Saints Who Battled Satan: Seventeen Holy Warriors Who Can Teach You How to Fight the Good Fight and Vanquish Your Ancient Enemy

by Paul Thigpen

The war is on. The Devil plots to defeat you. Meet some battle-tested warriors who fight at your side.Satan is real. He’s a formidable foe who wants to snatch us away from God, and the thought of doing battle with him can seem daunting.Even so, the saints who have gone before us have engaged the Devil, armed with the power of Christ … and emerged victorious! These fellow warriors in heaven now fight on our behalf. In Saints Who Battled Satan, Paul Thigpen, author of Manual for Spiritual Warfare, details the heroic combat of 17 saints who defeated the Enemy.In Saints Who Battled Satan, Satan attacks us through extraordinary assaults and everyday temptations. How these 17 saints used prayer, Scripture, the sacraments, and other spiritual weapons against the Enemy.How the virtues served these saints as combat armor. How these victorious saints now offer their aid to those of us still battling on earth.Read the inspiring and triumphant stories of Padre Pio, Francis of Assisi, Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila, John Vianney, and a dozen other saints who battled Satan. You’ll find the strength, the courage, and the faith to win your own war against the Enemy.

Genres: Religion, Catholic, Christian, Faith, Biography, Nonfiction, Spirituality

266 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 12, 2015

About the author

Paul Thigpen, Ph.D., is the editor of TAN Books. An award-winning journalist and best-selling author, he has published forty-two books. His work has been translated into twelve languages and circulated worldwide.

Reviews

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully accessible primer of Catholic devotional history. The stories of 17 well known saints who battled Satan and his minions are artfully described, marching the reader quickly and expertly through the density of 2000 years of Roman Catholic history.

Part adventure, part devotional, and part mystic exploration -- Thigpen's primer will leave the reader scrambling through the footnotes to find launching points for their next bookish journeys into the hagiography of the Catholic Church's holiest men and women.

This book is meant to be a companion to Thigpen's Guide to Spiritual Warfare. I highly recommend reading both (in either order) for a spiritually fulfilling short study of the desperately needed, but oft ignored, return to the purpose of Jesus's mission on earth.

1 John 3:8Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA)

8 He that committeth sin is of the devil: for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God appeared, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

[Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Paul Thigpen is an excellent teacher of the Catholic faith. Among the 40+ books he has written and edited, are A Year with the Saints, A Year with Mary, and Manual for Spiritual Warfare. With those recent titles, his latest book, Saints Who Battled Satan, is the logical topic choice. In Saints Who Battled Satan, Dr. Thigpen, provides us with examples of saints who fought Satan with Scripture, prayer, and the sacraments. The book begins with the story of Eve and the Fall. He sets the stage by telling us of the angelic rebellion led by Lucifer, and how his first target after he was expelled from Heaven was Eve. He then walks us through the crafty methods Satan used to cause Eve and all of humanity to fall as well. We then receive 17 chapters, one per saint, which gives brief background information on the saint, and then tells us how Satan attacked them and how they prevailed. Some of the saints include the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. Paul, and St. Dominic. Allow me to tell you about a favorite saint of mine - St. Anthony of the Desert.

St. Anthony was born in the 3rd Century to a wealthy family in Egypt. When his parents died, he made sure his sister was taken care of, and then disposed of his inheritance so that he could go out into the desert, like Jesus did. His reason for doing this was that he wanted to learn how Jesus overcame Satan and then teach it to others. Satan did not like Anthony, because he knew he would be a powerful foe if he succeeded, so he first attacked him with all the physical pleasures and comforts of the world. The second attack on St. Anthony involved Satan and a band of demons whipping him to near death. The rest of the chapter details other attacks by Satan and victories by St. Anthony. It then concludes with the details of other men joining St. Anthony in the desert to become monks as well. I pretty much know St. Anthony's story by heart, but it is always an inspiration to read through it. He shows us a perfect example of battling Satan, not with his own strength, but relying solely on God to help him. This is the only way to ever achieve victory over Satan.

The above profile of St. Anthony is just one of seventeen examples of saints who waged spiritual warfare against Satan. If the book was nothing but these profiles, that would be enough to make a compelling read. However, there is a 50 page epilogue that contains more (shorter) examples of other saints who battled saints as well as wisdom from the saints on how to fight Satan. Some of these saintly tips encourage us to pray the Our Father, pray the Sign of the Cross, use Holy Water frequently, and find strength in receiving the Eucharist. This impressive epilogue and the detailed examples of the saints make for a winning combination. I highly recommend this book for all Catholics and Christians alike, as we are all at war with Satan and need all the help we can get!

[Riley Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written book. Although the author covered many different saints, he kept each section concise and to the point. Remember we are in spiritual warfare. Use prayer and the sacraments to defeat the enemy.

[Crista Giono · Rating 5 out of 5]

lo "lei" en audio book y no estaba muy bonita la voz ni la narración. Pero aprendi mucho acerca de como los Santos han luchado en contra del demonio y conocí Santos que no conocia. Me gusto pero me esperaba mas de este libro.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is a little juvenile, maybe it was written for adolescent Catholics. Still I kind of liked it, but some of the dramatization produced eye-rolling. Basically it's a summarized history of the Church, told through the lens of individual saints' lives. It seems well-sourced, but if you actually want to know about these people's lives you would have to go to those cited works. The broad themes are accessible. Prayer, fasting, and the cord produce mystical experiences and preposterously solid faith. This is turn provokes equally terrifying temptations and oppression. So it's a "war" of sorts, and the analogy with combat is played up throughout the book. Valuable for adults who know nothing about Church history, I suppose, but the words of wisdom at the back of the book were what I found to be most interesting. Sort of like The Screwtape Letters but from the perspective of the guy being tempted by Wormwood instead.

