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Colonizing the Supernatural
Abstract
The terms daimōn, “spirit,” “god,” even “genius” in Classical Greek were transformed into the negative “demon” by more than a mere linguistic sleight of hand. The transformation in fact encodes a triumph of the Jewish and Christian worldview over their Greek and Roman counterpart. This chapter traces the linguistic and cultural influences Christianity exerted on the Roman construction of the dead and proposes that conceptualization of the ghostly world does not merely reflect shifts in cultural attitudes but is a deliberate construct designed to bolster the powerful. Armed with monotheism and its constructed power over the spiritual and ghostly realm, imperial Christianity was able to impose a rigid interpretation of the spiritual world and monopolize the cult of the dead. In so doing, the Empire succeeded in colonizing the dead and localized in itself both political and religious power that would last until its eventual collapse.
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TL;DR
This chapter argues that the transformation of Greek *daimōn* from an ambiguous god/spirit/genius into the negative “demon” was not merely linguistic but encoded the triumph of Jewish and Christian worldviews over Greco-Roman ones. It traces how imperial Christianity imposed a rigid interpretation of the spiritual world and monopolized the cult of the dead, thereby “colonizing” the dead and concentrating political and religious power.
Key findings
- Classical *daimōn* was broad: it could mean god, divinity, spirit, or demon; Socrates had a *daimōn*/*genius*; *eudaimonia* came from a good *daimōn*, while *kakodaimones* caused misfortune. Platonists treated *daimones* as mediators; Porphyry made them more sinister; Augustine denied good *daimones*, allowed only angels, and called *daimones* “false and deceitful mediators” (*De civitate dei* 9.18).
- The chapter reads *daimōn* as a contested site of power, using Jonathan Z. Smith’s boundary-marker/locative category and Foucault’s power as relations/strategies. Elite constructs—Homer/Hesiod, Hesiod’s four classes of rational beings, *daimones* given a 9,720-year lifespan and demoted below the *theoi*—are contrasted with popular counter-strategies identifying *daimōn* with the soul/ghost/personal protector, potentially egalitarian.
- The emperor’s personal *daimōn* (e.g., Marcus Aurelius) co-opted the popular *daimōn*-soul equation and re-erected hierarchy; Augustine’s counterstrategy reinstated the body, rejected death as a good, redefined dying as a process coinciding with living, and made martyrs’ bodily death a victory over demons of the air.
- Augustine’s formulation had a sinister side: his church replicated Roman imperial social relations; he retained patron saints watching over individuals, especially power elites, and this power imbalance defined church polity into the Middle Ages.
Methods
- Conceptual/historical and comparative textual analysis of Greco-Roman and early Christian sources (Homer, Hesiod, Plato, Plutarch, Plotinus, Porphyry, Marcus Aurelius, Augustine’s *De civitate dei*) alongside secondary scholarship.
- Methodological experiment applying Foucauldian power as competing strategies in agonistic relations and Jonathan Z. Smith’s anthropological approach to *daimōn* as boundary marker/locative category, reconceived as a site of contestation; it tests applicability to comparative antiquity.
- No empirical sample or quantitative data; evidence is selective textual interpretation.
Limitations
- Stated: the author calls the chapter a “methodological experiment” and admits the risk of “oversimplifying Smith’s methodological observations”; he also notes uncertainty about whether Hesiod originated the idea and that how *daimōn*-as-ghost and *daimōn*-as-personal-protector influenced each other “could no longer be answered with certainty.”
- Evident: the argument relies on selected textual examples and a broad chronological sweep; causal claims are sometimes hedged (e.g., Porphyry’s sinister *daimones* “possibly as a result of Christian influence”), and no systematic corpus or comparative sampling is described.
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- Interpretationreasoning§ Abstract · p. 1
Conceptualization of the ghostly world is not merely a reflection of shifts in cultural attitudes but a deliberate construct designed to bolster the powerful.
“proposes that conceptualization of the ghostly world does not merely re ect shifts in cultural attitudes but is a deliberate construct designed to bolster the powerful.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationnone given§ Abstract · p. 1
The transformation of Greek daimōn (spirit, god, genius) into the negative 'demon' encodes a triumph of the Jewish and Christian worldview over the Greek and Roman counterpart.
