Satanism / demonology Books

Book SynopsisThe Satanic Bible was written by Anton LaVey in 1969. It is a collection of essays, observations and basic Satanic rituals, and outlines LaVey''s Satanic ideology. It contains the core principles of LaVeyan Satanism and is considered the foundation of the philosophy and dogma that constitute Satanism.

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Book SynopsisCalled The Black Pope by many of his followers, Anton La Vey began the road to High Priesthood of the Church of Satan when he was only 16 years old and an organ player in a carnival...On Saturday night I would see men lusting after halfnaked girls dancing at the carnival, and on Sunday morning when I was playing the organ for tent-show evangelists at the other end of the carnival lot, I would see these same men sitting in the pews with their wives and children, asking God to forgive them and purge them of carnal desires. And the next Saturday night they''d be back at The carnival or some other place of indulgence.I knew then that the Christian Church thrives on hypocrisy, and that man''s carnal nature will out!From that time early in his life his path was clear. Finally, on the last night of April, 1966?Walpurgisnacht,the most important festival of the believers in witchcraft?LaVey shaved his head in the tradition of Ancient executioners and announced the formation of The Church Of Satan. He had seen the need for a church that would recapture man''s body and his carnal desires as objects of celebration.Since worship of fleshly things produces pleasure, he said, there would then be a temple of glorious indulgence . . .

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Book SynopsisExamines legal documents and magic texts relevant to common forms of magic practiced in Tudor England. Trade Review“The provision of these original sources is a gift to historians and their students but also to modern magicians seeking working materials, and the authors’ analyses provide genuinely new insights into the nature of late medieval and early modern English magical practice.”—Ronald Hutton,author of The Witch: A History of Fear, from Ancient Times to the Present

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Book SynopsisMephistopheles is the fourth and final volume of Jeffrey Burton Russell's critically acclaimed history of the concept of the Devil, continuing in this volume the story from the Reformation to the present.Trade ReviewAn excellent and important intellectual history. * Library Journal *It is more than the history of demonological imagination as it has been displayed for half a millennium in theological controversies, in poetry, novels, paintings, and witch trials: it is the history of European man trying to cope with the terrifying riddle of radical evil.... Both an extremely rich scholarly work and an exiquisite exercise in a topic that is unlikely ever to die off in our civilization. -- Leslek Kolakowski * Journal of Modern History *Jeffrey Burton Russell is not only a conscientious historian, he is also an introspective essayist who acknowledges his own continuing struggle to understand the nature and the source of evil. -- Robert Coles * New York Times Book Review *No few sentences can adequately convey the book's richness of content and seriousness of purpose. Russell has without doubt bequeathed us a magnificent synthesis of Western culture's modern, tortuous grappling with the ideas of radical evil and the devil. -- Brian Easlea * American Historical Review *This book moves with sustained seriousness and brilliance across five centuries, from Luther's time to our own... and, although it has all the virtues of great intellectual history, it is explicitly rooted in a profound moral analysis of our own era. -- M. D. Aeschliman * National Review *Table of ContentsPreface 1. Evil2. The Reformed Devil3. The Devil between Two Worlds4. Satan Expiring5. The Romantic Devil6. The DeviI's Shadow7. The Devil in a Warring World8. God and DevilBibliography Index

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Book SynopsisExplores the sociological dymanics underpinning the contemporary fear of satanism. The author shows how rumour can turn into facts; how groups set up to combat the satanism gain power and money; how the scare mirrors a moral crisis in America; and the continued effect of medieval folklore.

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Book SynopsisExamines legal documents and magic texts relevant to two cases where authorities in Tudor England confronted practicing magicians. Explores how magicians thought about the world, where they got their ideas, and how their magic was supposed to work.Trade Review“This short scholarly study has two key virtues: it teases apart two muddled-up historiographies and unites two unnecessarily distanced ones. First, it clears a distinct space in the historical record for practitioners of magic, who as religious and legal deviants too often get absorbed into the academic discussion of witches and witch-trials. Secondly, it exploits the fact that 16th-century magical texts tell us little about the people who used them, while legal records of prosecution — magic was first criminalised under the 1542 Witchcraft Act — tell us a lot about the magicians but frustratingly little about the technicalities of their offences.”—Malcolm Gaskill Fortean Times“Klaassen and Wright deftly lay bare the mechanics of both the prosecution and the practice of the most transgressive forms of magic on the eve of the Reformation. The Magic of Rogues will be essential reading for anyone interested in the social or legal history of supernatural belief in the early modern world.”—Francis Young Journal of British Studies“With its innovative combination of magical texts and legal documents, this is an important research contribution and offers an excellent set of annotated sources for teaching not just about magic but also about power, belief, and ambition in Tudor England.”—Jonathan Barry,author of Witchcraft and Demonology in South-West England, 1640–1789“The Magic of Rogues undoubtedly enhances our understanding of early Tudor magic, reinforced by a general introduction to the nature of magic in the period and its relationship with the authorities.”—Ronald Hutton,author of The Witch: A History of Fear, from Ancient Times to the Present“This book is a fascinating contribution to historical scholarship on European magic.”—Patricia Sophie Mayer Religious Studies Review

