Slavic mythology. Demons. Where did demons come from and how to learn not to be afraid of them Different views on the question

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1 MATERIALS AND COMMUNICATIONS TF VOLKOVA The artistic structure and functions of the image of a demon in the Kpevo-Pechersk Patericon The Kievo-Pechersk Patericon has already been the subject of research by Russian and foreign philologists and historians. It was considered from different points of view, both as a historical source in comparison with the most ancient Russian chronicle, and as a monument to the history of language and literature. The main attention of researchers was drawn to the establishment of its literary sources, to the study of the history of its text, the composition and correlation of its editions. 1 Much less attention was paid to the study of the artistic structure of the monument. A brief general description of the artistic features of Paterik was given by I. P. Eremin; 2 analysis of the elements of fiction in the Patericon is contained in the work of V. P. Adrianov-Peretz; 3 other researchers dealt only with certain problems of the artistic specificity of this monument: I. Vlashek established differences in the ideological orientation of the main cycles of patericon stories, the Epistles of Simon and Polycarp, 4 T. N. Kopreeva studied the image of the monk Polycarp, 5 R. - Pechersk patericon, which he has in common with translated patericons. 6 The image in the Kiev-Pechersk patericon of a demon, this kind of “anti-hero”, has not been the subject of a special study until now. Meanwhile, demons occupy a very significant place in the artistic world of the monument, and how they are depicted there, what are their functions, all this is closely connected with the central problem in the study of ancient Russian literature, which attracts the attention of many modern researchers, with the problem of depicting a person. 7 1 V. A. Yakovlev. Ancient Kievan religious legends. Warsaw, 1875; A. A. Shakhmatov. Knevo-Pechersk Patericon and the Caves Chronicle. IORYAS, 1897, book. 3; D. I. Abramovich. Research on the Kpevo-Pechersk Patericon as a Historical and Literary Monument. SPb., I. P. Eremin. Kiev-Pechersk Patericon. In the book: Artistic prose of Kievan Rus XI-XIII centuries. L., 1957, with V.P. Adrianov a-peretc. Plot narration in ancient monuments of the 11th-13th centuries. In: The Origins of Russian Fiction. L., 1970, p. J. V 1 a s e k. Dablave a knizata v Kyjevopeterskem pateriku. Ceskoslovenska rusistika, l "72, XVII, 1, s T. N. Kopreeva. The image of the monk Polycarp according to the letters of Simon and Polpkarp. TODRL, vol. XXIV. M. L., 1969, with R. II about p. On the nature and degree of influence Byzantine Literature on the Original Literature of the South and East Slavs: Discussion and Methodology, American Contributions to the Seventh International Congress of Slavists. August 21 27, Vol. II. Literature and Folklore. Warsaw, 1973, p I mean first of all the following works: I.P. Erempn. The latest research on the artistic form of ancient Russian literary works.

2 THE IMAGE OF THE DEMON IN THE KIEV-PECHERSK PATERIK 229 F. I. Buslaev was the first to address the theme of the demon in ancient Russian visual and verbal art. He came to a categorical statement about "the paucity in the artistic outlines of the evil spirit" in Byzantine and Old Russian art. 8 However, F. A. Rezanovsky’s fundamental study “Demonology in Old Russian Literature”, based on a wide range of monuments, by the very selection of material refuted the judgment of F. I. Buslaev: the Old Russian demon “turned out to be a very cheerful type, penetrating into many corners of ancient Russian life.” 9 At the same time, the artistic nature of this image, its place in the structure of ancient Russian literary works did not become the subject of a special study either in the work of F. A. Rezanovsky or in subsequent works. It is possible to point out only a few observations found in the works of modern scholars of Old Russian literature. For example, the certain role of the image of the demon in the fictionalization of hagiographic monuments has been repeatedly noted; 12 Czech researcher I. Vlasek noted the non-identity of the image of the demon in different "cycles" of the Kiev-Pechersk Patericon in the Epistles of Simon and Polycarp. 13 An attempt to determine the artistic functions of the image of a demon in the structure of the Kpevo-Pechersk patericon, its place and role in the creation of human characters is this work. 14 The peculiarity of the demon in the Kiev-Pechersk patericon is determined by two factors: its dual Christian-pagan nature and artistic diversity. The genetic connection of the Kiev-Pechersk demon with the traditions of depicting the devil in Byzantine hagiography was already established by the first researchers of the monument, V. Yakovlev and D. Abramovich. 15 The names of the devil in the Patericon and those various masks in which the demon appears before the hermits of the Caves are traditional. 16 And yet, under the pen of ancient Russian authors, the image of the devil-tempter of Byzantine hagiography takes on a new literary life. The issue of the ratio of traditional and original features in the depiction of the Kiev-Pechersk demon requires special study. In this article, we note only one of the aspects of the apparent originality of TODRL, vol. XII. M. L., 1956, p.; D. S. Likhachev. Image of people in the hagiographic literature of the late XIV-XV century. Ibid, with; V. P. Adrianov-Peretz. On the question of the image of the "inner man" in Russian literature of the XI-XIV centuries. In the book: Questions of the study of Russian literature of the XI-XX centuries. M. L., 1958, p.; D. S. Likhachev. Man in the Literature of Ancient Rus'. Ed. 2nd. M., F. I. B at with l and e in. Bes In the book: My leisure, vol. 2. M., 1886, with F. A. Rezanovsk and p. Demonology in Old Russian literature. M., 1915, with B. A. Romanov. People and customs of ancient Rus'. Historical and everyday essays of the XI-XIII centuries. Ed. 2nd. M. L., 1966, p. 156; I. P. Krem and n. 1) Lectures on ancient Russian literature. L., 1968, p. 34; 2) The origins of Russian fiction. L., 1970, with I.P. Erempn. Lectures on Old Russian Literature, with D. S. Likhachev. XVII century in Russian literature. In: 17th century in world literary development. M., 1969, with J. Vlasek. Dablave..., s. IS I use the text of the ed.: D. I. Abramovich. Kiev-Pechersk Patericon-. In Kiev, Pages are indicated in brackets. 15 See above, note by F. A. Rezanovskii. Demonology in ancient Russian literature, with

