long time, hindering me, so I tried to strike it—and it vanished. Then fear and trembling seized me so violently that I wanted to flee that place. But the Lord helped me. Recovering from my terror, I began to pray fervently, making frequent prostrations and bending my knees. The fear then left me, and from that time onward, I no longer feared whatever might appear before my eyes.»
Once, the devil appeared to St. Pachomius the Great—not only in the guise of a radiant angel but even in the very form of Jesus Christ Himself—and said: «Rejoice, O elder, for you have pleased me greatly. I am Christ and have come to you as My friend.» St. Pachomius was astonished and, gazing warily at the apparition, began to reason: «Christ’s coming brings joy; the heart feels no fear, all distracting thoughts vanish, the mind becomes like the eyes of the Seraphim, fixed entirely upon the vision of the Lord’s glory. The soul forgets time, and man becomes as if bodiless. But now I am troubled, afraid… No, this is not Christ.» Then, shielding himself with the sign of the cross, he boldly declared: «Depart from me, spirit of wickedness! Cursed be all your deceitful schemes!» Instantly, the phantom disappeared, the cell filled with a foul stench, and a howling wind rushed through the air.
These accounts lead us to the comforting truth that a Christian can indeed triumph over the devil. But what means does Christianity provide for battling and overcoming demons?
The first weapon is the invocation of God’s name. «In My name they will cast out demons» (Mk. 16:17), said the Lord. «At the name of Jesus, hell trembles, the abyss shakes, the prince of darkness flees. This name is a mighty weapon against adversaries,» declares St. John Climacus. «Strike down your foes unceasingly with the name of Jesus, for you will find no stronger weapon in heaven or on earth.» «Even now, demons shudder at Christ’s name; its power remains undiminished by our sins,» affirms St. Gregory the Theologian.
Abba Elijah relates the following account: «An elder once lived in a pagan temple. One day, demons came to him and demanded, ‘Leave our place!’ The elder refused. Then a demon seized him by the hand and began forcibly dragging him out. But as the elder reached the doorway, he clutched it and cried out, ‘Jesus, help me!’ — and the demon instantly vanished.»
The second weapon is the life-giving Cross of Christ. «You have given us Your Cross, O Lord, as a weapon against the devil!» sings the Holy Church. «For he trembles and quakes, unable to endure its power.» Even the demons themselves are forced to admit that the sign of the Cross «binds them, scorches them like fire, and drives them far away.» Once, the devil appeared to St. Simeon the Stylite in a magnificent chariot, disguised as a radiant angel, claiming God had sent him to take Simeon to heaven. As Simeon was about to step onto the false chariot, he first made the sign of the Cross—and in an instant, the devil vanished with his chariot. Similarly, St. Theodora and other saints drove away demons with the sign of the Cross. But for this invincible, incomprehensible, divine power of the precious and life-giving Cross to abide with us sinners, we must use it not carelessly—not merely out of habit or routine, as we often do, thereby forfeiting its power—but with full awareness of its might and sanctity. It must be made «with fear and reverence, with heartfelt and steadfast faith in Christ’s redeeming sacrifice, and with remembrance of His Passion.» As St. John Chrysostom teaches: «We must depict the Cross not merely with our fingers, but first imprint it in our minds with full faith… recalling the full power of the Cross and the entirety of Christ’s saving work.»
«The third weapon against demons is prayer and fasting.»
Christ the Savior declared: «This kind [of unclean spirit] cannot be driven out except by prayer and fasting» (Mk. 9:29). St. John Chrysostom teaches: «He who prays with fasting has two wings swifter than the wind—he is faster than fire and higher than the earth. Such a man becomes the fiercest adversary of demons, for nothing is mightier than one who prays and fasts sincerely.» St. Basil the Great affirms the power of fasting: «Fasting is a secure fortress for the soul, a weapon for warriors—it repels temptations.» The devil repeatedly attacked the holy martyr Justina but could not overcome her. Once, as she stood in prayer, she suddenly felt a surge of impure and lawless desires. The righteous woman was astonished by this sinful stirring within her and ashamed of such defilement. But the wise Justina soon realized this was the devil’s temptation. She began to fast and pray fervently to the Lord—and through her prayers and fasting, she shamed and vanquished the enemy.
«The fourth means is as frequent as possible partaking of Christ’s Holy Mysteries.»