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Book SynopsisA gripping biography by the author of Brave New WorldIn 1634 Urbain Grandier, a handsome and dissolute priest of the parish of Loudun was tried, tortured and burnt at the stake.Trade ReviewHuxley has reconstructed with skill, learning and horror one of the most appalling incidents in the history of witch-hunting during its seventeenth-century heyday. The Devils of Loudun is fascinating, erudite, and instinct with intellectual vitality * Times Literary Supplement *Huxley's analysis of motive, his exposition of the unconscious causes of behaviour, his exposure of the perversions to which religious emotion is subject, his discursions on the witch cult, on mass hysteria, on sexual eccentricity have the brilliance that all his writing has had from the very beginning * Spectator *One of Huxley's best books * Guardian *His masterpiece, and perhaps the most enjoyable book about spirituality ever written. In telling the grotesque, bawdy and true story of a 17th-century convent of cloistered French nuns who contrived to have a priest they never met burned alive ...Huxley painlessly conveys a wealth of information about mysticism and the unconscious * Washington Post *

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewCourses on topics ranging from religion and law to religious protest to general surveys of American religion will be enriched by the inclusion of this exciting text. * Spencer Dew, Wittenberg University/The Ohio State University, Religious Studies Review *Speak of the Devil is a must-read for scholars of religion. Laycock rightly frames TST (The Satanic Temple) as provoking consequential questions of classification, religious freedom, and national belonging. * Dusty Hoesly, Religion, Vol 52, no.1 *Speak of the Devil ranks its author among influential scholars of contemporary Satanism ... Laycock's work is likely to appeal to both scholars and a broader audience by presenting a fluent, readable, and properly contextualized analysis of the development of The Satanic Temple. * Miroslav Vrzal, Ivona Vrzalová, Religio *Recommended. * C.H. Lippy, emeritus, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, CHOICE *Joseph Laycock has written an outstanding treatment of one of the most misunderstood new religious movements...The book is well-written and impeccably documented. In addition to producing a fine introduction to TST, Laycock introduces us to a host of important contemporary cultural theorists, religion scholars, and legal experts working at the interface of politics and religion. This book will be valuable to anyone who teaches world religions/new religious movements, or anyone seeking to understand legal issues related to religion in the public square. * Jonathan P. Case, Evangelical Missions Quarterly *Laycock's book produces several contributions to the field. His survey of satanic history and its use in popular discourse reveals the extent to which the satanic affinity for performance traces back to earlier Church of Satan figures such as Anton LaVey but also the political activism, militant reactionism, and moral sensationalism of conservative Christians * William Chavez, Reading Religion *This volume is highly recommended. Its sections on the history of Satanism and TST may not be of interest to all Christians, but surely to those interested in a study of new religious movements, and Satanism in particular. Even for those who have no interest in Satanism or TST, and who find such subjects off-putting, the discussion of TST's challenges to our assumptions about religion, religious free-dom, and religious pluralism make this an important addition to select Christian libraries. * John W. Morehead, Cultural Encounters: A Journal for the Theology of Culture *Laycock's Speak of the Devil is a valuable contribution to the study of modern Satanism and will be of great interest especially to those studying new religious movements, religion in America, and issues of church and state in the United States. Clearly written and well organized, the book would be ideal for graduate seminars not only for its content, but also for its expert blending of history and ethnography in its portrait of an oft-reviled minority religion. * Brian C. Wilson, Western Michigan University, Nova Religio *Table of ContentsPrologue 1. The Day Satan Came to Oklahoma 2. Origins and History of The Satanic Temple 3. Satanic Schisms 4. The Satanic Reformation 5. Religion or Trolls? 6. Satanic Bake Sales 7. "Taking Equality Too Far" Conclusion Bibliography Notes Index

