Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae

Objection 1: It would seem that the demons cannot lead men astray by means of real miracles. For the activity of the demons will show itself especially in the works of Antichrist. But as the Apostle says (2 Thess. 2:9), his "coming is according to the working of Satan, in all power, and signs, and lying wonders." Much more therefore at other times do the demons perform lying wonders.

Objection 2: Further, true miracles are wrought by some corporeal change. But demons are unable to change the nature of a body; for Augustine says (De Civ. Dei xviii, 18): "I cannot believe that the human body can receive the limbs of a beast by means of a demon's art or power." Therefore the demons cannot work real miracles.

Objection 3: Further, an argument is useless which may prove both ways. If therefore real miracles can be wrought by demons, to persuade one of what is false, they will be useless to confirm the teaching of the faith. This is unfitting; for it is written (Mk. 16:20): "The Lord working withal, and confirming the word with signs that followed."

On the contrary, Augustine says (Question 83; ): "Often by means of the magic art miracles are wrought like those which are wrought by the servants of God."

I answer that, As is clear from what has been said above (Question 110, Article 4), if we take a miracle in the strict sense, the demons cannot work miracles, nor can any creature, but God alone: since in the strict sense a miracle is something done outside the order of the entire created nature, under which order every power of a creature is contained. But sometimes miracle may be taken in a wide sense, for whatever exceeds the human power and experience. And thus demons can work miracles, that is, things which rouse man's astonishment, by reason of their being beyond his power and outside his sphere of knowledge. For even a man by doing what is beyond the power and knowledge of another, leads him to marvel at what he has done, so that in a way he seems to that man to have worked a miracle.

It is to be noted, however, that although these works of demons which appear marvelous to us are not real miracles, they are sometimes nevertheless something real. Thus the magicians of Pharaoh by the demons' power produced real serpents and frogs. And "when fire came down from heaven and at one blow consumed Job's servants and sheep; when the storm struck down his house and with it his children---these were the work of Satan, not phantoms"; as Augustine says (De Civ. Dei xx, 19).

Reply to Objection 1: As Augustine says in the same place, the works of Antichrist may be called lying wonders, "either because he will deceive men's senses by means of phantoms, so that he will not really do what he will seem to do; or because, if he work real prodigies, they will lead those into falsehood who believe in him."

Reply to Objection 2: As we have said above (Question 110, Article 2), corporeal matter does not obey either good or bad angels at their will, so that demons be able by their power to transmute matter from one form to another; but they can employ certain seeds that exist in the elements of the world, in order to produce these effects, as Augustine says (De Trin. iii, 8,9). Therefore it must be admitted that all the transformation of corporeal things which can be produced by certain natural powers, to which we must assign the seeds above mentioned, can alike be produced by the operation of the demons, by the employment of these seeds; such as the transformation of certain things into serpents or frogs, which can be produced by putrefaction. On the contrary, those transformations which cannot be produced by the power of nature, cannot in reality be effected by the operation of the demons; for instance, that the human body be changed into the body of a beast, or that the body of a dead man return to life. And if at times something of this sort seems to be effected by the operation of demons, it is not real but a mere semblance of reality.

Now this may happen in two ways. Firstly, from within; in this way a demon can work on man's imagination and even on his corporeal senses, so that something seems otherwise that it is, as explained above (Question 111, Articles 3,4). It is said indeed that this can be done sometimes by the power of certain bodies. Secondly, from without: for just as he can from the air form a body of any form and shape, and assume it so as to appear in it visibly: so, in the same way he can clothe any corporeal thing with any corporeal form, so as to appear therein. This is what Augustine says (De Civ. Dei xviii, 18): "Man's imagination, which whether thinking or dreaming, takes the forms of an innumerable number of things, appears to other men's senses, as it were embodied in the semblance of some animal." This not to be understood as though the imagination itself or the images formed therein were identified with that which appears embodied to the senses of another man: but that the demon, who forms an image in a man's imagination, can offer the same picture to another man's senses.

Reply to Objection 3: As Augustine says (Questions. 83, qu. 79): "When magicians do what holy men do, they do it for a different end and by a different right. The former do it for their own glory; the latter, for the glory of God: the former, by certain private compacts; the latter by the evident assistance and command of God, to Whom every creature is subject."

Articulus 4

Argumentum 1

Ad quartum sic proceditur. Videtur quod Daemones non possint homines seducere per aliqua miracula vera. Operatio enim Daemonum maxime vigebit in operibus Antichristi.

Sed sicut apostolus dicit II ad thessal. II, eius adventus est secundum operationem Satanae, in omni virtute et signis et prodigiis mendacibus.

Ergo multo magis alio tempore per Daemones non fiunt nisi signa mendacia.

Argumentum 2

Praeterea, vera miracula per aliquam corporum immutationem fiunt.

Sed Daemones non possunt immutare corpus in aliam naturam, dicit enim Augustinus, XVIII de CIV. Dei, nec corpus quidem humanum ulla ratione crediderim Daemonum arte vel potestate in membra bestialia posse converti.