The lives of God’s saints reveal that the most potent remedy against demons is frequent Communion of the holy and life-giving Mysteries of Christ, received with a pure heart and fervent devotion. It is recounted of St. John of Avila that he once asked demons tormenting young maidens: «Why do you fear Christians?» The demons replied: «You have three great things we dread: one you wear around your necks (the holy Cross), another you are washed with (holy Baptism), and the third you partake of in church (holy Communion).» When St. John asked, «Which of these terrifies you most?» they answered: «If you Christians knew how to guard worthily what you receive in Communion, none of us would dare approach you.»
«The fifth weapon in the struggle against and victory over the devil is humility.»
The devil himself once confessed to St. Anthony that humility alone defeats him. As St. Dorotheus writes, when St. Anthony saw all the devil’s snares laid bare and sighed, asking God, «Who can escape them?» the answer came: «Humility escapes them.» On one occasion, the devil appeared to a certain desert-dweller in the form of a radiant angel and said, «I am Gabriel, sent to you from God.» The hermit replied, «See if you have not been sent to another, for I am a sinful man, unworthy to behold angels.» At these words, the devil vanished. Humility is hateful to the devil because it places the Christian on the very path trodden by the Author of our salvation, the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ.
«The sixth weapon against demons is the acquisition of the gift of discernment of spirits (1 Cor. 12:10).» Without it, the devil’s influence can easily be mistaken for a good inspiration from an angel or from God—as has happened to many ascetics. One elder, named Iron, who had labored in the desert for fifty years, received a command from a spirit of evil disguised as an angel of light: to throw himself into a deep pit to prove that, due to his great virtues and labors pleasing to God, he was no longer subject to any temptation. Failing to discern the source of this suggestion, he threw himself into the pit at midnight. Three days after being pulled out, he died. Another man, likewise mistaking a demon for an angel, was commanded to sacrifice his son to God, following Abraham’s example. He would have carried out this godless command of the enemy had his son not fled. There were many such cases. This gift of discernment is given by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:11) and is acquired through humility. But until one is granted this gift, they must not trust their own thoughts or the promptings of their heart and mind but submit everything to the judgment of experienced spiritual guides.
The seventh mighty weapon in the battle against demons is the girding of our loins with truth—that is, so to speak, surrounding ourselves entirely with the truths of Christian doctrine; a Christian, by knowing and constantly keeping them in mind, will cut off the enemy’s very access to himself, for the enemy often works through false teachers, since he is a lie and the father of lies and cannot appear where there is truth; a Christian must put on the breastplate (armor) of righteousness (or of all right, good, and holy dispositions of the heart and of deeds themselves); and if any evil thought of the enemy does manage to slip into one who is clothed in it, it will have no harmful effect on the heart; he must shod his feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace—that is, to be ready to live according to the Gospel, ready for any sacrifices and even death for its sake, or to be prepared to proclaim the gospel of peace, or in other words, the truths of the Gospel; above all, that is, over all these three, one must add a new set of weapons, a particular one over each: first, to take up the shield of faith—to have a firm and unshakable conviction in the holiness, truth, and immutability of all that God has revealed to us, or a childlike confidence in God, so closely uniting with Him that it does not separate itself from Him nor Him from itself, which is why it is all-powerful, for in it God Himself acts, Who also gives it—the shield with which we can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked (internal and external temptations, strong and decisive, as if the enemy’s last efforts); second—to take the helmet (the strongest covering for the head from all sides) of salvation, that is, union with the Lord Savior in the sacraments, and especially through frequent confession and communion, which demons fear most of all, or to learn the art of salvation, to have wise and utmost caution and constant progress in the Christian life; and third, the spiritual sword, which is the word of God (Eph. 6:11, 14–17), that is, divinely revealed Scripture. ‘To take up such a sword means to memorize divine sayings and, at the appropriate time, bring them forth from the heart in defiance of the devil’s suggestions (Bishop Theophan), to read aloud the words of God against every passion.’ Especially the words of Psalm 67, ‘Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered,’ as the experiences of spiritual life show, have a strikingly swift effect on the enemies of our salvation, who vanish with lightning speed from Christians who pronounce these words with faith and reverence. St. Basil the Great says that when holy men asked the devil appearing to them which prayer the demons fear most, the devil answered them: ‘There is no word so terrifying and driving us away as the beginning of David’s sixty-seventh psalm.’ And indeed, as soon as the holy men uttered the opening words of this psalm: ‘Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered!’—the devil would immediately vanish from them with a shriek.
