This thesis gives an account of Augustine’s understanding of demons, a full-length study of which has yet to be published. I argue that the scriptural assertion that pagan gods are demons fully encompasses what demons are for Augustine, and I proceed by elucidating the theology with which he contextualizes this assertion and makes it intelligible. Demons emerge as a highly integrated component of Augustine’s broader theology, having not a merely conceptual but a fully religious significance. The dissertation begins with the intellectual nature of the angels and their Christocentric mission to reveal God in creation. The second chapter considers the fall of the angels and Augustine’s questions about its cause and the timeline of its occurrence. These questions pertain to the matter of embodiment, which becomes the starting point for Chapter 3, where we discuss the demons’ putative aerial bodies, their appearance in bodily visions, and some of Augustine’s reports of wondrous demonic phenomena. These phenomena are identified together as demonic not by a common aerial nature but a common meaning. Chapter 4 begins our analysis of what is the most significant demonic phenomenon for Augustine, viz. pagan religion. There we give an account of Augustine’s notion of the devil’s body, which, like its counterpart in the body of Christ, is constituted by sacraments, whose production is best described in terms of Hermetic “god-making.” The last chapter examines Augustine’s account of pagan sacramental theology more specifically, in terms of both a more straightforward understanding of pagan religion, and the more philosophical one offered by the Platonists. The demons’ association with pagan religion represents the full inversion of the angels’ Christocentric ministry, such that the only true freedom from demons is found, according to Augustine, through incorporation into the sacramental life of the church. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / This thesis gives an account of Augustine’s understanding of demons. Christian Scriptures declare that pagan gods are demons, and I argue this fully encompasses what demons are for Augustine, as they have not a merely conceptual but a fully religious significance. This study explores the theology with which he contextualizes this assertion and makes it intelligible. Demons are a highly integrated component of Augustine’s broader theology, rooted in his conception of angels as the ministers of all creation under God. They take shape through Augustine’s doctrine of evil as privation and understanding of the fall, his thoughts on embodiment, desire, and visions, as well as his theology of sacraments and social bodies. The demons’ association with pagan religion represents the full inversion of the angels’ Christocentric ministry, such that, for Augustine, the only true freedom from demons is found through incorporation into the sacramental life of the church.

This novel follows three individuals struggling with isolation and loneliness. Rina, a twenty-two year-old college student is studying abroad in Japan when she learns of her grandfather’s death. As his last living relative, she decides to leave her studies and a burgeoning romance to take care of her grandfather’s final affairs. At his funeral she meets Marcus, a mysterious man whose past ties in with her own. Marcus gives Rina the opportunity to uncover secrets surrounding her family and forces her to question not only her grandfather’s past but also her own identity. Tilnu is an immortal with a foggy memory of the past. He believes he is a fallen angel trying to reclaim his place in heaven by devoting his life to the hunting and killing of demons. After fighting a particularly powerful demon, he finds himself indebted to a young woman who guilts him into being her companion and prompts him to doubt his convictions about his own place in the world. Marcus, a demon able to live on Earth by making bonds to people, is caught between a rock and a hard place. After meeting Rina, he is unable to ignore his memories of past mistakes. With his time on Earth suddenly limited, and the persistent hunter Tilnu on his tail, he fears it may be too late to make up for his past sins against Rina and her family.

The aim of this qualitative research study has been to investigate seven young adult Pentecostals conceptions about religious evil, that is Satan, demons and hell. The purpose has also been to analyze how these conceptualizations are formed. The method that has been used in this study is individual semi-structured interviews. The result of the study show that conceptions of Satan, demons and hell are strong in most of the individuals’ life but one. Berger & Luckmanns theories of socialization has been applied to the results and the discussion shows that conceptions about religious evil are formed in the primary socialization or the secondary socialization if the person goes through the process of alternation. Bultmanns argument that modern man can’t accept the world view that is presented in The New Testament has also been discussed and the discussion reveals that modern day people can believe in the New Testament worldview.

Thesis (M.A.)--Marshall University, 2003. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains iv, 99 p. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 96-97).