“The transformation in fact encodes a triumph of the Jewish and Christian worldview over their Greek and Roman counterpart.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Premisereasoning§ Abstract · p. 1
In Platonism, daimones became the only mediators between gods and humans.
“They became particularly prominent in Platonism, which admitted of no commingling between gods and humans, and daimones became the only mediators between the two realms.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [1]
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- Interpretationreasoning§ Abstract · p. 1
By colonizing the dead, the Empire localized in itself both political and religious power that would last until its eventual collapse.
“In so doing, the Empire succeeded in colonizing the dead and localized in itself both political and religious power that would last until its eventual collapse.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Premisecitation§ Daimo ̄ n as Site of Contestation · p. 3
Homer used daimōn as a catch-all term for anything that might have a supernatural cause.
“Homer, to go back to the origins of Greek literature, used daimo ̄ n as a catch-all term for anything that might have a supernatural cause.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [12]
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- Interpretationreasoning§ The Empire Strikes Back: Ghost and the Emperor's Personal Daimo ̄ n · p. 8
The high exaltation of the daimon resulted in an increasing separation between body and soul.
“This high exaltation of the daimo ̄ n resulted in an increasing separation between body and soul.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Premisecitation§ Abstract · p. 2
Augustine identified the chief sin of the daimones as pride (superbia) because it usurped the glory due God alone.
“The chief sin of the Dai-mones was their pride ( superbia ) because it usurped the glory that was due God alone.”
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- Premisereasoning§ The Empire Strikes Back: Ghost and the Emperor's Personal Daimo ̄ n · p. 8
The daimon was not external to the self but was inextricably bound up with it.
“This daimo ̄ n was not external to the self but was inextricably bound up with it.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationnone given§ Augustine's Reinstatement of the Body as Counterstrategy · p. 9
Augustine of Hippo subverted the power edifice by reinstating the body in one's identity.
“The counterstrategy from below came from an unexpected source, Augustine of Hippo, who subverted the power edig7Fce by, ironically, reinstating the body in one's identity.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Interpretationreasoning§ The Empire Strikes Back: Ghost and the Emperor's Personal Daimo ̄ n · p. 9
The daimon-soul equation was a negotiation ploy to insist that both rulers and the ruled be governed by the same construct, resulting in a hoped-for egalitarian vision.
“It was a clever negotiation ploy to insist that both rulers and the ruled be governed by the same construct, resulting in a hoped-for egalitarian vision.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Premisecitation§ Augustine's Reinstatement of the Body as Counterstrategy · p. 9
Sacrifices offered at the memorials of martyrs were offered in fact to God, not to the martyrs.
“What outsiders might not realize was that sacrig7Fces offered at the memorials of martyrs were offered in fact to God, not to the martyrs.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Premisecitation§ Daimo ̄ n as Site of Contestation · p. 4
Pythagoras, Thales, and later Plutarch took daimones as men of the mythic golden ages acting as protecting deities and bridging the gap between gods and men.
“Pythagoras, Thales, and later Plutarch all followed this construct to take daimones as 'men of the mythic golden ages, acting as protecting deities, and bridging the gap between gods ( theoi ) and men.'”
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- Interpretationreasoning§ Abstract · p. 2
The demonization of daimōn opens a window into the complex interaction between Christianity and the social and political conditions of Late Antiquity.
“The demonization of daimo ̄ n thus opens up a window into the complex interaction between Christianity and the social and political conditions of Late Antiquity.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationreasoning§ Abstract · p. 2
Instead of a straight-line development, biblical daimonology underwent social changes alongside the vicissitudes of the Empire's fortunes before emerging triumphant.
“Instead of a straight-line development, therefore, biblical daimonology underwent social changes alongside the vicissitudes of the Empire's fortunes before emerging triumphant.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Premisecitation§ Daimo ̄ n as Site of Contestation · p. 3
Hesiod distinguished four classes of rational beings: gods, daimones, heroes, and humans.
“Hesiod distinguished 'four classes of rational beings' ( to n logiko n tessara gene ): gods, daimones , heroes, and humans.”