3 230 TF VOLKOVA of this image is its great artistic expressiveness in comparison with the demon of Byzantine patericons. The creation of the Kiev-Pechersk patericon in the era of the coexistence of asserting Christianity with the remnants of paganism led to the addition of a traditional image with a number of original features associated with Russian pagan ideas. Borrowing the genre form from Byzantine literature, the creators of the Kiev-Pechersk Patericon filled it with colorful material of oral traditions and legends. In the artistic image of the Kiev-Pechersk demon, the features of a diverse pagan "evil spirit" are sometimes clearly visible, which have long "settled" various genres of oral folk prose: a legend, a parable, a story, a fairy tale. Even F. A. Rezanovsky noted that in two episodes Paterika demonically resembles the “good-natured” hero of the folk demonology of the brownie. 17 His tricks in the monastery kitchen and in the "shed where we shut up the cattle" described in the Life of Theodosius clearly echo the tricks of the favorite character of the oral bylichka and byvalshchina. 18 Traces of the influence of the genre of bylichka and oral story are also found in those fragments of the Paterik, where the consequences of the “demonic action” are described with naturalistic details (for example, in the episode about the long-term illness of Isaac Pechernik). In the bylichka and byvalshchina, similar details "serve as a kind of testimony, reinforce the installation on the truth." 19 The connection between Byzantine patericons and fairy tales was also pointed out by IP Eremin. 20 Concretization of this observation seems important, since, along with other types of folk poetic creativity, the fairy tale left quite a few traces in the literary monuments of the period of feudal fragmentation. 21 In the Kievo-Pechersk Patericon, traces of a fairy tale are naturally found precisely in those episodes where it indistinctly resembles a fairy-tale devil. In contrast to legends and stories, where evil spirits are narrated “in all seriousness”, 22 in the fairy tale the devil is depicted “not so much as a terrible destroyer of Christian souls, but as a pitiful victim of deceit and cunning of fairy-tale heroes.” 23 The demon appears as such a “loser,” for example, in the story about Fyodor and Vasily, where he has to grind flour and carry logs to build monastery cells on the order of the hero. In a number of patericon short stories, one can even detect the similarity of the plot functions of the image of a demon with the functions of the fairy-tale "antagonist of heroes" (in the terminology of V. Ya. Propp). 24 The oral tradition, which took part in the design of the legends about the Kiev-Pechersk monks, gave the primordially “wrecking” actions of the devil purely material features. The demons of the Kiev-Pechersk Patericon not only tempt righteous heroes with visions. They then burst into their cells in a crowd of buffoons, deafening the hero with their demonic music (p. 40) and forcing him to dance half to death (p. 186), 17 Ibid. Maksimov "Unclean, unknown and godly power. SPb., 1903, p.; E. V. Pomerantseva. Mythological characters in Russian folklore. M., 1975, with E. V. Pomerantsev. Mythological characters..., with I. P. Eremin. Lectures on Old Russian Literature, with D. S. L and Khachev. Folk poetic creativity in the years of feudal fragmentation of Rus' before the Tatar-Mongol invasion (XII beginning of XIII century). In the book: Russian folk poetic creativity, vol. 1. Essays on the history of Russian folk poetic creativity of the 10th and early 18th centuries. M. L., 1953, with E. V. Pomerantseva. Mythological characters..., with A. N. A f a n a s e v. Folk Russian legends. Ed. 2nd. M., 1914, with V. Ya. Propp. Morphology of a fairy tale. Ed. 2nd. M., 1969, p. 31.

4 THE IMAGE OF THE DEMON IN THE KIEV-PECHERSK PATERIK 231 they appear under the guise of masons with shovels and spades, threatening to bury the righteous man in a cave (p. 188). Sometimes they torture the cattle in the monastic village (p. 62) or make a mess of the monastic household (p. 40). In stories of this type, the demon has the same plot functions as such "antagonists" of fairy-tale characters as the devil, Baba Yaga, Kashchei the Immortal, etc. I will give several examples of such analogies, using the classification and definitions of the plot functions of the fairy-tale "antagonist ”, proposed by V. Ya. Propp (Function VI, “trick”). The "antagonist" tries to deceive his victim in order to take possession of his property. In the stories about Nikita the Recluse, Isaac Pechernik, Theodore and Vasily, in order to achieve this goal, the demon resorts to “dressing up”, appearing before the hero in such a guise that best hides his demonic nature. 2. (Function VII, "Aiding"). The victim is deceived and thus unwittingly helps the enemy. This function can be traced in the same stories in which the “trick” function is also manifested. In each of them, the demon manages to achieve the goal of "deceiving" the hero and "mastering" him. 3. (Function VIII, "sabotage"). "Antagonist" causes harm or damage to the hero. This function in a fairy tale has several varieties. Let us point out those of them to which there are parallels from the Kiev-Pechersk Patericon. a) "Antagonist" inflicts bodily harm (The Life of Theodosius, stories about Larion, John the Recluse, etc.). b) He bewitches someone (a story about Nikita the Recluse); the state in which Nikita was, being in the power of a demon, can be regarded as a kind of "bewitchment", because under the influence of demonic seduction, the hero acquires abilities that are inaccessible to an ordinary person, for example, the gift of prophecy; the demoniac in the story about Lawrence the Recluse is also "bewitched" by the demon: he receives the gift of "broadcasting" in different languages. c) "Pest" plunders or spoils crops. In some way, the episodes from the Life of Theodosius, where the demon acts like a brownie, can serve as an analogue to this function of the “antagonist” in the Kiev-Pechersk Patericon. d) "Antagonist" orders to kill (a story about Theodore and Vasily, where the demon essentially pushes Prince Mstislav to kill the monks). 4. (Function XVI, "struggle"). The hero and his "antagonist" enter into a direct struggle (Theodosius, John the Recluse, Vasily). 5. (Function XVIII, "victory"). The "antagonist" is defeated (in all the stories of the Kiev-Pechersk Patericon, except for the finale of the story about Theodore and Vasily). 6. (Function XXVIII, "reproof"). The "antagonist" is exposed. (There are many examples. In all cases when a demon misleads a hero with his mask, he is exposed by other monks who have experience in demonic temptations). 7. (Function XXX, "punishment"). The enemy is punished. (An example is the "exploitation" of demons by Father Theodore in the story of Theodore and Basil). It should be noted that the above analogies are revealed only in those stories of Paterik, where the demon appears as directly acting. "From Fairy Tale to Novel". TODRL, vol. XXVI. L., 1972, p.

5 232 T. F. VOLKOVA a person as a character with a more or less pronounced plot load, and the use of similar plot functions occurs as if in the form of stable “blocks” (functions VI, VII, VIII, XVI, XVIII and XXVIII, XXX are used) . The image of a demon in the Kiev-Pechersk Patericon is a complex, synthetic image, formed in the mind of the reader from individual qualities that are revealed not only in the plot actions of the demon-character, but also make themselves known when the devil is only mentioned, when the author only states him with a short remark participation in the events described. These "non-character" appearances of the demon in Paterik's stories have a certain ideological and artistic purpose. They deserve special attention and will be discussed below. However, the non-personality is of much greater artistic interest, in different stories of Paterik carrying a different artistic load: in some, he participates in the action throughout the narrative (for example, in the stories about Theodore and Vasily, about Isaac Pechernik), in others only in a separate segment of it ( in the story about St. Gregory the Wonderworker in the exposition, in the stories about Nikita the Recluse and John at the climax of the story). In some cases, the actions of the demon are described (for example, episodes of the struggle with demons in the Life of Theodosius), in others they are depicted (in stories about Theodore and Basil, John the Recluse). From the totality of these stories, the Kiev-Pechersk demon appears to us as a fully formed literary character, growing out of a traditional image, endowed with a completely outlined character, in which traces of anthropomorphic ideas clearly appear. On the pages of Paterik, the demon often acts as a cunning and cautious person. In the story about Nikita the Recluse, he does not immediately appear before the hero in the mask chosen for this occasion. Initially, he seduces Nikita with an “angelic” voice and a wonderful fragrance, then, making sure that he is not identified, he decides to talk to him and, only finally finding out that the hero has been deceived, appears before him in the form of an angel. The demon harms different people in the Patericon in different ways. In this differentiated plot action, there is a lot of human ability to "see" the enemy, to correctly assess his weaknesses and virtues. In the story about Matthew the Perspicacious, the demon lulls the "brethren", ordinary monks who have not yet reached spiritual perfection and are especially subject to "deception", right in the church. When a demon wants to harm persistent ascetics who have already overcome "demonic dreams", he, on the contrary, deprives them of even that short sleep that they have. іvolyayug yourself to maintain strength. Another "human" feature of the Kiev-Pechersk demon is morbid pride: if he suffers a defeat, then he immediately seeks by all means to return the abandoned positions. Such is he, for example, in the story about Gregory the Wonderworker, who “is more diligent to prayers, and for this reason, win victory on demons” (p. 134). This served as an internal spring for the inciting activity of the devil in the story: “Not tolerating the old enemy of being driven away from him (Grigory, T.V.), unable to do anything else with his life, teach evil people to steal him” (p. 134 ). The devil in the image of the Kiev-Pechersk patericon is unusually inventive in his intrigues. Often he acts as a talented actor, able not only to choose the right mask in which he appears before the hero, but also to fully enter the role. To achieve his goals, he does not shun any means, sometimes acting as a slanderer and informer.

