The Superior of the Jesuits, Fr. Arturo Sosa, recently denied the personal existence of the devil, calling him a personification of evil rather than an actual being–a symbol, he argued. He was quickly corrected by exorcists, who know the devil’s reality from personal experience.

It is true that the Catechism speaks of Genesis as using “symbolic language” in the Creation account (see CCC 362, 375), but this would mean that the serpent may be a symbol for the devil, not that the devil does not exist. The Hebrew word for snake, nawkhawsh, could be interpreted as dragon, which would make sense given that the serpent did begin with legs. There are several other Old Testament references to dragons (e.g., Psalm 91, Isaiah 51), but the the closest parallel to Genesis comes in Revelation 12 where the dragon, identified as the same serpent in Rev. 20:2, does battle with the new Eve. Thus, the Bible begins and ends with the struggle with the serpent/dragon.

St. George and the Dragon

There are a number of accounts of saints encountering dragons: St. Philip, casting dragons and serpents out of a temple of Apollo; St. James who made the sign of the Cross over a dragon; St. Martha (sister of Mary) defeating a beast in France named Tarasque, St. George the famous Roman solider of the 3rd century; St. Theodore of Amasea a contemporary Roman solider with St. George; St. Margaret of Antioch; and St. Donatus, a bishop who killed a dragon by spitting in his mouth. Interesting, all of these examples come from the earliest centuries of the Church.

The most famous book of saints in the Middle Ages, The Golden Legend, describes many of these conflicts, but St. Martha’s, which provides a great description of the monster:

There was that time upon the river of Rhone … a great dragon, half beast and half fish, greater than an ox, longer than an horse, having teeth sharp as a sword, and horned on either side, head like a lion, tail like a serpent, and defended him with two wings on either side, and could not be beaten with cast of stones nor with other armour, and was as strong as twelve lions or bears; which dragon lay hiding and lurking in the river, and perished them that passed by and drowned ships. He came thither by sea from Galicia, and was engendered of Leviathan, which is a serpent of the water and is much wood, and of a beast called Bonacho, that is engendered in Galicia. And when he is pursued he casts out of his belly behind, his ordure, the space of an acre of land on them that follow him, and it is bright as glass, and what it toucheth it burneth as fire. To whom Martha, at the prayer of the people, came into the wood, and found him eating a man. And she cast on him holy water, and showed to him the cross, which anon was overcome, and standing still as a sheep, she bound him with her own girdle, and then was slain with spears and glaives of the people.

The Golden Legend

While it is possible that these saints encountered real beasts, such as large reptiles, it also could be that they did battle with evil spirits who appeared in the guise (may we call it symbolic?) of a dragon. Many of the stories point to the power of prayer in overcoming the beast, reinforcing their spiritual import.The devil continues to appear as a dragon beyond those first and last scenes of the Bible.

If the devil finds the appearance of a dragon fitting for himself, it is no wonder that dragons appear not only in the Bible and lives of the saints, but in cultures across the entire globe. There may be some memory of the primeval battle, as well as nightmares that haunt people throughout time. Why would a dragon serve as a fitting image of the devil? The Bible tells us that the serpent was cunning, seeming to refer to its movements and ability to come and go with stealth. The dragon, more than the serpent, represents a mythical combination of attributes (snake, lions, birds, etc.), which give not simply stealth but power and fear on land, sea, and air. Both serpents and dragons contain lethal power, venom and fire, and both terrorize the stories of cultures throughout history.

It’s not surprising that Mesopotamian culture would also bear witness to dragons, as closely associated as it is with Israel. Here is a depiction from Babylon’s Ishtar gate:

In Egypt, Apep was the deity of chaos and, appropriately enough, the opponent of light and order. The great literature of the ancient world also bears testimony to dragons, from the Epic of Gilgamesh to The Golden Fleece (as well as the later Beowulf).

The most poignant example, however, comes from ancient Mesoamerican culture, which worshiped a feathered serpent, the most famous iteration of which came with the Aztec’s Quetzalcoatl. This serpent god appeared, in particular, within urban centers. The conquistador, Bernal Diaz del Castillo, describes three different encounters with dragon demons in the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, the site of massive human sacrifice:

Temple of the Feathered Serpent in Teotihuacan

[The priests] had scarcely done speaking when more than fifty of us began to mount the steps of the temple. We tore down the idols from their pediments, broke them to pieces, and flung them piecemeal down the steps. Some of these idols were shaped like furious dragons, and were about the size of young calves ; others with half the human form ; some again were shaped like large dogs, but all were horrible to look at (LI).

When we had reached the summit of the temple, we walked across a platform where many large stones were lying, on which those who were doomed for sacrifice were stretched out. Near these stood a large idol, in the shape of a dragon, surrounded by various other abominable figures, with a quantity of fresh blood lying in front of it (XCII).

