Enciclopedia Cattolica Vol. II, 1949 Sacred Scripture Peoples and figures

Asmodeus

ASMODEO

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Also known as: Ashmedai, Ashmodai

ASMODEUS. - A demon (Tob. 3:8) who caused the death of the seven husbands of Sarah, daughter of Raguel, from the very first nights of marriage (ibid. 6:14-17). Following Raphael's instructions (v.), the young Tobiah reduced him to impotence (6:5 ff.), and Raphael drove him away from Tobiah forever, banishing him to the desert of upper Egypt (8:3).

The name (Heb. 'Abmedaj) probably derives from the Hebrew root tāmad "to destroy," and means "devastator." Motti plausibly links it to the Iranian Aelma daeva (demon of wrath), which in the Avesta represents the perverse diabolical power. A. occurs in Talmudic and cabalistic legends ('Abmedaj, 'Abmedah, Samaj), and then in "magical" formulas, as a prince of demons.

Bibliography

BIBL.: J. H. Reusch, Der Dämon Amandhus im Buche Tobias, in Theol. Quartalschrift, 38 (1857), pp. 422-45.

Vincenzo Cavalla

About this entry

By Vincenzo Cavalla

How we know signed in print

Translated from the Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. II (1949), coll. 151–152.

More by Vincenzo Cavalla: Assuerus · Astruc, Jean · Attalids · Barnabas · Berea

Cite this article

Chicago

Cavalla, Vincenzo. “Asmodeo.” In Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. II, coll. 151–152. Città del Vaticano: Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1949. https://azioneromana.com/article/asmodeo.

MLA

Cavalla, Vincenzo. “Asmodeo.” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. II, Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1949, coll. 151–152. Azione Romana, https://azioneromana.com/article/asmodeo.

BibTeX

@incollection{ec2_asmodeo,
  author    = {Cavalla, Vincenzo},
  title     = {Asmodeo},
  booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica},
  volume    = {II},
  pages     = {151--152},
  note      = {Cited by column},
  publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico},
  address   = {Città del Vaticano},
  year      = {1949},
  url       = {https://azioneromana.com/article/asmodeo}
}

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