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Book SynopsisThe history of witchcraft and sorcery has attracted a great deal of interest and debate, but until now studies have been largely from the Anglo-Saxon perspective. This book shows how what has hitherto been seen as peculiar to Britain was in fact characteristic of much of northern Europe. In ending the Anglo-Saxon monopoly of witchcraft studies, this book takes into account major new developments in the historiography of witchcraft.An immense amount of archival work by all the contributors has furnished a volume rich in new material and ideas, which will be of considerable interest not only to historians, but also to anthropologists, criminologists, psychologists, and sociologists. Themes treated include the relationship between witchcraft, law, and theology; the origins and nature of the witches'' sabbath; the sociology and criminology of witch-hunting; and the comparative approach to European witchcraft. This book will be an indispensable guide to the study of witchcraft.Trade Reviewpossesses the virtue of presenting a wealth of material in terms of a coherent analytical framework. * Times Higher Education Supplement *makes a superb contribution to historical scholarship. * Times Literary Supplement *Retains a freshness of approach largely because it contains so many interesting studies ... All the essays have something valuable to contribute to our understanding. * History Today *Table of ContentsList of figures; List of maps; List of tables; Introduction; I: Witchcraft, Law, and Theology: Witchcraft and Catholic theology; Protestant demonology: Sin, superstition, and society (c.1520-c.1630); Inquisitorial law and the witch; II: Origins of the Witches' Sabbath: Deciphering the Sabbath; Satanic myths and cultural reality; 'Fantastical and Devilishe Persons': European witch-beliefs in comparative perspective; 'The Ladies from Outside': An archaic pattern of the Witches' Sabbath; III: Witch-Hunting in Scandinavia and other Peripheries: Hungary: The accusations and the universe of popular magic; Estonia I: Werewolves and poisoners; Estonia II: The crusade against idolatory; Sweden: The mass burnings (1668-76); Finland: The male domination; Denmark: The Sociology of accusations; Norway: The criminological context; Iceland: Sorcerers and Paganism; Portugal: A scrupulous inquisition; IV: Conclusions: Scandinavian witchcraft in Anglo-American context; The comparative approach to European witchcraft; Notes on contributors; Bibliography of secondary works; Index

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Book SynopsisRecent years have seen a significant shift in the study of new religious movements. In Satanism studies, interest has moved to anthropological and historical work on groups and inviduals. Self-declared Satanism, especially as a religion with cultural production and consumption, history, and organization, has largely been neglected by academia. This volume, focused on modern Satanism as a practiced religion of life-style, attempts to reverse that trend with 12 cutting-edge essays from the emerging field of Satanism studies. Topics covered range from early literary Satanists like Blake and Shelley, to the Californian Church of Satan of the 1960s, to the radical developments that have taken place in the Satanic milieu in recent decades. The contributors analyze such phenomena as conversion to Satanism, connections between Satanism and political violence, 19th-century decadent Satanism, transgression, conspiracy theory, and the construction of Satanic scripture. A wide array of methods areTrade ReviewThe contributors to The Devils Party have established a significant foundation from which other researchers can draw inspiration. * Susan Raine, Religion *Table of ContentsContents ; Introduction: At the Devil's Crossroads ; Per Faxneld and Jesper Aa. Petersen ; The Question of History: Precursors and Currents ; 1. "It is better to believe in the Devil": Conceptions of Satanists and Sympathies for the Devil in Early Modern Sweden ; Mikael Hall ; 2. Sex, Science and Liberty: The Resurrection of Satan in 19th Century (Counter) Culture ; Ruben van Luijk ; 3. Witches, Anarchism and Evolutionism: Stanislaw Przybyszewski's fin-de-siecle Satanism and the Demonic Feminine ; Per Faxneld ; The Black Pope and the Church of Satan ; 4. Categorizing Modern Satanism: An Analysis of Anton LaVey's Early Writings ; Amina O. Lap ; 5. Sources, Sects, and Scripture: The Book of Satan in The Satanic Bible ; Eugene V. Gallagher ; 6. Hidden Persuaders and Invisible Wars: Anton LaVey and Conspiracy Culture ; Asbjorn Dyrendal ; The Legacy of Dr. LaVey: The Satanic Milieu Today ; 7. Conversion to Satanism: Constructing Diabolical Identities ; James R. Lewis ; 8. The Carnival of Dr. LaVey: Articulations of Transgression in Modern Satanism ; Jesper Aa. Petersen ; 9. The Making of Satanic Collective Identities in Poland: From Mechanic to Organic Solidarity ; Rafal Smoczynski ; Post-Satanism, Left-Hand Paths and Beyond: Visiting the Margins ; 10. The Left-Hand Path and Post-Satanism: The Temple of Set and the Evolution of Satanism ; Kennet Granholm ; 11. Luciferian Witchcraft: At the Crossroads between Paganism and Satanism ; Fredrik Gregorius ; 12. Secret Identities in The Sinister Tradition: Political Esotericism and the Convergence of Radical Islam, Satanism and National Socialism in the Order of Nine Angles ; Jacob C. Senholt

