How To Sell Your Soul To The Devil - Alternative View

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How To Sell Your Soul To The Devil - Alternative View
How To Sell Your Soul To The Devil - Alternative View

Video: How To Sell Your Soul To The Devil - Alternative View

Video: How To Sell Your Soul To The Devil - Alternative View
Video: Selling Your Soul the Devil? — Ask a Pastor, Dr. Joel C. Hunter 2024, March
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It is more profitable to trade than to fight, even if this war with the enemy of the human race. He is only interested in your soul, but in return you can ask for anything. At first glance, the deal is profitable - all the joys of life change into something ephemeral, which must be given away very soon. After all, people sell their organs and contract soldiers sacrifice their lives for money. There are no pitfalls in the deal with the devil - the person making it understands perfectly well that sooner or later his soul will be taken to hell. So why is temporary bliss so willingly exchanged for eternal torment?

The origins of the legend

Where did the pact with the devil come from? Who invented it? After all, the Bible doesn't say a word about it. There is a serpent who deceived Eve with apples, there is a Devil who tempts Jesus with the opportunity to become the king of the whole Earth in exchange for worshiping himself. But nowhere is it written that the devil walks around the world with a package of documents to be signed, keeps an account of the services rendered and takes an inventory of acquired souls.

St. Theophilus and the devil

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Deal with the Devil is an invention of medieval folklore, unofficially supported by the church. The very first mention of such a relationship is the life of St. Theophilus of Antioch. Once he was offered the post of bishop, but the holy father refused this out of considerations of humility. Another priest, elected to this position, saw a dangerous competitor in Theophilus and began to oppress him in every possible way. Casting aside his former humility, the famous theologian turned to the magician, asking him to arrange a meeting with Satan.

The devil allegedly offered Theophilus a deal: he renounces Jesus and the Mother of God, and the unclean ensures the receipt of the post of bishop. The signing of the treaty was followed in blood. The deal was executed, but soon Theophilus was tormented by remorse. He prayed and fasted for 40 days, after which the Mother of God appeared to him, promising to intercede for him before God. After another 30 days of fasting, Theophilus again saw the Mother of God, this time forgiving him all his sins.

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But the devil did not want to retreat and threw a copy of the treaty to Theophilus as a reminder of his obligations. He, without thinking twice, took him to the former bishop, whose place he took, and repented of everything. And the bishop acted radically - he took and burned the treaty, thereby annulling it.

Hell from the "Book of Hours of Catherine of Cleves"

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Theophilus's story became the foundation for the legends about summoning the devil in general and selling his soul to him in particular. It follows from it that in the 6th century AD, communication with the devil through witchcraft was not considered a special sin. Theophilus felt sorry for his soul, and he terminated the contract with the help of simple repentance (history is silent as to whether he remained a bishop). Subsequently, theologians, as they say, "turned the screws", recognizing witchcraft and calling the devil a terrible sin. In other words, any negotiations with the enemy began to be considered treason.

How is the contract drawn up?

Osculum infame, an act of devotion to the devil - kissing his ass

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Since any witchcraft was considered devilish, and a respectable person could not conjure, the magician undoubtedly received his gift from the devil. At first, it was assumed that the ability to conjure is provided "free" - if only the magician would bring more harm to Christianity. However, the idea of gaining superpowers with impunity was too tempting, therefore, with the development of Christian folklore, more and more thoughts began to sound that this deal was not selfish.

Moreover, the circle of potential "clients" of the devil was too wide at first. In the early Middle Ages, literally anyone could make a deal with him, and this did not entail any deterioration in his social status. Therefore, by the 14th century, an equal sign was put between the sale of a soul to the devil and witchcraft (witchcraft). Previously, it was believed that the sorcerer is a highly educated man who uses ancient rituals. The treatise Formicarius (1435-1437), written by the Dominican monk Johann Nieder, was the first church document to claim that witchcraft was enough to sell itself to Satan, and this was done mainly by women.

The witch and the devil, medieval miniature

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Now it seems strange, but in those distant times people were very fond of mystical formalities. The deal with the devil was much more complicated than, for example, with a child's tooth fairy (who needed only a milk tooth under the pillow, exchanged for a coin). If you believe the same treatise Formicarius, people on their own turned to the devil very rarely. Usually they were seduced by other people's examples - successful fallen citizens who aroused envy and easily gave useful advice on black magic.

Johann Nieder mentions the case of the sorcerer Scavius, who supposedly knew how to turn into a mouse. He brought several more people to the devil, among whom was the peasant Stedelen, who confessed under torture that he killed a rooster at the crossroads on Shabbat night and put lizards under the threshold of the church.

Indeed, in the 15th century, it was customary to think that you could not sell your soul to the devil at a jump, and you need to carefully prepare for this procedure. You should have turned up at church early Sunday morning and deny God there. It was necessary to regularly pray to the devil, follow a certain lifestyle (diets, sacrifices, cursing) and drink the blood of babies. At the same time, it was necessary to clearly express the will to make a deal with the devil and voice its conditions: wealth, youth, magic in exchange for dragging the soul to hell after a certain number of years (depending on the nature of the requested benefits). At the same time, nature itself will resist such a deal - the human soul is seized by the fire of passions, and it will be recorded in the Red Book of Death.