The eighth mighty weapon against demons is the aid of the saints. When St. Andrew took up the feat of foolishness for Christ, Satan attacked him with such force, along with the demons under his command, that Andrew believed his final hour had come. In this desperate state, he cried out, «Holy Apostle John the Theologian, help me!» At these words, thunder struck, and the voices of many people were heard. An elder appeared with fearsome eyes, his face nearly as bright as the sun, accompanied by a multitude of people clad in white robes. The elder angrily commanded those with him, «Close the gates, so that none of the demons may escape!» And his will was carried out. Then, a demonic voice was heard: «Woe to us in this hour, for we have been so deceived! John is fearsome and seeks to torment us cruelly.» Following these words came the shrieks of the demons—«Have mercy on me!» and «Have mercy on us!»—before the people in white robes vanished, and the demons disappeared as well. The elder who had appeared said to Andrew, «You see how quickly I came to your aid. Know that I care deeply for you. God Himself has commanded me to guide you to salvation and watch over you. Be patient, endure all without complaint. The time is near when you will attain complete freedom and walk wherever you please.» Andrew asked, «My lord, tell me, who are you?» The figure replied, «I am the one who reclined upon the honorable bosom of the Lord.» And with these words, he vanished from Andrew’s sight, who then glorified the great mercy of God revealed to him.
Finally, the Church’s exorcism prayers are the last powerful weapon against demons. «Having served in the priesthood for over thirty years,» recounts one pastor, «and mingling with people of all walks of life, I have often heard some claim that evil spirits do not exist—that so-called demoniacs are either afflicted by natural illnesses or feign possession to avoid labor or gain sympathy from wealthy but superstitious people.»
I will not delve into any speculations about the existence of spirits—for an Orthodox Christian, this truth is beyond all doubt. I will only point to examples I have witnessed of afflictions that cannot be explained by natural causes or pretense: they were truly severe and yielded solely to the power of the exorcism prayers prescribed by the Church for the expulsion of evil spirits.
On August 12, 1856, I went with my wife to the provincial city of Orel on household business. In our absence, our children—eight in all, particularly the younger ones—played, frolicked, and joked. My ten-year-old son Orest stood out the most, and both family and neighbors often laughed and marveled at his many antics. Two days later, toward evening, we returned home and, thank God, found all the children in good health. At dusk, as is customary in village life, the farmhand took the horses out to the field for the night, while I went to our garden with two of my sons—Orest and my nine-year-old Arkady—to guard the vegetables from stray livestock. I do not know whether my sons prayed before lying down to sleep beside me, but they fell asleep quickly, while I remained awake for a long time. Around midnight, Orest suddenly jumped up in haste, began running around the haystacks, and seemed to be chasing something. Seeing this, I asked him, «Orest, why are you up? What are you doing?» He replied, «Wake Arkasha up, please! We’ll catch this cat and kill it—it jumped from the haystack onto my chest, woke me up, and hurt me badly.»
Even as he spoke, he continued chasing something. I woke Arkady and told him to help Orest catch whatever he was after. Upon waking, Arkady assumed his brother was chasing some kind of bird and ran to him, asking, «Where is it?» — «Here, here, catch it!» — «But there’s nothing there.» — «You’re as blind as a kitten—don’t you see the cat running?» That was how it all appeared to Orest.
I did not let the children quarrel and ordered them to lie back down. Arkady soon fell asleep, but Orest groaned and whimpered. At dawn, he headed home, but the pain in his chest was so severe that he could barely make it to the door. Moreover, the tendons behind his knees began to cramp, his back ached, an unbearable headache set in, and soon after, terrible convulsions seized him. His breathing grew labored, his eyes bloodshot. He could neither eat nor drink, and the once handsome, well-built child became disfigured.
