Article 10 — Whether by means of certain sensible and corporeal objects, deeds, or words, the demons are forced to work the miracles that seem to occur by magic

The tenth point of inquiry is whether demons, by certain sensible and corporeal objects, deeds, or words, are forced to work the miracles that seem to occur by magic. (Parallel texts: ST I.113.3, ad 3; I.110.4, ad 2, ad 3.)

Obj. 1: And it seems that they can. For Augustine quotes Porphyry as saying that a certain man in Chaldea, seized with envy, bound adjured spiritual powers, by means of his prayers, not to grant the requests of someone else. (Augustine, City of God 10.9 (PL 41:287).) And he says: unless the demons first gave the information, it was not possible to know what any one of them desired or disliked, by what name he was to be invoked or compelled. (Augustine, City of God 21.6 (PL 41:717).) Therefore, demons are compelled to produce magical effects.

Obj. 2: Whosoever does a thing against his own will is in some way compelled. Now, demons sometimes do a thing against their will when they are adjured by magicians. Thus, it is always the devil’s will to lead men into sin; and yet, a man may be incited to base love by magic, and by the same art he may be freed from the violence of the incitement. Therefore, demons are compelled by magicians.

Obj. 3: It is related of Solomon that he performed certain exorcisms whereby the demons were compelled to withdraw from bodies with which they were obsessed. Therefore, demons can be compelled by adjuration.

Obj. 4: If demons come when invoked by a magician, this is because they are either enticed or compelled. But they are not always invoked by being enticed, since sometimes they are adjured through things they hate, for instance, through the virginity of the one calling on them, since they themselves are ever inciting men to concubinage. Therefore, it seems that they are sometimes compelled.

Obj. 5: It is the constant zeal of demons to turn men away from God. Nevertheless, they obey the summons when they are adjured through things that signify a reverence to God, for instance, by one’s invoking of God’s majesty. Therefore, they do this not willingly but under compulsion.

Obj. 6: If they are enticed by sensible objects, it is not as animals are enticed by food but as spirits are drawn by such signs as give pleasure, for instance, different kinds of stones, herbs, trees, animals, chants, and rites, as Augustine says. (Augustine, City of God 21.6 (PL 41:717).) Yet apparently they are not drawn by signs; for only those are drawn by signs who make use of signs, and these are only those who are possess senses, inasmuch as a sign is that which, besides the impression it makes on the senses, brings something else to our knowledge. Therefore, demons are in no way enticed but are only compelled.

Obj. 7: A certain man said to Jesus: Lord, have pity on my son, for he is a lunatic and suffers much (Matt 17:14); and it is said: I have brought my son to you, having a dumb spirit (Mark 9:16). Now the Gloss observes on the words quoted from Matthew: him Mark calls deaf and dumb whom Matthew describes as a “lunatic”—not that the moon obeys the demons, but that the demon, by observing the moon’s course, has an evil influence on man. (Glossa interlinearis, at Matthew 17:14 (in Glossa ordinaria 5, 293).) It would seem, then, that by observing the heavenly bodies and other material things, the demons may be compelled to do this or that.

Obj. 8: Seeing that demons sinned by pride, it is hardly likely that they are enticed by things that are derogatory to their superior nature. Yet they are adjured by invocations of their power and by the most incredible falsehoods, all of which is derogatory to their knowledge. Hence, Augustine, in The City of God 10, quotes Porphyry as saying: why should a weak man threaten or seek by falsehood to extract the truth? For he will threaten to make the heavens fall and do other like things impossible to man such that the gods, like silly children overawed by false and absurd threats, may obey his behest. (Augustine, City of God 10.11 (PL 41:290).) Therefore, the demons are invoked not by being enticed but by being compelled.

Obj. 9: The demons’ endeavor is to bring men to idolatry, and they compass this chiefly through their presence in images. Now, if they came of their own accord, they would always come to such things. But they come only at certain times and when invoked by certain chants and rites, and then only to certain consecrated or rather execrated images. Demons, therefore, are invoked not by being enticed but by compulsion.

Obj. 10: Sometimes demons are invoked by magic art in order that they may turn men to base love. But, demons endeavor to do this of their own accord; therefore, there would be no use in enticing them to do this, if they did so whenever they were invoked. Now, they do not do so always. Therefore, when they do they are invoked, not as being enticed, but as being compelled.

On the contrary (1), it is written: there is no power upon earth that can be compared with him (Job 41:24), namely, the devil. Now, a greater power is not compelled by a lesser. Therefore, nothing on earth can compel the demons.

Furthermore (2), to be invoked and to be compelled apply to different subjects: we invoke those who are above, and we compel those who are beneath, according to Porphyry. Now, demons come when called; therefore, they are not compelled.

But it will be replied (3) that they are compelled by the power of God.

On the contrary, I reply that to compel the demons by calling upon the power of God, is the effect of the gift of grace by which the order of heavenly powers is fulfilled. Now, this gift is not in unbelievers and wicked men, like sorcerers. Therefore, neither can the demons be compelled by invoking the divine power.

Furthermore (4), it is no sin to do what is done chiefly by the divine power, for instance, to work miracles. If, then, magicians were to compel the demons by the power of God, they would not sin in employing the magic arts, which is plainly false. Therefore, the demons cannot in any way be compelled by magic.

I answer that there have been many opinions about the things done by the magic arts.

Some, like Alexander, (Cf. q. 6, a. 3.) have said that the effects produced by magic are the result of powers and energies generated in the lower world by the powers of certain lower bodies, along with an observation of the heavenly movements. Hence, Augustine states that Porphyry believed that it is possible for men to employ herbs, stones, animals, certain sounds and voices, figures, and various forms of trickery, as well as to observe the movement of the stars in the revolution of the heavens, to conjure up forces conducive to the various effects of the stars. (Augustine, City of God 10.11 (PL 41:290).)

