Texts in Conversation
In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul calls pagan gods demons, language he rarely uses. This is similar to the Greek Septuagint and texts like 1 Enoch, where idol worship was really contact with evil spirits, suggesting Paul was influenced by these traditions.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
1 Enoch 19:1
Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
1 And Uriel said to me: 'Here shall stand the angels who have united with women, and their spirits, taking many different forms, are corrupting mankind and will lead them astray into sacrificing to demons as gods. Here they shall remain until the day of the great judgment when they will be judged and brought to an end. 2 And the women of the angels who went astray will become sirens.' 3 And I, Enoch, alone saw the vision, the ends of all things: and no man shall see as I have seen.
Date: 300 BCE – 100 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
1 Corinthians 10:20
New Testament
18 Look at the people of Israel. Are not those who eat the sacrifices partners in the altar? 19 Am I saying that idols or food sacrificed to them amount to anything? 20 No, I mean that what the pagans sacrifice is to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot take part in the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Or are we trying to provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we really stronger than he is?
Date: 55–57 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
Search:
Notes and References
"... It is worth pausing to consider the theology of Paul at this point. In the undisputed Pauline letters, demons are mentioned in only one passage (1 Corinthians 10:20f; elsewhere only 1 Timothy 4:1) ... what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God ... In all this there are clearly parallels to the Greek concept of 'demon', but the actual overlap is limited. 'Demon' is used primarily as a contemptuous name for the heathen gods of idol worship (LXX Psalm 96:5, LXX Isaiah 65:3, 11; Baruch 4:7; Jubilees 1:11; 1 Enoch 19:1, 99:7) ..."
James D. G. Dunn, “Demon-Possession and Exorcism in The New Testament,” Churchman (1980): 210–225.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
Your Feedback:
User Comments
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.
User Comments
,
Sirens is real or is not real?
Sirens is real or is not real?Are sirens real?
Are sirens real?Why was the book of Enoch removed from the Bible?
Why was the book of Enoch removed from the Bible?Are sirens real?
Are sirens real?Why is it so hard to find out what to eat as righteous? It’s a sin to eat demon food which is almost everything, so what do we eat to be on Gods menu?
Why is it so hard to find out what to eat as righteous? It’s a sin to eat demon food which is almost everything, so what do we eat to be on Gods menu?In response to Gabrielle and Ivy's question I would answer that if we take the book of First Enoch as being real and inspired by God (which I most definitely do) then yes sirens are absolutely real, and they are also the source of the mythology behind sirens and mermaids.
In response to Gabrielle and Ivy's question I would answer that if we take the book of First Enoch as being real and inspired by God (which I most definitely do) then yes sirens are absolutely real, and they are also the source of the mythology behind sirens and mermaids.So sirens and giants are real they aren’t just mythical creatures but where once alive this doesn’t explain why we are told that giants and sirens didn’t exist once
So sirens and giants are real they aren’t just mythical creatures but where once alive this doesn’t explain why we are told that giants and sirens didn’t exist onceSirens are real, deep sea fisherman can confirm
Sirens are real, deep sea fisherman can confirmSirens were not mermaids, but birds.
Sirens were not mermaids, but birds.Here is a discussion:
I am a biblical scholar and Enoch does not say that sirens are mermaids. In biblical circles anyway, sirens and mermaids are two very different things. Of course everything is conjecture as to what they were. But here's what I've been ...
Here is a discussion:
I am a biblical scholar and Enoch does not say that sirens are mermaids. In biblical circles anyway, sirens and mermaids are two very different things. Of course everything is conjecture as to what they were. But here's what I've been taught.
Sirens are what became of the human mothers of the nephilim. Mermaids were spirits (demons) of the dead nephilim (the siren's offspring now turned demons)
Sirens were firmly believed to have been bird-like beings with bird bodies and women's heads, believed to have been turned into this form by God, as punishment for their transgression of copulating with angels and creating the demonic nephilim and bringing harm to the earth. Banished by God from their earthly home to the air, they were now bound to fly over all the world and be able to observe all its happenings, but now as mere observer only, and unable to partake in anything. Their punishment for not having respected their earthly home and for bringing ruin upon it, they would be able to see all of humanity's activities, but now never be able to take part. Basically, they were shunned and turned into permanent "wall flowers." However, as human-bird hybrids, they had powerful, and beautiful voices and those voices could mezmerize anyone who heard them. They became dreadfully jealous of humanity and used their voices to lure people to their destruction, especially men. Unlike mermaids, who had full upper bodies, sirens had full bird bodies and therefore their only attribute of attraction was their voice.
Opinion is that their attention eventually became focused on the sea, bc as birds, the sea was the only place they could not land, and so they became very resentful of any who swam or sailed. The Sirens would fly over ships on the oceans, and singing, would hypnotize the sailors. The sailors would then follow the song of the flying bird-women blindly into the rocky cliffs and crash. This jealousy and hyperfocus on sailors is how modern culture blended the Sirens into mermaids but they are two very different things.
Mermaids are the nephilim demon spirits. Due to their prior angelic hybrid form, need neither food, water, nor air, and, as written, like their angelic fathers, have the ability to shapeshift into any form they choose. So mermaids are, or were, actual demonic spirits of the nephilim that were choosing, when they wished, to take that particular form. Sirens cannot shapeshift bc they were originally 100% human, and they DO need air and food and water. Siren's bird-like form was permanent and not changeable due to their prior human nature. Sirens were not banished to live in the sea, as fish, but to the air, as birds.
Greek Mythology had them first being only 3 sea monsters that were turned into birds, but this would not fit the Enoch narrative, as in Enoch there were 200 fallen angels, who took one or more wives. So Greek mythology is not where we go to explain the Enoch narrative, except that Sirens were birds and this was their explanation as to how they came to be birds. But the Greek storyline does definitely influence why sirens are thought to be mermaids. But even in Greek mythology they were not mermaids.
Craig H I want to get more knowledge on your POV
Craig H I want to get more knowledge on your POVRead the bible mermaids and sirens are make believe
Read the bible mermaids and sirens are make believeWhy was the book of Enoch removed, and what color race was the world in the beginning, and was there ever mermaids and half man and animals, freakish creatures?
Why was the book of Enoch removed, and what color race was the world in the beginning, and was there ever mermaids and half man and animals, freakish creatures?