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- Interpretationreasoning§ The Empire Strikes Back: Ghost and the Emperor's Personal Daimo ̄ n · p. 9
Marcus Aurelius's daimon, 'the god' inside, is the guide to and protector of both his private and political life.
“His daimo ̄ n , 'the god' inside, is the guide to and protector of both his private and political life.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim- Rests on an assumption: A separation between the private and the public was neither possible nor desirable.
- Premisecitation§ The Empire Strikes Back: Ghost and the Emperor's Personal Daimo ̄ n · p. 8
Marcus Aurelius in his Meditations called his own reasoning faculty his highest self and a divine fragment.
“In his Meditations, he famously called his own reasoning faculty his highest self and a divine fragment.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationreasoning§ The Empire Strikes Back: Ghost and the Emperor's Personal Daimo ̄ n · p. 8
The emperor's co-optation of the daimon must be seen as his own counterstrategy to the daimon-soul equation's use by the masses.
“If the daimo ̄ n was enlisted in the power relation between the ruler and the ruled, and if the location of the daimo ̄ n in the highest self of an individual was, at least initially, a strategy for the masses to tip the balance back in their favor, then the emperor's co-optation of the daimo ̄ n must be seen as his own counterstrategy.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim- Rests on an assumption: An emperor's personal daimon could not help being drawn into a vortex of power relations.
- Interpretationreasoning§ The Empire Strikes Back: Ghost and the Emperor's Personal Daimo ̄ n · p. 9
Whatever high status the daimon had enjoyed as part of an emperor's or powerful man's bodily existence was now permanently enshrined in a new but same identity after incorporation into a divine hierarchy that no commoner could challenge and no ordinary person could aspire to.
“Whatever high status it had enjoyed as part of the emperor's, or for that matter any powerful man's, bodily existence was now permanently enshrined in a new but same identity after it had been incorporated into a divine hierarchy, a hierarchy that no commoner could challenge and to which no ordinary person could aspire.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Premisereasoning§ The Empire Strikes Back: Ghost and the Emperor's Personal Daimo ̄ n · p. 8
Marcus Aurelius called the daimon 'my god and daimon'.
“Little surprise, then, that Marcus called it 'my god and daimo ̄ n ' (5.10).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationreasoning§ Conclusion: Augustine's Construction of the Daimonic · p. 12
In rejecting Neoplatonist anthropology, Augustine in effect also rejected the common view of equating the daimones to the souls of the departed.
“In rejecting the Neoplatonist anthropology, however, Augustine in effect also rejected the common view of equating the daimones to the souls of the departed.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Premisereasoning§ Conclusion: Augustine's Construction of the Daimonic · p. 13
Augustine's church replicated, in its model relations with the other world, the social experience of the contemporary Roman Empire.
“Augustine's church, by contrast, '[replicated], in its model relations with the other world, the social experience of the contemporary Roman Empire.'”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Premisereasoning§ Augustine's Reinstatement of the Body as Counterstrategy · p. 10
Augustine concluded that daimones were false and deceitful mediators.
“Daimones, Augustine concluded, were 'false and deceitful mediators' ( De civitate dei 9.18).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites De civitate dei 9.18
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- Interpretationreasoning§ Augustine's Reinstatement of the Body as Counterstrategy · p. 12
Augustine's emphasis on the body became a critique of anything that would claim to compete with the glory of the transcendent God.
“Augustine's emphasis on the body became then a critique of anything that would claim to compete with the glory of the transcendent God.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationcitation§ Augustine's Reinstatement of the Body as Counterstrategy · p. 11
The real culprit was not the body itself but the corruptibility of the body that came as a result of sin.
“Seen in this context, the real culprit was not the body itself but the corruptibility of the body that came as result of sin.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Premisecitation§ Conclusion: Augustine's Construction of the Daimonic · p. 12
Augustine was clear that what made a human being human was the integration of body and soul.
“To follow the philosophers, with Ambrose his teacher foremost among them, to see death as the departure of the soul from the body, would essentially deg7Fne the person as a soul, whereas Augustine was quite clear that what made a human being human was the integration of body and soul ( De civitate dei 13.24).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites De civitate dei 13.24
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- Premisereasoning§ Conclusion: Augustine's Construction of the Daimonic · p. 12
Augustine reserved the term daimon for rebellious spirits, companions or underlings of the devil who stood in opposition to God and were the cause of calamities, lies, and human miseries.