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Book SynopsisInterweaving substantial excerpts from primary historical documents with commentary, this text shows how the plague of sorceries and possessions in France that climaxed in the events at Loudun both revealed the deepest fears of a society in traumatic flux and accelerated its transformation.

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Book SynopsisInterweaving substantial excerpts from primary historical documents with commentary, this text shows how the plague of sorceries and possessions in France that climaxed in the events at Loudun both revealed the deepest fears of a society in traumatic flux and accelerated its transformation.

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Book SynopsisIn this book, Dunham reveals how her anthropological research, her work in dance, and her fascination for the people and cults of Haiti worked their spell, catapulting her into experiences that she was often lucky to survive.

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Book SynopsisScholar and magician, Siegel uncovers the age-old practices of magic in sacred rites and rituals and unveils the contemporary world of Indian magic of street and stage entertainers. Siegel's journeys take him from ancient Sanskrit texts to the slums of New Dehli as he explores India's remarkable magical tradition.

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Providing an accessible and comprehensive overview, The Story of the Salem Witch Trials explores the events between June 10 and September 22, 1692, when nineteen people were hanged, one was pressed to death and over 150 were jailed for practicing witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts.

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Book SynopsisThis is a classic regional and comparative study of early modern witchcraft. The history of witchcraft continues to attract attention with its emotive and contentious debates. The methodology and conclusions of this book have impacted not only on witchcraft studies but the entire approach to social and cultural history with its quantitative and anthropological approach. The book provides an important case study on Essex as well as drawing comparisons with other regions of early modern England. The second edition of this classic work adds a new historiographical introduction, placing the book in context today.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements, Introduction by James Sharpe, Preface by E.E.Evans-Pritchard, Abbreviations and conventions, SOURCES AND STATISTICS, COUNTERING WITCHCRAFT, WITCHCRAFT AND THE SOCIAL BACKGROUND, A COMPARATIVE FRAMEWORK: ANTHROPOLOGICAL STUDIES, APPENDICES

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Book SynopsisOctober 1988: Bob Cranmer buys a house in the Pittsburgh suburb he grew up in. He has no idea that his dream home is about to become his worst nightmare…The Cranmers seemed fated to own the house at 3406 Brownsville Road. As a young boy, Bob had been drawn to the property, and, just when the family decided to move back to Brentwood, it went up for sale. Without a second thought, they purchased the house that Bob had always dreamed of owning.But soon, the family began experiencing strange phenomena—objects moving on their own, ghostly footsteps, unsettling moaning sounds—that gradually increased in violence, escalating to physical assaults and, most disturbingly, bleeding walls. Bob, Lesa, and their four children were under attack from a malicious demon that was conjuring up terrifying manifestations to destroy their tight-knit household. They had two choices: leave or draw on their unwavering faith to exorcise the malicious fiend who haun

