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From the National Book Award-winning and National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author of The Gnostic Gospels comes a dramatic interpretation of Satan and his role on the Christian tradition. "Arresting...brilliant...this book illuminates the angels with which we must wrestle to come to the truth of our bedeviling spritual problems." —The Boston Globe With magisterial learning and the elan of a born storyteller, Pagels turns Satan’s story into an audacious exploration of Christianity’s shadow side, in which the gospel of love gives way to irrational hatreds that continue to haunt Christians and non-Christians alike.
" It is the writer’s firm conviction, in these days when the most enthusiastic “bookworm” cannot even keep up with the titles of the book output, that an earnest, sensible reason should be given for adding another to the already endless list of books. We have enough books today, “good, bad, indifferent," with which, if they were collected, to build another Cyclops pyramid. The sage of the Old Testament declared in his day, concerning the endless making of books; such a statement, compared with modern writing and publishing of books, sounds amusing. Every possible subject, vagary, or ism, for which a book could be written, is overworked. Bible themes of all grades, from orthodoxy to ultra higher criticism, have flooded the land. Especially is the iconoclast in much evidence; he is free lance, and shows no quarters. Cardinal tenets of Bible faith, so long unquestioned, are being smitten with a merciless hand. Disintegration is the most obvious fact among us; nothing is too sacred for the crucible of what is termed “scholarship...."
DEVIL—SATAN—SERPENT—DRAGON “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”—Revelation xii. 7-9. Names were significant in Bible times; they are given to-day at random, but then names were indicative of character. When character changed, the name changed: Jacob to Israel; Saul to Paul, etc. While the subject of these pages remained the holy, shining light bearer of heaven, he was Lucifer, but that name was lost to him forever. So varied were his passions, characteristics, and powers that must be known by appropriate names, and each, as given, designates some phase of his multiform personality. Devil.Not only did Lucifer lose name and character; he exchanged a brilliant, glorious external appearance (to eyes that penetrate the invisible) for one ugly, loathsome, beastly. If language can be interpreted literally, the eye of inspiration and revelation sees him a Devil—sair in the Hebrew, “hairy one,” “he goat,” etc. The he goat, in the Bible, stands for all that is low and base. Those who partake of the sair nature, in the Last Day, are called goats. He divided the sheep from the goats. God teaches us spiritual lessons in all nature, especially by the animal kingdom, and as the goat is a synonym for the lowest instincts of the animal; we find a being created in the highest realm of spiritual life sinking to the lowest level of brute life. If no further delineation were given—no other name than Devil—the fall was from one extreme to the other.
A philosophical history of the concept of evil in western culture. 'Evil is something to be feared, and historically, we shall see, it is the enemy within who has been seen as representing the most intense evil of all - the enemy who looks just like us, talks like us, and is just like us.' The Myth of Evil explores a contradiction: the belief that human beings cannot commit acts of pure evil, that they cannot inflict harm for its own sake, and the evidence that pure 'evil' truly is a human capacity. Acts of horror are committed not by inhuman 'monsters', but by ordinary human beings. This contradiction is clearest in the apparently 'extreme' acts of war criminals, terrorists, serial murderers, sex offenders and children who kill. Phillip Cole delves deep into our two, cosily established approaches to evil. There is the traditional approach where evil is a force which creates monsters in human shape. And there is the 'enlightened' perspective where evil is the consequence of the actions of misguided or mentally deranged agents. Cole rejects both approaches. Satan may have played a role in its evolution, but evil is really a myth we have created about ourselves. And to understand it fully, we must acknowledge this. Drawing on the philosophical ideas of Nietzsche, Arendt, Kant, Mary Midgley and others, as well as theology, psychoanalysis, fictional representations and contemporary political events such as the global 'war on terror', Cole presents an account of evil that is thorough and thought-provoking, and which, more fundamentally, compels us to reassess our understanding of human nature.
"Is the Devil a Myth" is a slightly non-classifiable work from the dawn of the 20th century dealing with demonology, the titles and function of Satan (as well as his various powers, from a protestant perspective), and fits loosely in with the moral tracts of its era against spiritualism, mesmerism, stage magic, alcohol, and other "social ills." While exceptionally pessimistic about mankind's ability to directly confront what Wimberley sees as the threat of demon possession and sin, it comes replete with a literal treatment of Revelation and thus its "happy" ending.
Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.
After years of searching, doing linguistic studies, and looking at the Hebraic understanding from many writings in ancient lore, I began to see something that I believe many in Christian circles have missed concerning the concept of Satan. While Satan is mentioned in scripture, the concept is never developed theologically. People have to run from Genesis to Isaiah trying to string a series of random verses together to get an understanding of who or what evil is composed of. When we get to historic Christianity, the doctrine of the devil is only second to the doctrine of God, and the devil is an indispensable part of the machinery of faith and piety. All of a sudden, we seem to have leaped from the Hebrew scriptures to the New Testament, and again, tying random scriptures together, we have developed a complete theology concerning evil and the ruler over it. The logic is inconsistent and doesn't work with the evidence within the biblical text. Let's look at the logic of the good and evil impulse within each individual that makes all of us free moral agents without the need for a Satan/Devil/Lucifer the way most Christians understand it. Having preached for over forty years within the Lord's body, Dr. Barry Fike has studied the Hebrew background of the New Testament church for over thirty years trying to understand the development of the body of Christ from its foundational Hebraic roots. While working with students at many educational levels, alongside the local body in California, Dr. Fike has a passion for learning the truth about theological positions that the church holds and testing it with his foundational knowledge. This book is a result of looking, studying, and probing into the biblical text and the evidence that comes from looking into its Hebrew background.
Demonology and Devil Lore by Moncure D. Conway Pdf
Demonology and Devil Lore is a work on demonology which analyzes how different cultures and religions have interpreted demons and devil along history. The author's survey of myths, folktales, superstitions and rituals across cultures is very methodical. Each topic is thoroughly researched and it is explained how a certain theme is viewed in demonic myths throughout the world. The book is a kind of a treatise on the historical development of the idea of Evil.
Is the Devil a Myth? (Classic Reprint) by Charles Franklin Wimberly Pdf
Excerpt from Is the Devil a Myth? IT is the writer's firm conviction, in these days when the most enthusiastic bookworm cannot even keep up with the titles of the book output, that an earnest, sensible reason should be given for adding another to the already endless list of books. We have enough books to-day, good, bad, indifferent, with which, if they were collected, to build another Cyclops pyramid. The sage of the Old Testament declared in his day, concerning the endless making of books such a statement, compared with modern writing and publishing Of books, sounds amusing. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
The Mythology of the Devil by Moncure D. Conway Pdf
The Mythology of the Devil is a work on demonology which analyzes how different cultures and religions have interpreted demons and devil along history. The author's survey of myths, folktales, superstitions and rituals across cultures is very methodical. Each topic is thoroughly researched and it is explained how a certain theme is viewed in demonic myths throughout the world. The book is a kind of a treatise on the historical development of the idea of Evil.
Exorcism: The Battle Against Satan and His Demons by Fr. Vincent P. Lampert Pdf
At a time when many Christians no longer practice their faith, there has been an increase in the attention given to the devil and his devious ways. Because the devil seeks to destroy and separate us from God, all Catholics must be on guard. In Exorcism: The Battle Against Satan and His Angels, Fr. Vincent P. Lampert, a seasoned exorcist, presents authentic Catholic teaching on the devil and his plan against humanity. Providing a window into the merciful ministry of exorcism, Fr. Lampert equips Catholics with the knowledge necessary to avoid become vulnerable to spiritual attack. In Exorcism, you’ll learn · how the Church selects and trains priests for the ministry of exorcism · where and how the devil operates in the world, and what Scripture has to say about it · why it is vital for Catholics to live a vibrant life of faith · what to do if you suspect the presence of the demonic in your life or in others and · how to fend off spiritual attack and build a stronger relationship with God. Exorcism makes clear that the power of Satan to wreak havoc in our lives pales in light of the glorious omnipotence of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
This critical review of the history of America's relations with Iran shows how little of the two countries' long and complicated relationship is reflected in the foundational axioms of the "Great Satan" myth. The author explains why meaningful and equitable relations can begin only after the two nations have arrived at a common, critical, and accurate reading of the past.