“Otherwise, the common soul would not linger to become daimo ̄ n; Augustine reserved the term for rebellious spirits, companions or underlings of the devil who stood in opposition to God and were the cause of calamities, lies, and human miseries.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationreasoning§ Conclusion: Augustine's Construction of the Daimonic · p. 12
In the contestation over daimones, Augustine chose to put the stress on the body.
“In the contestation over daimones , Augustine chose to put the stress on the body.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Interpretationnone given§ Augustine's Reinstatement of the Body as Counterstrategy · p. 9
To Augustine, daimonic mediatorship could only be evil.
“Nowhere were the daimones mentioned that philosophers and even some Christian theologians had come to accept as beneg7Fcent mediators between the gods and humans, because to Augustine daimonic mediatorship could only be evil.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Premisenone given§ Augustine's Reinstatement of the Body as Counterstrategy · p. 10
Augustine rejected the position that daimones could be detached souls because he thought them morally deficient.
“More important, however, Augustine rejected the position that daimones could be detached souls because he thought them morally deg7Fcient.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationreasoning§ Augustine's Reinstatement of the Body as Counterstrategy · p. 10
Augustine exposed a fatal flaw in the prevailing understanding of death: that it was a good because it would release the soul from the body.
“With this critique, Augustine exposed a fatal aw in the prevailing understanding of death: that it was a good because it would release the soul from the body.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
- It may state two separate claims as one. 35
- Probably not a substantial claim. 14
It may state two separate claims as one.
Premisecitation§ Abstract · p. 2For Porphyry, daimones had begun to take on a more consistently sinister hue, possibly due to Christian influence, and were seen as purveyors of falsehood and evil and authors of human misery.
“For the later Neoplatonist Porphyry, however, there is ample evidence that these daimones had begun to take on a more consistently sinister hue, possibly as a result of Christian in uence, being seen now as purveyors of falsehood and evil and authors of human misery.”
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Interpretationreasoning§ Abstract · p. 1Armed with monotheism and constructed power over the spiritual and ghostly realm, imperial Christianity imposed a rigid interpretation of the spiritual world and monopolized the cult of the dead.
“Armed with monotheism and its constructed power over the spiritual and ghostly realm, imperial Christianity was able to impose a rigid interpretation of the spiritual world and monopolize the cult of the dead.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimIt may state two separate claims as one.
Premisecitation§ Abstract · p. 1Daimōn in Classical Greek could mean a god, a divinity, a spirit, or even a demon.
“Daimo ̄ n was a god, a divinity, a spirit, even a demon in Classical Greek.”
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Premisecitation§ Abstract · p. 1Both good and evil daimones were thought to inhabit the intermediate space between gods and humans and to have power to affect human affairs beneficially or detrimentally.
“Both good and evil daimones were thought to inhabit the intermediate space between the highest reaches of the gods and goddesses and the lowly human realm”
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Premisecitation§ Daimo ̄ n as Site of Contestation · p. 4To Empedocles, all immoral acts and treacheries ascribed to the gods in ancient legends had been committed by bad daimones, preserving both the validity of the legends and the worthiness of the gods.
“All the immoral acts and treacheries ascribed to the gods according to ancient legends had been committed by the bad daimones , thus preserving at once the validity of ancient legends and the worthiness of the gods.”
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Premisecitation§ Abstract · p. 2Augustine frequently rejected his predecessors' positions, including denying Eusebius's encomium of Constantine as divine and correcting Ambrose on the 'good death.'
“Augustine himself rejected his predecessors' positions frequently, denying, for example, Eusebius's encomium of Emperor Constantine as divine and his enthusiasm for the Empire.”
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Premisenone given§ Abstract · p. 2Texts rarely determine their own appropriation; culturally informed interpreters do.
“In any case, texts rarely determine their own appropriation; culturally informed interpreters do.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimIt may state two separate claims as one.
