(!tnurnrbia
m~tnln!lirul ilnutltlg
Continning
LEHRE UNO WEHRE
MAGAZIN FUER EV.-LUTH. HOMILETIK
THEOLOGICAL QUARTERLy-THEOLOGICAL MONTHLY
Vol. X April, 1939 No.4
CONTENTS Pqe
The Means of Grace in Roman Theology. Theodore Graebner ...... 241
Der Pastor als Synodalglied. F. Pfotenhauer ................ _ ... _ .... _ ....... _ 250
The False Arguments for the Modern Theory of Open Questions.
Walther-Arndt ... _... ... . .. _ .... _.............. . ..... _ ... _ .. __ .... _. 254
Sermon Study on 1 Cor. 10:16, 17. Th. Laetsch ......... _ ..... _ ........ _ ...... 262
Evil Spirits ... _ ............... _ .................. ................................. ....... ............. __ ....... 2'16
Predigtentwuerfe fuer die Evangelien der Thomasius-Perikopen-
reihe ... _._ .... _._ ....... _ .... _ ................ _ .... _ .......... _ ..... _ ......... _ ........ __ ........ %'19
Miscellanea ... __ . __ ._ .... _ .... _ .... _ .... _ .... _ .... _ .... _ .......... _ .... _ ... __ ... _ ... _ ... _._ 293
Theological Observer. - Kirchlich-Zeitgeschichtliches ... _ .... _ ..... _ .. _ 29'1
Book Review. - Literator ......... _ ... _ .......... _ ... _ .... _ ... _ ... _ ... _. __ .. _._. 309
BIn Predller mua n1cht aIleln wei-
tift. aIIO duI er cUe Scha1e unter-
welM. wle de rec:hte ChrIsten lOIlen
_In. sondem aucb daneben den Woe!-
fen we""". duI de cUe Scbafe nlcht
l!I8l'Uten und mit fabcber Lehre ver-
fuehren und J:rrtum eblfuehren.
Ea 1st keIn DIne. du cUe x-te
mehr bel der Xlrcbe behael& deDn
die JUte Predlit- - Apologfe. An. ...
Luthiif'.
If the trumpet live an uncertaJn
sound who IbaJl prepare blmNlf to
the battle? - J Crw.l4.'.
Published for the
Ev. Luth. Synod of Missouri. Ohio, and Other States
CONCORDIA PUBLISHING BOUSE, St. LoaJs, Mo.
BCHIV
276 Evil Spirits
Evil Spirits
In classical usage the diminutive form Ilm[tovLOv is used syn-
onymously and interchangeably with the noun llaL[trov. Originally
it was merely the neuter of the adjective "divine," referring to
godlike "divine power." The noun Ila(~trov occurs but once in the
New Testament (according to the best texts), viz., in Matt. 8: 31,
OL (lal[tovs<;.
In mythology it gradually came to denote an inferior divinity,
or a demon. It still has this connotation in Acts 17: 18, where
some of the Epicureans and Stoics suspect Paul of proclaiming
t;Eva IlmltOVla, i. e., strange (foreign, outlandish, un-Greek, hence
barbarian) gods to them. Luther must have felt the former force
of the word when he first translated "seltsame Goetter," instead of
his later "neue Goetter."
1 Cor. 10: 20-22 is somewhat of a 10CliS classicus or this meaning,
where Ilm[tovLOI.<; is used in its Old Testament connotation of heathen
deities, false gods, as in Deut. 32: 17, muoav Ilm[tovLoL<; xaL OU itEq\, et al.
Strong words are those employed by St. Paul, terrible in their
implications: )WLVCllVOV<; 'tal" IlCl.llLOvLroV, JW'tnQLOV (lm[tov[ow, and 'tQwt£~11<;
Ilm[tovLrov, the communion of demons, the cup of demons, and the
demons' table, condemnatory concepts to make any Christian's
soul shudder with horror. The Revelation of St. John also speaks
of demon-worship and idolatry in one and the same breath: iva
[tYt JtQooXUV'l]OO1J(:fLV 'tn Ilm[tovLa xaL -en sillroAa -en XQuoii ... uQyuQii ...
xahii ••. Whva .•• t;u/,LVa (9: 20).
In the Scriptures these Ilm[tovw are spirits consistently charac-
terized as evil. This usus loquendi is in contrast to extra-Biblical
usage, where demons may be used of good and bad spirits alike.
The New Testament has no such word as sUllm[tovElv or its cognates,
so prevalent in pagan speech. The believer's sole source of hap-
piness and blessedness is the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom
He hath sent, never any inferior god of man's fertile and evil
imagination; for He alone is 0 [taxuQLO<; Eh:o<;.
That the word "demons" designates spirit-beings is amply
demonstrated by its synonymity with 'to: JtvEu[ta'ta (Luke 9: 20:
'to Ilmlt0VLo'V ••• 'to JtvEu[ta'tL -e0 uxm'l-uQ'tq>; also 10: 17,20: -en Ilm-
[tovta •.• 'tn JtvsuJ.w-ea), denoting unholy and unclean spirits, evil
in their nature and action on men and women. In the New Tes-
tament these spirits are frankly credited with causing such ailments
as are often baffiing to, and beyond the ordinary reach of, medical
science to this day, e. g., lunacy and epilepsy. (Cp. Matt. 17: 15, 18:
O-eL oEA'Y]vLu~s'tm %aL xaxooc; eXEt· JtoAAU.%LC; ynQ JtL:rt-eEL stc; 'to JtiiQ xaL
Jton6.%tC; sic; 'to ullooQ. • •• Kat Bt;ii1citsv &it' au-eoii 'to Ilm[tovLOv.) There
are deaf and dumb demons, the same are often the very cause of
Evil Spirits 277
these trying afflictions: T0 JtVEU!-t