Demons: Birthed from gods?

Intro

Many people know about angels and demons in the Bible, but few know where demons actually come from. The Bible itself doesn't explicitly explain their origins, but ancient Jewish texts, like the Dead Sea Scrolls, offer a lesser-known explanation that we're about to explore.

Unveiling the Origins

According to these texts, demons are the spirits of deceased Nephilim giants who died during the great flood. This understanding comes from the biblical account of the flood, where the "sons of God" (commonly known as angels) had relationships with human women, resulting in the birth of giant offspring called Nephilim. The term "Nephilim" means "giants," emphasizing their extraordinary size.

Genesis 6:1-4 tells this story: "When humans began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. Then the Lord said, 'My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.' The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown."

Interestingly, recent discoveries in ancient Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets show clear similarities to the biblical account. Mesopotamian religion talks about divine beings called "apkallu," who fathered children with human women to preserve divine knowledge before the flood. These "apkallu" survived as quasi-divine humans and were credited with rebuilding civilization. They were associated with greatness in cities like Babylon.

Biblical Connections

The biblical account of the flood and the giants, known as Nephilim, has an important connection to the Mesopotamian story. Both narratives involve divine beings having relationships with human women and producing giant offspring. In Mesopotamian sources, these divine fathers and their giant children are called "apkallu." In the Old Testament, they are known as Rephaim. Numbers 13:33 mentions the Nephilim: "We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them." Deuteronomy 2:10-11 further connects the Rephaim to the Anakites: "The Emim used to live there—a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites. Like the Anakites, they too were considered Rephaites, but the Moabites called them Emim."

The giants, also known as Rephaim, were not only described as powerful warriors but were also associated with frightening spirits in the Underworld. The Valley of the Rephaim, next to the Valley of Hinnom (linked to Hades/Hell in the New Testament), played an important role in the biblical account. Giants like the Anakim, who were descendants of the Nephilim, posed a threat to Israel during the time of Moses and Joshua. The wars of conquest required the eradication of these giants, further establishing their connection to the Rephaim. Joshua 15:8 mentions the Valley of Rephaim near Jerusalem: "Then the boundary went up by the Valley of the Son of Hinnom at the southern slope of the Jebusite (that is, Jerusalem). And the boundary went up to the top of the mountain that lies over against the Valley of Hinnom, on the west, at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim."

In the gospel of Mark chapter 5, YHWShA encountered a person possessed by a demon. When he asked the demon for its name, it replied, "Legion, for we are many." The term "Legion" has a military connotation, which is intriguing because Nephilim were known as warriors. This connection provides context to the story, as the demons within the possessed person identified themselves as Legion due to their warrior nature.

Conclusion

Although the Bible doesn't explicitly explain the origins of demons, ancient Jewish texts provide valuable insights. Demons are believed to be the spirits of deceased Nephilim giants, whose existence is rooted in the biblical account of the flood. By examining similar stories from Mesopotamian mythology and biblical texts, we can understand the theological importance of these supernatural beings. Understanding the context of demons in the Bible enhances our understanding of their role in biblical narratives.