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Esta dissertação desenvolve-se a partir da seguinte hipótese: à semelhança de todas as demais culturas ao redor do mundo e em todas as épocas, o Antigo Israel cultivou crenças em assombrações. Dessa hipótese, desdobra-se uma pergunta central: a Bíblia judaica conservou vestígios dessas crenças? A pesquisa elabora uma resposta em três capítulos. No primeiro, estabelece-se uma definição geral de assombração para, em seguida, aplicá-la a alguns textos da Bíblia judaica na forma de duas categorias básicas: demônios e fantasmas. Comentam-se, desse modo, especialmente sete assombrações ` a zāzēl, Lîlîṯ, os ś e `îrîm, Maḥîṯ, a mão fantasmagórica, Bēs e os ś e rāpîm do templo de Jerusalém , as quais, ao mesmo tempo que enquadradas dentro das categorias anteriores, são agrupadas numa tipologia baseada em elementos que estabelecem afinidades entre elas: assombrações de lugares desertos, assombrações insalubres ou mortíferas, assombrações agourentas e assombrações benevolentes. No segundo capítulo, utilizando a metodologia de exegese histórico-crítica, propõe-se uma análise de Ex 4.24-26. O objetivo é investigar a possibilidade de haver uma versão mais antiga desse texto, segundo a qual o filho de Zípora, e não Moisés, fora atacado no lugar do pernoite por um demônio. Diante da ameaça, a mãe do menino efetuou-lhe a circuncisão e proferiu um dito, dois atos que poderiam ser entendidos como integrantes de um ritual de exorcismo. Uma releitura monoteísta teria sido responsável por três modificações básicas: a) substituição do demônio por YHWH; b) inclusão de Moisés na história, provável causa da confusão dos pronomes pessoais masculinos e c) reinterpretação da circuncisão, a qual passou de procedimento de exorcismo para sinal de pertencimento ao povo de YHWH no contexto da narrativa da saída de Israel do Egito (Ex 1 15). No terceiro capítulo, emprega- se, uma vez mais, a metodologia de exegese histórico-crítica para analisar 1Sm 28.3-25. Pela comparação com outros textos de cunho deuteronomista, identificaram-se prováveis acréscimos redacionais que sugeririam ter havido, em um estágio mais antigo, uma narrativa que contava como um ancestral falecido anônimo anunciou a morte de Saul nas mãos dos filisteus. Não se percebia necessariamente uma censura à prática da consulta aos mortos, apenas a exposição de variados meios de consulta a um oráculo. Mais tarde, o trabalho deuteronomista sobre essa peça literária teria transformado Saul num perseguidor daquela arte, tornando-o, simultaneamente, culpado de recorrer àquilo que ele mesmo havia proibido. Além disso, substituiu-se o ancestral anônimo original evocado pela mulher de En-Dor pelo profeta Samuel, cuja palavra se cumpre justamente por ser ele, de acordo com a perspectiva deuteronomista, um porta-voz autorizado de YHWH. Pode-se, portanto, considerar Ex 4.24- 26 e 1Sm 28.3-25 como dois exemplos de histórias de assombração na Bíblia judaica. / This thesis is developed based on the following hypothesis: similar to all other cultures around the world and in all periods, Ancient Israel cultivated beliefs in apparitions. From this hypothesis stems a central question: did the Jewish Bible retain vestiges of these beliefs? The research elaborates an answer in three chapters. In the first it establishes a general definition of apparition to, following, apply it to some texts of the Jewish Bible in the form of two basic categories: demons and phantoms. In this sense, seven apparitions are especially commented on ` a zāzēl, Lîlîṯ, the ś e `îrîm, Maḥîṯ, the phantasmagoric hand, Bēs and the ś e rāpîm of the temple of Jerusalem which, while at the same time fitting into the prior categories, they are also grouped in a typology based on elements which establish affinities among them: apparitions of desert places, unwholesome or deadly apparitions, ominous apparitions and benevolent apparitions. In the second chapter, utilizing the methodology of historical-critical exegesis, an analysis of Ex. 4:24-26 is proposed. The goal is to investigate the possibility of the existence of a more ancient version of this text, according to which the son of Zipporah, and not Moses, was attacked in the overnight place by a demon. Confronted with the threat, the mother of the boy carried out the circumcision and pronounced a saying, two acts which could be understood as being part of an exorcism ritual. A monotheistic reading would be responsible for three basic modifications: a) substitution of the demon with YHWH; b) inclusion of Moses in the story, probable cause of the confusion of the masculine personal pronouns and c) reinterpretation of circumcision, which went from being a procedure of exorcism to a sign of belonging to the people of YHWH in the context of the narrative of the exodus of Israel from Egypt (Ex. 1-15). In the third chapter, once again the historical-critical methodology of exegesis is used to analyze 1 Sam. 28:3-25. In comparing with other texts of Deuteronomic character, probable redactional additions were identified which could suggest that there was, in a more ancient stage, a narrative which told of how an anonymous dead ancestor announced the death of Saul at the hands of the Philistines. One does not necessarily perceive a censorship of the practice of consulting the dead, only the exposition of various ways of consulting an oracle. Later, the Deuteronomic work on this literary piece would have transformed Saul into a persecutor of that art, making him, simultaneously, guilty of resorting to that which he himself had forbidden. Beyond this, the original anonymous ancestor evoked by the woman of En-Dor was substituted by the prophet Samuel, whose word is fulfilled precisely because he, according to the Deuteronomic perspective, is an authorized spokesperson of YHWH. Therefore, one can consider Ex. 4: 24-26 and 1 Sam. 28:3-25 as two examples of stories of apparitions in the Jewish Bible.

