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The Devil: A Very Short Introduction

Darren Oldridge

May 2012

ISBN: 9780199580996

144 pages
Paperback
174x111mm

In Stock

Very Short Introductions

Price: £8.99

The Devil has fascinated writers and theologians since the time of the New Testament, and inspired many dramatic and haunting works of art. Today he remains a potent image in popular culture. The Devil: A Very Short Introduction presents an introduction to the Christian Devil through the history of ideas and the lives of real people.

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Description

The Devil has fascinated writers and theologians since the time of the New Testament, and inspired many dramatic and haunting works of art. Today he remains a potent image in popular culture. The Devil: A Very Short Introduction presents an introduction to the Christian Devil through the history of ideas and the lives of real people.

  • Focusses specifically on the Christian Devil, exploring all of the issues and debates about the Devil from the ancient to the modern
  • Highlights the Devil's place in the history of ideas and how he has shaped thought about our past
  • Considers the many guises and meanings of the Devil represented in the Bible
  • Emphasises the influence the Devil has had on many forms of popular culture, including art, literature, and even language
  • Part of the bestselling Very Short Introductions series - over five million copies sold worldwide

About the Author(s)

Darren Oldridge, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Worcester

Darren Oldridge is a Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Worcester. For ten years his research and teaching has focused on the Devil, witchcraft and the concept of evil. He is the author the expanded second edition of The Witchcraft Reader (Routledge 2008), and Strange Histories (Routledge 2005).

Table of Contents

    Introduction
    1:A short history of the Devil
    2:The Devil and humankind
    3:Depicting the Devil
    4:Satan in a secular age
    Conclusion

Reviews

"This book may appeal to those wanting a short but insightful survey of those understandings of evil that the devil represents." - Reform Magazine

"Devil believer or devil-denier, you'll find plenty to get your teeth into here." - Northern Echo

"In this densely researched and drily elegant book, Satan is pursued through Augustine, Marlowe, Milton, Shelley, Blake, Goethe, Ambrose Bierce, Auden and CS Lewis's Screwtape, tales of self-mortification and witch-hunting, painting and the cinema." - Steven Poole, The Guardian

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