The Devil: A New Biography

by Philip C. Almond

Overview

It is often said that the devil has all the best tunes. He also has as many names as he has guises. Lucifer, Mephistopheles, Beelzebub (in Christian thought), Ha-Satan or the Adversary (in Jewish scripture) and Iblis or Shaitan (in Islamic tradition) has throughout the ages and across civilizations been a compelling and charismatic presence. For two thousand years the supposed reign of God has been challenged by the fiery malice of his opponent, as contending forces of good and evil have between them weighed human souls in the balance. In this rich and multi-textured biography, Philip C Almond explores the figure of the devil from the first centuries of the Christian era through the rise of classical demonology and witchcraft persecutions to the modern post-Enlightenment 'decline' of Hell. The author shows that the Prince of Darkness, in all his incarnations, remains an irresistible subject in history, religion, art, literature and culture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781350274259
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	02/24/2022
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.45(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Philip C. Almond is Emeritus Professor of Religion in the University of Queensland, Australia.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements

Prologue


Chapter One: The 'Birth' of the Devil

Angels and Demons, Sons and Lovers
'The Book of the Watchers'
Angels, Arising and Falling
The Birth of 'Satan'
The Archdemon Belial
Satan and Jesus
The Fall of the Dragon

Chapter Two: The Fall of the Devil

The Fall of Man
The Satanic Serpent
Pride Cometh before a Fall
Lucifer Descending
The Battleground of History

Chapter Three: Hell's Angel

Paying Off the Devil
The Demonic Paradox
The Harrowing of Hades
In Hell, and in the Air

Chapter Four: The Devil Rides Out

A Pope Bewitched
Cathars, Moderate and Extreme
Angels and Demons
The Demonisation of Magic
Magic Defined, Damned, and Defended
Conjuring Demons and Conversations with Angels

Chapter Five: Devilish Bodies

The Demonisation of Popular Magic
Errors Not Cathartic but Satanic
The Devil, Sex and Sexuality
Embodied Demons

Chapter Six: The Devil and the Witch

Infanticide and Cannibalism
Travels Sabbatical
The Satanic Pact
The Devil's Mark

Chapter Seven: A Very Possessing Devil

The Possessed Body
Possession, Medicine, and Sceptics
Forensic Demonology
Beyond the Borders of the Human
Exorcising the Devil

Chapter Eight: The Devil Defeated

The Binding and Loosing of Satan
The Antichrist
Adso and the Antichrist
The Future Binding of Satan
Apocalypse Now
Satan and the Fires of Hell

Chapter Nine: The 'Death' of the Devil

Satan and Superstition
The Cessation of Miracles
The Devil De-skilled
The Devil Disembodied
Bodies, Platonic and Demonic
Disenchanting the World

Epilogue

Notes
Bibliography
Index

What People are Saying About This

Jill Paton Walsh

This fascinating—and tragic—account of his influence through history will be a real eye-opener to anyone who supposes that the inconvenience of his not existing would limit the damage the Devil could do. Fundamentally, the Devil owes his powers to the problem of reconciling God's goodness with God’s omnipotence. Following with deep learning a trail of confusion, dogmatism, and persecution, Philip C. Almond in his vivid biography convincingly demonstrates that the Devil was, and is, a very bad idea.

Marion Gibson

Philip C. Almond's new book is a triumph. With humor and charm, it proceeds accessibly from the earliest Jewish writings on demons to eighteenth-century attempts to challenge the belief that Satan was active in human affairs. Angels, giants, demoniacs, witches, and divines fill its pages, and the breadth of research informing the book is impressively broad. Yet the text is informal and readable. Almond has made theology and demonology approachable and his account rips along. This is an entertaining and informative read.

Editorial Reviews

Almond has accomplished an impressive feat in compressing the long and complicated life, or lives, of the Prince of Darkness into a clear, coherent, and engaging narrative. For students and general readers, this is an excellent introduction to the Devil's story, and scholars will find it a valuable synthesis as well.

The Medieval Review

What we can find here is a serious look through the ages at our choices to not just personify evil, but make it a central even necessary part of the culture. Almond creates a readable if not comfortable journey to that regard.... Clearly the devil is not dead even if modern thought has him in assisted living.

U.S. Catholic Magazine - Thomas Whitaker

Almond's biography carves out of the mass of works related to the diabolichal a carefully delineated history that is both scholarly and accessible and that contributes to the intertwined fields of Christian theology, magic, witchcraft, and demonology.... Almond's careful overview of the Western perspective of the devil provides a valuable and highly readable explanation for one of the most bizarre and devastating ideas in Western history.

H-Albion - Gary K. Waite

Almond's contribution to the Devil's bibliography is welcome in particular because he makes it clear just how tenuous the Christian theory of evil is, and how much it potentially undermines the power and goodness of God; the commander of all things evil is a dangerous concept for monotheistic religion, complicating the already difficult problem of the existence of evil in a world created by an overwhelmingly good deity.

Fortean Times - Noel Rooney

With its understanding that the devil is best understood through his history, with its many stimulating and illuminating obiter dicta... with its up-to-date bibliography, and with its understanding of the moral importance of the devil as ast least a metaphor of real evil as opposed to treating the subject as merely a literary topos, Almond's book is a welcome addition to the subject.

The Catholic Historical Review - Jeffrey Burton Russel

The book's greatest strength is Almond’s ability to present complicated theological and philosophical debates with clarity and in an engaging style. The sweeping scope of the work is admirable.... It will be of great interest to a broad readership, both within and beyond academia.

Speculum - Jason Coy

By the time the reader has reached the final page of Philip Almond's presumably unauthorised bigraphy, one is possessed by a curious and wholly unexpected sensation—that of sympathy for the Devil.

The National - Jonathan Gornall

"This fascinating—and tragic—account of his influence through history will be a real eye-opener to anyone who supposes that the inconvenience of his not existing would limit the damage the Devil could do. Fundamentally, the Devil owes his powers to the problem of reconciling God's goodness with God’s omnipotence. Following with deep learning a trail of confusion, dogmatism, and persecution, Philip C. Almond in his vivid biography convincingly demonstrates that the Devil was, and is, a very bad idea."

Jill Paton Walsh

"Philip C. Almond's new book is a triumph. With humor and charm, it proceeds accessibly from the earliest Jewish writings on demons to eighteenth-century attempts to challenge the belief that Satan was active in human affairs. Angels, giants, demoniacs, witches, and divines fill its pages, and the breadth of research informing the book is impressively broad. Yet the text is informal and readable. Almond has made theology and demonology approachable and his account rips along. This is an entertaining and informative read."

Marion Gibson

"Almond has accomplished an impressive feat in compressing the long and complicated life, or lives, of the Prince of Darkness into a clear, coherent, and engaging narrative. For students and general readers, this is an excellent introduction to the Devil's story, and scholars will find it a valuable synthesis as well."

From the Publisher