Jeffrey Burton Russell Bücher

The Devil, known by many names such as Satan and Mephistopheles, has been a powerful symbol of evil throughout history. Jeffrey Burton Russell chronicles the story of the Devil from antiquity to the present, exploring how different cultures have personified evil and how humanity has grappled with the problem of radical evil. After an insightful essay on the nature of evil, Russell examines the Devil's origins in early cultures and traces its evolution in Western thought, beginning with the ancient Hebrews and continuing through the early Christian era. He delves into the medieval perspective, highlighting depictions in folklore, scholasticism, art, literature, mysticism, and witchcraft. The narrative then shifts to modern times, where Russell analyzes changes in the concept of the Devil through examples from theology, philosophy, art, literature, and popular culture. He raises critical questions about the relevance of the Devil today, considering whether he is merely an outdated superstition or if the horrors of the twentieth century necessitate a symbol of radical evil. This work serves as a single-volume distillation of Russell's extensive exploration of the nature and personification of evil, inviting readers to reflect on the enduring significance of this figure in Christianity.

Drawing 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.

This lively and learned book traces the history of the concept of evil and its personification as the Devil from ancient times to the period of the New Testament and across cultures and...

From rocking in chairs, to singing lullabies, to driving nowhere underneath the moonlight, this is a story to remind parents of the precious magic made in the late hours of the night with their little night owls.

Jeffrey B. Burton's The Keepers is the next installment of the Mace Reid K-9 series, featuring golden retriever cadaver dog Vira and her handler, Mason Reid. Mason “Mace” Reid lives on the outskirts of Chicago and specializes in human remains detection—that is, he trains dogs to hunt for dead bodies. He calls his pack of cadaver dogs The Finders, and his prize pupil is a golden retriever named Vira. When Mace Reid and Vira are called in to search Washington Park at three o'clock in the morning, what they find has them running for their very lives. The trail of murder and mayhem Mace and CPD Officer Kippy Gimm have been following leads them to uncover treachery and corruption at the highest level, and their discoveries do not bode well for them . . . nor for the Windy City itself. The Keepers is an exciting, fast-paced mystery filled with courageous dogs you'll want to root for.

Satan is both a revealing study of the compelling figure of the Devil and an imaginative and persuasive inquiry into the forces that shape a concept and ensure its survival.

While 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.

An illustrated history of witchcraft. It includes an analysis of the importance of the Internet and films in the dissemination of witchcraft, and the potential tensions as a movement that was originally a closed, secretive cult becomes an open, recognized public religion.

Building on a foundation of newly discovered primary sources and recent secondary interpretations, Jeffrey Burton Russell first establishes the facts and then explains the phenomenon of witchcraft in terms of its social and religious environment, particularly in relation to medieval heresies.