A week later, we took him to the city of Orel to see the well-known doctor Dashkevich. I told him about the onset and possible causes of my son’s illness. The doctor was astonished by my account and instructed me to take the boy to the hospital, where he soon arrived himself. There, he ordered an attendant to carry the sick child into the hospital hall, directed the orderlies to undress him, stretch out his legs, and straighten his torso. The boy screamed in agony. After examining him, the doctor turned to me and said mockingly, «Why have you brought this deformed child—to test my knowledge? I can see he was born this way, and there’s no curing him.» — «Have mercy, doctor,» my wife and I replied, «we have no need to test you, for we consider you the finest physician, which is why we’ve come to you with the humblest plea to help us in our grief. He was not born like this—he became this way just a week ago.» The doctor then said, «Well, this is beyond our science. Take him to some folk healers, and as a precaution, buy cod liver oil—rub it on him and give him a tablespoon to drink morning and night. Also, prepare a bath of hay dust to make him sweat, and change his linens often. That’s all I can advise.» With that, he left. We bought the cod liver oil, brought the sick child home, and followed all the doctor’s instructions—but his condition worsened. His breathing grew erratic, delirium set in, and the boy neared death, even wishing for it himself from the unbearable pain. We all grieved for him, especially his mother. She went to the neighbors and told them the doctor had refused to treat him, suggesting instead that he be taken to a folk healer—did anyone know of one? An elderly neighbor, a widow of clerical rank, listened to my wife’s account of our son’s illness and said, «Don’t take him to healers, dear. Instead, have a moleben served to the Mother of God of the Three Hands, and then surrender him to God’s will.»
My wife told me about the old neighbor’s advice that evening. At dawn, I and all the children carried the sick boy in our arms to the church and laid him before the holy icon. I served a moleben with an akathist to the Mother of God and a blessing of the waters, sprinkled him with holy water, read the Gospel over him, and then gave him some holy water to drink. After this, though with difficulty and support, he managed to walk from the church back home, where we put him to bed, and he soon fell asleep.
As he slept, the sick boy sometimes groaned, sometimes sighed, stretched, and yawned, sleeping almost continuously for a full day and night. At dawn the next day, he sprang straight from bed, ran quickly to his mother, and joyfully said, «Mama! Stop crying over me—I’m completely well now.» And indeed, from that moment on, he recovered and is now studying at the Orel district school.
Another incident occurred on June 23, 1858, near midnight on the 24th. In a village of my parish, a peasant woman named Vera, about forty years old, of sullen and quarrelsome disposition, was fiercely and heatedly scolding some neighboring children over some trivial offense they had caused her. I heard this, as she lived right next to my house, but I did not intervene, intending to reprimand her the next day. That same night, very late, her husband Vasily came knocking under my window. I asked, «Who’s there?» — «It’s me, Father,» he replied. «Please come to the sick.» — «Who is ill in your house?» — «My wife is dying,» he answered. «I wasn’t home yesterday—I was at the corvée. I came back late, and now something terrible has happened to her.» I took the church keys and was about to go with him to fetch the pyx from the church, but he told me there was no need for the Holy Gifts—instead, he asked me to bring the book from which I had read over my son Orest during his illness. Then he added, «My wife has gone so mad that it’s frightening even to approach her.»
So I went straight to their house with my prayer book and stole. A crowd had gathered, and the possessed woman—wearing only a shift, with disheveled hair—sat on the stove, glared at me savagely, and began spitting. Then she burst into bitter tears, wailing: «My poor head, why has he come?» — «Why are you crying, Vera?» I asked, keeping my distance. After cursing me vulgarly, she said: «I’m not Vera—I’m young Ivanushka! And why did you come?» — then hurled a log from the stove that whizzed past my head and struck the doorframe. I told those present: «Seize her and bring her to me.» Four strong men barely dragged her down, with others helping to bring her forward. All the while, she cursed and wept. Undeterred, I placed my stole over her and began reading prayers of exorcism, demanding after each: «Will you come out?» — «No, I won’t,» it replied, «I’m comfortable here.» — «Fear God and depart!» It vacillated between «I’ll leave» and «I won’t.» When it was time for Matins, I ordered her carried to church behind me. They brought her.
With the congregation assembled, I asked all to kneel and pray fervently for Vera’s deliverance, while I resumed reading prayers and Gospels. Then the demon cried out through Vera’s voice: «Oh! Oh! It’s sickening!» She wailed inhumanly: «I’m afraid! It’s sickening! I’ll leave! Stop tormenting me!» I continued reading relentlessly. Suddenly Vera sobbed, collapsed unconscious, and lay like the dead for fifteen minutes. After I sprinkled her with holy water, she revived. When I gave her holy water to drink, she crossed herself, stood up, and requested a moleben to St. John the Baptist.