Premisecitation§ The Empire Strikes Back: Ghost and the Emperor's Personal Daimo ̄ n · p. 8In Meditations 5.27, mind and reason (logos) were identified as daimon, and functionally the daimon and soul were regarded as one and the same.
“In Meditations 5.27 cited previously, mind and reason ( logos ) were identig7Fed as daimo ̄ n , and functionally the daimo ̄ n and soul were regarded as one and the same.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimProbably not a substantial claim. The authors may not put it forward as true. It may be too vague to check against evidence. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
Interpretationnone given§ Daimo ̄ n as Site of Contestation · p. 4The tension between daimonic thinking is more productively analyzed in terms of power relations in the struggle between the ruling class and the ruled than in terms of 'high' and 'low' cultures.
“Instead of dividing these two strands of daimonic thinking between 'high' and 'low' cultures, I wonder if it is not more productive to analyze the tension in terms of power relation in the eternal struggle between the ruling class and the ruled.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimIt may state two separate claims as one.
Premisecitation§ Daimo ̄ n as Site of Contestation · p. 4Empedocles held that daimones formed a link between gods and humanity because they were no longer immortal but long-lived and subject to human passions, and could be both good and bad.
“Empedocles formalized the distance between the two by positing that daimones by their nature formed a link between gods and humanity because they were no longer immortal 'but long-lived and subject to human passions.'”
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Interpretationreasoning§ Daimo ̄ n as Site of Contestation · p. 3Because of its malleability, daimōn as a conceptual entity opens a window into how the supernatural was constructed at various times and what those constructions tell us about their corresponding sociopolitical realities.
“But precisely because of its malleability, the term as a conceptual entity opens a window into how the supernatural was constructed at various times and what these constructions tell us about their corresponding sociopolitical realities.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimIt may state two separate claims as one.
Premisereasoning§ The Empire Strikes Back: Ghost and the Emperor's Personal Daimo ̄ n · p. 8Marcus Aurelius considered his daimon to be divine, equated it to a god, and thought it deserved worship.
“That Marcus considered his daimo ̄ n to be divine can be documented by how frequently he equated it to a god and why it deserved worship.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
Premisecitation§ The Empire Strikes Back: Ghost and the Emperor's Personal Daimo ̄ n · p. 8The daimon was said to be enthroned in a person to guide conduct and control passions.
“The daimo ̄ n was said to be 'enthroned' in a person to guide his conducts and control his passions”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim. It may state two separate claims as one.
Premisenone given§ Daimo ̄ n as Site of Contestation · p. 3Daimōn was an amorphous word capable of great flexibility and could tolerate a broad range of interpretations.
“What makes daimo ̄ n difg7Fcult to tame is that it was an amorphous word capable of great exibility and could tolerate a broad range of interpretations.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimIt may state two separate claims as one.
Premisecitation§ Daimo ̄ n as Site of Contestation · p. 3In Hesiod, daimones were no longer thought immortal like the theoi but were given a lifespan of 9,720 years and relocated above humans but below the theoi.
“In contrast to the Homeric pantheon, daimones were no longer thought to be immortal as the theoi but were given a lifespan of 9,720 years.”
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Premisecitation§ Daimo ̄ n as Site of Contestation · p. 4An analysis of power examines agonistic relations in society, exposing the specific strategies used by the dominant and the dominated to interact with and counteract each other.
“An analysis of power is therefore an examination of the agonistic relations in society, consisting of exposing the specig7Fc strategies used by the dominant and by the dominated to interact with and to counteract each other.”
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Premisecitation§ Augustine's Reinstatement of the Body as Counterstrategy · p. 9Augustine pointed out that Christians did not and would not worship the dead, even martyrs, and had established no temples, priesthoods, rites, or sacrifices for martyrs.
“Augustine pointed out that Christians did not and would not worship the dead, even those who have died such meritorious deaths as the martyrs. Christians had established no temples, priesthoods, rites, or sacrig7Fces for martyrs, he said ( De civitate dei 8.27).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites De civitate dei 8.27
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Interpretationreasoning§ The Empire Strikes Back: Ghost and the Emperor's Personal Daimo ̄ n · p. 9The daimon-soul equation began as a counterstrategy of the powerless that placed all people on equal footing.
