What do you think?
Rate this book
The Devil: A Biography
Known by many names―Lucifer, Beelzebub, Mephistopheles, and Satan, to name but a few―the Devil is universally recognized as the embodiment of pure evil and rebellion in Christianity. Although little is said about this figure in the Bible, the Devil has, throughout history, served as an abstract canvas onto which human beings have projected their greatest fears and adversarial forces. Depictions of the Devil also come complete with the allure and romance that accompanies characters associated with rebellion and transgression. In this riveting twenty-one lecture series, Prof. Cisney engages an interdisciplinary lens to unveil and explore the mythos around this elusive figure. As you investigate representations of the Devil in texts ranging from the Bible to Rosemary’s Baby, you’ll learn how the Devil has been invoked in a variety of contexts―political, natural, epidemiological, religious, and moral―to make a myriad of statements about good and evil. By tracing the figure of the Devil through 4,000 years of historical, religious, philosophical, literary, and cinematic portrayals, you’ll better understand the historical-political milieus out of which these depictions and their contextual myths have emerged. You’ll also interrogate your own views on what the presence of evil this figure represents means about the nature of God.
Audio CD
Published July 19, 2022
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 19, 2024
A literature professor nerding in a very well planed manner about a topic dear to his heart.
Sign me in.
The audiobook consists of 21 lectures, where Cisney samples various uses of the literary figure of the devil. He places them in a context of the development of literary, and artistic depictions of it(the devil figure) over time.
It all starts out with the exploration of occurrences of satan related figure in middle eastern myths, and then continues with the hebrew bible: Where a subordinate of god, almost a crony even, as depicted in the book of job,
turned from accusatory servant into a symbol for much of the injustice the hebrew people perceived to aface them, when forced repeatedly into diaspora.
In other words satan became widely associated with worldly powers acting against the hebrew people.
There was more that happened obviously, but I am a lazy person (what can I say), and as uses of the literary figure of the devil increased, the sampling grows sparser in proportion.
It was enjoyable, and so I might revisit at some point in time.
I would wholeheartedly recommend as a treat in literary history.
Sign me in.
The audiobook consists of 21 lectures, where Cisney samples various uses of the literary figure of the devil. He places them in a context of the development of literary, and artistic depictions of it(the devil figure) over time.
It all starts out with the exploration of occurrences of satan related figure in middle eastern myths, and then continues with the hebrew bible: Where a subordinate of god, almost a crony even, as depicted in the book of job,
turned from accusatory servant into a symbol for much of the injustice the hebrew people perceived to aface them, when forced repeatedly into diaspora.
In other words satan became widely associated with worldly powers acting against the hebrew people.
There was more that happened obviously, but I am a lazy person (what can I say), and as uses of the literary figure of the devil increased, the sampling grows sparser in proportion.
It was enjoyable, and so I might revisit at some point in time.
I would wholeheartedly recommend as a treat in literary history.
Displaying 1 of 1 review