The present thesis focuses on the topic of exorcism in the Synoptic Gospels. The introductory chapters characterize the practice of exorcism in the cultures of antiquity and Judaism, clarifying some of the specific emphases of these rituals. It then introduces the perspective of the New Testament on the subject, including a short list of terminology related to the designation of the enemy of God in the synoptics. Separate chapters are dedicated to Jesus' statements about exorcism, exorcism narratives and general reports. Each chapter treats in great detail the different exegeses, and the relevant terminological and stylistic peculiarities. The merits of the individual findings, which are summarized in the concluding chapter, are duly assessed from several perspectives, primarily biblical theology, but also underscoring some issues concerning pastoral theology and the practical applications of these findings.

No description available.

1987 AD. When a Satanic cult threatens to usher in Armageddon, the LAPD's top supercop manchild and his crotchety grandma of a partner must punch, kick, and shoot their way through their toughest case yet: protecting a feral 9-year-old girl who just so happens to be the Antichrist.

O Objetivo desse trabalho é avaliar a Dinâmica Gástrica e o Trânsito Oro-Esofágico em imagens cintilográficas por meio de uma técnica de fluxo óptico chamada Técnica Aprimorada de Demons. Essa técnica permite obter a velocidade dos pixels, também chamada Força de Deformação, em imagens sequenciais aos pares por meio de 3 características das imagens: o gradiente, a intensidade dos pixels e a informação ortogonal ao gradiente. Para alcançar o nosso objetivo, foram utilizadas imagens cintilográficas obtidas no Banco de Imagens do Hospital das Clínicas da USP de Ribeirão Preto. Essas imagens foram adquiridas segundo 2 protocolos: Trânsito Oro-Esofágico e Enchimento Gástrico. Sob o protocolo de Trânsito Oro-Esofágico, foram selecionadas imagens referentes a 9 voluntários saudáveis. Esses, em um período de jejum mínimo de 8 horas, fizeram 10 deglutições de 5 ml de solução fisiológica sendo as deglutições de número 1, 4, 7 e 10 feitas com a solução fisiológica \"marcada\'\' com aproximadamente 26 MBq (cerca de 700 µCi) de 99mTecnécio ligado a moléculas de fitato e adquiridas, pela gamma câmara, como um conjunto de 240 imagens por deglutição. As imagens adquiridas no protocolo de Trânsito Oro-Esofágico foram corrigidas e corregistradas. Os campos de velocidade obtidos foram correlacionados com uma técnica capaz de obter os tempos de trânsito do bolus nas diferentes porções do esôfago. Foi obtida uma alta correlação inversa entre as velocidades e o tempo de trânsito ao longo de todo o esôfago, como esperado. A média das velocidades obtidas no esôfago proximal se aproximou consideravelmente da velocidade da onda peristáltica primária descrita na literatura. Sob o protocolo de Enchimento Gástrico, foram selecionadas imagens referentes a 13 voluntários saudáveis. Os voluntários, em um período de jejum mínimo de 8 horas, ingeriram uma refeição teste líquida \"marcada\'\' com aproximadamente 72 MBq (cerca de 2 mCi) de 99mTecnécio ligado a moléculas de fitato enquanto ocorria a aquisição de um conjunto de 330 imagens pela gamma câmara. As imagens adquiridas no protocolo de Enchimento Gástrico também foram corrigidas e corregistradas. Os campos de velocidades obtidos foram somados para cada par de imagens adquiridas e foi analisada a frequência dominante do módulos desses campos somados no tempo de aquisição por meio da Trânsformada