“The daimo ̄ n -soul equation began as a counterstrategy of the powerless that placed all people on equal footing.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimIt may state two separate claims as one.
Premisereasoning§ The Empire Strikes Back: Ghost and the Emperor's Personal Daimo ̄ n · p. 9Mostly only members of the imperial family could acquire divine status upon death, and all gods and goddesses were daimones of dead heroes and dead kings and queens.
“It was therefore no accident that mostly only members of the imperial family could acquire a divine status upon death, and that all gods and goddesses were daimones of dead heroes and dead kings and queens.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim. It may state two separate claims as one.
Premisecitation§ Daimo ̄ n as Site of Contestation · p. 4Power is exercised rather than possessed and is located in relations between groups using specific strategies, not held statically by any group or person.
“Power is not something that is acquired, seized, or shared, something that one holds on to or allows to slip away; power is exercised from innumerable points, in the interplay of nonegalitarian and mobile relations.”
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Premisecitation§ Daimo ̄ n as Site of Contestation · p. 3In the Homeric poems, a known god was named explicitly, while daimōn was used when characters could not identify the supernatural agent.
“Whereas the Homeric poems would name a known god explicitly, the poet used daimo ̄ n in cases where his characters were unable to identify the supernatural agent”
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Interpretationreasoning§ The Empire Strikes Back: Ghost and the Emperor's Personal Daimo ̄ n · p. 9The intelligence-soul-daimon had been severed from the body and was thus free to continue its position of dominance into the indefinite future.
“Lest we forget, this intelligence-souldaimo ̄ n had been severed from the body and was thus free to continue its position of dominance into the indeg7Fnite future.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimIt may state two separate claims as one.
Premisecitation§ Daimo ̄ n as Site of Contestation · p. 3In Hesiod's scheme, daimones could become fully divine by demonstrating supreme excellence, and could be clothed with mortal bodies if they yielded to passion and temptation.
“The daimones likewise could climb the ladder, so that if they could demonstrate their 'supreme excellence' they could be made fully divine.”
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Interpretationreasoning§ The Empire Strikes Back: Ghost and the Emperor's Personal Daimo ̄ n · p. 9The daimon-soul strategy was co-opted by the ruling class, who subverted its popular individualism and transformed it for the maintenance of elite superiority.
“Soon, however, this strategy was co-opted by the ruling class who succeeded in not only subverting the popular individualism of the daimo ̄ n -soul equation but transforming it for the maintenance of the superiority of the elite.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimIt may state two separate claims as one.
Interpretationreasoning§ The Empire Strikes Back: Ghost and the Emperor's Personal Daimo ̄ n · p. 9Stripped of the body, distinct marks that set nobility apart from commoners would be erased, and all would be reduced to the status of mortals.
“Stripped of the body, distinct marks that set nobility apart from commoners would be erased, and all would be reduced to the status of mortals.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimIt may state two separate claims as one.
Premisecitation§ The Empire Strikes Back: Ghost and the Emperor's Personal Daimo ̄ n · p. 8The daimon was an object of devotion, true worship, and obedience.
“But it was also the object of devotion (3.7), even true worship ( gne ̄ sio s therapuein ) and obedience (2.13).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimIt may state two separate claims as one.
Interpretationreasoning§ The Empire Strikes Back: Ghost and the Emperor's Personal Daimo ̄ n · p. 8Marcus Aurelius considered the daimon to be none other than one's soul, which properly belonged to a person and defined him.
“One might even conclude that Marcus considered the daimo ̄ n to be none other than one's soul, which properly belonged to a person and deg7Fned him.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimIt may state two separate claims as one.
Premisecitation§ Daimo ̄ n as Site of Contestation · p. 3Homer's daimōn could not enter human bodies and only rarely initiated physical actions, but its incorporeal body made it higher than mortals and qualified it as a god or as divine.
“Homer's daimo ̄ n could not enter human bodies and only rarely initiated physical actions, but its incorporeal body made it higher than mortals and naturally qualig7Fed it as a god or as mere divine.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [12]
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
It may state two separate claims as one.
Premisecitation§ Abstract · p. 2Biblical thought did not exercise uniform control over all Christian writers leading up to Augustine; many deviated from the biblical pattern and interpreted the text to accommodate the norms of their day.