The belief that witches turning to the devil drink the blood of babies is caused by a high birth mortality. The profession of a midwife was very dangerous, because with frequent failures she was accused of selling her soul to the devil

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There was another, more formalized way, presumably replacing exclusive deals with Satan himself with massive deals with ordinary demons. It was necessary to get a piece of virgin parchment from the first calf born of a cow, and write in his own blood: "I promise the Great Demon to repay in seven years for everything he will do for me." The signature was also applied with blood, which had to be taken from the left hand. However, many demonologists believe that the contract should be written with special ink made from ferrous sulfate, alum, ink nuts and gum arabic.

Urbana Grandier's pact with the devil

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After that, it was necessary to draw a magic circle, stand in its center and pronounce a rather long incantation, the meaning of which consisted in a pompous invocation to Lucifer, Beelzebub and Astaroth, as well as in mentioning key words from the Great Key of Solomon. When the demon appeared, the treaty should be carefully thrown into his paws, in no case leaving the circle.

The inquisitors also provided for the possibility of concluding an oral agreement with the devil. It was believed that even the verbal sale of a soul left a mark on a person - a devilish mark. As is known from the history of the persecution of witches, such were considered unusually large moles, strange scratches, extra nipples, or places on the body from which blood does not flow after a needle prick, or places where a person did not feel pain.

The devil's seal could be affixed in a secret place: under the eyelids, among the hair or in the natural recesses of the body. It is logical that witches were studied especially carefully, paying attention to their children as well, because one of the ways to seal the contract with the devil, as the "Hammer of the Witches" (1486) points out, was sexual intercourse with him.

Sabbat of witches with the participation of the devil (artist Bartholomeus Spranger, 16th century)

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Later, demonologists began to teach that the contract can be drawn up as you like, and the opposite side in it can be a whole group of demons. The latter should leave seals and signatures on paper, drawn up in the manner of anagrams, in order to hide their true names. For example, in the case of the Reverend Urban Grandier (1590-1634), who was burned on the charge of the Ursuline nuns for sending demons to them, the text of the treaty was written backwards in Latin with missing vowels, and the scroll was endorsed, in addition to Lucifer, three more demons.

The trade of souls with the devil was further complicated by the fact that medieval occultists distinguished the months, days, and even hours in which certain demons were most powerful. It was required to conclude an agreement with them at this very time. Demons were also divided according to "professional" lines. A person who wanted youth and a person who wanted money should have turned to different traits.

In the East, the genies built palaces, and in Europe, the devil erected bridges, receiving in return the soul of the first who passes through it (usually people let the animal in). One of these legends goes about the "Devil's Bridge" in the Alps, through which Suvorov crossed in 1799

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Faust and Mephistopheles

At the end of the 15th and the first half of the 16th century, a certain Johann Georg Faust, a doctor and warlock, lived in Germany. There is no exact information about his biography. From the fragmentary mentions of contemporaries, it can be assumed that he had a university education, was a teacher, spoke at fairs with magic tricks, drew up horoscopes and traveled around Europe, showing off his magical knowledge.

It just so happened that the deeds of this unremarkable person from the point of view of history fell on the heyday of the legends about treaties with the devil. Popular rumor made Faust a scientist who penetrated the secrets of being with the help of Satan. In the first book about him (The Story of Doctor Faust, the Famous Wizard and Warlock, 1587), the plot ended with the impudent Faust being torn to pieces by demons and dragged into hell.

Faust and Mephistopheles (artist Joseph Fay, 1848)

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The Renaissance, with its unbridled thirst for knowledge, only spurred the popularity of the image of a scientist who sold himself to the devil. In various books of plays, he was given the features of a rebel who rebelled against God, he was a humanist, comedian and villain, but Faust in the interpretation of Goethe became a textbook - a tragic figure full of cynicism and disbelief.

The contract with Mephistopheles was considered fulfilled when Faust reaches the highest pleasure in life ("stop a moment, you are beautiful"). The scientist fulfilled this condition, but the angels stole his soul from the devil and took it to heaven. From the history of Faust, one way or another, all other works about the sale of the soul to the devil grew.

Can you outsmart?

Saint Wolfgang and the devil

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If you believe the legends, the devil can be fooled. Saint Wolfgang (924-994) promised him for the construction of the church the soul of the first being who would cross its threshold. Here the legend bifurcates - in one of its versions, the devil instantly erected a church around Wolfgang, leaving him no choice but to cross the threshold and into hell.

In the second case, Wolfgang prayed for a miracle, and the wolf was the first to cross the boundaries of the temple. The devil's church in the city of St. Wolfgang still stands (photo) - one of the few in the world where there are two altars at once. In a devilishly evil irony of fate, not far from her was the Dachau concentration camp, where the Nazis kept at least 3,000 priests.

