Reddit mentions: The best christian angelology & demonology books

We don't know a lot about Angels, but the few indications that we have are that the lowest Angels have an intellect greater than all the Humans on earth put together. There are at least 8 levels of Angels above that. Serephim, Cherubim, etc.

Angels have a different type of intellect than we do. They quickly and fully acquire knowledge, and do not learn and forget gradually like we do. So, when they decided to betray God, there was no going back. When they fell from God's grace, they deformed into demons.

Please note that intellect is separate than moral will. Having a great intellect comes with equal risk of making immoral choices.

Satan was God's most glorious Angel, Lucifer. He was supposed to bring light to the whole Earth (Lucifer = The light bringer). He decided that he was far too great to serve mankind. In God's infinite wisdom, God uses Satan and his demons to test us to see where our loyalties are. Adam and Eve failed that test, but Jesus opened the door back to Heaven for those who truly want to choose God instead.

Dr. Peter Kreeft wrote a good book based on Scripture and traditional knowledge going back thousands of years

Angels and Demons: What Do We Really Know about Them?
https://www.amazon.com/Angels-Demons-What-Really-about/dp/0898705509

Dr. Kreeft's overview: https://youtu.be/cvSsXK174aQ

My advice is to start with The Book of Enoch. Lots of angels (fallen and righteous) involved in the action, interacting with each other, etc. It's technically not scripture (except in Ethiopia) but, just barely.

This book is alright, just for reference and exposing yourself to a huge swath of different angels. Definitely follow up on as many primary sources as interest you; they're pretty well indexed in the book.

Otherwise, don't stress out too much -- there isn't really anyone who's "fundamentalist" about angelology or angel lore. There's more imagination involved than theology, so definitely go where your inspiration leads.

I've actually done a bunch of research myself on different angels; if there's any specific angel you want to know more about I can send you some notes (currently at work but I'll see what I've got on Ramiel when I get home).

EDIT: At home and looking at notes. Heads up that Remiel / Ramiel (same angel) is not a fallen angel -- he's actually considered an archangel. His being the angel of "true visions" is from 2 Baruch, scroll down to Chapter 55. He has that title because he interpreted the visions to Baruch correctly, not necessarily that he himself grants any visions.

I'm pretty convinced that you will find the fallen angel you're looking for in The Book of Enoch though. If not, another source I'd try is Paradise Lost by Milton. Happy researching, and let me know if you need anything else!

>Like are they always watching?

Yes.

>Are they always with us?

Yes.

>To my children have one even if they aren't baptized?

Yes.

>Do i have one since I'm not baptized and slowly getting to know the catholic faith.

Yes.

>What in the world do they do when my husband and i enjoy each other?

They rejoice.

>Do they set up a card table and play poker?

Probably not.

My favorite book on angels, which included guardian angels, as well as those fallen ones, the demons.

>Also is saturday mass better for toddlers than and early Sunday one because after my first sunday mass i may be slightly addicted to going and i don't want to miss another one

Depends on the Mass and the toddler.

>How did the whole “Satanic panic” around tabletop gaming and collectible card games gather so much steam?

The short summary is that spiritual warfare became a growing fad from the late 80s through the late 90s. Basically the public went from "Satan can't really do much to believers" to "Oh my goodness, Satan is behind every single rock" during that time period. I was a member of a charismatic church in the mid-90s so I saw a lot of the hyperactive spiritual warfare practice of the day. You ain't done spiritual warfare until you get a in a prayer line with anointing oil in a parking lot and claim ground from Satan through territorial spiritual warfare :P

It would probably be a full essay worth of writing to document all of this, but basically authors like Peter Wagner and Derek Prince on the charismatic side and M.F. Unger, Mark Bubeck on the more conservative side set the theological tone which awakened the public to the reality of spiritual warfare. The popular practice was also largely informed by books like Frank Peretti's This Present Darkness which captures pretty nicely what it was like to be a believer in those times.

We Christians tend to overreact to new truths once discovered, so you saw a whole bunch of nonsense as people expanded their practical theology to include the reality of the demonic. And that's why you saw it blow up the way it did.

The bible as it is says almost nothing about angels in detail. It glosrs over a caste like system but says nothing more. There was a book I picked up in Barnes and Noble a while back about angels that took sources from the KJV, the Quran, the Talmud, the Gnostic texts, and the Apagraphas as well as the Alphabet of Ben Sira. I had originally gotten it for having some if the most bad ass depictions of angels I've ever seen, but when reading it it was actualy very interesting and touched deeply on the caste and hierarchy of Heaven, drawing from the aforementioned sources.

EDIT: Found it.

It's certainly not meant for religious study but it's no less stunning in both art and content.

