When we dive into the mysterious passages of Genesis 6 about the “sons of God” taking wives from among humans, we’re stepping into one of Scripture’s most intriguing and contested territories. The ancient understanding of the Nephilim and their connection to demonic forces is far more developed than many modern believers realize.
What if I told you that this view – that demons are the disembodied spirits of the Nephilim, wasn’t just found in obscure Jewish texts but was actually embraced by early Church fathers like Justin Martyr? This connection between ancient Jewish tradition and early Christian teaching reveals a theological continuity that has been largely overlooked in our modern pulpits, where Enlightenment thinking has often reshaped how we interpret these supernatural passages.
Biblical Insight
The foundation for this discussion begins in Genesis 6:1-4, where we read: “When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose… The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.” This passage has profound implications that are reinforced elsewhere in Scripture, particularly in the epistles of Peter and Jude.
2 Peter 2:4 declares: “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment…” Similarly, Jude 6-7 states: “And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these He has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah… gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion.” The parallel drawn between angelic sin and sexual immorality in Sodom suggests that the angelic beings committed similar transgressions.
The ancient Jewish understanding of these passages, preserved in texts like 1 Enoch (which is directly quoted in Jude), elaborates that the spirits of the deceased Nephilim—the hybrid offspring of these fallen angels—became what we now identify as demons. This perspective isn’t merely extra-biblical speculation; it’s deeply rooted in the cultural and theological matrix from which our Scriptures emerged. The ancient Hebrews understood these beings as disembodied spirits seeking embodiment—explaining why demons in the New Testament frequently seek to possess human bodies. Passages like Matthew 12:43-45 describe unclean spirits wandering through “waterless places seeking rest” but finding none—language that echoes ancient Near Eastern concepts about the restless dead.
Practical Wisdom
Understanding the spiritual reality behind demons doesn’t just satisfy intellectual curiosity—it has profound implications for our spiritual warfare. When we recognize the true nature and origin of these entities, we gain greater insight into their tactics. These beings once experienced physical existence through forbidden means, and they continue to seek embodiment and influence in the physical world today. Their goal has always been to corrupt God’s creation and particularly humanity, who bears His image.
This knowledge should drive us deeper into dependence on the Holy Spirit and the finished work of Jesus. The blood of the Messiah has not only cleansed us from sin but has given us authority over these spiritual forces. As Colossians 2:15 tells us, Jesus “disarmed the powers and authorities, making a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” We need not fear these entities, but we must remain vigilant, putting on the full armor of God as instructed in Ephesians 6:10-18. When we walk in repentance and thankfulness for the blood of Jesus, we close doors that might otherwise give the enemy access to our lives.
Justin Martyr and Early Church Understanding
Justin Martyr, writing around 160 AD in his Second Apology, indeed affirmed this understanding about demons. In Chapter 5, he explicitly stated: “But the angels transgressed this appointment, and were captivated by love of women, and begat children who are those that are called demons; and besides, they afterwards subdued the human race to themselves.” This statement directly connects demons to the offspring of fallen angels and human women, consistent with the Jewish tradition from which Christianity emerged.
Justin wasn’t alone in this view. Other early Church fathers like Irenaeus, Athenagoras, and Tertullian held similar perspectives. Athenagoras, in his “Plea for the Christians,” explained that demons were “the souls of the giants, who are the spirits that wander about the world.” Tertullian also referenced this understanding in multiple works, demonstrating that this wasn’t a fringe belief but was widely accepted in the early centuries of Christianity.
These early Christian writers were much closer to the Jewish interpretive tradition and understood the cultural and linguistic nuances of Genesis 6 in ways that would have been natural to the original audience. They hadn’t yet been influenced by later philosophical movements that would reinterpret these passages in more allegorical or rationalistic ways.
Clearing up misunderstandings
One common misconception is that the “sons of God” in Genesis 6 were merely the godly line of Seth intermarrying with the ungodly line of Cain. While this interpretation became popular in later Christian theology (particularly through Augustine), it fails to account for why such marriages would produce “mighty men of renown” or necessitate the flood as judgment. The term “sons of God” (bene ha’elohim) is used elsewhere in the Old Testament exclusively for angelic beings (Job 1:6, Job 38:7), not for godly humans.
Another misunderstanding stems from Jesus’ statement in Matthew 22:30 that angels “neither marry nor are given in marriage.” This has been used to argue that angels cannot engage in sexual relations. However, this passage describes the angels in heaven who have remained faithful to God, not those who, according to Peter and Jude, “abandoned their proper dwelling.” The early Church understood that these fallen angels had taken on physical form to accomplish their purposes, something also seen when angels appeared to Abraham and ate a meal (Genesis 18).
Many modern preachers have dismissed these interpretations as mythological or incompatible with our understanding of reality. Yet this approach imposes post-Enlightenment rationalism onto an ancient text, ignoring how the original audience would have understood these passages and disregarding the supernatural worldview that permeates Scripture. When we silence these passages or reinterpret them to fit modern sensibilities, we lose vital aspects of biblical teaching about the spiritual realm and God’s sovereignty over all creation, including rebellious spiritual beings.
Conclusion
Justin Martyr’s affirmation that demons are the disembodied spirits of the Nephilim provides a powerful connection between ancient Jewish understanding and early Christian theology. This continuity should encourage us to take these passages seriously rather than dismissing them as mere mythology. God’s Word reveals a complex spiritual reality that modern materialism often struggles to accommodate, but which remains essential to our understanding of the battle we face as believers.
As we grow in our understanding of these spiritual realities, let us remember that greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4). The blood of Jesus gives us complete victory over all spiritual powers. Rather than fearing these realities, we can walk in confidence that the Messiah has triumphed over every spiritual force and made a way for us to live in freedom and authority through His finished work.
Did you know
Justin Martyr’s Second Apology contains another fascinating insight where he explains that the fallen angels not only produced the Nephilim but actually taught humans forbidden knowledge, including magical arts, metallurgy, cosmetics, and astrology. This concept of “illicit heavenly knowledge” being transmitted to humanity appears before Justin Martyr, in several ancient texts including 1 Enoch. Some scholars believe it forms part of the background for Paul’s cryptic reference in 1 Corinthians 11:10 about women needing to have a “symbol of authority on their head, because of the angels.”
