Phenomena of Demonic Possession

Summary

Nikolaos Sotiropoulos rejects rationalist denials of the devil and insists that Scripture and the Church teach Satan and the demons to be real personal beings. He recounts Lucifer as a once brilliant archangel who fell through pride and drew many angels into rebellion, and traces demonic activity from Genesis through Job and Tobit, naming Satan as the deceiver of Eve, the accuser of Job, and Asmodeus as a destructive demon. Christ's baptism and temptations in the wilderness are read as the devil's direct assault on the Son of God, defeated through obedience to Scripture, and Satan is seen returning in the Passion through Judas. Drawing on the Apostles Paul, Peter, and John, he urges Christians to take up the armor of God, and describes scriptural and contemporary cases of possession marked by unnatural strength, hidden knowledge, and disturbance during prayer. He concludes that Christ, the Church, confession, prayer, and exorcism reveal God's authority over every evil spirit.