DEMETRIUS (Gr. as above.) (1) Demetrius I. Demetrius Soter, king of Syria, reigned twelve years (B. C. 175). He was son of Seleucus IV., surnamed Philopater ; but, being a hostage of Rome when his father died, his uncle, Antiochus Epiphanes, who in the in terim arrived in Syria. procured himself to be ac knowledged king and reigned eleven years ; after him, his son, Antiochus Eupator, reigned two years. At length Demetrius Soter regained his father's throne. He is often mentioned in the books of the Maccabees.
(2) Demetrius II. Demetrius Nicanor, or Ni cator, son of Demetrius Soter, was for many years deprived of the throne by Alexander Balas; -but he at length recovered it by the assistance of Ptolemy Philometor, his father-in-law. After a number of vicissitudes, he was killed (B. C. 125). and was succeeded by his eldest son, Seleucus, to whom he left a dangerous rival in the person of Alexander, surnamed Zebina.
(3) Demetrius III (surnamed Eukairos, 'Prosperous,' and on coins Theos, Soter, Philo metor, etc.) was a son of Antiochus Grypus, and grandson of Demetrius Nicator. On the death of his father civil wars ensued, in the course of which two of his elder brothers lost their lives, whilst Philip, the third, secured a part of Syria, and Demetrius established himself in Cr:de-Syria, with Damascus as his capital, by the aid of Pto lemy Lathyrus, king of Cyprus ( Jos. Ant. xiii; xiii: In Judxa, too, civil war broke out between Alexander Jannxus and his Pharisee subjects. The latter invited Mc assistance of Demetrit.s (Jos. Ant. xiii; xiii :5 ; IVors, I; iv:4), who pos sibly regarded it as a good opportunity to extend his kingdom to its ancient limits on the west and the south. He entered the country with a large j army, was joined by the insurgent Jews, and de feated Jannxus in a pitched battle near Shechem (Jos. Ant. xiii; xiv :1; Wars, 1; iv:5). After various vicissitudes he was taken prisoner and sent to Arsaces IX, and by him was confined until his death. He probably reigned from B. C. 95-88. R. W. Moss, Hastings' Bib. Did.
DEMON mon),(Gr. halAwy, dah'ee-mown, and its derivative, datlibvtov, dahee-moder-on).
This word has been used by ancient writers with great latitude, being applied by them to every order of beings superior to man, including even the highest. It is applied to any particular divinity.
Summary of Opinions. Since no distinct ideas of the ancient Jewish doctrines concerning demons can be obtained front the Septuagint, we next have recourse to the heathens, and from their writings, owing to the universal prevalence of belief in demons, ample information may be obtained. The following is offered as a summary of their opinions: (1) Middle Beings. Demons, in the theology of the Gentiles, are middle beings between gods and mortals. This is the Judgment of Plato, which will be considered decisive: 'Every demon is a middle being between God and mortal.' He thus explains what he means by a middle being: 'God is not approached immediately by man, but all the commerce and intercourse between gods and men arc performed by the mediation of demons.' He enters into further particu lars: "Demons are reporters and carriers from men to the gods, and again from the gods to men, of the supplications and prayers of the one, and of the injunctions and rewards of devotion from the other" (Plato, Sympu.s., pp. 202, 203, tom. iii ed. Serran.). 'And this,' says the learned Mede, 'was the crcumenical philosophy of the apostles' times and of the times long before them.' (2) Of Two Kinds. Demons were of two kinds; the one were the souls of good men, which upon their departure from the body were called heroes, were afterward raised to the dignity of demons, and subsequently to that of gods (Plu tarch, De Defect. Orac.). Plato (Crafylus, p. tom. i edit. Serran.) says 'the poets speak ex• eellently who affirm that when good men die they attain great honor and dignity, and become de mons.' It is also admitted that Jamblichus, I her odes and Simplicius use the words angels and demons indiscriminately. Philo (Dc Gigantibus) says that souls, demons and angels are only dif ferent names that imply one and the Sallie sub stance, and he affirms (De that Moses calls those angels whom the philosophers call de mons.