>I believe a demon cannot occupy a place where the Holy Spirit already is.

If you'd like to get into the nuanced nature of this issue, I'd recommend the book What Demons can do to the Saints by M.F. Unger. He digs in and gives a pretty good working theology of how and what demons can do.

I'm sure you're familiar with Unger: he was a Bible scholar and not a fly-by-night dude spouting out random theologies, so I take his findings as sound.

Reading the answers there's some great banter, but here's some more practical info - in case you were actually serious in your question.

If you're after Judeo-Christian concepts, then look up Gustav Davidson's Dictionary of Angels as it lists numerous demons.

Another guide would be the Lesser Key of Solomon which has detailed demon descriptions and guides for summoning.

Another place to start would be Enochian Magic principles. Put the three together and you're off to a good start... but

Read this before you do anything, Dion Fortune's Psychic Self Defense.

/u/Insanelopez has the best advice so far - if you're being serious. Don't get stuck into something too quickly that you don't know anything about.

Thank you for getting the joke.

I would not really advise to solely look at Enochian Text for this, you might want to start looking at
A Dictionary of Angels for some good baseline info
and the Sepher Rezial Hemelach

Fifth World Books - 419 E. 2100 South, SLC, UT. Ph.(801)486-6437 Will often know where to point you as well. Rosenblum's World of Judaica on Devon St. In Chicago can direct you as well as get you some very hard to find reference books.

Hope those can give you some more diverse and accurate sources of information.

EDIT: Also of course the Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation and The Magician's Companion

No personal experience, but her the best books I have read on the subject. They mainly describe the events surrounding the possession and are CREEPY AS HELL TRUE.

https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Sacrament-Modern-Day-Possession-Exorcism-ebook/dp/B000WPXTJW

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004QX074Q/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Also, a recent case of demonic possession diagnosed by American doctor skeptic Richard Gallagher, a trusted, respected man. He's writing a book, but the details are available online. I thought it was worth the 99 cents to download the New Oxford Review paper he wrote...great read...very creepy.

If it's condensed that you are after then Lives of Improbable Saints might be of interest. I've not read it myself, but I follow the author on twitter and he has a fantastic gift of summarising a saint's life in 3 tweets.

I'd encourage you to read the works from Dr. Michael S. Heiser, scholar-in-residence at Logos Bible Software, and Doug Van Dorn, a pastor from Colorado. They have written extensively on these subjects. Great thing about these guys is they give consideration and don't dismiss such views out of hand.

Suggested Reading

• Supernatural: What the Bible Teaches About the Unseen World - and Why It Matters by Heiser, an introductory version of...
  
• The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible by Heiser, which you can get with...
  
• The Unseen Realm: A Question & Answer Companion by Doug Van Dorn, who also wrote...
  
• Giants: Sons of the Gods

I am not a Christian nor am I a bible scholar, but I have extensively studied the text and commentaries of actual bible scholars; both theistic and atheistic. Your argument against God, particularly against Christianity, is not new and I'd like to shed some light on it. The following is not an argument, rather a discussion.

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> God kills so many people in the bible

Correct. God gives permission to wage war in the old testament. Deuteronomy 20 depicts God as unwavering in retribution on evil, though he takes no delight in it (Ezekiel 18:21-23) and also unwavering in love and encouragement toward those hearts are turned toward him. God’s obvious desire is that sinners should repent and live. But there comes a point where evil is finally intolerable and wiped from off the earth, hence the Flood mentioned in Genesis. There is also one key point that readers fail to realize - many of the "wicked cities" in the land of Canaan and people (the Canaanites sons of Canaan) were hardly human. We are told by the bible itself that giants inhabited the holy land. What giants? They're often called the Nephilim. This is a whole study in itself so I'll keep it short: giants in the old testament were a mix between angel and human DNA.

Genesis 6:4**: There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

God waged war against these abominable creatures who sought to destroy humanity by corrupting their DNA. The situation became so severe that God had to flood the world to kill them all, but their DNA was carried over nonetheless. Just like the story of David and Goliath, Goliath was not fully human, but he was more human than the Nephilim before him, i.d. the Nephilim before the flood. If anyone is interested in this, I recommend the book Judgment Of The Nephilim by Ryan Pitterson. It answers some really good questions, such as why there was so much war and killing commanded by God in the days of the old testament.

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>According to Christianity, anyone who doesn't follow that exact set of beliefs is going to burn in hell

This is what humans say at least. I really like this verse in the Quran because it debunks this claim. You might ask why am I quoting from the Quran? Judaism, Christianity, and Islam make up the three Abrahamic religions, and if we accept that the Bible is from the God of Abraham, then the Quran is also from the God of Abraham.