A brief overview of Church history with some Saintly wisdom thrown in. Would recommend to young Christians.

[Kalley C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always love books by this author. Straightforward and concise--he shares with us words from the Saints to encourage us in our spiritual battle. What I loved about this book is that he includes brief stories about the different Saints and what temptations and battles they had to overcome.

I've highlighted so much in this book, that I'm going to spend time looking over what I highlighted! This for me will already be on my re-read list, and I'm looking forward to reading more books from this author.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was really good. I wasn't raised Catholic but have been interested in Saints since I was a child. I never knew why but didn't consider it a bad thing. So when going through a used bookstore, I found this. I couldn't put it down. What I found interesting is that it followed, almost exactly, the Vikings series that was on History Channel. Which made it even more interesting. My only complaint is that I wish it was a larger book, with more saints. I will be looking for more from this religious scholar.

[Mark Marquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enchanting and disturbing stories of the Saints.



I’m a big fan of Catholic Saints and reading their struggles and hardships is uplifting when you realize your own troubles were nothing in comparisons to their hardships. This book especially details supernatural encounters and is all the more frightening for it.

This is almost like reading modern mythology and yet these are claimed ‘true stories’’ Most fascinating and compelling for reading for sure.

[PJ Manning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul Thigpen, probably one of the best contemporary writers of the faith, takes readers through church history, and the personal tribulations of several saints who battled internal and external demons. The stories are delivered in a way that is fascinating and relatable to modern life and inspires courage and fortitude in dealing with personal struggles. I found this to be a compelling read. Highly recommended.

[Carol McHale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was straight-forward in its stories about the different ways evil directly or indirectly influenced saints in their daily lives. It was not a scary book at all, thinking along the lines of a book like the Exorcist. This book actually gives great insight on how to defeat evil in your life. Definitely worth the time and money to read it.

[Cherlynn Womack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was the chosen book for my church book club. I really enjoyed this book & found it inspiring how these saints defeated Satan & his demons through their faith in Christ. I highly recommend it to all Catholics & for those interested in Catholic faith or to those struggling with their own inner demons.

[Joseph Laughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed some concise overviews of saints lives. However it was written in a kind of way that embellishes the “spiritual warfare” aspect of their lives. In my opinion, this makes the Saints less relatable. Perhaps it’s a mindset thing on my end. Regardless, I think there’s some popular appeal to his style and this is a good springboard to learn more about some important people.

[Štefan Moravčík · Rating 3 out of 5]

Autor ohladom “temneho stredoveku” zastava uz prekonany vedecky nazor. Publikacia je skor zalozena na hagiografiach a dennikoch a je vhodna na povzbudenie a poukazanie na realnost satana vo svete. Su to v podstate pribehy svatych - ich zazraky a nadprirodzeno. Casto sa sklonuju slova satan, exorcizmus, demoni.. Doplnena je o niekolko citatov o satanovi.
Realny prinos nic moc.

[January · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not for me. It was like Screwtape meets the lives of the saints, which I wouldn't have minded, except the book leads you to believe there is some spiritual lesson to be learned. It had a sense of the spectacular that made it a bit too hokey for my liking

[Harry Colin]

A fine work with a chronological account of saints who battled - often ferociously - with the enemy. Because each saint's story can be a stand alone piece, this book lends itself to be read either cover-to-cover or as a fireside/bedside companion when an inspirational story or two is desired.

[Anna Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book would have been so much better if Catholics didn´t worship Mary. Reading about it feels blasphemous to me, I don´t understand how they can justify it. Paul Thigpen seems to be obsessed with her. No-one who feels like that is capable of telling people how to fight against the devil...

[Joann Glasser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good book to read during Lent. Gives you courage

[Aaron Filzen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. Great stories of incredible saints.

[Katee Belle Imlay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent audio book narrator

[Joanne Sonnenberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a story book of Saints and how they battled Satan and his forces during their life. The author never seem to draw the stories together to have a conclusion.

[EC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Read about the holy warriors--men and women of Christ's church and their battle in this eternal war.
"Edification first, then have some fun!" -BAD BRAINS

[Alexia · Rating 5 out of 5]

learning about spiritual warfare from the lives of the saints, what more could you ask for?

[Sal Valenza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. 12 years of Catholic school taught me much of what is in the book. I recommend it.

[Kristin Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will have you so fired up. I wanted to punch Satan in the face after reading it. Highly recommend!

[Emily Whalen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I would have enjoyed this more not as an audiobook…

[Justin Glover · Rating 4 out of 5]

An inspirational read that could be likened to a boot camp in spiritual warfare.

Thigpen, through the eyes and experiences of some of the great Saints of past, provides examples and stories that can inspire us all in our daily struggles in the realm of spiritual warfare. A recommended read for any Catholic.

[Xhulia · Rating 2 out of 5]

To my opinion it was badly written. The life and deeds of the saints were described in general terms and it lacks style. Such way of narrating it does not justice to the saints. In the end, the book does not have neither historical, literary or spiritual value.

[Francis H J Chia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not to bad a holiday read...

A concise book about the lives of the saints and what can be learnt...a reasonable effort in making the lives of saints readable and enjoyable..

[Barbara A. Farley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good. This is all i have to say.

Enjoyed thus very much. Five stars in rate this book. I don't want to write anythingbelse but this format making mevfo so.