Types of Texts Relating to Demons

Enochic demonology seems to have been an integral part of the worldview of Second Temple Judaism, both within and outside Qumran. The story was reinterpreted several times—but the core beliefs, that evil spirits are at work in everyday life and that they derive from celestial beings, remained unchanged.

Another genre that can help us understand beliefs about demons is “literary demonism”, i.e. narrative works in which demons play a role. The book of Tobit and the Aramaic Genesis Apocryphon (1Q20) are good examples of this.^{[187] [188] Such literary texts do not present a systematic demonology because their demonic figures are used for literary aims.}

Finally, apotropaic texts like 4Q560 (in Aramaic) and 11Q11 (in Hebrew), both discussed below, may have been used for practical purposes, i.e. to pre­vent or heal illness, physical harm, and mental disorders. Practical texts thus reflect the everyday ideas of their users regarding illness and healing.1⁵

Taken together, the theoretical, literary and practical texts attest to a strong interest in demonology. The use of Aramaic for many of the texts indicates a possible Mesopotamian origin for these traditions and texts.^{[189] [190] [191] [192] Aramaic was the language of mediation for the Mesopotamian sciences, including demon­ology. 1 Enoch was written before the Essene settlement at Qumran, and was probably brought there by members of the community?7 It is likely that the rest of the Aramaic texts were also written outside the community and brought there. Many of the Qumran Aramaic texts reflect the Mesopotamian milieu and its scholarly traditions, which suggests that they originated among Mesopotamian Jewish diaspora communities.}