However, this opinion seems to be inadequate. For even though the natural forces of higher and lower bodies may suffice to produce some of the results ascribed to witchcraft, such as certain transmutations of bodies, nevertheless there are certain results of magical arts that are altogether beyond the scope of material forces. For it is plain that speech can only come from an intelligence, and through the magic arts certain speeches of certain respondents are heard; therefore, this must proceed from an intelligence, especially since these answers sometimes convey information about hidden matters.

Nor can it be said that this is done by influencing the imagination alone by some sort of trickery; for in that case, these voices would not be heard by all the bystanders, nor could they be heard by those who are awake and have full use of their senses.

It follows, then, that these answers proceed either from the power of the soul of the magician or from some outside intellectual agency.

The former is clearly impossible for two reasons.

First, because a man’s soul cannot, by its own power, come to the knowledge of hidden matters unless through things already known to him; whence by a human soul’s will there cannot arise any revelation of hidden matters that is produced by the magic arts, since the principles of reason are insufficient to lead to the knowledge of those hidden matters.

Second, because if the magician’s soul produced these results by its own power, it would not need to resort to invocations or other like external means.

It is clear, therefore, that these results of magic are produced by some external spirits; however, this is not by righteous and good spirits. And this is clear for two reasons.

First, because good spirits would not associate themselves with wicked men, such as are the majority of magicians.

Second, because they would not cooperate with man in wrong-doing, which is often the result of magic. It remains, then, for us to conclude that they are produced by evil spirits whom we call demons.

These demons may be said to be compelled in two ways: first, by a higher power that forces them to act of necessity; second; by way of enticement, even as a man is said to be compelled to do something when he is drawn by his desire. In neither way, however, properly speaking, can demons be compelled by material things, unless we suppose them to have aerial bodies naturally united to them and, consequently, sensible affections like other animals; thus, Apuleius believed that demons are animals with aerial bodies and passive souls. (Augustine, City of God 8.16 (PL 41:241).) For in that case they could be compelled in either way by a corporeal power: either that of the heavenly bodies (by whose action they might be led to certain passions) or of these lower bodies that might be to them an object of pleasure. Thus, Apuleius says that they delight in the smoke of sacrifices and such like things. (Lucius Apuleius Madaurensis (ca. 124–170 AD), On the God of Socrates.) This opinion, however, has been shown to be false in the previous articles.

We conclude, then, that the demons which give success to the magic art may be both compelled and enticed. They are indeed compelled by a higher being: sometimes by God himself, sometimes through the divine power by holy angels and men. Thus, the demons are said to be curbed by the angelic order of Powers. Moreover, holy men, just as they participate in the gift of the Virtues inasmuch as they work miracles, so do they share in the gift of the Powers inasmuch as they cast out devils.

Sometimes, too, they are compelled by superior demons; and this compulsion alone can be effected by means of magic. They may also be compelled, being as it were enticed by the magic arts, not indeed by means of corporeal things for their own sake, but for the sake of something else.

First, because they are aware that the result for which they are invoked can be more easily produced by such corporeal things, and they want their power to be an object of admiration; and for this reason they are more ready to obey the summons when they are invoked under certain constellations.

Second, insofar as these corporeal things are signs of certain spiritual things that please them. Hence, Augustine says that demons are enticed by these things, not as animals are by food but as spirits by signs. (Augustine, City of God 21.6 (PL 41:717).) For because men in token of their subjection to God offer sacrifice and prostrate themselves, the demons delight in having such tokens of reverence offered to them. Moreover, different demons are enticed by different signs as corresponding better to their various vices.

Third, they are enticed by those corporeal things which lead men into sin; for this reason, they are enticed by lies and by anything that can lead men into error or sin.

Reply Obj. 1: Demons are said to be compelled by magic art in the ways given above.

Reply Obj. 2: The demon is quite content if, by preventing an evil and promoting a good, he makes it easier for himself to draw men into familiar converse with him and to become an object of admiration to them; thus, they even transform themselves into angels of light (2 Cor 11:14).

Reply Obj. 3: If Solomon performed these exorcisms when he was in a state of grace, these exorcisms could derive the power to compel the demons from the power of God. But if it was after he had turned to the worship of idols, so that we have to understand that he performed them by magic arts, these exorcisms had no power to compel the demons, except in the manner explained above.

Reply Obj. 4: The demons come when invoked by virgins in order to lead men to think that they are divine, as though they loved purity.

Reply Obj. 5: Again, by coming when adjured by the invocation of the divine majesty, they wish men to think that they are not utterly banished by the justice of God. For they do not desire to be as gods, as altogether equal to God, but rejoice in receiving from men divine worship under him.

Reply Obj. 6: Demons are not said to be enticed by signs as though they used signs; rather, seeing that men are wont to employ signs, they take pleasure in the signs employed by men on account of what they signify.

Reply Obj. 7: As the Gloss observes, (Glossa interlinearis, at Matthew 17:14 (in Glossa ordinaria 5, 293).) demons afflict men more at certain phases of the moon in order to bring God’s creatures into evil repute, by the fact that men believe them to serve the demons; and thus, they deceive men.

Reply Obj. 8: Although such lies would seem derogatory to the demons’ power, yet it pleases them that men believe in these lies; for the devil himself is a liar and the father of lies.

Reply Obj. 9: The demons become present to images when invoked at certain hours and by certain signs for reasons already given.

Reply Obj. 10: Although the demons ever desire to draw men into sin, they endeavor to do so all the more when they have a greater incentive and when there is a likelihood of a greater number being drawn into sin.