Rápida de Fourier (FFT), com filtro Butterworth bidirecional, em janelas de 4 minutos. Foi obtida a média das frequências dominantes por voluntário e, posteriormente, uma média e um desvio padrão para a amostra de voluntários. Foi feito um teste t de student que revelou que a média amostral da frequência dominante do estômago proximal é condizente com a frequência de contração conhecida na literatura para essa região (1 contração por minuto). Ao se estudar a região distal, foi observado também uma predominância de janelas com frequências próximas a conhecida para contrações do estômago distal (3 contrações por minuto) na maioria dos voluntários. As contrações no estômago também foram analisadas visualmente por meio do divergente do campo de velocidades e do perímetro do estômago nas imagens adquiridas. / The goal of this project is to evaluate the gastric dinamic and the Oro-esophageal transit in scintigraphic images trough an optical flow tecnique called Improved Demons Tecnique. This tecnique provides the velocity of the pixels (also called, Deformation Force - DF) in sequencial images by pairs trough 3 image features: gradient, intensity of the pixels and orthogonal gradient information. To achieve our goal, scintigraphic images from Hospital das Clínicas of Ribeirão Preto database were used. This images were acquired trough 2 protocols: Oro-Esophageal Transit and Gastric Filling. At the Oro-Esophageal Transit protocol, images from 9 healthy volunteers were chosen. The volunteers, under a fasting of at least 8 hours, made ten swallows of 5 ml saline. The swallows number 1, 4, 7 and 10 were made with the saline labelled with about 26 MBq (about 700 µCi) 99mTc-phytate and acquired, by gamma-camera, as a set of 240 images per swallowing. The images acquired under the protocol Oro-Esophageal Transit were corrected and registered. The velocity fields obtained were correlated to a tecnique capable of obtain the relative transit times of the bolus in each region of the oesophagus. A high inverse correlation were obtained between the velocities and the times of transit in the oesophagus as a whole, as expected. The mean of the velocities obtained in the proximal oesophagus approached considerably of the velocity of primary peristaltic pump described in literature. At the Gastric filling protocol, images from 13 healthy volunteers were chosen. The volunteers, under a fasting of at least 8 hours, ingested a liquid meal labeled with about 72 MBq (about 2 mCi) 99mTc-phytate while a set of 330 images were acquired by gamma-camera. This images were also corrected and registered. The velocity fields were summed for each pair of images acquired and the frequency of the magnitude of this summed field, in the time of acquisition, were analyzed by Fast Fourier Transform, with a bidirectional Butterworth filter, in sliding windows of 4 minutes. A mean of the frequencies per volunteer were obtained and, after, a mean and standard deviation for the sample of volunteers. It was made a t student test that showed that the sample mean of the frequency of the proximal estomach is consistent with the known frequency of the contraction for this region (1 contraction per minute). We also studied the distal region. It was observed a predominance of slider windows with frequencies close to the frequency known for contractions of distal stomach (3 contractions per minute) in most of the volunteers. The stomach contractions were also analyzed visually through the divergent of the velocity fields and the perimeter of the stomach in the acquired images.