Ergo Daemones vera miracula facere non possunt.

Argumentum 3

Praeterea, argumentum efficaciam non habet, quod se habet ad opposita. Si ergo miracula vera possunt fieri a Daemonibus ad falsitatem persuadendam, non erunt efficacia ad veritatem fidei confirmandam. Quod est inconveniens, cum dicatur marci ult., domino cooperante, et sermonem confirmante sequentibus signis.

Sed Contra

Sed contra est quod Augustinus dicit, libro octoginta trium quaest., quod magicis artibus fiunt miracula plerumque similia illis miraculis quae fiunt per servos dei.

Corpus

Respondeo dicendum quod, sicut ex supra dictis patet, si miraculum proprie accipiatur, Daemones miracula facere non possunt, nec aliqua creatura, sed solus deus, quia miraculum proprie dicitur quod fit praeter ordinem totius naturae creatae, sub quo ordine continetur omnis virtus creaturae. Dicitur tamen quandoque miraculum large, quod excedit humanam facultatem et considerationem. Et sic Daemones possunt facere miracula, quae scilicet homines mirantur, inquantum eorum facultatem et cognitionem excedunt. Nam et unus homo, inquantum facit aliquid quod est supra facultatem et cognitionem alterius, ducit alium in admirationem sui operis, ut quodammodo miraculum videatur operari.

Sciendum est tamen quod, quamvis huiusmodi opera Daemonum, quae nobis miracula videntur, ad veram rationem miraculi non pertingant; sunt tamen quandoque verae res. Sicut magi Pharaonis per virtutem Daemonum veros serpentes et ranas fecerunt.

Et quando ignis de caelo cecidit et familiam iob cum gregibus pecorum uno impetu consumpsit, et turbo domum deiiciens filios eius occidit, quae fuerunt opera Satanae, phantasmata non fuerunt, ut Augustinus dicit, XX de CIV. Dei.

Ad 1

Ad primum ergo dicendum quod, sicut Augustinus dicit ibidem, Antichristi opera possunt dici esse signa mendacii, vel quia mortales sensus per phantasmata decepturus est, ut quod non facit, videatur facere, vel quia, si sint vera prodigia, ad mendacium tamen pertrahent credituros.

Ad 2

Ad secundum dicendum quod, sicut supra dictum est, materia corporalis non obedit Angelis bonis seu malis ad nutum, ut Daemones sua virtute possint transmutare materiam de forma in formam, sed possunt adhibere quaedam semina quae in elementis mundi inveniuntur, ad huiusmodi effectus complendos, ut Augustinus dicit III de Trin..

Et ideo dicendum est quod omnes transmutationes corporalium rerum quae possunt fieri per aliquas virtutes naturales, ad quas pertinent praedicta semina, possunt fieri per operationem Daemonum, huiusmodi seminibus adhibitis; sicut cum aliquae res transmutantur in serpentes vel ranas, quae per putrefactionem generari possunt. Illae vero transmutationes corporalium rerum quae non possunt virtute naturae fieri, nullo modo operatione Daemonum, secundum rei veritatem, perfici possunt; sicut quod corpus humanum mutetur in corpus bestiale, aut quod corpus hominis mortuum reviviscat. Et si aliquando aliquid tale operatione Daemonum fieri videatur, hoc non est secundum rei veritatem, sed secundum apparentiam tantum. Quod quidem potest dupliciter contingere. Uno modo, ab interiori; secundum quod Daemon potest mutare phantasiam hominis, et etiam sensus corporeos, ut aliquid videatur aliter quam sit, sicut supra dictum est.

Et hoc etiam interdum fieri dicitur virtute aliquarum rerum corporalium.

Alio modo, ab exteriori. Cum enim ipse possit formare corpus ex aere cuiuscumque formae et figurae, ut illud assumens in eo visibiliter appareat; potest eadem ratione circumponere cuicumque rei corporeae quamcumque formam corpoream, ut in eius specie videatur. Et hoc est quod Augustinus dicit XVIII de CIV. Dei, quod phantasticum hominis, quod etiam cogitando sive somniando per rerum innumerabilium genera variatur, velut corporatum in alicuius animalis effigie, sensibus apparet alienis.

Quod non est sic intelligendum, quod ipsa vis phantastica hominis, aut species eius, eadem numero incorporata alterius sensibus ostendatur, sed quia Daemon qui in phantasia unius hominis format aliquam speciem, ipse etiam potest similem speciem alterius sensibus offerre.

Ad 3

Ad tertium dicendum quod, sicut Augustinus dicit in libro octoginta trium quaest., cum talia faciunt magi qualia sancti, diverso fine et diverso iure fiunt. Illi enim faciunt, quaerentes gloriam suam, isti, quaerentes gloriam dei. Et illi faciunt per quaedam privata commercia; isti autem publica administratione, et iussu dei, cui cuncta creatura subiecta est.