To browse Academia. This three-volume series, Demons, Spirits, Witches is the result of an interdisciplinary conference that was held in Budapest in Its fortythree papers collectively explore "the relationship, coexistence and conflicts of popular belief systems, Judeo-Christian mythology and [learned-SK] demonology in medieval, modern, and contemporary Europe" p. The articles vary considerably in methodology but they also complement each other, turning the series-like the conference upon which it is based-into a meeting point of ethnographers, historians, art and literary scholars, anthropologists, and students of religion.
Like the series, my review will follow a three-part structure and address only a selection of articles from each volume. The Phantom World by Henry Christmas, translated from the work of Augustine Calmet, presents an in-depth Christian examination of supernatural phenomena as understood within various cultural and historical contexts.
Structured as a comprehensive treatise, the book investigates a broad spectrum of apparitions, spirit encounters, angelic and demonic manifestations, sorcery, and otherworldly beings like vampires and revenants. By employing Christian theological frameworks alongside scriptural exegesis, it aims to both validate and critique accounts of the supernatural found in the Old and New Testaments, as well as in ancient Judaic, Greco-Roman, and Islamic traditions. A key focus of the work is on angelology and demonology, analyzing documented appearances of good and bad angels within biblical and extrabiblical sources.
The book scrutinizes theological perspectives on these beings and explores their supposed interventions in the mortal realm. It contrasts Christian views on apparitions and possessions with those of other faiths and philosophical schools, particularly examining pagan practices such as oracular prophecy, spirit summoning, and magical rites from the cultures of Egypt, Chaldea, Greece, and Rome.
The text also delves into demon possession and exorcism, presenting case studies and theological arguments surrounding possession, sorcery, and the power of faith in combating dark forces.