6 THE IMAGE OF THE DEMON IN THE KIEV-PECHERSK PATERIK 233 Taken together, all these traits of the “character” of the demon are presented, perhaps, only in one of the patericon short stories about Theodore and Vasily. The demon in this story is hardly the main character. All the main moments of the composition of the story are internally conditioned by the actions of this particular character. The image of the demon is here the driving beginning of the plot. The short story compositionally breaks up into two parts, built according to the same scheme: the plot in both cases is the devil's decision to avenge his defeat, and the subsequent movement to the climactic episodes of the story is all supported by the complex moves of this character. In the exposition of the story, which tells about the beginning of the friendship of the two monks, the devil does not yet act directly, his intervention in the life of the hero is only indicated: “The enemy is much more embarrassing than that, to despair, although it is to lead him to poverty for the sake of depleted wealth, even if the poor are given” (p. 162). The message about the intention of the devil to “introduce” another intrigue to Theodore, who eventually defeated the “devilish obsession”, as it were, translates the narrative from the past into the present. At the same time, it is accompanied by a completely “human” motivation for such a decision: “Great was the plague to the devil, as it is not possible to seduce that wealth” (p. 162). This time, the actions of the devil are not only described: they are depicted. In the guise of brother Vasily, the demon successfully “seduces” the hero, while the Old Russian reader has the opportunity to observe how Theodore is “seduced” step by step. The “wicked enemy” acts subtly and prudently, trying not to reveal his demonic nature to the hero. First, for greater credibility, he inquires, not without malice: “Theodora, how are you now? Or the army of demons has ceased from you ...? (p. 163). Having received an affirmative answer and making sure that the masquerade was a success, the demon begins to tempt the hero “openly”, and when he tries to resist, defeats him with the logic of his reasoning: I will distribute alms, as if for this sake and with gifts. "The adversary says to him: Brother Theodora, watch, so as not to chill the enemy for the sake of distributing, as before ..." (c). In order to finally convince the hero to go into the world, the demon adds: “You can save yourself there and get rid of demonic machinations” (p. 164). Theodore begins to prepare to escape from the monastery, but the devil's plan still fails. Difficult times are coming for demons: on the orders of the hermit, they, “like a servant of the purchase,” work for the monastery brethren. This "humiliation" motivates the further plot actions of the demon in the Patericon. It is impossible to say with certainty how the creators of the Kiev-Pechersk Patericon specifically imagined the demon: in none of the stories is there a verbal “portrait” of him. Concerning this issue, I.P. Eremin wrote: “It must be assumed that they (the authors of the Kiev-Pechersk Patericon, T.V.) imagined demons in the same way as the ancient chronicler (“the essence is in the same way mob, wings, tails of property” ) or contemporary painters". 26 For us, however, it is more important not so much to recreate the “portrait” of the ancient Russian demon, but to note the fact that in the Kiev-Pechersk Patericon a rather complex and integral image of the demon was created, in fact, the character of the negative hero was created by literary means. What are the artistic functions of the image of the demon in the Kiev Caves Patericon? 26 I. P. Ere m and n. Lectures on ancient Russian literature, p. 95. The data of the Tale of Bygone Years in this case are especially important, since the Kiev Caves Patericon resembles it not only in individual images, but also in entire stories about the first Cave monks (about Damian, Jeremiah and Matthew the Perspicacious).

7 234 TF VOLKOVA At the heart of the compositional construction of almost every patericon novel lies the confrontation between two principles: good and evil. The good, as a rule, is dressed in the form of Christian piety, humility, asceticism, traditional for hagiography. Evil has many faces. The world of goodness is monolithic and has clear boundaries of the wall of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery. The world of evil is fragmented, multilingual, does not have clear outlines. Evil flourishes in the princely chambers, and in rich Kyiv houses, and in monastic villages, it also penetrates into the cells of the famous Pechersk monastery. The central figure of this many-sided and mosaic world of evil in the Patericon is the devil. The image of the devil is the key to understanding the author's concept of evil, which found artistic expression in the images and plots of the Kiev-Pechersk Patericon. Two main functions of this image can be singled out, determined by the main ideological and artistic task of Paterik to create a gallery of ideal images worthy of imitation: we will conditionally call the first function the “contrast” function, the second the “adsorption” function. The "function of contrast" is manifested in those stories of Paterik, where the image of a demon is introduced into the narrative in order to create obstacles in the path of the hero. The demon acts in this case as a universal bearer of evil, in the fight against which the hero acquires the crown of a martyr (the “test” stage) and the gift of miracles (the “victory” stage, when the hero reaches spiritual perfection). The “adsorption function” consists in transferring to the “antagonist” the evil that is actually present in the hero and from which he must be “cleansed” in accordance with the requirements of the hagiographic genre, based on the code of Christian morality. Let us consider how each of these functions is implemented in the artistic structure of the work. Analyzing the manifestation of the "contrast function", we came to the conclusion that the artistic structure of the image of the demon in each specific episode is determined primarily by the place of this episode in the hagiography of the hero. Let us turn to those stories of Paterik that depict the hero at the stage of “testing”. In accordance with the compositional scheme of life, the hero on the way to perfection must pass the "test" of a collision with evil, perform the feat of "malice". Hence the focus of the author's attention on the depiction of the negative element of the narrative. The demon as the source of evil directed at the hero is usually depicted in these stories as a character who comes into direct contact with the hero. The nature of the interaction between the “antagonist” and the hero is always unambiguous: the demon is depicted by the rapist and tormentor, forcing the hero to endure physical suffering. As a result, the main goal of the narrative is achieved - the creation of an aura of martyrdom around the ascetic hero. The demon repeatedly appears as such a tormentor in the Life of Theodosius, in the stories about Isaac Pechernik and John the Recluse. The story of Theodosius' struggle with demons until he gained miraculous power over evil spirits is not plotted. The events of this part of the story are described retrospectively: “Many sorrows and dreams of evil souls do to him in the oven, which also inflicts wounds on him” (p. 39). When Theodosius, for the torments he endured, receives from Saint Anthony “strength” for “impious spirits,” the demons do not immediately retreat, continuing to torment Theodosius “in a dream.” In the same way, Isaac Pechernik passes the “test by demons”. Interestingly, the very composition of the story of Isaac contributes to

