Knowing the Enemy --The Devil

5. KNOWING THE ENEMY

The Devil is known by many names as attested to by the various exorcism prayers of the Church.

In the Exorcism Prayer of St. John Chrysostom, he is known as:

• Satan – accuser, opposer, (apostate)
• Devil -- slanderer
• Blasphemous originator of evil
• Leader of the revolt of the adversaries
• Author of wickedness
• Spirit of impurity
• Spirit of evil
• Spirit of night and day
• Spirit of noontime and of the evening
• Spirit of midnight
• Spirit of illusion
• Spirit of visitation
• Spirit of the earth or of the water, which goes about the works of harm, in the groves of trees, or in marshes, or in cliffs, at crossroads, or the meeting of three ways, in lakes, or rivers, in buildings, in courtyards and in bath-houses that leads astray the mind of man.

 In the Exorcism Prayer of St. Basil the Great of Caesarea, he is known as:

• Beelzebub – lord of the flies which rot anything clean
• Unclean
• Defiled
• Infernal
• Abysmal
• False
• Ugly
• Visible because of shamelessness
• Invisible because of hypocrisy.

In the Roman Rite of Exorcism (Wellers 1952 English Translation), he is referred to as:

• Fugitive and fallen tyrant
• Noonday demon
• Beast that lays waste the vineyard of the Lord
• Reprobate dragon
• Unclean spirit
• Satan
• Enemy of the Faith
• Foe of the human race
• Carrier of death and robber of life
• Shirker of justice
• Root of all evil
• Fomenter of vice
• Seducer of men
• Cruel demon
• Traitor of the nations
• Instigator of envy
• Font of avarice
• Source of discord
• Exciter of sorrows
• Wicked tempter
• Ancient serpent
• Profligate (shamelessly immoral) dragon
• Asp, basilisk
• Lion
• Dragon
• Prince of accursed murder
• Author of lechery (unrestrained indulgence of sexual desire)
• Leader in sacrilege
• Model of vileness (wretchedness and utterly evil)
• Teacher of heretics
• Inventor of every obscenity
• Ancient adversary
• Archenemy of the earth
• Wicked enemy
• Ruler of this world’s darkness.

In the Revised Rite of Exorcisms and Certain Supplications of 2014, the Devil is referred to as:

• Ancient foe of mankind
• Father of lies
• Unclean spirit
• Satan
• Adversary of faith
• Enemy of the human race
• Purveyor of death
• Root of evil
• Seducer of humankind
• Master of deceit
• Accursed dragon
• Power of darkness
• Infernal enemy
• Cunning serpent
• Diabolical legion
• Enemy of human salvation.

The appellations are really more on what he does than simply a personal name.