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Book SynopsisAnalyzes a broad array of sources—from saints' lives to medical treatises, exorcists' manuals to miracle accounts—to find that observers came to rely on the discernment of bodies rather than seeking to distinguish between divine and demonic possession in purely spiritual terms.Trade ReviewDiscerning Spirits is clearly an important contribution to the study of medieval culture, demonic possession, sainthood, and women's history. Caciola has a strong command of Latin, French, German, and Italian as witnessed in the numerous translations dispersed throughout the text.... Ultimately, the work succeeds in laying out a framework for the discernment of bodies associated with divine and demonic possession, especially among women. * Comitatus *Caciola brings to light lesser-known but textually documented visionaries of the Middle Ages, along with the big names, in her study of the fine line between 'delusional' and 'devotional' behaviors. In discussing these medieval women's behavior and writings, she highlights the fact that gender was often the factor that determined whether one was considered demonically or divinely possessed.... Caciola provides a perceptive piece of historical scholarship on a topic of great interest to religious studies and women's studies collections. * Library Journal *The groundbreaking work on exorcism manuals and the impressive range of sources handled throughout the book are particularly noteworthy. Moreover, the striking visual evidence is clearly presented, lucidly analyzed, and tightly interwoven with the rest of the argument. Scholars, graduate students, and even advanced undergraduates interested in the history of women, the church, and the body will profit from reading Discerning Spirits. * Speculum *The point of departure for this remarkable and bracingly refreshing book on female spirit possession in medieval France, Italy, and the Lowlands is the observation that divine possession and demonic possession manifested themselves in almost identical ways in the human body.... The author has a remarkable gift for language and an obvious delight in the well-chosen word; her sentences crackle with energy and shine with a luminous clarity.... Discerning Spirits is a masterful achievement. * Renaissance Quarterly *This book is a thoughtful and rich exploration of an important aspect of medieval religious culture. Discerning readers interested in spirituality, gender, or conceptions of the body in the Middle Ages will be well rewarded. * American Historical Review *Table of ContentsIntroductionPART I. "A PROTRACTED DISPUTATION"1. Possessed Behaviors 2. CiphersPART II: SPIRITUAL PHYSIOLOGIES3. Fallen Women and Fallen Angels 4. Breath, Heart, BowelsPART III. DISCERNMENT AND DISCIPLINE5. Exorcizing Demonic Disorder 6. Testing Spirits in the Effeminate AgeIndex