Surah al-Baqarah 2:111-112: The Jews and Christians each claim that none will enter Paradise except those of their own faith. These are their desires. Reply, ˹O Prophet,˺ “Show ˹me˺ your proof if what you say is true.” 112 But no! *Whoever submits themselves to Allah and does good will have their reward with their Lord**. And there will be no fear for them, nor will they grieve.

Therefore only people who believe and are good will have their reward. Christians say that as long as you accept Jesus Christ as your lord and saviour, then you're saved forever and it can't be undone. This is ridiculous, isn't? According to Christianity, a serial child rapist can accept Jesus, rape children, and still be saved because he believed that Jesus died for his sins. Insane.

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>but not once did God just say, "Yo, guys, killing rape victims or owning other people is not okay."

Oh but He has.

Surah al-Baqarah 2:117: Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask [for help],* *and for freeing slaves**;...*

God sees the act of freeing slaves as righteousness. One might ask why does He allow slavery in the first place? God has given us free will.

​

> selfish jerk who wants nothing to do with the beings he created.

It's hard to agree to this statement when God has routinely guided humanity through his messengers.

​

> Jesus should not have had to die to bring salvation to humanity

This is the teaching of Paul, the real founder of Christianity. Jesus was a Jew; he went to the synagogue. He did not create his own church. Only in Paul's letters, known as the Pauline epistles that were made canon in the new testament, do we start to see the teachings that Jesus was a sacrifice. Jesus never said "I am come to be crucified as the saviour of humanity". Jesus preached the same thing that all other prophets before him preached; there is only one god.

Mark 12:29-31: “The most important one (commandment),” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these**.”

This would have been a good time to mention that he's come to redeem humanity if that were the case.

• A Dictionary of Angels - A really well-researched and super interesting reference book, which will help you do everything from distinguish an angel from an archangel, name the different hierarchies of demons, draw Solomon's Seal, or enchant a flying carpet.

This one has a pretty good listing of angels. There's also this on someone's website, and I do recommend the Book of Enoch.

The Grace New Testament Commentary (2 Volume Set)

https://faithalone.org/shop/books/the-grace-new-testament-commentary-2-volume-set/

The Ten Most Misunderstood Words in the Bible

https://faithalone.org/shop/books/the-ten-most-misunderstood-words-in-the-bible/

The Atonement and Other Writings

https://faithalone.org/shop/books/the-atonement-and-other-writings/

Absolutely Free

https://faithalone.org/shop/books/absolutely-free/

Confident in Christ

https://faithalone.org/shop/books/confident-in-christ/

The Reign of the Servant Kings

https://www.amazon.com/Reign-Servant-Kings-J-Dillow/dp/1564530965

Satanism is really the least interesting entry in 'occult' topics. It is, quite honestly, just an edgier flavor of Christianity (since it is indeed part of Christian myth).

What era are you interested in? The bulk of the best research on 'demonic' magic was actually done by Christian clergy who practiced it. A good place to start if you really are serious is D.P. Walker's Spiritual and Demonic Magic. While most clergy attempted to state their practices were wholly Christian, Walker makes it rather clear that these folks were plainly pagan (which from a historical Christian perspective is no different than Satanism) no matter how they dressed it; it remains that no one really was in a rush to burn at the stake as Giordano Bruno did.

https://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Demonic-Magic-Campanella-History/dp/0271020458

That is, indeed, the gist. However it also depends on which gospel you read as they all spin it differently. In the earliest gospels Satan (not a name, in fact, but an adjective for one who presents obstacles) was simply an angel employed by God to test men's sincere goodness.

The character, who is not even one character, does not at first enjoy his work. But as humans were always annoyingly demanding to know why God would let harm come to them, the character solidified into one and was re characterized as a malicious creature that took pleasure in pain. This took place over centuries of successive addendums and revisions, and our modern image of Satan is largely derived not from the gospels themselves but from artistic interpretations from, if I remember right, the 15-17'00s.

Source: I literally took a class on Satan. Class text: Biography of Satan

Oooh, I am totally about to subscribe to Spirits! One of the most thorough and fascinating sources on this topic is this book: https://www.amazon.com/Edgar-Angels-Archangels-Unseen-Forces/dp/0876045131

Not a podcast, but looks like it is available as an audio book.

No problem, this is a good starter guide http://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Angels-Including-Fallen/dp/002907052X/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413201781&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=dictionary+of+angels+and+deons

It works as an actual guide with references to sources from which it is pulled. It lists the spirits by name like a dictionary, then includes the etymology of the name (if known), then a summary with references to whatever books/scrolls the information came from. There may be more up to date information elsewhere (I've had this book for several years), but if nothing else its a good place to start.