O Objetivo desse trabalho é avaliar a Dinâmica Gástrica e o Trânsito Oro-Esofágico em imagens cintilográficas por meio de uma técnica de fluxo óptico chamada Técnica Aprimorada de Demons. Essa técnica permite obter a velocidade dos pixels, também chamada Força de Deformação, em imagens sequenciais aos pares por meio de 3 características das imagens: o gradiente, a intensidade dos pixels e a informação ortogonal ao gradiente. Para alcançar o nosso objetivo, foram utilizadas imagens cintilográficas obtidas no Banco de Imagens do Hospital das Clínicas da USP de Ribeirão Preto. Essas imagens foram adquiridas segundo 2 protocolos: Trânsito Oro-Esofágico e Enchimento Gástrico. Sob o protocolo de Trânsito Oro-Esofágico, foram selecionadas imagens referentes a 9 voluntários saudáveis. Esses, em um período de jejum mínimo de 8 horas, fizeram 10 deglutições de 5 ml de solução fisiológica sendo as deglutições de número 1, 4, 7 e 10 feitas com a solução fisiológica \"marcada\'\' com aproximadamente 26 MBq (cerca de 700 µCi) de 99mTecnécio ligado a moléculas de fitato e adquiridas, pela gamma câmara, como um conjunto de 240 imagens por deglutição. As imagens adquiridas no protocolo de Trânsito Oro-Esofágico foram corrigidas e corregistradas. Os campos de velocidade obtidos foram correlacionados com uma técnica capaz de obter os tempos de trânsito do bolus nas diferentes porções do esôfago. Foi obtida uma alta correlação inversa entre as velocidades e o tempo de trânsito ao longo de todo o esôfago, como esperado. A média das velocidades obtidas no esôfago proximal se aproximou consideravelmente da velocidade da onda peristáltica primária descrita na literatura. Sob o protocolo de Enchimento Gástrico, foram selecionadas imagens referentes a 13 voluntários saudáveis. Os voluntários, em um período de jejum mínimo de 8 horas, ingeriram uma refeição teste líquida \"marcada\'\' com aproximadamente 72 MBq (cerca de 2 mCi) de 99mTecnécio ligado a moléculas de fitato enquanto ocorria a aquisição de um conjunto de 330 imagens pela gamma câmara. As imagens adquiridas no protocolo de Enchimento Gástrico também foram corrigidas e corregistradas. Os campos de velocidades obtidos foram somados para cada par de imagens adquiridas e foi analisada a frequência dominante do módulos desses campos somados no tempo de aquisição por meio da Trânsformada Rápida de Fourier (FFT), com filtro Butterworth bidirecional, em janelas de 4 minutos. Foi obtida a média das frequências dominantes por voluntário e, posteriormente, uma média e um desvio padrão para a amostra de voluntários. Foi feito um teste t de student que revelou que a média amostral da frequência dominante do estômago proximal é condizente com a frequência de contração conhecida na literatura para essa região (1 contração por minuto). Ao se estudar a região distal, foi observado também uma predominância de janelas com frequências próximas a conhecida para contrações do estômago distal (3 contrações por minuto) na maioria dos voluntários. As contrações no estômago também foram analisadas visualmente por meio do divergente do campo de velocidades e do perímetro do estômago nas imagens adquiridas. / The goal of this project is to evaluate the gastric dinamic and the Oro-esophageal transit in scintigraphic images trough an optical flow tecnique called Improved Demons Tecnique. This tecnique provides the velocity of the pixels (also called, Deformation Force - DF) in sequencial images by pairs trough 3 image features: gradient, intensity of the pixels and orthogonal gradient information. To achieve our goal, scintigraphic images from Hospital das Clínicas of Ribeirão Preto database were used. This images were acquired trough 2 protocols: Oro-Esophageal Transit and Gastric Filling. At the Oro-Esophageal Transit protocol, images from 9 healthy volunteers were chosen. The volunteers, under a fasting of at least 8 hours, made ten swallows of 5 ml saline. The swallows number 1, 4, 7 and 10 were made with the saline labelled with about 26 MBq (about 700 µCi) 99mTc-phytate and acquired, by gamma-camera, as a set of 240 images per swallowing. The images acquired under the protocol Oro-Esophageal Transit were corrected and registered. The velocity fields obtained were correlated to a tecnique capable of obtain the relative transit times of the bolus in each region of the oesophagus. A high inverse correlation were obtained between the velocities and the times of transit in the oesophagus as a whole, as expected. The mean of the velocities obtained in the proximal oesophagus approached considerably of the velocity of primary peristaltic pump described in literature. At the Gastric filling protocol, images from 13 healthy volunteers were chosen. The volunteers, under a fasting of at least 8 hours, ingested a liquid meal labeled with about 72 MBq (about 2 mCi) 99mTc-phytate while a set of 330 images were acquired by gamma-camera. This images were also corrected and registered. The velocity fields were summed for each pair of images acquired and the frequency of the magnitude of this summed field, in the time of acquisition, were analyzed by Fast Fourier Transform, with a bidirectional Butterworth filter, in sliding windows of 4 minutes. A mean of the frequencies per volunteer were obtained and, after, a mean and standard deviation for the sample of volunteers. It was made a t student test that showed that the sample mean of the frequency of the proximal estomach is consistent with the known frequency of the contraction for this region (1 contraction per minute). We also studied the distal region. It was observed a predominance of slider windows with frequencies close to the frequency known for contractions of distal stomach (3 contractions per minute) in most of the volunteers. The stomach contractions were also analyzed visually through the divergent of the velocity fields and the perimeter of the stomach in the acquired images.