8 THE IMAGE OF THE DEMON IN THE KIEV-PECHERSK PATERIK 235 to make the theme of martyrdom sound extremely convincing in it, forcing the reader to fully realize the full severity of the trials that the ascetic went through. Isaac begins by falling into temptation (“worship like Christ the demonic action”), then subjected to direct violence (“And tired him (demons, T.V.), leaving him barely alive”) and, finally, as if climbing the invisible staircase of torment, he falls into a severe and prolonged illness ("weakened in the mind and body"). In the short story about John the Recluse, the devil not only “tempts” the Pechersk hermit-martyr to fornication, but also actively prevents him from fighting this temptation. From an invisible instigator, as he appears at the beginning of the story, the devil turns into an active person, directly involved in what is happening. At first, the hero only feels his “villainy” on himself: “For my feet, even in the pit, burning up from the bottom, as if writhing in veins and troskotati bone” (p. 140). Then the devil himself appears before John in the fantastic image of a snake-dragon: “And seeing the snake is terrible and fierce, it wants to devour me all, and breathing flames and sparks, burning me” (p. 140). The appearance of the devil in this traditional mask of his in this case is artistically justified: the fantastic face of the devil-serpent was most suitable for creating the highest emotional tension at the climax of the story. In the considered episodes, the “antagonist” devil harms the hero without resorting to the help of other characters. However, sometimes the interaction between the "antagonist" and the hero takes place in the Paterik through an "intermediary". In this case, the demon loses character traits. In such cases, his involvement in the described events is indicated only by a conditional verbal formula-signal, and the function of the "antagonist" is transferred to the intermediary character. However, the tendency to concretize evil, to clothe it in a convincing artistic form, persists. This is expressed in the fact that the characters acting at the instigation of the devil do not turn into thoughtless puppets. These are people with vividly outlined characters, revealed in the course of the development of the plot. There are several such “intermediary” characters in Paterik, whose actions are “directed” by a demon. One of them has long attracted the attention of researchers 27 - this is the image of the mother Theodosius, reflecting the complexity and inconsistency of her human personality. Mother is the first person who erects obstacles in the way of Theodosius. Her despotism towards her son is motivated almost throughout the story by quite natural human feelings: love, fear, pity, fear of ridicule and gossip. However, in the interpretation of the author-hagiographer, behind all this is the same unchanging image of the instigator-devil: “But the enemy is not at rest, I sharpen the choice of the youth about such humility” (p. 26). The same intertwining of real and fantastic motivations for the behavior of the “intermediary” character can be observed in the story about Moses Ugrin. The hero appears here as a victim of the “criminal” love of a young woman for him. We learn that her actions are led by an “enemy-tempter” from a laconic commentary accompanying the next act of the heroine: “And the devil will come to another world” (p. 143). At the same time, the image of a woman in love, just like the image of Theodosius' mother, does not lose its life fullness and concreteness. 27 See for example: I.P. Eremin. To the characterization of Nestor as a writer. In the book: I. P. Eremin. Literature of Ancient Rus'. M. L., 1966, p. A. P. Adrianov-Peretz. Storytelling..., p. 97.

9 236 TF VOLKOVA In the story about Theodore and Vasily, the demon deals with the heroes at the hands of Prince Mstislav. It is interesting that the prince's craving for "gold" in itself remains without any motivation by the devil's "instigations". The demon only directs Mstislav's "natural inclinations" in the right direction, informing him of the possibility of acquiring wealth through violence. The choice is made by the prince himself. The Kiev-Pechersk demon appears differently in the episodes of the “victories” of the hero, who reached the highest spiritual perfection and received the gift of wonderworking as a reward for the trials he had endured. The main task of such episodes is the proof of this fact by a series of instructive miracles. Because of this, the aspects in the image of the two interacting poles of good and evil also shift. The main emphasis of the narration is transferred to the hero, and the demon, having exhausted the function of the “outgoing crown”, turns into an “instigator”, the introduction of which into the fabric of the narration creates a plot outline for the next edifying miracle. In these episodes, the demon rarely appears as a character: his image only shines through in the plot actions of numerous villains, over whom the hero is no longer just an ascetic, but a saint. The “intermediary” characters in these stories by Paterik are losing their artistic independence. They do not have a name or any kind of designated character. These are, as a rule, faceless robbers, "evil people", "multiple folly". The Life of Theodosius tells twice about the attempts of such villains, incited by the devil, to rob the monastery village and the Pechersk Church itself. Both episodes end with an instructive miracle performed through the prayer of Theodosius: in one case, the robbers see “a high hail” around the village and retreat (p. 66), in the other, the church with all the brethren in it rises into the air (p). For the same purpose, to show the power of miracles acquired by the hero, the image of a demon is also introduced into the story of St. Gregory the Wonderworker. Here its functions are just as certain to bring into existence evil, which will miraculously be overcome. The "evil people" who try to rob Gregory three times are as faceless as the robbers in The Life of Theodosius. However, sometimes in episodes describing the “victory” of the hero, there are cases when the demon acts without resorting to an intermediary, but his image is significantly reduced in these episodes in comparison with the stories describing the period of the hero’s “trial”, in the guise of a demon, features of folklore appear. characters: a brownie bylichka or a fabulous loser trait. Let us now turn to that narrative material, which makes it possible to determine a fundamentally different function of the image of a demon in the Kiev-Pechersk Patericon - the “adsorption function”. This function can be traced in those stories of Paterik, which captured the shady aspects of monastic life. The demon appears in almost all episodes that fix trouble in the moral order of the monastery. Whenever any violation of the monastic charter is described, a demon is introduced into the narrative: either as a character, or as an invisible instigator. The most diverse sins of the monastic brethren are attributed to the demon in the Patericon: an unaccustomed sleep during a church service (the story of Matthew the Perspicacious), causeless mutual hatred of spiritual brothers (the story of Titus the Pope and Evagrius the Deacon), avoidance of prayer (the story of Nikita the Recluse), flight from monastery, hypocrisy and lies, unwillingness to repent of the offense committed (The Life of Theodosius). 28 In the story about Theodore and Vasily, the author's laconic remark directly defines the plot function of the demon. Starting the story about the tragic death of the heroes, the author remarks: “Do not know the devil, as if he would give a greater crown” (p. 168).

