The political significance of the figure of the devil in Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan

There is a shift of research focus to theological problems in the works of Thomas Hobbes: eschatology, hell, the concept of the miracle, etc. Of particular interest is the figure of the devil. It occupied an important place in medieval consciousness and defined social life. The last third of the 17th century is marked by an active discussion among intellectuals about the status of the supernatural, especially the devil and his influence on social life. One of the initiators of this discussion was the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes, the developer of the idea of the modern state. The devil is examined in terms of his role in Thomas Hobbes’ political philosophy in Leviathan, or the Matter, Form, and Power of the Ecclesiastical and Civil State. First, Hobbes argues that the source of demonology was the worldview of the ancient Greeks, which influenced Jewish culture. Second, Hobbes’ materialistic worldview rejects any argument about the immateriality of spirits and the devil. These definitions of the devil lead us to see the devil as a danger in terms of language: an ambiguous concept that can strip language of its performative properties, endanger the stability of the political order for fear of the devil but not of the Sovereign. Therefore, the Sovereign gets a monopoly on interpreting the devil through scripture. Third, the devil, according to Hobbes, does not designate a particular person, but only “an office, or quality”. In other words, it is not a proper name, but an appellative. The devil as a proper name is a consequence of a mistranslation of the Bible. Fourth, Hobbes views the devil as the “earthly enemy of the church”. This definition means that the figure is undergoing complete secularization and temporalization. It is now a nominal name used to refer to enemies of the state. If the kingdom of God is an extension of the earthly kingdom and all interpretations of sacred scripture are carried out by the state, the devil is any force that attacks the church and sacred scripture, challenging the state. As a result, Hobbes secularizes Early Modern period political discourse by trying to stop all the ambiguities of the Bible by securing the power of the Sovereign. The devil turns out to be a symbol of the expression of state disobedience and of the individual who has surrendered inalienable rights to a “man-made” god. The author declares no conflicts of interests.

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