“But biblical thought did not exercise uniform control over all Christian writers leading up to Augustine; many deviated from the biblical pattern and interpreted the text to accommodate the norms of their day.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [5]
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Probably not a substantial claim.
Premisecitation§ Augustine's Reinstatement of the Body as Counterstrategy · p. 9Christian veneration of the martyrs must be sharply distinguished from the worship of daimones because of its nature and purpose.
“Despite their superg7Fcial resemblance, therefore, the Christian veneration of the martyrs must be sharply distinguished from the worship of daimones, according to Augustine, because of its nature and purpose:”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimIt may state two separate claims as one.
Premisecitation§ Abstract · p. 2Augustine held that there were no good daimones, only angels, and denied daimones an intermediary role between God and humans.
“This downward spiral reached its logical conclusion in Augustine, for whom there were no good daimones , only angels.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 2 sources checked- cites [3]
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- cites [4]
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
Premisecitation§ The Empire Strikes Back: Ghost and the Emperor's Personal Daimo ̄ n · p. 8Nothing and nobody could force one to disobey the dictate of the divine daimon within.
“Nothing and nobody could force one to disobey the dictate of this divine daimo ̄ n within (5.10).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimIt may state two separate claims as one.
Premisecitation§ Daimo ̄ n as Site of Contestation · p. 3In Hesiod's scheme, boundaries between the four classes were rigid but not absolutely impermeable, with freedom of movement granted only to the better souls.
“The boundaries between Hesiod's four classes of rational beings were rigid but not absolutely impermeable, but freedom of movement was granted only 'to the better souls.'”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 3 sources checked- cites [14]
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- cites [15]
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- cites [16]
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
It may state two separate claims as one.
Interpretationreasoning§ Conclusion: Augustine's Construction of the Daimonic · p. 13Augustine's church was headed up by elites who in the increasingly weakening state of the Empire became powerful lords in their own right, and that power imbalance would continue to define the church and its polity into and throughout the Middle Ages.
“Augustine's church was headed up by elites who in the increasingly weakening state of the Empire became powerful lords in their own right. That power imbalance would continue to deg7Fne the church and its polity into and throughout the Middle Ages.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimProbably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
Premisenone given§ Conclusion: Augustine's Construction of the Daimonic · p. 13Paul's body in 1 Corinthians was an egalitarian vision that turned the Stoics' hierarchical understanding of the body metaphor on its head.
“Paul's body in 1 Corinthians 1214 was an egalitarian vision that turned the Stoics' hierarchical understanding of the body metaphor on its head.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimIt may state two separate claims as one.
Premisecitation§ Augustine's Reinstatement of the Body as Counterstrategy · p. 11Augustine concluded that a form of dying must be taking place already while the soul was still joined to the body, but true death could only mean denying the nature and purpose of each.
“So Augustine concluded that a form of dying must be taking place already while the soul was still joined to the body, but true death could only mean denying the nature and purpose of each ( De civitate dei 19.28).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites De civitate dei 19.28
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
It may state two separate claims as one.
Premisecitation§ Augustine's Reinstatement of the Body as Counterstrategy · p. 11Augustine insisted that death not be seen as a good or even something that could achieve good; death came into the world because of sin, and this penalty could not be ignored without minimizing the severe consequences of sin.
“In contradistinction, Augustine insisted that we not see death as a good or even something that could achieve good. Death came into the world because of sin, and this penalty could not be ignored without minimizing the severe consequences of sin.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimIt may state two separate claims as one.
Premisecitation§ Augustine's Reinstatement of the Body as Counterstrategy · p. 10The only daimones that could serve as mediators between the gods and humans were evil angels; good angels could not because they were both immortal and blessed, sharing nothing in common with miserable human beings.
“Because they share immortality with the immortals and misery with the mortals,' the only daimones that could serve as mediators between the gods and humans were 'evil angels.' Good angels could not be mediators either because they were both immortal and blessed, thus sharing nothing in common with miserable human beings ( De civitate dei 9.15).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites De civitate dei 9.15
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
It may state two separate claims as one.