10 THE IMAGE OF THE DEMON IN THE KIEV-PECHERSK PATERIK 237 Recorded the Patericon and rebellious moods inside the monastery. The expulsion of hegumen Stefan in the interpretation of the author of the Life of Theodosius is a direct consequence of the intervention of the devil: “Such is the confusion of the hundreds in them” (p. 77). Bishop Simon, in his “Epistle,” also ascribes to the “devilish undertakings” the ambitious aspirations of Polycarp, his dissatisfaction with his position in the monastery (p. 101). A particularly serious sin in the walls of the monastery was considered the sin of "money". The theme of the tragic power of wealth over the soul of a person in Paterik is devoted to several stories. And everywhere the moral responsibility for the evil done is transferred from the hero (be it a monk or a lay person) onto the shoulders of the universal bearer of evil, the devil. This is usually achieved by introducing into the text of the story a phrase that acquires the character of a cliché: "Be hurt on n from a demon." An exception is the story about Theodore and Basil, in which the demon is not just a character, but the main character. In this story, thanks to the introduction of the image of a demon, the author fully succeeds in the task of rearranging the accents in the story of Theodore's sinful delusions. Both the very construction of the story, and the artistic load that the image of the demon-tempter carries in it, contribute to the fact that in the image of Theodore there appears not a weak and indecisive person, captivated by the specter of wealth, but rather a tragic victim of Satan's cunning machinations. The demon in this case is portrayed as a sophisticated and subtle seducer, using masks in which it is most difficult to expose him. Their choice, as in the story about John the Recluse, is quite motivated: the image of the monk Vasily, the friend of Theodore, and the angel “is bright and adorned” are the most convincing demon guises for the hermit hero. The author seems to be trying to convince the reader that a person who has fallen into the power of such a cunning and talented tempter should rather sympathize with him than accuse him of sinful thoughts and actions. In this group of stories, there is a clear contradiction between the author's interpretation of the images and their objective content, which is revealed to the modern reader. Those heroes who seem weak-willed, evil, vengeful, absurd, and sometimes just vicious people, according to the plan of the creators of the Kiev-Pechersk Patericon, are not only not worthy of condemnation, but, on the contrary, should evoke sympathy and compassion. This observation again brings us back to the image of a demon, because the presence of this image in the arsenal of artistic means of the creators of the Kiev-Pechersk Patericon made possible the existence of such a psychologically complex author's interpretation of far from perfect heroes. The image of the demon in this case, as it were, absorbs, absorbs the evil that is present in the hero and from which the author seeks to “cleanse” him, because, like any medieval writer, he “looked at people with a far from simple eye. His eye was armed with a special optical system that introduced the people he depicted and their actions into a value judgment, subordinated them to his ideals ... ". 29 The creation of such a “value judgment” was also facilitated by the artistic functions that the complex and many-faced image of the demon performs in the Kiev Caves Patericon. 29 D. S. Likhachev. Image of people in letoshisi XII XIII centuries. TODRL, vol. XXIV. M. L., 4969, p. thirty.

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In any religious culture there are antagonists of divine beings. In Christianity - Satan, the Devil, in Islam - Iblis, Shaitan, in Hinduism - Kali (demon, goddess of evil and vice). Even among the ancient Sumerians, Marduk and Tiamat opposed each other.

Demons are servants of the Devil. In Christian culture, former angels of God are declared demons. Those who rebelled against Him and were cast down after the rebellious Lucifer from heaven to hell. However, they did not lose many of their features. They are also wise, powerful. Able to remain invisible. But at the same time, they can change the image and appear to a person in various guises.

Semantically, the word "demon" goes back to ancient Slavic roots, meaning "fear", "terrifying", "to be afraid". In Old Church Slavonic literature, the word "demon" was translated as the Greek equivalent of the word "demon". In modern Russian, the words "demon", "demon", "devil" and others are synonymous.

In church literature, all evil spirits were called demons, which is not entirely correct, because. "Evil spirits" were also declared all pagan deities. It is believed that demons, being the servants of Satan, personify everything vicious and their main task is to incline a person to sins. It is they who are the tempters who preach fornication, gluttony, drunkenness, anger, pride, idleness. Special attention is given to people leading a righteous lifestyle: monks, ascetics, saints, hermits. The lives of the saints are full of all sorts of tricks of demonic temptation.

In Eastern mythology, demons are called "Virgos" and "". They are also not suitable for any contracts that plan a good deed and a successful outcome. In all known illustrations, they are presented as incredibly unpleasant, ugly creatures.

In Western culture, they are portrayed as similar to ancient Greek satyrs, fauns: horns, hooves, tail. Often, in memory of being angels, in the images the demons are endowed with wings, sometimes these are the wings of a bat, according to the myths of an unclean animal. However, it is argued that the servants of the Devil, when they appear, are able to reincarnate and appear in various images. They can appear as animals, birds, insects, and in some cases, people. In mythological literature, cases of people being seduced by demons in the form of a man () or a woman () are described. Some saints were even tried to be deceived by appearing before them in the image of Jesus Christ. Actually, the images of a black cat and a black dog are also considered canonical for evil spirits. It is not for nothing that a black cat is present in all the stories about witches, and it is surprising if it is not there.

One of the signs of the proximity of a demon is nausea. Hence the Russian expression "nausea force." One of the exorcism sessions conducted by Christ was accompanied by nausea of ​​the possessed, which he could not overcome in any way. When Jesus helped the sick man, he vomited up a huge worm that crawled to the side. The Son of God took two stones and smashed the worm's head, and advised the man from now on to lead a righteous life in the name of God, so that Satan would not return to his body and begin to torment again, like for many years before.

These days, images of demons are everywhere. In literature, this is a poem by Pushkin, and a novel by Dostoevsky, and Dante, who wrote the Divine Comedy, two-thirds of the book described the horrors of hell and purgatory. Dr. Goethe's "Faust" and countless imitators and successors of this theme immediately come to mind. The Master and Margarita and The Diaboliad. Not to mention the novelists of the 20th century. Especially after 1969, when the 1st official Church of Satan was founded in San Francisco by Anton Szandor Lavey.

In painting, these are endless Bosch, Schongauer, Veronese, Grunewald, Jan Gossaert, Lucas of Leiden and many others. Often, demonic images appear in pictures of the temptation of all sorts of saints. The most illogical is the depiction of demons in the paintings and architecture of temples, cathedrals and churches. This is especially true of the Gothic style.

Cinema also did not bypass this topic. At the moment, at least 8 films and TV series are called "Demons", and not all of them filmed Dostoevsky's novel. In addition, countless horror films are full of various incarnations of evil spirits. The Exorcist, The Exorcist of Emily Rose, The Omen, Constantine, and others illustrate the obsession.

The music did not bypass the theme of demonism. Many heavy metal bands appear in demonic form, sing about them in the lyrics, depict them on the covers. But not only rock music has been charmed. Blues artists consider demons to be the main inspiration for their music. The main legend of all bluesmen: at midnight you need to go to a deserted crossroads, meet the Devil and, in exchange for your soul, sign a contract about fame, prosperity and the ability to play like no other. As for modern “good” pop music, naked singers, drunken singers and songs glorifying sex, a beautiful idle life and other delights of life leave no doubt under whose influence the performers and authors are.

In any case, as they used to say in Rus', "don't be dashing while it's quiet."

Where demons came from and how to learn not to be afraid of them - tells about this Fr. Alexander Tkachenko

Today, people have a very poor idea of ​​who the demons are. Where did they come from, what qualities do they have? For people who are not inclined to read religious literature, literature becomes almost the only source of knowledge about demons.