It also includes listings of angelic hierarchy which is funny because in some sources Arch-Angels are at the top, others (I would say the correct ones) have Arch-Angels at the bottom with the Seraphim at the top.

Check out “Angels and Demons: What do we really know about them?” by Peter Kreeft
Great book!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0898705509/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_-LQEDb3WJQMBH

This may be helpful.

Also, pay attention to animals that appear pointedly in your path, too. As well as what your favorite animal is.

If anyone wants to know what the Bible has to say on the subject, What Dwells Beyond: The Bible Believer's Handbook to Understanding Life in the Universe by Jeff Mardis is an excellent read.

Jennifer Percy is an interesting author. She wrote, Demon Camp, about a soldier who attempted to cure his PTSD with an exorcism. She also traveled to Syria back in 2015 to write this piece for NYT Magazine: Meet the American Vigilantes who are Fighting ISIS.

Having read her previous work, which has taken her to Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, I'm not surprised that she would step into the fray. However, I am surprised that she would publicly out herself as an apostate of wokeness. She lives in Brooklyn, and runs with the far-left literati. She had to know that writing this article could mean end of her social life, if not her career.

It looks to me like she's standing on principal, which could be a sign that the fever is breaking.

I don't think "demons, aliens, and all things occult" are typically covered in a single, definitive work. Especially because "aliens" are usually part of UFOlogy and not occultism.

Regarding occult topics though:

- The New Encyclopedia of the Occult
- Three Books of Occult Philosophy
- Dictionary of Demons
- A Dictionary of Angels
- The Golden Dawn
- Gems of the Equinox
- The Complete Magician's Tables
- The Magician's Companion

There are literally hundreds of other resources available too, but these are the ones I could think of off the top of my head.

They are spirits. Spirits do not have bodies, though they can assume (God willing) a bodily form.

Check out Kreeft's book. He follows St Thomas Aquinas and is easier to read.

Giants: Sons of the Gods

http://www.amazon.com/Giants-Sons-Douglas-Van-Dorn-ebook/dp/B00B4GJABO

Helps inform you of what was happening.

The books were Demon Possession and The Atheist's Way. This first is a collection of stories of demonic possession without a skeptical attitude toward them, while the latter is a book designed to explain how Atheists can lead moral lives. One would think the first one is more likely to lead to arson.

Was assigned to read this book, The Prince of Darkness, on a folklore class a very long time ago. It does a good job in my opinion of tracing the concept of the devil across geography and time as it pertains to the Judeo-Christian realm.

Highly recommend.

http://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Angels-Including-Fallen/dp/002907052X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411970636&sr=8-1&keywords=angel+dictionary

Literally a dictionary of ten thousand or so named angels from different sources.

Its not much by itself, but its cheap.

Angels At Your Doorstep by Joseph Wolf, which is very similar to Rufus Opus' short eBook, A Modern Angelic Grimoire, which itself is essential a super-short form of his longer Seven Spheres.

For a more scholarly approach, see this book edited by John Warwick Montgomery (fixed link)
from a symposium in 1975
(the participants already had the basic premise that demons exist.)



P.S. see my nearby post about why I provided links to related reddit posts.

This book gives an idea of what can happen (if it is real):

https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Sacrament-Modern-Day-Possession-Exorcism-ebook/dp/B000WPXTJW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1541067519&sr=8-1&keywords=Dark+sacrament

Also hard drugs are just as bad...

A Dictionary of Angels: Including the Fallen Angels

Greetings - I believe/practice "exorcism" - I put it in quotes because I don't believe it's a fully biblical term. Spelled out a lot of this stuff in the other thread:

• https://www.reddit.com/r/Reformed/comments/7yn3wq/casting_out_demons/
  
  
• A believer in Christ cannot be demon possessed - you are owned by Jesus and filled with the Spirit of God. You belong to God...not Satan.
  
  
• A believer in Christ can be influenced by the demonic. Scripture overwhelmingly shows the need to proactively stand against the enemy to avoid the enemy's influence in your life.
  
  
• The degree to which you surrender control of your life to sin and walking in the darkness is directly correlated to the degree that the evil one is allowed access to your life. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that the enemy will have greater access to your life.
  
  
• This tangibly means that believers in Christ who have permitted sin for a long, long time and in greater, and greater measures can have large degrees of influence from the demonic in their lives.
  
  Been a part / witnessed a few of demonic manifestations in both the lost and saved. Happy to answer any specific questions you have here.
  
  Also, for an excellent theological treatment of this, I recommend what /u/SeredW/ recommended:
  
  
• M.F. Unger - What Demons Can Do