The Origin of Satan
How Christians Demonized Jews, Pagans, and Heretics
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The Origin of Satan
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Narrated by:
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Suzanne Toren
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By:
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Elaine Pagels
About this listen
Who is Satan in the New Testament, and what is the evil that he represents? In this groundbreaking book, Elaine Pagels, Princeton's distinguished historian of religion, traces the evolution of Satan from its origins in the Hebrew Bible, where Satan is at first merely obstructive, to the New Testament, where Satan becomes the Prince of Darkness, the bitter enemy of God and man, evil incarnate. In The Origin of Satan, Pagels shows that the four Christian gospels tell two very different stories. The first is the story of Jesus' moral genius: his lessons of love, forgiveness, and redemption. The second tells of the bitter conflict between the followers of Jesus and their fellow Jews, a conflict in which the writers of the four gospels condemned as creatures of Satan those Jews who refused to worship Jesus as the Messiah. Writing during and just after the Jewish war against Rome, the evangelists invoked Satan to portray their Jewish enemies as God's enemies too. As Pagels then shows, the church later turned this satanic indictment against its Roman enemies, declaring that pagans and infidels were also creatures of Satan, and against its own dissenters, calling them heretics and ascribing their heterodox views to satanic influences.
©1995 Elaine Pagels (P)2014 Audible Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about The Origin of Satan
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr Sean Nesbitt
- 14-02-24
Wonderful insight into the changing nature is Satan over time
Insightful a the way through. I have learned much to share with my A Level students. The Church Fathers section containing gnosis was very good for helping me to understand the early Christian traditions that still resonate today.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- LuizFernando Rodrigues
- 23-10-21
Excelent reading
A great work very well narrated. A must for History of Christian Religion and Gnosticism
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- David Kinsella
- 25-04-18
Good, if a Little Dry.
Audible didn't have any titles that dealt with the genesis and development of the theological idea of Satan through the ages. This title was the closest thing. It deals with the history of how Jews and Christians demonized their enemies using the Biblical imagery as their examples.
There were some real gems here though. My favourite part was actually the biography of Justin Martyr, which was not a central part of the book, but I thought it was beautiful. While I disagree with Justin Marty's conclusions I had to empathize with his search. He was a man just like me living in ancient times in a very different culture, but searching for answers to life.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- dirk
- 29-07-16
misled by title
was hoping/ thinking to learn of how the concept of Satan originated and then evolved. In stead this is more a story of very early Christianity. An interesting enough story which I listened to until the end. Excellent reader.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Teresa Cooper
- 27-03-15
Satan or not Satan.
The book comes down to one fact. Whether you are Jewish, a Roman who worshipped many Gods or an early Christian. The author takes us for a walk through ancient history to watch a thread develop and evolve. Not quite what I expected from the title but still a fair look at two of the worlds oldest religions.
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3 people found this helpful