Exorcism

Depiction of evil spirits in fiction

And here, with some bewilderment, we have to admit that even in the works of the classics, the description of unclean spirits is very contradictory, ambiguous, and rather confuses the reader than helps to understand the essence of the matter. The writers have created a whole gallery of various images that are very different from each other. From one flank in this row are the folklore images of the demon in the works of N.V. Gogol and A.S. Pushkin. In this version, the demon is presented as a rather ridiculous and stupid creature with a nasty appearance and such low intelligence that even a simple village blacksmith easily subjugates it, using it as a vehicle. Or, armed with a piece of rope and a couple of unpretentious fraudulent tricks, the famous Pushkin character with the eloquent name Balda easily circles the evil spirit around his finger. On the opposite flank of the gallery of literary demons is Bulgakov's Woland. This is almost the almighty arbiter of human destinies, the focus of intelligence, nobility, justice and other positive qualities. It is pointless for a person to fight him, because, according to Bulgakov, he is practically invincible, he can only be reverently obeyed - like the Master and Margarita, or die - like Berlioz, but at best - be damaged by reason, like the poet Ivan Bezdomny. These two extremes in the literary depiction of demons, naturally, form in readers the same extremes in relation to the depicted. From the complete disregard of Pushkin's idiotic imps as unquestionably fairy-tale characters to complete confidence in the real existence of Woland the Satan, superstitious horror of his power, and sometimes even direct worship of the spirits of darkness. There is nothing surprising here, the strength of a work of art lies in the fact that a literary hero begins to be perceived by us as a real one. In London, for example, there is a very real museum dedicated to the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, and in the Soviet Union, real city streets were named after the fiery revolutionary Pavka Korchagin, despite his 100% literary origin. But in the case of the artistic image of demons, we have a completely different situation. The fact is that even in the space of a literary work, the spiritual world does not exist within the framework of human history, but, as it were, parallel to it - its inhabitants do not age, do not die and are not affected by time, they are always nearby. And if we assume that the fictional characters of the same Mikhail Bulgakov have real prototypes in the spiritual world, then it should be recognized that the reader's delight and admiration for Woland clearly go beyond the scope of literary problems.

"Demons" by F. M. Dostoevsky

How safe is the attitude towards demons, formed by their literary images, for a person?

Here, much more serious questions arise - for example, to what extent does the image of a demon created by the writer's artistic imagination correspond to spiritual reality? Or - how safe is the attitude towards demons, formed by their literary images, for a person? It is obvious that literary criticism can no longer answer these questions. And, since the demon migrated to European literature from the Christian religious tradition, it would be reasonable to find out - what does Christianity say about this creature?

Lucifer

Contrary to popular misconception, Satan is not at all the eternal antipode of God, and demons are not the antipode of angels. And the idea of ​​the spiritual world as a kind of chessboard, where black pieces play against white pieces on equal terms, fundamentally contradicts the teaching of the Church about fallen spirits. In the Christian tradition, there is an understanding of a clear boundary between God the Creator and His creation. And in this sense, absolutely all the inhabitants of the spiritual world equally belong to the category of God's creations.

The nature of demons

Moreover, the very nature of demons is initially exactly the same as that of angels, and even Satan is not some special “dark god” equal in strength to the Creator. This is just an angel who was once the most beautiful and powerful creation of God in the created world. But the name itself - Lucifer ("luminiferous") - is not entirely correct to use in relation to Satan, since this name does not belong to him, but to that very bright and kind angel that Satan once was. Church tradition says that the spiritual world of angels was created by God even before the creation of the material world. The catastrophe belongs to this prehistoric period in every sense, as a result of which a third of the angels, led by Satan, fell away from their Creator: he took a third of the stars from heaven and threw them to the ground (Rev. 12:4). The reason for this falling away was Lucifer's inadequate assessment of his perfection and power. God placed him above all the other angels, endowing him with strength and properties that no one else had; Lucifer turned out to be the most perfect being in the created universe. These gifts corresponded to his high calling - to fulfill the will of God, ruling over the spiritual world. But the angels were not like automata hard-wired into obedience. God created them with love, and the fulfillment of His will was to be a reciprocal manifestation of love for the Creator for the angels. And love is possible only as a realization of the freedom of choice - to love or not to love. And the Lord gave the angels this opportunity to choose - to be with God or to be without God... It is impossible to say exactly how their falling away happened, but the general meaning of it was as follows. Lucifer-Dennitsa considered that the received power makes him equal to God, and decided to leave his Creator.

War in the sky

Together with him, this fateful decision for them was made by a third of all the angels. Between the rebellious and faithful spirits (which were led by the archangel Michael) there was a conflict described in the Holy Scriptures as follows: And there was a war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought against them, but did not stand, and did not there was already a place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, the ancient serpent, called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast out to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him (Rev. 12:7-9). So the beautiful Dennitsa became Satan, and the angels seduced by him became demons. It is easy to see that there is not the slightest reason to speak of Satan's war against God. How can he be at war with God who has suffered a crushing defeat even from his fellow angels? Having lost their angelic dignity and place in Heaven, the fallen spirits turned out to be like the soldiers of a defeated army, who tore off their orders and shoulder straps during the retreat.

Crazy Postman

Gadarian demoniac

The word “angel” itself is of Greek origin, translated into Russian it literally means “messenger”, that is, one who brings news from God, communicates His good will to the rest of creation. But whose will can be communicated by an angel who did not want to serve his Creator, what message can such a “messenger” bring - and can this message be believed? Suppose in a small town one postman was terribly offended by his boss for something and stopped coming to the post office for new letters. But he was very proud of the title of postman, he liked to deliver letters, and, the saddest thing, nothing, well, he simply couldn’t do anything else. And he began a strange life. For days on end, he wandered restlessly around the city in his postman's cap with an empty mail bag on his shoulder, and instead of letters and telegrams, he stuffed all sorts of rubbish picked up on the road into people's mailboxes. Very soon he gained a reputation as the city's lunatic. Police officers took away his bag and cap, and the residents began to drive him away from their doors. Then he was terribly offended by the inhabitants too. But he really wanted to carry letters. And he came up with a tricky trick: on a dark night, when no one saw him, he slowly crept along the city streets and threw letters written by ... himself into mailboxes. He worked at the post office for a long time, so he quickly learned to forge the handwriting of senders, their addresses and postmarks on envelopes. And in letters he wrote ... Well, what could such a type write? Of course, only all sorts of nasty things and lies, because he really wanted to annoy the inhabitants who drove him away. …

Liar and father of lies (John 8:44)

Of course, this sad tale about the crazy postman is just a very weak analogy to the tragic story of the transformation of angels into demons. But for a more accurate description of the depth of moral decline and the madness of evil spirits, even the image of a serial maniac would be too bright, soft and unconvincing. The Lord Himself called Satan a murderer: he (the devil) was a murderer from the beginning and did not stand in the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks his own, for he is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). Angels are not capable of independent creativity, they can only fulfill the creative plan of God. Therefore, the only way of existence for the angels who had abandoned their calling turned out to be the desire to destroy and destroy everything that they could even touch. Envying God, but not having the slightest opportunity to harm Him, the demons spread all their hatred for the Creator to His creation. And since man became the crown of the material and spiritual world, the most beloved creation of God, all the unsatisfied vindictiveness and malice of the fallen messenger angels fell upon him, bringing to people instead of the will of God - their own, terrible for all living will. And here a very important question arises: how can a person build relationships with such a formidable force that seeks to destroy him?

Shish or candle?

