What Does the Bible Say About Vampires?

You won’t actually find vampires in the Bible. Werewolves, zombies, vampires, and other such fictional beings are creatures originating from medieval folklore and ancient mythology.


Legend suggests that vampires are corpses who leave their graves at night to drink the blood of sleeping humans. Another term for vampires is the undead. Although technically dead, they have the ability to animate.


In today’s culture, especially among young people, fascination with vampires is very much alive.


Wildly popular Gothic novels, television shows, and romance films like The Twilight Saga series have transformed this traditionally repulsive creature into a mysterious and seductively powerful (albeit dark) hero of our day.


A Vampire Theory in the Bible

One rather imaginative theory claims that vampires originated from two verses in the book of Genesis:


The legend of Lilith derives from a theory that Genesis has two creation accounts (Genesis 1:27 and 2:7, 20–22). The two stories allow for two different women. Lilith does not appear in the Bible (apart from a debatable reference comparing her to a screech owl in the Hebrew text of Isaiah 34:14). Some rabbinic commentators, however, refer to Lilith as the first created woman, who refused to submit to Adam and fled from the garden. Eve was then created to be Adam’s helper. After their expulsion from the garden, Adam reunited for a time with Lilith before finally returning to Eve. Lilith bore Adam a number of children, who became the demons of the Bible. According to kabbalistic legend, after Adam’s reconciliation with Eve, Lilith took the title Queen of the Demons and became a murderer of infants and young boys, whom she turned into vampires.


Among respectable Bible scholars, this theory would never see the light of day.


Christians and Vampire Fiction

Perhaps you’ve come here wondering, Is it okay for a Christian to read vampire books? I mean, it’s only fiction, right?


Yes, from one point of view, vampire tales are only stories. For some they are just harmless entertainment. But for many teenagers and young adults, the vampire attraction can become an obsession.


Depending on the person’s mental and spiritual condition, self-image, and family relationships, an unhealthy and potentially dangerous interest in the occult might easily develop.


Indeed, most scholars include vampirism in the occult category, along with witchcraft, astrology, spiritualism, Tarot card and palm reading, numerology, voodoo, mysticism, and the like. Over and over in Scripture God warns his people to stay away from involvement with occult practices. And in Philippians 4:8, we have this encouragement:


And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (NLT)


Dabbling in Darkness

In spite of our current-day glamorized vampires, it’s difficult to deny the connection between their “world of the dead” stories, the powers of darkness, and evil. So, another clear peril in delving even casually into this shadowy fantasy world is the tendency to become desensitized to the real powers of darkness in our world.


Ephesians 6:12 states:


For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. (NLT)


Jesus Christ is the light of world, and he asks us to walk in his light:


“I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” (John 8:12, NLT)


And again, in John 12:35 our Lord said:


“Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going.” (NLT)


Parents are wise to prayerfully consider the risks of allowing a child unsupervised exposure to vampire fiction. At the same time, labeling this a forbidden topic may create even greater temptation for a child.


Ultimately, the best response for a parent whose child shows an interest in vampire tales, might be to allow the child to discover through thoughtful discussion both the merits and the damaging elements in these stories. As a family you might talk about the details of the plot, and then hold those details up to the light of truth in Scripture. In this way, the allure of vampirism is dispelled and the child can learn to wisely judge truth from fiction, light from darkness.