Third case. In my parish there is a village called Zaytsevo; its peasants belong to the Ministry of State Properties and are well-off Orthodox people. The most prosperous among them are two brothers living in separate houses, both married with children, though their wives often quarreled. One day, during fair weather, the younger brother’s wife decided to air out her dowry belongings and hung them on the fence of her yard. About two hours later, as she gathered the clothes, she suddenly noticed a stain—about the size of a copper coin—cut into the chest of her linen shift, right over her heart. Suspecting her sister-in-law, with whom she often fought, she immediately felt unbearable chest pain and aching bones. From that moment on, she gave no peace to her husband or children all night—screaming, raging, demanding a knife or rope to kill herself and others. Nothing familiar or sacred remained in her mind; she lost all modesty and reason. Her husband had to inform the neighbors of her behavior. They gathered, examined her, and unanimously concluded: «This is witchcraft—she must be taken to the old healer for a counter-spell.» But one elderly woman said: «No, don’t sin by taking her. Go fetch the priest instead—let him see her.» They came for me. By then, the sick woman had grown even more frenzied. The moment I entered the room with my cross and prayer book, she trembled violently, pale as snow, glaring at me like a beast from under her brow. «What’s wrong with you, Avdotya?» I asked. «None of your business,» she snapped. «Nothing’s wrong.» I ordered her brought to me. As I read the prayers and Gospels, making the sign of the cross over her, she alternated between shaking, weeping, hiccuping, turning ice-cold, then flushing dark red. When I finished, I sprinkled her with holy water, made her cross herself, and gave her some to drink. «Do you feel better?» I asked. She bowed at my feet and said: «Thank you, Father. I’m well now—only my bones ache.» Today, she is completely healed.
Possessing such powerful weapons against demons, a Christian need not fear the battle when it comes upon him.
Unfortunately, not all resort to these means—whether out of ignorance, disbelief, or an exaggerated notion of the power of evil spirits. Many forget that the authority of demons is severely limited.
However great the dominion of evil spirits, however formidable their might, and however varied their assaults upon man, their power and authority are so constrained by the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ that His holy saints, as well as all devout Christians, can not only resist their temptations but even triumph over them. Christian virtues, especially when joined with the invocation of Jesus Christ’s name and the sign of the cross, are arrows that wound the devil, putting him to shame and driving him away. The name of Jesus Christ—not only spoken aloud but even written by saints in letters—has the power to cast out demons. The holy evangelist John the Theologian once sent his disciple Prochorus with a letter to a man possessed by an evil spirit. The letter read: «John, apostle of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, commands the inquisitive spirit: In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, depart from God’s creation and never enter it again. Dwell instead in the barren places beyond this island, far from mankind.» When Prochorus arrived with this letter, the demon fled from the man.
In the lives of the saints, there are many testimonies of how demons themselves acknowledged their weakness and powerlessness since the coming of the Lord to earth, and especially after His death on the Cross. «Since Jesus was crucified,» a demon confessed to Saint Niphon, «I have become weak.» Satan said to Saint Anthony: «Behold, I have no place of my own, I possess not a single city, I have no weapons; in all cities and countries, the name of Christ is glorified; the deserts are filled with monks.» «Woe is me!» cried a demon when Saint Potitus drove him out of a possessed girl with the sign of the Cross, «Woe is me! A youth defeats me. Where can I find rest now? At whom shall I aim my arrows?» The devil who appeared to Saint Pachomius said: «No one has ever humiliated me as you do: not only do you cast me down under the feet of the elders, but you also teach the young to trample me, and you have gathered such a multitude of ascetics against us, shielding them with the fear of God, that my servants cannot even approach them. This power and authority over me began from the time of the incarnation of God the Word, who gave you the power to tread upon all our might.»
The actions of evil spirits toward man are hostile, malicious, and destructive; yet one cannot fail to see in them the benevolent purpose of divine Providence for man. Man’s struggle with evil spirits guards him from carelessness and negligence in the labors of salvation, urges him to constant spiritual vigilance over himself, and provides an opportunity to develop and strengthen the very virtue that the demons attack. Their varied temptations teach even the man perfected in virtue humility, compelling him not to rely on his own strength but to seek help from the conqueror of hell and all the power of the enemy—the Lord Jesus Christ. Victory over the devil’s temptations increases the power and glory of Christ’s name. «When I fight you,» a demon said to Saint Pachomius, «I bring you more benefit than harm.»