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Book SynopsisPhilip C. Almond explores the figure of evil incarnate from the first centuries of the Christian era through to the Enlightenment, when the Devil became marginal to Christian theology and the dominant concerns of the Western intellectual tradition.Trade ReviewAlmond has accomplished an impressive feat in compressing the long and complicated life, or lives, of the Prince of Darkness into a clear, coherent, and engaging narrative. For students and general readers, this is an excellent introduction to the Devil's story, and scholars will find it a valuable synthesis as well. * The Medieval Review *Almond's biography carves out of the mass of works related to the diabolichal a carefully delineated history that is both scholarly and accessible and that contributes to the intertwined fields of Christian theology, magic, witchcraft, and demonology.... Almond's careful overview of the Western perspective of the devil provides a valuable and highly readable explanation for one of the most bizarre and devastating ideas in Western history. -- Gary K. Waite * H-Albion *Almond's contribution to the Devil's bibliography is welcome in particular because he makes it clear just how tenuous the Christian theory of evil is, and how much it potentially undermines the power and goodness of God; the commander of all things evil is a dangerous concept for monotheistic religion, complicating the already difficult problem of the existence of evil in a world created by an overwhelmingly good deity. -- Noel Rooney * Fortean Times *By the time the reader has reached the final page of Philip Almond's presumably unauthorised bigraphy, one is possessed by a curious and wholly unexpected sensation—that of sympathy for the Devil. -- Jonathan Gornall * The National *The book's greatest strength is Almond’s ability to present complicated theological and philosophical debates with clarity and in an engaging style. The sweeping scope of the work is admirable.... It will be of great interest to a broad readership, both within and beyond academia. -- Jason Coy * Speculum *What we can find here is a serious look through the ages at our choices to not just personify evil, but make it a central even necessary part of the culture. Almond creates a readable if not comfortable journey to that regard.... Clearly the devil is not dead even if modern thought has him in assisted living. -- Thomas Whitaker * U.S. Catholic Magazine *With its understanding that the devil is best understood through his history, with its many stimulating and illuminating obiter dicta... with its up-to-date bibliography, and with its understanding of the moral importance of the devil as ast least a metaphor of real evil as opposed to treating the subject as merely a literary topos, Almond's book is a welcome addition to the subject. -- Jeffrey Burton Russel * The Catholic Historical Review *Table of ContentsPrologueChapter One: The Devil is BornAngels and Demons, Sons and Lovers"The Book of the Watchers"Angels, Arising and FallingThe Birth of "Satan"The Archdemon BelialSatan and JesusThe Fall of the DragonChapter Two: The Fall of the DevilThe Fall of ManThe Satanic SerpentPride Cometh before a FallLucifer DescendingThe Battleground of HistoryChapter Three: Hell's AngelPaying off the DevilThe Demonic ParadoxThe Harrowing of HadesIn Hell, and in the AirChapter Four: The Devil Rides OutA Pope BewitchedCathars, Moderate and ExtremeAngels and DemonsThe Demonization of MagicMagic Defined, Damned and DefendedConjuring Demons and Conversing with AngelsChapter Five: Devilish BodiesThe Demonization of Popular MagicErrors Not Cathartic but SatanicThe Devil, Sex and SexualityEmbodied DemonsChapter Six: The Devil and the WitchInfanticide and CannibalismTravels SabbaticalThe Satanic PactThe Devil's MarkChapter Seven: A Very Possessing DevilThe Possessed BodyPossession, Medicine and ScepticsForensic DemonologyBeyond the Borders of the HumanExorcising the DevilChapter Eight: The Devil DefeatedThe Binding and Loosing of SatanThe AntichristAdso and the AntichristThe Future Binding of SatanApocalypse NowSatan and the Fires of HellChapter Nine: The “Death” of the DevilSatan and SuperstitionThe Cessation of MiraclesThe Devil De-skilledThe Devil DisembodiedBodies, Platonic and DemonicDisenchanting the WorldEpilogueNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisAnalyzes a broad array of sources—from saints' lives to medical treatises, exorcists' manuals to miracle accounts—to find that observers came to rely on the discernment of bodies rather than seeking to distinguish between divine and demonic possession in purely spiritual terms.Trade ReviewDiscerning Spirits is clearly an important contribution to the study of medieval culture, demonic possession, sainthood, and women's history. Caciola has a strong command of Latin, French, German, and Italian as witnessed in the numerous translations dispersed throughout the text.... Ultimately, the work succeeds in laying out a framework for the discernment of bodies associated with divine and demonic possession, especially among women. * Comitatus *Caciola brings to light lesser-known but textually documented visionaries of the Middle Ages, along with the big names, in her study of the fine line between 'delusional' and 'devotional' behaviors. In discussing these medieval women's behavior and writings, she highlights the fact that gender was often the factor that determined whether one was considered demonically or divinely possessed.... Caciola provides a perceptive piece of historical scholarship on a topic of great interest to religious studies and women's studies collections. * Library Journal *The groundbreaking work on exorcism manuals and the impressive range of sources handled throughout the book are particularly noteworthy. Moreover, the striking visual evidence is clearly presented, lucidly analyzed, and tightly interwoven with the rest of the argument. Scholars, graduate students, and even advanced undergraduates interested in the history of women, the church, and the body will profit from reading Discerning Spirits. * Speculum *The point of departure for this remarkable and bracingly refreshing book on female spirit possession in medieval France, Italy, and the Lowlands is the observation that divine possession and demonic possession manifested themselves in almost identical ways in the human body.... The author has a remarkable gift for language and an obvious delight in the well-chosen word; her sentences crackle with energy and shine with a luminous clarity.... Discerning Spirits is a masterful achievement. * Renaissance Quarterly *This book is a thoughtful and rich exploration of an important aspect of medieval religious culture. Discerning readers interested in spirituality, gender, or conceptions of the body in the Middle Ages will be well rewarded. * American Historical Review *Table of ContentsIntroductionPART I. "A PROTRACTED DISPUTATION"1. Possessed Behaviors 2. CiphersPART II: SPIRITUAL PHYSIOLOGIES3. Fallen Women and Fallen Angels 4. Breath, Heart, BowelsPART III. DISCERNMENT AND DISCIPLINE5. Exorcizing Demonic Disorder 6. Testing Spirits in the Effeminate AgeIndex

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Book SynopsisWhile recounting how past generations have personified evil, Jeffrey Burton Russell deepens our understanding of the ways in which people have dealt with the enduring problem of radical evil.Trade ReviewFascinating.... A history of the Devil taken seriously, in theology, folklore, art, literature. * Village Voice *Russell recreates the arcane images of good and evil we all once understood perfectly well as children. From the moment the cover is lifted on this beautifully produced book, the world darkens. Russell presents story after story, using them like a descending staircase, drawing us down into archetypal memories of unending battles with the Evil One. * Bloomsbury Review *There is probably no one alive who knows more about the lore of the Devil than Jeffrey Burton Russell.... He supplies colourful accounts of the pictures medieval folklore formed of the Evil One, and discerning sketches of the insights of poets like Dante and Milton, and novelists from Dostoevsky to Flannery O'Conner.... A first-rate survey.... Close-packed as it inevitably is, it reads easily, and each of its chapters is full of accurate and skillfully arranged information. * Times Literary Supplement *Table of Contents1. Evil 2. The Devil around the World 3. The Good Lord and the Devil 4. Christ and the Power of Evil 5. Satan and Heresy 6. Dualism and the Desert 7. The Classical Christian View 8. Lucifer Popular and Elite 9. Scholastics, Poets, and Dramatists 10. Nominalists, Mystics, and Witches 11. The Devil and the Reformers 12. High on a Throne of Royal State 13. The Disintegration of Hell 14. From Romance to Nihilism 15. The Integration of Evil 16. Auschwitz and Hiroshima 17. The Meaning of EvilAppendixes Index