In the collection of Russian folk tales A. N. Afanasyev there is a curious plot on a religious theme: you, Satan, - shish. With this, she so angered the unclean that he could not stand it; appeared to her in a dream and began to frighten: “Well, if you only get into hell with me, you will endure torment!” After that, the woman put a candle to both Egoria and the snake. People ask why is she doing this? “Yes, dear ones! After all, we don’t know where else you will go: either to heaven or to hell!’” In this story, despite all its Christian surroundings, the pagan principle of simultaneously establishing relations with both evil and good deities is very succinctly and convincingly presented. And the very path to a practical solution to the problem is indicated here quite clearly: a candle for each and everyone is happy! Why does the prudence of a naive woman look so comical in this folk anecdote? Yes, because only those who do not understand the simple truth can hope to propitiate the demon: it is impossible to establish good relations with evil spirits. Having hated the entire creation without exception, the demons have driven themselves into an ontological dead end, since they themselves are also God's creations. Therefore, hatred has become for them the only possible form of relationship to each other, and even they can only hate themselves. The very fact of one's own existence is painful for demons.

Curtseys towards the forces of evil

Such a terrible attitude can be compared, perhaps, only with the state of an unfortunate animal dying from a viral infection, which is colloquially called rabies, not without reason. The main symptom of this terrible disease is spasms of the esophagus, which do not let any liquid into the body. Water may be very close, but the animal dies of thirst, not having the slightest opportunity to quench it. Maddened by this torture, the sick beast rushes at everyone who had the imprudence to approach him, but if there is no one around, he bites himself in complete stupefaction. But even such a terrible picture can give only a very weak and approximate idea of ​​\u200b\u200bwhat a creature can experience that fiercely hates the whole world, not excluding itself and its own kind. And now - the question to fill: would a sane person try to make friends with a rabid dog? Or, for example, could Kipling's Mowgli survive in a pack of rabid wolves, constantly tearing at each other? The answer in both cases is obvious. But then it is an immeasurably more hopeless undertaking to try to propitiate the demon in order to secure a comfortable place in hell. Curtsying towards the forces of evil is a senseless and useless exercise. The Holy Scriptures clearly state that for Satan people are of interest solely as a potential victim: Be sober, watch, because your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour (1 Pet. 5:8). And although it is not at all a pious thing to poke a fig into the icon of St. George the Victorious, as the heroine of Afanasiev’s anecdote did, and, of course, you shouldn’t do this, nevertheless, for those Christians who experience superstitious fear of demons, it would not be bad to remember that in the very order of the Sacrament of Baptism, every Christian not only shows the fiddle to the demon, but literally - spits on him three times, renouncing Satan. Moreover, later on, the Christian daily recalls this renunciation in the prayer of St. John Chrysostom, read before leaving home: “I deny you, Satan, and your pride and service to you; and I unite with you, Christ God, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. But where does such boldness come from among Christians? The answer is simple: only those who are under reliable protection can spit on such dangerous and strong enemies.

Who drowned the pigs?

People who get acquainted with the Gospel for the first time sometimes pay close attention to those details of the Gospel narrative that are secondary and insignificant for a church-going person. One such case is described by N. S. Leskov in the story “At the End of the World”, where an Orthodox bishop, traveling through Siberia, tries to explain to his Yakut guide the essence of Christian doctrine: “Well, do you know why Christ came here to earth? He thought and thought and didn't answer. - Do not you know? I say. - Don't know. I explained all Orthodoxy to him, but he either listens or doesn’t, but he himself all hoots at the dogs and waves the weeds. “Well, did you understand,” I ask, “what I told you? - Well, the tank, I understood: I drowned a pig in the sea, spat in the eyes of the blind - the blind saw, he gave the people a loaf of fish. These pigs sat in his forehead in the sea, a blind man and a fish, and then he wouldn’t rise in any way ... ”Paradoxically, all the same pigs that sat in the forehead of Leskov’s illiterate Yakut can sometimes embarrass already quite civilized people with higher education these days . How did the meek and loving Christ, who “will not break a bruised reed and quench a smoking flax”, be able to mercilessly drown a herd of pigs? Doesn't God's love extend to animals too? The questions seem to be formally correct (although they could probably arise only from a modern person who does not associate the ham on his table with the pig from which this ham was made). However, there is an error in such reasoning. And it's not even that the pigs mentioned in the Gospel would sooner or later fall under the butcher's knife anyway.

Temptation in the desert

Christ did not drown the unfortunate animals

Upon careful reading of this place in the Gospel, a simple fact becomes obvious: Christ did not drown the unfortunate animals. Their death is to blame ... demons. When He came ashore, a man from the city met Him, possessed by demons for a long time, and who did not wear clothes, and lived not in a house, but in tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and said with a loud voice: What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don't torment me. For Jesus commanded the unclean spirit to come out of this man, because he tormented him for a long time, so that he was bound with chains and bands, saving him; but he broke the bands and was driven by a demon into the wilderness. Jesus asked him: What is your name? He said legion, because many demons had entered into him. And they asked Jesus not to command them to go into the abyss. Right there on the mountain a large herd of pigs grazed; and the demons asked Him to let them enter into them. He allowed them. The demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep slope into the lake and drowned (Luke 8:27-33). Here, the destructive power of the hatred of demons for all living things is very clearly shown, forcing them to act even contrary to their own interests. Driven out of man, they ask Christ to let them enter into the swine, to live in them and not go into the abyss. But as soon as Christ allows them to do this, the demons immediately drown all the pigs in the sea, again left without shelter. It is impossible to understand such behavior, because there is neither logic nor common sense in hatred.

Demons are not at all free in their actions

A madman walking through a kindergarten with a dangerous razor in his hand will look like a harmless and peaceful layman against the backdrop of demons. And if such creepy creatures could freely operate in our world, then nothing living in it would have been left long ago. But in the gospel story with pigs, the Lord clearly showed that demons are not at all free in their actions. Here is how St. Anthony the Great says about this: “The devil has no power even over pigs. For, as it is written in the Gospel, the demons asked the Lord, saying: command us to go to the pigs. If they do not have power over swine, much less do they have power over man, who was created in the image of God.” By renouncing Satan in baptism, a person entrusts himself to the One who has absolute power over Satan. Therefore, even if demons attack a Christian, this should not frighten him too much. Such an attack is possible under the only indispensable condition: if the Lord permits it.

Possession with evil spirits - God's permission

A snake bite is deadly, but a skilled doctor knows how to prepare medicine from snake venom. So the Lord can use the evil will of demons as a means to heal the human soul. According to the general opinion of the fathers, God allows demon possession to those people for whom this path turns out to be the best in acquiring humility and salvation. “In a spiritual sense, such punishment from God does not at all serve as a bad testimony about a person: many great saints of God were subjected to such a tradition by Satan ...” - writes St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov). “Meanwhile, being burdened by a demon is not at all cruel, because a demon cannot at all cast one into hell, but if we are awake, then this temptation will bring us brilliant and glorious crowns when we endure such attacks with gratitude” (St. John Chrysostom). Temptation of St. Anthony Demons act only where the Lord allows them, turning the evil plans of fallen spirits to the good of people. This partly explains Goethe's famous paradox of Mephistopheles' self-determination: "I am part of that force that always wants evil and always does good." Although even in a literary work, the demon still continues to lie: he, of course, is not able to do any good and, as always, ascribes to himself other people's merits.

What can a demon really do?