Some Christians, instead of turning to the true means of resisting demonic schemes—means which only the holy Orthodox Church possesses—resort to imaginary and false remedies, such as various sorcerers and magicians. They mistakenly believe that just as sorcerers can «cast curses,» they are also capable of driving out evil spirits. But can it truly be believed that sorcerers have the power to harm people—that is, to infest them with demons?
There has never been—and still does not exist—any such thing as «cursed» people, that is, those supposedly harmed by sorcerers or witches. Superstitious sorcerers or witches harm only themselves, not others; they are nothing more than self-deceived deceivers. The devil cannot assist a superstitious sorcerer in any way, for he himself can do nothing without God’s permission. Without divine allowance, the devil cannot even approach a person, as seen in the example of righteous Job. Likewise, the devil cannot disobey God’s command, as demonstrated in many Gospel accounts. Saint John of Damascus states: «Demons have neither power nor authority over anyone unless permitted by God’s providence, as was the case with Job and as written in the Gospel concerning the Gadarene swine. But when allowed by God, they become strong, assuming and changing whatever phantom form they desire.» Therefore, the popular belief that sorcerers or so-called witches can «curse» people—that is, infest them with demons—is absurd and entirely unfounded. They should not be credited with any special power, nor should they be feared. A demon takes residence in a person only by God’s allowance, meaning no outsider—whether a sorcerer or witch—has any part in this affliction. Demons dwell in the possessed because these individuals have drawn evil spirits to themselves. They have prepared a dwelling for demons—swept clean and adorned by unrepentant sin, left empty of God and His grace, fashioned by a sinful life into a vessel for the devil. Through their unrepentant sins, the possessed become not a temple of God but a habitation of unclean spirits. The Savior Himself speaks of this: «When an unclean spirit goes out of a man (cast out at baptism), it roams through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds it empty (of God, when one has lost the Holy Spirit through unrepentant living), swept, and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits (just as there are seven spiritual gifts, so too, in opposition, seven spirits of wickedness—or seven deadly sins and passions; ‘seven’ may also signify a general multitude rather than a strict number), more wicked than itself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first» (Matt. 12:43–45; Luke 11:24–26). Thus, those tormented by evil spirits—which they attracted through their own unrepentant sins—should blame not sorcerers or witches, but themselves alone for their temporal and eternal sufferings.
In the lives of the saints, we find many examples where unrepentant sinners are sometimes punished with demonic possession. When a demon-possessed boy was brought to Saint Ammon for healing, the saint said: «Return the ox you stole from the widow and ate, and the boy will be healed.» And so it happened. Another example: Saint Pachomius healed a young girl from a demon by anointing her with holy oil—but only after she confessed her sin to her father and promised to sin no more. Before her repentance, he refused to heal her, knowing she was defiled by fornication. However, demons cannot enter those who are pleasing to God. When a demon, cast out by Saint Parthenius from one man, begged to be shown another to enter, the saint opened his mouth and said, «Enter me.» But the devil replied, «How can I enter the house of God?»—and vanished.
God allows demons to dwell in a person for no other reason than to prevent the eternal ruin of one persisting in unrepentant sin. Tormented by the demon, the sinner may repent and turn to God. Thus, the devil unwittingly becomes an instrument of salvation for the very one he sought to destroy. This was confessed by the devil himself to Saint Pachomius: «Your strength against me grew from the incarnation of God the Word, who gave you power to trample all our might. That is why I cannot approach you—and when I fight you, I end up benefiting you.»
Therefore, the notion of a «curse» is empty, absurd, and superstitious. Sorcerers can neither infest people with evil spirits nor cast them out. There is no reason to fear them. Without God’s will, «not a hair falls from our head» (Lk. 21:18)—let alone anything beyond the ordinary course of events. All things unfold under God’s direct providence.