The pact, sealed in blood, was considered unbreakable. In theory, this should have discouraged people from his conclusion, because a person has already committed a great sin and what has been done cannot be reversed - otherwise everyone will strive to receive the services of Satan, use them and terminate the deal. However, some theologians taught that if you burn the contract, all the magical accessories and all things received from the devil, sincerely repent in the church and compensate for the harm done to people, then perhaps the soul can be saved.

You can also outwit the devil in a Faustian way, stopping the moment. The hero of Robert Bloch's short story "Train to Hell" (1958) sold his soul for the opportunity to stop time at the moment he deemed best. Naturally, all his life it seemed to him that the best was yet to come, and he grew old safely, but escaped the Underworld, deciding to stop time right on board the train that was taking him to hell.

The USA has its own Faust. The hero of the American Revolution, General Jonathan Moulton, sold his soul to the devil for filling his boots with gold every month. The cunning soldier cut off the soles of the boots and put them over the hole in the basement. The devil realized that he was deceived, and in a rage burned down Moulton's house.

It was rumored that Niccollo Paganini sold his soul to the devil in exchange for masterly possession of the violin. Rumors are rumors, but the Bishop of Nice refused the musician in the funeral mass

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Deal in books and movies

Terry Pratchett played on the Faust legend in Eric (1990). An aspiring demonologist Eric Tursley summoned the poor fellow Rincewind from the Underground Dimensions, who, with considerable amazement, discovered that he was able to fulfill the wishes of the "master" with one click of his fingers. True, according to the best traditions of the legends about the deceiving devil, the result achieved fully corresponded to the formulation, but turned out to be the opposite of the essence of the desired.

Terry Pratchett and the funniest Faust in the world

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Another merry fellow, Mark Twain, ridiculed the deal with Satan in the story of the same name, the protagonist of which tried to sell his soul through a broker, promising a 2.5% commission (the meeting with Satan was organized without delay).

Stephen Bene (The Devil and Daniel Webster, 1937) allowed the possibility of termination of the contract with the devil through the courts solely thanks to the oratory of a lawyer (interestingly, in the 1997 film The Devil's Advocate, the law office was run by Satan himself).

And The Simpsons parodied this plot in the episode The Devil and Homer Simpson, where the title character sold his soul to the devil for one donut. Homer tried to cheat and did not finish a piece of the devil's treat so that the treaty would not enter into force, but soon hunger prevailed. Marge saved her husband by showing a wedding photo at the court, on the back of which it was written that Homer gave his soul to his wife. The deal with the devil was thus invalidated.

Certain magical items may also be involved in a deal with the devil, or very specific conditions may apply. For example, in Oscar Wilde's novel "The Picture of Dorian Gray" (1890), such an artifact was a portrait of the protagonist, who took upon himself all his sins.

Dorian Gray's portrait took all the harm, making this handsome man invulnerable

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Robert Louis Stevenson, in the story "The Devil's Bottle" (1891), played with the sale of the soul to the devil from an unexpected side: hundreds of years ago, Satan brought to earth a bottle with a demon that fulfills all your desires. The conditions are as follows: a bottle can be sold (but only for metal money), moreover, cheaper than it was bought. If a person died, leaving the bottle in his possession, his soul was dragged to hell. The fulfillment of desires was also a trick (the main character, who wished for money, died a rich uncle).

It was difficult to sell a bottle cheaper, as it changed hands many times and its price dropped to several Tahitian centimes. It was assumed that sooner or later a person simply would not be able to sell a bottle cheaper than to buy it. But Stevenson did not take into account fluctuations in exchange rates, inflation and denomination, which formally allows maintaining bottle turnover indefinitely.

The title character of the film "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" made a bet with the devil on the soul of his daughter

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Isaac Asimov proposed another version of the deal with the devil, according to which a person is given demonic powers, and after 10 years he is tested. The one who passed it joins the ranks of the demons, the one who failed becomes another dead soul ("Three-four").

Finally, the sale of the soul in the ethical sense of the word can take place without the participation of otherworldly forces. Michael Swanwick reproduced the tragedy of Faust on the scale of an alternative history: Mephistopheles turns out to be an alien from a parallel world, who gave Faust ultramodern technologies and did not hide his true goals - the destruction of humanity through progress (Jack Faust, 1997). Nuclear energy in the 16th century is something Goethe never dreamed of.

Johnny Blaze sold his soul in exchange for curing his father and became a devil knight ("Ghost Rider")

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* * *

Selling a soul is a hackneyed topic, isn't it? It is extremely difficult to do something new in it, everything was invented 500 years ago. The deal is deliberately a losing one, so the authors can only write new terms of the contract and new tricks aimed at their non-fulfillment by both parties.

However, in most cases, a deal with the devil remains a symbol of human greed, shortsightedness, and stupidity. Recent examples: in Doom 3, Dr. Betruger sold out to the devil, in Warcraft 3, Prince Arthas went over to the dark with his magic sword, and in Supernatural, the Winchester family trades their souls right and left.

We humans are impatient and want to get what we want as soon as possible. But if you hurry, you will make the devils laugh. Take your time, do not chase "freebies" - and everything will be better than you think.

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Mikhail Popov