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Demonology is the systematic study of demons or beliefs about demons.〔("Demonology" ) at Dictionary.com Unabridged, (v 1.1) Random House, Inc.. Retrieved January 29, 2007.〕 It is the branch of theology relating to supernatural beings who are not gods.〔("Demon" ) from Funk & Wagnalls ''New Encyclopedia'', © 2006 World Almanac Education Group, retrieved from (history.com )〕 It deals both with benevolent beings that have no circle of worshippers or so limited a circle as to be below the rank of gods, and with malevolent beings of all kinds. The original sense of "demon", from the time of Homer onward, was a benevolent being,〔van der Toorn, Becking, van der Horst (1999), ''Dictionary of Deities and Demons in The Bible'', Second Extensively Revised Edition, Entry: Demon, pp. 235-240, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, ISBN 0-8028-2491-9〕 but in English the name now holds connotations of malevolence. (In order to keep the distinction, when referring to the word in its original Greek meaning English uses the spelling "Daemon" or "Daimon".) Demons, when regarded as spirits, may belong to either of the classes of spirits recognized by primitive animism;〔(Animism ) at (The Catholic Encyclopedia )〕 that is to say, they may be human, or non-human, separable souls, or discarnate spirits which have never inhabited a body. A sharp distinction is often drawn between these two classes, notably by the Melanesians, several African groups, and others; the Arab jinn, for example, are not reducible to modified human souls; at the same time these classes are frequently conceived as producing identical results, e.g. diseases.〔〔 The word ''demonology'' is from Greek , ''daimōn'', "divinity, divine power, god";〔Autenrieth, A Homeric Lexicon〕 and , ''-logia''. == Prevalence of demons == According to some societies, all the affairs of life are supposed to be under the control of spirits, each ruling a certain "element" or even object, and themselves in subjection to a greater spirit.〔Ludwig, Theodore M., ''The Sacred Paths: Understanding the Religions of the World'', Second Edition, pp. 48-51, © 1989 Prentice-Hall, Inc., ISBN 0-02-372175-8〕 For example, the Inuit are said to believe in spirits of the sea, earth and sky, the winds, the clouds and everything in nature. Every cove of the seashore, every point, every island and prominent rock has its guardian spirit. All are potentially of the malignant type, to be propitiated by an appeal to knowledge of the supernatural.〔Rink, Henry (1875), ("Chapter IV: Religion" ) of ''Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo'', London, 1875, at (sacred-texts.com )〕 Traditional Korean belief posits countless demons inhabit the natural world; they fill household objects and are present in all locations. By the thousands they accompany travelers, seeking them out from their places in the elements.〔(Demonology ) at the Online Encyclopedia, Originally appearing in Volume V08, Page 10 of the ''1911 Encyclopædia Britannica''〕 In ancient Babylon, demonology had an influence on even the most mundane elements of life, from petty annoyances to the emotions of love and hatred. The numerous demonic spirits were given charge over various parts of the human body, one for the head, one for the neck, and so on. Greek philosophers such as Porphyry, who claimed influence from Platonism,〔Cumont, Franz (1911), (''The Oriental Religions in Roman Paganism'' ), Chapter VI: Persia, p. 267 at (sacred-texts.com )〕 and the fathers of the Christian Church, held that the world was pervaded with spirits,〔 the latter of whom advanced the belief that demons received the worship directed at pagan gods.〔Augustine, (''The City of God'' ), Book 8, Chapter 24, at the (Christian Classics Etherial Library )〕 Many religions and cultures believe, or once believed, that what is now known as soothsaying, was, or is, a form of physical contact with demons. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「demonology」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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