Some Christians mistake various «shriekers» for the demon-possessed, but these individuals—mostly women—are almost always suffering from nervous disorders caused by gynecological ailments, cruel mistreatment from husbands or family members, or excessive labor without proper rest or sleep. Having committed no particularly evil deeds that might attract an evil spirit, these women are simply unfortunate hysterical patients who need medical treatment and compassionate care. It is extremely dangerous and sinful to tell them they are demon-possessed, as this implants harmful thoughts that may lead them to imagine themselves as such. Therefore, while we do not deny the existence of genuine demonic possession—an exceedingly rare misfortune permitted by God’s Providence for a person’s correction—we advise against attributing every inexplicable nervous disorder to possession. Of course, we do not entirely rule out the possibility that, in extremely rare cases, some among so-called «shriekers» may indeed be truly possessed in the dreadful sense of the word. Yet experience and observation show that the vast majority of such cases recover after proper medical (sometimes even surgical) treatment, proving they were never under demonic influence.
There are also Christians who voluntarily seek help from dark forces, forgetting that nothing but harm can be expected from the enemy of salvation. Thus, many resort to fortune-telling, divination, and spells.
The Lord commanded Moses: «Do not practice divination or seek omens… Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them» (Leviticus 19:26,31). For fortune-telling and divination, the Church prescribes six years of penance with exclusion from Holy Communion.
This shows the gravity of the sin. Yet how many among us are guilty of it? Some are led by frivolity and mischief to engage in divination, considering it an innocent pastime to amuse themselves and kill time – time whose value they fail to appreciate. Others, dissatisfied with the present, impatient and distrustful of Providence, seek to uncover the unknown future – often with fear and doubt, rarely with firm belief that fortune-telling can reveal what fate so carefully conceals: what awaits them in the near future – happiness or sorrow, a wedding dress or a funeral shroud?
To the first we say: for Christian men and women there are many occupations both nobler and more innocent than divination. A sensible person who understands their duties and relationship to God and neighbor will not wish to frivolously misuse time or lead others astray by bad example. To the second we may offer sincere advice: instead of resorting to forbidden means to probe the hidden future, humbly submit to the guidance of all-good and all-wise Providence. Turn your heart and soul to the Heavenly Father, and with faith await from His goodness the direction of your affairs to the best possible outcome.
A senseless desire to know their future drives them to resort to pitiful, foolish, unlawful, and often dangerous means. For what are fortune-telling and divination if not a mad and lawless attempt to penetrate mysteries which the Lord has hidden from men – mysteries that certainly cannot be revealed to us by any means? Whom do you consult? From whom do you seek to uncover your future? Mirrors, lead, wax, and other lifeless objects – you must agree – cannot tell you anything. Listening at doors, under windows, at crossroads – this is obvious nonsense. So what then are your fortune-telling and divinations if not pure madness? There remains only the cunning slanderer and primordial soul-destroyer – the devil, always ready to provide such services. Many fortune-tellers and sorcerers indeed have him in mind during their criminal practices. Otherwise, why is the sign of the cross forbidden during certain divinations? Why is one not permitted to wear a cross? Clearly, the fortune-tellers fear that the sign of the cross might destroy the devil’s bewitching power or drive him away, thus making their efforts fruitless and their knowledge void. But what will the devil tell you? He does not stand in truth, but always lies, being false by his very fallen nature – the father and inventor of all lies, deceit, and cunning (Jn. 8:44). Truth burns and torments him more than hellfire. Should you expect anything useful, truthful, or even remotely sensible from him? And what does he want by leading you into error and teaching you to resort to unlawful, godless actions? Your destruction. And beware lest the Lord God permit him to utterly ruin you.
Every act of sorcery and every incantation must be feared as a demonic work. Christians must believe in God, not in Satan. Our God is Almighty – before Him even the devil trembles. Therefore, in all troubles, illnesses, and misfortunes, we must turn to Him through His ministers, and in sicknesses also to physicians – but never to spell-casters.
In all misfortunes, Christians should turn to God, and through His ministers they will always receive the means of salvation. For the holy Church has established special prayers for every circumstance of life, and through them grants particular grace from the Lord. Moreover, the holy Church possesses many other grace-filled means: the Sacraments of Repentance, Communion, and Unction; the all-sanctifying, life-giving Cross of the Lord; holy icons; relics of God’s saints; consecrated oil; and more. O Lord, do not permit us to have communion with the enemy of salvation!
Source: Angels and Demons / [Bishop Parthenius] – Moscow: Synodal Printing House, 1906. – 112 p.
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