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AN UNORTHODOX COMPARATIVE HISTORY OF RELIGION-FROM THE DARK SIDE-BY
A BESTSELLING THEOLOGIAN
"The biggest ruse of the devil is making us believe that he doesn't
exist," claimed Baudelaire. On the contrary, argues bestselling
historian and critic Gerald Messadié, the true evil lies in the
fact that we believe in him at all.
A History of the Devil is a provocative exploration of the
personification of evil through the ages and across cultures.
Messadié reveals that the Satan of Judeo-Christian mythology-the
antithesis of God and good-was a concept unknown to the Greeks,
Romans, Egyptians, Hindus, and Chinese. In fact, the devil was
probably invented six centuries before the common era by Persian
clergy eager to demonize their political adversaries. Ever since,
the image of evil has been a useful tool of the powerful, both
religious and secular, from the prosecutors of the Spanish
Inquisition to the Cold Warriors of our own time. In seventeen
absorbing chapters, Messadié researches the genealogy of the devil
in the world's major civilizations, from Asia and Europe to Africa
and North America. He examines the devil's role in each culture and
the evolution of his various incarnations throughout history.
Abundant in historical references and cultural analyses, A
History of the Devil shows that it is precisely the belief in
the devil that lies at the root of religious fanaticism around the
world today.
A History Of The DevilReviewed by Sonia Brendlinger, 2009-03-31
A very bad book, was not happy with it at all. the writers facts were only half right and was not researched well at all. DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK!!!
FantasticReviewed by Richard L. Nordstrom, 2009-02-09
"A History of the Devil" deserves more than the alloted five stars. It is more than I thought it would be. I've read the Bible, cover to cover, and several other research books covering history and contents of ancient writings. I do feel that it was helpful to have read these others first. I wouldn't have anyway of knowing if it would really be necessary. I enjoy history and these pages are packed with information. Well written.
Poorly ResearchedReviewed by Eric, 2009-02-04
"A History of the Devil" was highly disappointing. The author made
many serious factual errors, including stating that Snorri
Sturlusun was Irish. His treatment of the devil in modern times was
fleeting at best, lacking a critical look at Satanic cult scares,
Satanism or even the devil in popular culture. Furthermore, it
seems that many typographical errors resulted from the translation
to English.
Anyone interested in learning about the history of religious
concepts would do well to look elsewhere.
Sets out to do much, does little.Reviewed by gemosav, 2008-01-02
I considered giving this review one star, but have given it two for
the simple reality that Messadie attempted to work on a field given
too little attention. For that, I acknowledge his contribution.
Yet, I certainly hope this is far from the final say on the
topic.
The book is somewhat sarcastic, with overtones of political agendas
mixed with theological history--not exactly conducive to genuine
history. The translation is--at times--downright horrific, and all
other times, mediocre. This is the first attempt at academic
scholarship I've seen in a long time in English that makes frequent
use of contractions.
As for his actual scholarship, I find it highly lacking. His
attempts to encapsulate world history's entire understanding of
demons, the Devil and evil--or lack thereof--within a mere chapter
per civilization seem to deviate from a clear path. At times, I am
left wondering what his actual thesis is anyway, whether he seeks
to actually lay out an honest history of the development of Satan,
or attack fundamentalists by attempting to show their limited
support in the context of world history.
Beyond this structural issue, his scholarship is, as I have already
noted, melded with sarcasm, dismissal, and dramatic
misunderstandings of nearly every religion he touches upon. Simple
sarcastic quips like commenting on the ugliness of Byzantine
iconography--without even a hint of understanding what they
actually seek to portray--add nothing to his scholarship, and, in
fact, detract from his credibility. As I am not an expert on much
of the chapters he has done, I cannot comment freely. However, in
the fields of Zoroastrianism--which I have read widely upon--I must
say his citations are old, outdated, and often questionable. I do
not seek to gleam my entire understanding of such a pivotal faith
from the Encyclopedia Britannica, as Messadie seems to do
occasionally, without even a single citation of Mary Boyce's widely
acclaimed works.
All in all, I again affirm that his attempt was valiant and I do
hope that others in the fields of history and theology attempt to
put together a work to this effect. Yet, for Messadie, the holes in
his argument, his lack of logical flow and structure, his outdated
and often sparse citations, his dismissive and sarcastic tone, and
the actual poor translation of this book make it a rather lowly
reading.
Poorly researched, at least one section...Reviewed by Kevin I. Slaughter, 2007-11-29
Taking a slam at Anton LaVey on pg 318, the author seems to not even know what books the man has written. He attributes "The Sorcerer's Handbook" to LaVey, a book he's never written.
