Art of the Devil. Arturo Graf

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СКАЧАТЬ of the angels rebelled against God; but there were some who were not satisfied with so vague an estimate, and who subjected the infernal population to a regular census. One theologian, more diligent than the rest, after making a thorough examination of the subject, found that the devils must number not less than ten thousand billions.

      For so great a multitude, room was needed; and the abodes of the devils were accordingly two: the sphere of the air and Hell; the former, that they might have an opportunity to tempt and to torment the living; the latter, for their own proper punishment and that they might inflict merited chastisement upon the dead. The aerial abode was granted to them only until the Judgment Day; when the final doom is pronounced, they must all be thrust into Hell, to come forth no more.

      The devils were not all of one class or of one condition. There were aquatic demons, who were called Neptuni; there were some that dwelt in caves and woods, and they were called Dusii; there were also the Incubi, the Succubi and so forth. Furthermore, not all had the same aptitudes; one was more successful in one thing, another in another. Hence, the division of labour and the necessity for a certain social organisation. It has seemed to some that among the demons, who are the very personification of disorder and confusion, an organisation of this sort should not and could not exist; but such is not the opinion of Saint Thomas and the most accredited theologians, who insist that there is a hierarchy among the devils, just as there is a hierarchy among the angels that remained loyal. Indeed, the hierarchy of the devils would seem to be more firmly established and more complete than that of the angels; since the former have one chief who stands above all and commands all, while the latter have none, or have one only in God, who is a universal monarch and not theirs alone. The prince and monarch of the devils is Beelzebub, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke[30] and the general belief of theologians, but it must be said that considerable uncertainty prevails in this regard. Sometimes their chief appears to be Satan; at other times, Lucifer; and Dante – perhaps to escape this difficulty – makes of Satan, Lucifer and Beelzebub, one single and identical devil, contrary to the opinion of others, who make of them three distinct devils not possessing equal powers.

      Orders of devils are spoken of in the so-called Book of Enoch, which antedates Christianity; and they are spoken of, later, in the New Testament. Saint Thomas makes express mention of higher and of lower devils, and of systematically established ranks among them; without, however, entering into details on the subject. But such reserve, though it might well become theologians in general, did not at all suit those who were especially classed as demonographers or those who gave attention to the study and practice of magic. For all these, it was of the utmost importance to become thoroughly acquainted with the diabolic hierarchy and, at the same time, with the condition and the activities of each rank included therein – nay, as far as might be possible, with those of each individual demon. Furthermore, the principles of their organisation were not understood in the same way by all; and while some of the Fathers thought that their rank was determined according to the various kinds of sins that the demons fostered, others believed that this was done according to their degree of power and method of action.

      Dante calls Lucifer the “Emperor of the Doleful Realm”;[31] for him, the universe is symmetrically divided into three great monarchies: the celestial, above; the infernal, below; and the human, midway between the two. But this conception of a Satanic kingdom is not peculiar to Dante, or even to the Middle Ages, though in the Middle Ages it attains its greatest degree of fullness and precision. This idea is already found in the Gospels and in the writings of certain Fathers; hence, the custom of attributing to Lucifer, as symbols of his power, the sceptre, the crown and the sword. In more than one ascetic legend, Satan appears seated on a throne, surrounded with royal pomp and accompanied by a great throng of ministers and satellites. And some even went so far in this fantasy as to imagine a Satanic court, similar in all respects to the courts of the great princes of the earth. In the magic book of Johannes Faustus, that Faust whose fearful history furnished the theme for Goethe’s masterpiece, we read that the king of Hell is Lucifer, that Belial is viceroy, that Satan, Beelzebub, Ashtoreth and Pluto are governors, that Mephistopheles and six others are princes, and that in Lucifer’s court are found five ministers, a secretary and twelve familiar spirits. In other books on magic and demonology, note is made of infernal dukes, marquises and counts; and in connection with each one, we are told very definitely how many legions of devils he has under his orders.

      Legions and chiefs constitute an army. The demons were, by their very nature, militant spirits; and their military organisation is opposed to the military organisation of Heaven. What wonder, then, that such an organisation should be imagined as in every respect like to the military organisations of earth? In the legend of the blessed Mary of Antioch, we see, at dead of night, the king of the demons pass by in his chariot, surrounded and followed by a countless host of horsemen. Peter the Venerable (died in 1156) tells of an immense throng of diabolic warriors, armed at all points, that passed one night through a certain forest. And how many times have the armed legions been seen flying, like storm clouds, across the sky?

      William Blake, Plate 5, from Europe: A Prophecy, 1793. Relief etching, colour wash. The British Museum, London, United Kingdom.

      Mikhail Aleksandrovich Vrubel, Flying Demon, c. 1899. Oil on canvas, 158.5 × 430.5 cm. Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia.

      Anonymous, Man with Seven Devils,extract from the Book of the Seven Deadly Sins, 15th century. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris, France.

      If Hell was a kingdom and if Satan, as king, had his court, it will not appear strange that in such a court councils should be held, measures discussed, and judgments and sentences pronounced; or that, from time to time, Satan, desirous of relaxation, should depart with a portion of his followers for some mad chase through the forests of the earth, uprooting in his course the age-old trees, and scattering about him terror and death. With less fury, but not always with less damage, was the chase followed in those days by princes of flesh and blood. As king, Satan claimed the homage of all who acknowledged him.

      Concerning the knowledge of the demons, the theologians are not always in agreement; however, it is admitted by all that after the fall their intellects were darkened, so that, even though they greatly surpass the human intellect, they are far inferior to those of the angels. The demons know things past and present, even the most hidden ones; but present things God can always conceal from them, if he so desires. Some of the Fathers declared that Satan was ignorant of many things concerning Christ and the mystery of his incarnation; or, in a word, that he did not recognise in Christ the God become man. Such ignorance cost him dear; for, by furthering the unjust death of Christ, he opened the way for the work of redemption, and thus brought about his own ruin. In fact, in the Gospel of Matthew, Satan says to Christ: “If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread”[32] – words which show that he has no clear understanding of him whom he is tempting.

      The demons are acquainted with all the secrets of nature; but are they equally well acquainted with those of the human mind? Can they penetrate the inmost recesses of our consciousness and spy upon our thoughts and our affections? On this point, also, opinions are divided. It has seemed to some that if such a faculty had been granted to the demons, man would be altogether at their mercy, and without any possible defence against suggestions and temptations. And in truth, granted that I have full and sure knowledge of a man’s mind, then, if my wit aid me a little, I can govern him at my pleasure. Many, therefore, affirmed that the demons cannot see the human mind, but conjecture, from outward signs, what is going on within it; thus doing, though with greater accuracy, what a mere human being can do. Others, in their turn, thought that the demons could read in our minds as in an open book; and of this opinion is that prince of theologians, Saint Thomas Aquinas. Still others СКАЧАТЬ