ABSTRACT
Ziegenbalg’s efforts to discern the residual image of God in the South Indians and his desire to use his knowledge in his missionary service led him to produce suitable Christian literature (i.e., version of the New Testament, Freylinghausen’s theology, catechism, sermons, tracts and hymns). All these writings show Ziegenbalg’s deep religious insight. For example, he uses two interchangeable words, namely Piśāca and Pēy, to explain his idea of the devil. Neither of these words explains his intention adequately. The Sanskrit word Piśāca refers to a malevolent demon that lusts after (human) flesh and hovers around cremation grounds, large water reservoirs, certain trees and deep valleys. The number of Piśācas continues to increase steadily, as the souls of all people who commit suicide or die a terrible death in wars, conflicts, accidents, and in natural catastrophes, become Piśācas (TamLet, 479). Ziegenbalg’s other term for the devil is Pēy, which stands for an evil spirit that inflicts harm, and causes pain and destruction. The people use the term Pēy to personify social evils such as theft, slander and murder (L 172 r-174 r) and also to refer to the titular deities such as and who are also considered to be the leaders of the Pēys; hence, Ziegenbalg wonders how a Pēy can be exorcised through another Pēy. He has probably remembered the statement of Jesus Christ in the Gospel of Matthew 12:24-32 saying that a Pēy could not work against its colleagues.1 It is evident that Ziegenbalg and the people had conflicting opinion about the nature and work of the devil. However, both knew that the devil was an enemy of God as well as of human beings, and therefore had to be resisted and defeated (e.g., L 3 r).2