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Book SynopsisDrawing on an impressive array of sources from popular religion, art, literature, and drama, as well as from scholastic philosophy, mystical theology, homiletics, and hagiography, Russell provides a detailed treatment of Christian diabology in the Middle Ages.Trade ReviewAn attractively written survey of the way the devil appears in art, literature and treatise, during the medieval period, with many signs of an engaging sense of personal commitment to the subject, and an attempt to show its contemporary relevance. -- John O. Ward * Journal of Religious History *If, as Chesterton claimed, the devil's greatest triumph was convincing the modern world that he doesn't exist, Jeffrey Burton Russell means to rob him of his victory. Lucifer is both a scholarly assessment of the development of diabology in the Middle Ages and an impassioned plea to the 20th century to recognize and acknowledge the existence of real, objective evil. The third in a series of works tracing the history of the devil... it represents a formidable undertaking: the devil's history is integrally related to the problem of evil, which is in turn at the heart of Western religious thought. Each of the volumes comprises, in essence, a judicious and able tour of Christian theology from the villain's point of view.... In Lucifer, Russell provides a wealth of documentatlon on the extent to which the devil is simply the projection onto a living being of our fears and hostilities about the universe, our neighbors, and ourselves.... A pleasure to read. -- John Boswell * The New Republic *Russell shows an admirable mastery of a vast and varied array of sources, and an equally admirable skill in summarizing them. -- Norman Cohn * New York Times Book Review *Table of ContentsPrefaceI. The Life of Lucifer2. The Devil in Byzantium3. The Muslim Devil4. Folklore5. Early Medieval Diabology6. Lucifer in Early Medieval Art and Literature7. The Devil and the Scholars8. Lucifer in High Medieval Art and Literature9. Lucifer on the Stage10. Nominalists, Mystics, and Witches11. The Existence of the DevilEssay on the Sources Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis study suggests that the balance in Africa, between the prevalence of witchcraft and the forces of modernity, stems both from obsession with power and from the increasing feeling of powerlessness among the people. It also gives a parallel with aspects of politics in Western democracies.

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsIntroduction: Giving the Devil His Due Regina M. Hansen and Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock | 1 The Sign of the Cross: Georges Méliès and Early Satanic Cinema Russ Hunter | 15 Murnau’s Faust and the Weimar Moment Barry C. Knowlton and Eloise R. Knowlton | 27 Disney’s Devils J. P. Telotte | 42 What’s the Deal with the Devil? The Comedic Devil in Four Films Katherine A. Fowkes | 58 His Father’s Eyes: Rosemary''s Baby David Sterritt | 71 From the Eternal Sea He Rises, Creating Armies on Either Shore: The Antichristology of the Omen Franchise R. Barton Palmer | 86 The Weird Devil: Lovecraftian Horror in John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness Carl H. Sederholm | 103 Narration and Damnation in Angel Heart Murray Leeder | 120 The Devil’s in the Details: Devilish Desire and Roman Polanski’s The Ninth Gate Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock | 136 Agency or Allowance: The Satanic Complications of Female Autonomy in The Witches of Eastwick and The Witch Simon Bacon | 149 “Roaming the Earth”: Satan in The Last Temptation of Christ and The Passion of the Christ Catherine O’Brien | 161 Lucifer, Gabriel, and the Angelic Will in The Prophecy and Constantine Regina M. Hansen | 178 Advocating for Satan: The Parousia-Inspired Horror Genre David Hauka | 191 List of Contributors | 207 Index | 211

