Russell (History/Univ. of Cal. at Santa Barbara) has written four
scholarly books on the Devil front antiquity to modern times. Here,
he summarizes the major themes of his earlier works in a form more
accessible to the general reader. Russell is a careful historian,
and traces the origin of this Western figure (the Devil appears
only in Zoroastrianism, ancient Hebrew religion, Christianity, and
Judaism) in early cultures and in Biblical references. A tong
section, replete with theological speculation - including a
contrast of the views of Origen and Evagrios - covers the
development of the concept of the Devil in early Christianity. The
author goes on to discuss the Devil in the popular imagination,
literature, and art, offering an informed and insightful argument -
but one that fails to infect the reader with his own enthusiams. As
if on a crusade, he shuffles the sound informational material at
the core of the book with chapters warning us that we ignore the
"personification of evil" at our own peril. Russell seems to
believe that there may very well be a conscious, malevolent force
outside of us that we must defeat through love; but if this is so,
how can we at the same time strive, as he urges, "to integrate the
evil within us?" When he sticks to history, Russell is on firm
ground. But he is no philosopher, and his exhortations detract from
the value of his informative work. (Kirkus Reviews)
The Devil, Satan, Lucifer, Mephistopheles - throughout history the
Prince of Darkness, the Western world's most powerful symbol of
evil, has taken many names and shapes. Jeffrey Burton Russell here
chronicles the remarkable story of the Devil from antiquity to the
present. While recounting how past generations have personified
evil, he deepens our understanding of the ways in which people have
dealt with the enduring problem of radical evil.After a compelling
essay on the nature of evil, Russell uncovers the origins of the
concept of the Devil in various early cultures and then traces its
evolution in Western thought from the time of the ancient Hebrews
through the first centuries of the Christian era. Next he turns to
the medieval view of the Devil, focusing on images found in
folklore, scholastic thought, art, literature, mysticism, and
witchcraft. Finally, he follows the Devil into our own era, where
he draws on examples from theology, philosophy, art, literature,
and popular culture to describe the great changes in this
traditional notion of evil brought about by the intellectual and
cultural developments of modern times.Is the Devil an outmoded
superstition, as most educated people today believe? Or do the
horrors of the twentieth century and the specter of nuclear war
make all too clear the continuing need for some vital symbol of
radical evil? A single-volume distillation of Russell's epic
tetralogy on the nature and personifcation of evil from ancient
times to the present (published by Cornell University Press between
1977 and 1986), The Prince of Darkness invites readers to confront
these and other critical questions as they explore the past faces
of that figure who has been called the second most famous personage
in Christianity.
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