The Devil
Subtitle: a very short introduction
By: Darren Oldridge
Series: Very short introductions
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2012
Place of publication: Oxford; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 121
ISBN-13: 9780199580996
Subjects: RELIGION / History; Devil; Christianity; RELIGION / Christianity / History
Description: "The Devil has fascinated Christians since the time of the New Testament, and inspired many haunting works of art. This Very Short Introduction looks at the Devil in the history of ideas and in the lives of real people. Darren Oldridge shows us that the Devil is an important figure in western history--a richly complex and contradictory one. Oldridge focuses on three main themes: the idea of the Devil being integral to western thought from the early Middle Ages to the beginnings of modernity; the belief that the Devil represents the mirror image of goodness; and the multiplicity and instability of ideas about the Devil. Oldridge concludes by exploring "demonological" ways of thinking in our own time, including allegations of "satanic ritual abuse.""--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Machine generated contents note:; title: Introduction; title: 1. A short history of the Devil; title: 2. The Devil and humankind; title: 3. Depicting the Devil; title: 4. Satan in a secular age; title: Conclusion.