Pagan Origin of Partialist Doctrines

by John Claudius Pitrat

Such was the universal belief when Jesus Christ came to the world. The Jews themselves, since the captivity of Babylon, generally believed in those two Principles. They went so far as to immolate their own children on the altars of evil deities, in order to appease them. Jesus preached his Gospel, died, and left on earth his apostles with the trust of continuing, among men, his saving mission. As in the writings of the Evangelists the word demon, or devil, was used figuratively, meaning lust, wrong desire, etc., some of the first Christians understood the true sense of these figurative words, and others did not. In the third century the Church of Rome, which had been tending to supremacy over other churches, and which, from policy, to gain more adepts, was compromising with Paganism, understood the word demon, or devil, literally, and preserved the heathen doctrine, which, as she grew, became widely spread, and afterwards an article of faith.

The Fathers of the Church, of that age, believed that the demons, or devils, were innumerable; that their chief, Lucifer, had entrusted a demon to accompany each man through life, to tempt him to sin; that Lucifer had as many bad angels, or demons, under his command, as God had good angels; that all those demons were corporeal, and that those male committed fornication and adultery with the daughters of men; and those female with the sons of men; that they had generated the giants; and that they had incited the oppressors of the Christians to persecute them. Thus thought Justin, Tatian, Minutius-Felix, Athenagoras, Tertullian, Julius-Firmicus, Origen, Synesius, Arnobe, St. Gregory of Nazianze, Lactance, St. Jerome, St. Augustine, etc., as seen in their works in either edition of the Benedictines, or of the canon Caillot, of Migne, a priest, now editor in Paris. Even in our days the most of the superstitious practices of the Pagans, in regard to evil spirits, are preserved in the Papal Church,—conjurations, exorcisms, Agnus Dei, holy water, etc., and others which they have added, such as the sign of the cross, the expulsion of the devil from houses, barns, wells, wagons, beasts, fields, etc. These ceremonies are oftentimes performed, as a matter of course, for money.

The same took place in the Church of Rome in reference to the heathen dogma of good angels being under the command of the good spirit, or God; this dogma was generally believed even by the Jews, at least since the captivity of Babylon. We say generally, because the Sadduceans did not believe it; and perhaps, also, the Samaritans and the Caraïtes, for we have but two testimonies that prove they partook of the opinion of the Samaritans on this point, namely, the testimony of Abusaïd, author of an Arabic version of the Pentateuch, and that of Aaron, in his commentaries of the same. The Papal Church holds still that the angels form three hierarchies, or choirs. The first is that of the Seraphims, Cherubims, and thrones; the second comprises the dominations, the virtues, and the powers; and the third is composed of the principalities, of the archangels, and of the angels. One of these angels, called guardian, is obliged to stand by each one of us all the days of our life. Temples, altars, prayers and sacrifices are offered to them.

Tertullian, Origen, Clement of Alexandria, etc., thought that the bodies of the good angels were formed of a very thin, subtle matter. Other Fathers, Basile, Athanase, Cyrille, Gregory of Nysse, John-Chrysostomus, etc., considered them as spiritual beings; however, they believed that they may take a body when they please. The Church of Rome holds, as an article of faith, that the good angels ought to be adored.

As seen above, the Church of Rome has preserved, with a very slight modification, if any, the heathen dogma of two Principles, the one good, God; and the other bad, Lucifer, or the devil; also the nomenclature of geniuses, or spirits, or angels, which are, the ones under the command of God, and the others under the command of Lucifer. When, in the sixteenth century, the Protestants parted with the Church of Rome, they cut off many branches of this dogma; but they kept its body, namely, instead of understanding the words demon, or devil, as meaning lust, abuse of free agency, wrong desire, etc., they understood them of personal beings, either material or immaterial, but existing, tempting each man to sin; and relentlessly seeking the ruin of mankind.

Therefore the doctrine of a Personal Devil is of Pagan origin.

CHAPTER IV.

PAGAN ORIGIN OF THE DOCTRINE OF ORIGINAL SIN.