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Asmodeus Page 4 |
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Asmodeus A.E. BREEN The name of the demon mentioned in the
Book of Tobias (iii, 8). The name is most probably derived from the Hebrew
root meaning "to destroy": so that the being would correspond to the demon
called Abaddon, the Destroyer in the Apocalypse, ix, 11. The Book of Tobias
relates that the virgin Sara, the kinswoman of Tobias, had been given
successively to seven husbands; but they had all been slain on the night of
the nuptials, before the consummation of the marriage. From this fact, a
superstition had arisen that the demon loved the maiden and slew her
husbands through jealousy. In the Greek text of Tobias, it is stated that
the younger Tobias himself was moved by this superstition. The inspired text
in no way approves the superstition. God allowed the demon to slay these men
because they entered marriage with unholy motives. The pious youth, Tobias,
acting under the instructions of Raphael, takes Sara to wife, and Raphael
expels the demon. The exemplary chastity and temperance of Tobias and Sara
save them from the demon, and offer an example for mankind. In fact, the
permission given by God to the demon in this history seems to have as a
motive to chasten man's lust and sanctify marriage. The Rationalists have
vainly endeavoured to set down this history as a Persian myth. For a full
refutation of their theories, see Gutberlet, "Das Buch Tobias". (v) |
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Resource List - all entries are taken verbatim from the original source: (v) http://www.newadvent.org/ The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume II. Copyright © 1907 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by Kevin Knight. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York |
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