Premisereasoning§ Augustine's Reinstatement of the Body as Counterstrategy · p. 11The resurrected body would be a final integration of the whole person, body and soul, mirroring Christ's incarnation and resurrection.
“By the same token, the resurrected body would be a g7Fnal integration of the whole person, body and soul, in a way that would mirror Christ's incarnation and his resurrection-that is, there would be coherence in that integration.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimProbably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
Premisereasoning§ Augustine's Reinstatement of the Body as Counterstrategy · p. 10Death as a separation between body and soul was a common view among Christians and non-Christians alike in Late Antiquity.
“Death as a separation between body and soul was a common view among Christians and non-Christians alike in Late Antiquity.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimIt may state two separate claims as one.
Premisereasoning§ Augustine's Reinstatement of the Body as Counterstrategy · p. 10The immortal bodies of daimones were a liability, for their miserable souls would never be released from their body, making daimones more miserable than men because of the unending prison of their bodies.
“In that case, the immortal bodies of the daimones turned out to be not an asset but a liability, for their miserable souls would never be released from their body, as a result of which daimones were 'more miserable than men because of the unending prison of their bodies' ( De civitate dei 9.9).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites De civitate dei 9.9
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
It may state two separate claims as one.
Premisecitation§ Augustine's Reinstatement of the Body as Counterstrategy · p. 11With the reinstatement of the body, Augustine was in a position to declare the death of a martyr 'victory'; by victory he meant first of all a defeat of all the daimones, achieved not through violence but by means of divine virtue.
“With the reinstatement of the body, Augustine was in a position to declare the death of a martyr 'victory' ( De civitate dei 8.27 in quote cited earlier). By victory, he meant g7Frst of all a defeat of all the daimones : 'Our martyrs would be called heroes (if, as I said, ecclesiastic usage allowed) not because they are joined in community with the demons in the air but because they defeated those”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 2 sources checked- cites De civitate dei 8.27
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- cites De civitate dei 10.21
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Probably not a substantial claim.
Interpretationreasoning§ Augustine's Reinstatement of the Body as Counterstrategy · p. 11Calling martyrs 'victors' requires a subversion of language and categories because they had been executed by the state and defeated by the violent apparatus of the Empire.
“Calling martyrs 'victors' requires a subversion of language and categories because they had been executed by the state and defeated by the violent apparatus of the Empire.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimIt may state two separate claims as one.
Premisecitation§ Augustine's Reinstatement of the Body as Counterstrategy · p. 11Augustine cited Wisdom of Solomon 9.15 in support of a positive view of the body: it had been created good, but because of sin and sinfulness, it had become corruptible.
“In pointed contradiction to Plotinus ( Enneads 9.6.9), Augustine cited Wisdom of Solomon 9.15 in support of a positive view of the body: It had been created good, but because of sin and sinfulness, it had become corruptible.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Wisdom of Solomon 9.15
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no reason why it holds. It may state two separate claims as one.
Premisereasoning§ Augustine's Reinstatement of the Body as Counterstrategy · p. 11In spite of sin and death, creation has not been separated from God even after the fall; true death would come only as a result of a permanent separation from God.
“In spite of sin and death, therefore, creation has not been separated from God even after the fall; true death would come only as a result of a permanent separation from God.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
The paper relies on this without support.
A separation between the private and the public was neither possible nor desirable.
“But a separation between the private and the public was neither possible 46”
The paper relies on this without support.
An emperor's personal daimon could not help being drawn into a vortex of power relations.
“But by dint of an emperor's position as supreme ruler, one would suspect that his personal daimo ̄ n could not helping being drawn into a vortex of power relations.”
Citations
Metadata
- Authors
- Wan, S.-K.
- Corresponding author
- Wan, Sze-kar
- Venue
- Oxford Scholarship Online
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Published
- 2017-06-22
- OpenAlex
- W4241660706
- Cited by
- 0
- References
- 0
- FWCI
- 0.00
- Type
- book
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Oxford University Press eBooks (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Classics › Classical Antiquity Studies
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Religious studies › Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Religious studies › Biblical Studies and Interpretation
- Keywords
- daimon, demons, cult of the dead, monotheism, Roman religion, ghosts, supernatural, ancient Greek religion, Roman Empire
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