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Demonology
(1,030 words)

1. Definition and subject

The Greek word daímon refers to a supernatural being. Demonology is the study of such beings. In the Renaissance, the philosopher Marsilio Ficino (De triplici vita, Florence 1469; “On the Threefold Life”), whose interest in Neoplatonism (Platonism) and other ancient philosophies shaped his understanding of demons as beings capable of transmitting celestial influences, was the chief theorist of demo…

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Butler, Todd and “Demonology”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_018166>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20170626



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