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Book SynopsisThis volume provides a valuable introduction to the key concepts of witchcraft and demonology through a detailed study of one of the best known and most notorious episodes of Scottish history, the North Berwick witch hunt, in which King James was involved as alleged victim, interrogator, judge and demonologist.Trade ReviewWitchcraft in Early Modern Scotland will be immensely useful for scholars of witchcraft, demonology, early modern women, as well as those who study Scottish political, religious, legal, and social history. The contextual information in Part One is clearly presented and accessible for scholars with only a cursory knowledge of early modern Scotland; and detailed annotations of the documents make them readily comprehensible for readers unfamiliar with Scots dialect. The book is a case-study that becomes cultural history ... Such rich and carefully read evidence of intimate interactions between members of elite and popular cultures makes an important contribution to our understanding of sixteenth-century social history.Albion, Vol.34, Issue 2, SummerThis volume provides readers, especially students, with what is too often lacking in early modern history: a self-contained case study based on primary sources ... However, the authors have done more than provide the raw material of these trials as a case study. They preface each document with a useful introduction while avoiding the temptation to lead the reader in the interpretation of them. The documents also have footnotes relating to vocabulary and endnotes on textual matters arising from the originals. Both are extremely helpful ... While one might be tempted to conclude that the publication of a complete set of witch trials is accomplishment enough, this volume expands upon this by including a detailed set of introductory chapters. These set out, clearly and concisely, the context in which the trials were prosecuted ... This volume is to be commended for providing those interested not only in witchcraft but also witch-hunting with a single, self-contained case study rich in detail. Students, in particular, will find much food for thought in these original documents.Scottish Economic and Social History, Vol. 21, Part 1This book is, altogether, a remarkable achievement, combining the best standards of traditional textual scholarship with an imaginative approach to the subject. For as well as the texts gathered together and so splendidly edited, there is a lengthy introduction which places these texts, and the events which underlay them, in context ... This is a book which will be welcomed, and much used, by the specialist in witchcraft history, which will also be invaluable to teachers and students both of early modern witchcraft and of early modern Scottish history more generally, and which will also be read with profit by those with a more general interest in such matters.ArchivesA significant contribution to the history of witchcraft, the history of Scotland, the history of feminism and the history of ideas in general.Bibliothèque d’Humanisme et Renaissance, Vol. 63This splendid edition of the documents represents substantial research and will be a welcome addition to the library of all interested in this topic.Renaissance Quarterly, SpringEvery so often a very worthwhile book comes along. Such a book provides the reader with an opportunity to examine modern transcriptions of primary sources, accompanied by intelligent commentary, and a well-written scholarly overview of the topics in question. This is such a book. It is a pleasure to read […] This edition of Demonology and other attendant documents should be welcomed by students an scholars who are studying the history of witchcraft in the British Isles. Jane P. Davidson, Sixteenth Century Journal XXXIII/3One is reminded of Arturo Perez Riverte’s novel The Dumas Club (London: Harvill Press, 1996), in which an unscrupulous bibliophile attempts to collate, from minute variants in the illustrations (the vital ones drafted by Lucifer himself) in the only three surviving copies of a legendary demonological treatise, an incantation to raise the Devil himself. Normand and Roberts’ project is a modest one compared to this, but undoubtedly a significant contribution to our understanding of Scottish and European witch belief. Jonathan Murray, Scottish Studies Review, vol. 4, no. 1It is excellent on the edited texts and will prove a very welcome addition for both academics and students to what has been, to date, a rather meagre selection of books on witchcraft in Scotland. Joyce Miller, Edinburgh Review IIITable of Contents Contents The court and politics social contexts and cultural formations the Kirk Scottish witchcraft before the North Berwich witch hunt the legal process aftermath. Witch hunting - examinations, confessions and depositions. Records of the witchcraft trials (Dittays) text of the witchcraft trials (Dittays). Witchhunt propaganda - "News from Scotland" text of"News from Scotland" Theorizing the witch hunt - James VI's "Demonology" text of "Demonology". Appendix: Privy Council Orders relating to the legal processes of witch trials.

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Book SynopsisIn this work, Barbara Rosen has gathered and edited a collection of documents - pamphlets, reports, trial accounts and other material - that describes the experiences, interpretation and punishment of witchcraft in England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

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Book SynopsisDe un escritor 'único y distintivo' (Kyle Idleman) que 'nos hace apreciar la importancia y la grandeza del evangelio' (JI Packer) viene una advertencia sobre cómo el 'padre de la mentira' intenta engañarnos, empaquetando ideas destructivas en forma de verdad espiritual.

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Book Synopsis¿Es real la actividad demoníaca? Únete a un periodista de investigación mientras explora por qué tantas personas son atraídas a programas de televisión como Ghost Hunters de Aand E y Ghost Brothers de TLC.

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Book SynopsisIn this groundbreaking study, Adam Gussow takes the full measure of the devil's presence in the blues. Working from original transcriptions of more than 125 recordings released during the past ninety years, Gussow explores the varied uses to which black southern blues people have put this trouble-sowing, love-wrecking, but also empowering figure.

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