But what can a demon actually do? On this issue, the opinion of the father of Christian monasticism, Anthony the Great, can be considered more than authoritative, since the demons fought with him in the desert for several decades. The famous painting by Hieronymus Bosch, The Temptation of St. Anthony, depicts a terrible picture: a flock of fanged and horned monsters attacks a lonely monk. This plot was not invented by the artist, it was taken from the real life of St. Anthony, and the saint actually experienced all these terrible attacks. But here is what an unexpected assessment of these horrors is given by Anthony the Great himself: “In order not to be afraid of demons, we must also consider the following. If they had power, they would not come in crowds, they would not produce dreams, they would not take on various images when they plot; but it would be enough for only one to come and do what he can and wants, especially since everyone who has power does not strike with ghosts, but immediately uses power as he wants. The demons, having no power, seem to amuse themselves at the spectacle, changing their disguises and frightening children with many ghosts and ghosts. Therefore, most of all, they should be despised as powerless.

How does God respond to the hatred of demons?

The further, the worse... Demons hate God. But how does God respond to this hatred? The Monk John of Damascus writes: “God always provides blessings to the devil, but he does not want to accept. And in the next age, God gives blessings to everyone - for He is the source of blessings, pouring out goodness on everyone, everyone partakes in the good, as far as he has prepared himself for those who perceive. Despite the depth of the fall of demons, God does not fight with them and is always ready to accept them back to the angelic rank. But the monstrous pride of the fallen spirits does not allow them to respond to all manifestations of God's love. Here is how a modern ascetic, Athonite elder Paisios the Holy Mountaineer, says about this: “If they had said only one thing: “Lord, have mercy,” then God would have thought of something for their salvation. If only they would say “I have sinned,” but they don't say that. By saying “I have sinned,” the devil would again become an angel.

God's love is infinite

God's love is infinite

The love of God is boundless. But the devil has a stubborn will, stubbornness, selfishness. He doesn't want to give in, he doesn't want to be saved. This is scary. After all, he was once an angel! Does the devil remember his former state? he is all fire and fury ... And the farther, the worse he gets. It develops in malice and envy. Oh, that a person would feel the state in which the devil is! He would cry day and night. Even when some kind person changes for the worse, becomes a criminal, he is very sorry. But what to say if you see the fall of an angel!.. The fall of the devil cannot be healed by anything other than his own humility. The devil is not corrected because he does not want it himself. Do you know how glad Christ would be if the devil wanted to correct himself!” Unfortunately, the devil does not give any reasons for such joy. And the only correct and safe attitude for a person towards fallen spirits, mad with malice and pride, is to have nothing to do with them, which is what Christians ask the Lord in the final words of the Our Father prayer: ... lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Amen.

Alexander Tkachenko

Information taken from the missionary Orthodox portal -

Thoughts and images inspired by demons

Tempting most monks, the devil prefers not to act openly. Most often, he attacks using thoughts that arouse in a person a tendency to sin. Evagrius classified the various "wicked thoughts" according to the eight major vices and the eight demons "responsible" for them: gluttony, voluptuousness, money-grubbing, sadness, anger, despondency, vanity and pride. They are the beginning of the seven "mortal sins" known to us (despondency is usually omitted as the temptation of hermits or combined with sadness).

According to Evagrius, demons cannot act directly on the mind. They give rise to thoughts, acting on memory and imagination. They remind the hermit of his parents, friends, property and wealth, which he has lost, or inspire him with images that arouse passion. To do this, they usually use hallucinations or false sensations. Often they appear before the monk in the form of a woman, beautiful and desirable, or even take the form of a priest who supposedly brought the sacrament, or even dress up as a bishop. One monk once accepted such a "lord" who wanted to become a monk, and settled him in a cave next to his cell. But these are not always phantoms. The devil may take advantage of a visit from a real bishop or a woman to tempt a hermit. The image for which the demon seems to have had a special liking is that of an Ethiopian or Ethiopian, whose swarthy color hinted at the blackness of sin. One monk, about to go to bed, discovers an Ethiopian on his mat. Abba Pachon sees a young Ethiopian who is sitting on his lap. Another Ethiopian tempted a very young monk who came to the Skete with his father. Ethiopian is, as a rule, the personification of voluptuousness. Abba Apollo caught the demon of pride, who took the form of a little Ethiopian, who climbed on the abba's neck. The devil in the form of a negro appeared to Anthony the Great, and the saint said to him: “Truly, you are worthy of contempt, for you are black in mind and weak as a child.” Once, while singing psalms, Abba Macarius saw many little Ethiopians running around the praying brothers, poking their fingers in their eyes or in their mouths and performing a million odd eccentricities in order to divert their attention from prayer and dispel their thoughts. In the "Conversations" of John Cassian we can also find several instances where demons take the form of "abominable Ethiopians".

But the devil did not always appear in a hideous form. He could also take on an attractive and charming form, and not only feminine, but also angelic. These were characters who seemed to radiate light and come, for example, to wake up a monk for service or even give him “good” advice in order to eventually persuade him to kill his own father with an ax. Demons came to talk with the monk Valens, and he took them for angels. Once, the devil himself appeared before him in the form of Christ in the midst of an “angelic” host, and the proud monk believed him. But a spiritually experienced monk could not be deceived. The demon, who appeared before one elder in the form of the archangel Gabriel, he replied: “Probably you were sent to someone else, for I am not worthy of such an honor.” And when the devil appeared to another elder, who took the form of Christ, he simply closed his eyes and said: “I don’t want to see Christ in this world.” And another hermit father, having figured out such a diabolical trick, declared as follows: “I believe in my Christ, Who said:“ If someone tells you: here is Christ, or there is Christ - do not believe. Abba Or was honored to be visited by a certain king in a fiery chariot, accompanied by angels, who said to him: “You have acquired all the virtues, bow down to me now, and I will take you up to heaven like Elijah.” The hermit answered simply: "My king is Christ, whom I worship incessantly, but you are not my king." The demon, as in other similar cases, immediately disappeared.

But there was a more subtle trick - when the demon took the form of another hermit or a blessed old man who came to give the monk useful advice. Once a certain monk came to Anthony with bread and said to him: "Eat and suspend your great labors, you are a man and can weaken." The saint drove out this demon with the help of prayer. In other cases, the demons advised the ascetics not to eat at all, at night they would not stop waking them up for prayer, so that, deprived of food and sleep, their victims would decide that the monastic life was unbearable, or, falling into despondency from all this, would become to think that they are sick and unable to fast. Demons have a great store of all sorts of tricks and each time they use new strategies in order to lure hermits into sin. They, if necessary, can read the Holy Scriptures, though only the Old Testament. They are happy to make predictions. They can even tell the truth and quite reasonable things, but only so that the tempted person then more easily believes their lies.

Should we communicate with demons? We could spend a lot of time commenting on the many apparent contradictions between leading healing writers, but it will suffice to give one such example regarding the method of exorcism. Some authors

Patterns of the Heavenly As was said above, Moses built the earthly sanctuary according to the pattern shown to him on the mountain. The sanctuary was "an image of the present time, in which gifts and sacrifices are offered." These two sacred offices were "images of the heavenly."

7. How to deal with demons? Question: How to deal with demons? Priest Konstantin Parkhomenko answers: No magic tricks will help us here. Only through personal spiritual life, through prayer, through confession and Communion, will we receive the strength to resist Satan. resist,