I should term it a temple of hell ; for at one of its doors stood an open-mouthed dragon armed with huge teeth, resembling a dragon of the infernal regions, the devourer of souls. There also stood near this same door other figures resembling devils and serpents, and not far from this an altar encrusted with blood grown black, and some that had recently been spilt (XCII).

The Conquest of New Spain.

There is at least one example of a dragon deity from Sub-Saharan Africa, Ayida-Weddo from Benin, as well as the Rainbow Serpent of Aboriginal Australia. Far Eastern culture features portray dragons frequently, from India (which attributes to Krishna victory over Kaliya, a snake deity poisoning water), to Korea, Japan, and especially China. In China, dragons became the symbol of imperial power, perhaps not coincidentally. They have also become symbols of good luck–maybe not the image of terror–although dragon worship still exists in China.

The entire history of human culture, stretching to every inhabitable continent, seems to know what the superior of the Jesuits denies: that there is a supernatural force at work in human life, fittingly portrayed as a dragon or serpent. That may seem to play into Sosa’s claim that the devil is a symbol, but the commonality across time, location, and religion points to a reality that all human cultures have recognized. They all encountered dragons–depicted as cunning and dominating–as either a menace or a force claiming a false lordship or worship. Fr. Sosa should learn from the history of civilization: the devil exists and is our adversary, who like a roaring lion, or might we say dragon, prowls around looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). Denying his existence will only make his job easier.


8 Comments

Carol · August 25, 2019 at 5:38 am

In the final paragraph of your article, you admonish Fr. Sosa that he should learn from history that the devil exists, and you remind him that denying the devil’s existence will only make his job easier. In my opinion, Jesuits and others who speak like Fr. Sosa has (fill in the name of your choice) do know that the devil exists, and I think they knowingly and deliberately are trying “to make his job easier.” What other possible reason would they have for saying such things?

    Marc Leys · January 16, 2022 at 9:39 am

    I think sosa is right, there can be only love and no hate. perhaps there might be a pulgatory, but then the souls do need to remember their deeds, you cannot have a punishment without knowing the cause.. that is an injustice God never would take. I read a lot of comments here of people denying what God has given us.. responsability

Howard · August 25, 2019 at 2:01 pm

There is such a thing as damning with faint praise. This article comes close to discrediting with faint evidence. Catholic dogma is in sad shape if the only evidence for the devil’s reality comes from the fact that people all around the world tell stories about monstrous animals that are kinda sorta like dragons which are kinda what the serpent in Genesis sorta sounds like. Seriously, are you new to this planet? Nothing could be more human than to see humans and animals, with a big gap between them, and imagine something to fill that gap, which is why nearly every culture has stories of “wild men” that enthusiasts take to be evidence of Sasquatch; or to see humans and birds and imagine bird-men, or to see humans and fish and imagine mermaids, or to imagine giants that are much larger than men or gnomes that are much smaller than men.

There is evidence for the reality of the devil, but this is not it, and in most cases that evidence is rather subtle. The devil is the ape of God, and just as God prefers to act through the Church, the devil prefers to act through the world, and as God prefers to act through nature, which He created, the devil prefers to act through the flesh, which he corrupted.

    Jared Staudt · August 25, 2019 at 4:42 pm

    Howard,
    Thank you for your comment. This is not a theological argument and by no means seeks to imply that there are not far more compelling reasons to believe in the existence of the devil. Obviously divine relation is the key source for knowing not simply that evil exists but also the personal existence of an angelic tempter who has fallen from grace.
    What’s my point in the article? When you look at mythology across the globe, you see that, unlike other mythical beings, dragons have a universal presence. Given the fact that the devil presents himself as a dragon, it does not seem coincidental. Human mythology and culture may have some insights and wisdom that seemingly sophisticated people have forgotten. It’s a simple and lighthearted response.
    In Christ, -Jared

Josh · August 25, 2019 at 4:34 pm

Indeed, I believe Sosa is a willing agent of deception – he must know otherwise through Catholic Teaching and Tradition. This is beyond willful ignorance!

Suzanna Sobol Balcom · February 28, 2020 at 10:25 am

Thanks Jarod for your efforts to inform. The most important thing to know about the devil/Satan is that evil has no power over us unless we open the door and let it/evil into our life, soul, spirit. AND that denial of the devil’s existence cannot shake our Faith. I think Father Sosa is trying to help move us away form an old cultural myth that Satan has power over us and that we can be possessed without willing it. Living in the light of Christ!

Roger Slemmer · August 1, 2020 at 6:54 am

The greatest evidence of the existence of the Devil is in the Holy Scriptures. Jesus Christ led to the desert to be tempted of the Devil. Our Lord speaking of the Devil as if he is a real person. “Get Thee behind me, Satan” to Peter. Jesus casting out devils. Speaking of devils who gather 7 others worse than himself to repossess the house swept clean but not filled with the virtues and gifts of God. Jesus Christ who created the angels certainly knows each one and rules them all including the rebellious.

Encountering Dragons: Cultural Proof for the Devil’s Existence – Sierra Faith · August 26, 2019 at 1:04 am

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