Clement of Alexandria Exposes the Pagan Lie of Demons

 

**Clement of Alexandria Exposes the Pagan Lie of Demons**  

Clement of Alexandria, in his writings, presents a view of demons that aligns with a rational and monotheistic perspective. He rejects the idea that demons are supernatural entities or fallen angels with independent power. Instead, he identifies them with idols, false gods, and human customs that lead people away from the true God. His view corresponds with a biblical understanding that denies demons as literal spirit beings but rather as personifications of deception, superstition, and false religion.  

### **Demons as Idols and False Gods**  

Clement argues that the so-called demons worshiped in Greco-Roman and Egyptian religions are nothing more than lifeless objects—stones, statues, and human fabrications that have no real power. He states:  

> “For there are, in sooth, ‘on the fruitful earth thrice ten thousand’ demons, not immortal, nor indeed mortal; for they are not endowed with sensation, so as to render them capable of death, but only things of wood and stone, that hold despotic sway over men, insulting and violating life through the force of custom” (*Exhortation to the Greeks*, ch. 3).  

Here, Clement dismisses demons as neither immortal nor mortal because they lack sensation and real existence. Rather, they are human inventions that influence society through ingrained traditions and superstitions. He emphasizes that these so-called demons are powerless apart from the misguided beliefs of those who revere them.  

He further condemns the deification of abstract concepts such as Justice, Fortune, and Love, arguing that just as time, the sun, and the moon are not gods, neither are the entities that pagans worship as deities. He declares:  

> “And if Strife and Battle be not gods, no more are Ares and Enyo. Still further, if the lightnings, and thunderbolts, and rains are not gods, how can fire and water be gods? how can shooting stars and comets, which are produced by atmospheric changes?” (*Exhortation to the Greeks*, ch. 3).  

This passage reinforces Clement’s rejection of the idea that demons or pagan gods are real, autonomous beings. Instead, they are mere human misinterpretations of natural phenomena and human conditions.  

### **Demons as Gluttonous, Deceptive Figures**  

Clement also portrays demons as representations of the self-serving and deceptive nature of idolatrous worship. He criticizes the belief that these so-called demons serve as guardians of humanity, pointing out that they only desire offerings and flattery rather than the well-being of people:  

> “If these are our guardians, it is not because they have any ardour of kindly feeling towards us, but intent on your ruin, after the manner of flatterers, they prey on your substance, enticed by the smoke. These demons themselves indeed confess their own gluttony, saying: ‘For with drink-offerings due, and fat of lambs, My altar still hath at their hands been fed; Such honour hath to us been ever paid’” (*Exhortation to the Greeks*, ch. 3).  

Clement exposes the absurdity of pagan sacrifice by showing that these so-called demons are merely imagined entities that require nothing but empty rituals to maintain their influence. He likens them to flatterers who mislead people for selfish gain.  

### **Demons as Deceptive Cultural Constructs**  

Clement ridicules the idea that divine communication comes through animals or inanimate objects, a common belief in ancient paganism. He contrasts the foolishness of such superstition with the wisdom of God’s revelation to humanity:  

> “For there are miserable wretches of human kind, who consider that God utters His voice by the raven and the jackdaw, but says nothing by man; and honour the raven as a messenger of God. But the man of God, who croaks not, nor chatters, but speaks rationally and instructs lovingly, alas, they persecute” (*Exhortation to the Greeks*, ch. 3).  

Clement denounces the belief that supernatural knowledge comes through animals or omens, emphasizing that true wisdom is found in the rational, spoken word of God rather than in mystical or superstitious practices.  

The Role of Pagan Worship and the "Deception" of Demons  

Clement continues by exposing the absurdity of the Greeks' reverence for these lifeless idols:  

> “For think not that stones, and stocks, and birds, and serpents are sacred things, and men are not; but, on the contrary, regard men as truly sacred, and take beasts and stones for what they are.” (*Protrepticus*, ch. 4)  

The people who believe in the power of demons, he argues, are under a kind of mental and spiritual blindness. They have elevated lifeless objects and irrational animals above human beings, despite humanity being created in the image of God.  

He also denounces the pagan belief that certain historical figures became demons or heroes after death. He lists several examples:  

> “If the lickerish and impure are demons, indigenous demons who have obtained sacred honours may be discovered in crowds throughout your cities: Menedemus among the Cythnians; among the Tenians, Callistagoras; among the Delians, Anius; among the Laconians, Astrabacus; at Phalerus, a hero affixed to the prow of ships is worshipped.” (*Protrepticus*, ch. 4)  

For Clement, such figures were merely men who lived and died, yet were later venerated as divine beings due to human superstition. This view reinforces his consistent argument that demons are not real, active spirits but rather dead objects and false traditions.  

### **Demons Distinction from Pagan Beliefs   in the Context of Scripture**  

Clement affirms that only the true God possesses real power, and that demons—whether they be idols, false religious traditions, or human corruption—are nothing in comparison. He quotes Scripture to emphasize God's sovereignty:  

> “‘The earth is the LORD'S,’ it is said, ‘and the fulness thereof.’ Then why darest thou, while luxuriating in the bounties of the Lord, to ignore the Sovereign Ruler?” (*Exhortation to the Greeks*, ch. 3).  

This biblical reference (Psalm 24:1) supports Clement’s argument that nothing apart from God is worthy of reverence, as all things belong to Him. By contrasting God's authority with the powerless nature of demons, Clement reinforces the idea that demons are not literal spirit beings but empty constructs of human imagination and false religion.  

### **Conclusion**  

Clement of Alexandria presents a rational and biblical view of demons that denies their existence as supernatural beings. Instead, he identifies them with false gods, idols, religious customs, and corrupt societal practices that mislead humanity. His writings show that demons do not possess independent power but are simply the result of human superstition and deception. By emphasizing monotheism and the authority of God, Clement rejects the polytheistic and dualistic notions that were prevalent in his time. For him, the only true being worthy of worship is the one God, the Creator and Sovereign of all.