The Devil

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.

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

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