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The History of the Devil and the Idea of Evil: From the Earliest Times to the Present Day
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.
247 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1899
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About the author
Paul Carus
689 books12 followersPaul Carus, Ph.D. (18 July 1852 – 11 February 1919) was a German-American author, editor, a student of comparative religion, and professor of philosophy.
Carus considered himself a theologian rather than philosopher. He is proposed to be a pioneer in the promotion of interfaith dialogue. He explored the relationship of science and religion, and was instrumental in introducing Eastern traditions and ideas to the West. He was a key figure in the introduction of Buddhism, to the West.
Carus considered himself a theologian rather than philosopher. He is proposed to be a pioneer in the promotion of interfaith dialogue. He explored the relationship of science and religion, and was instrumental in introducing Eastern traditions and ideas to the West. He was a key figure in the introduction of Buddhism, to the West.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
October 7, 2016
Pros of this book:
-Has an interesting concept
-Tries to be diverse and talks about all the parts of the world and how these religions and tribal groups worshipped/revered the devil.
Cons of the book:
Holy HELL this book has a crapload of problems and inaccuracies that have been debunked today.
Let me give one example:
There is a part of the book where's he's talking about "devil worship" in Mesopotamia. He uses this plaque to prove this point. Here's a link to the photo:
https://m.reddit.com/r/ArtefactPorn/c...
Alight, remember this.
Here's what this author claims to be a plaque of:
He claims that this plaque resembles the world and the lion-faced monster holding the plaque is the Chaldean devil, who wants to destroy the world. The figure in the middle on the bottom standing on the horse/donkey is the god Elippu. This plaque was created by Chaldeans to show the world was going to end and how the devil was going to be in full control.
What the plaque ACTUALLY means:
The plaque is actually a scene of protection. The demon holding the plaque (with the lion face) is not the Chaldean devil, but is actually the SW wind demon Pazuzu, who was the bearer of drought but also protected children and pregnant women. The bottom plaque is actually him trying to pursuade his wife Lamashtu (the figure on the horse/donkey who Paul Carus thought was Elippu) to return to the Underworld, since she was the demon/goddess of miscarriage. Instead of the plaque being the world, it actually represents a group of demons and a room where the sick/dying/pregnant victim is.
I have read the translation of what is written on this plaque and have read many books on it, so I Know this is the correct one.
There are many,many other mistakes like this in the book, such as mixing up on of the incarnations of the Hindu god Lord Shiva with being a devil figure.
One of the other main problems with this book is mixing up demonic (mostly pre-Christian) figures with the devil, when the devil is actually, in reality, a Christian entity. You see, the devil was created by the Christian church to scare pagans/heathens into their religion. They did this by incorporating old pagan gods such as Pan, Cernunnos, and Dionysus and claimed them to be "evil", especially Pan, who possessed goat horns and goat legs. I guess this tactic worked well enough, as it incorporated millions into the church. Well, that and threatening to torture and kill those who didn't convert.So that right here is the real history of the devil.
I really would not recommend this book. It's very interesting but it's very flawed.
-Has an interesting concept
-Tries to be diverse and talks about all the parts of the world and how these religions and tribal groups worshipped/revered the devil.
Cons of the book:
Holy HELL this book has a crapload of problems and inaccuracies that have been debunked today.
Let me give one example:
There is a part of the book where's he's talking about "devil worship" in Mesopotamia. He uses this plaque to prove this point. Here's a link to the photo:
https://m.reddit.com/r/ArtefactPorn/c...
Alight, remember this.
Here's what this author claims to be a plaque of:
He claims that this plaque resembles the world and the lion-faced monster holding the plaque is the Chaldean devil, who wants to destroy the world. The figure in the middle on the bottom standing on the horse/donkey is the god Elippu. This plaque was created by Chaldeans to show the world was going to end and how the devil was going to be in full control.
What the plaque ACTUALLY means:
The plaque is actually a scene of protection. The demon holding the plaque (with the lion face) is not the Chaldean devil, but is actually the SW wind demon Pazuzu, who was the bearer of drought but also protected children and pregnant women. The bottom plaque is actually him trying to pursuade his wife Lamashtu (the figure on the horse/donkey who Paul Carus thought was Elippu) to return to the Underworld, since she was the demon/goddess of miscarriage. Instead of the plaque being the world, it actually represents a group of demons and a room where the sick/dying/pregnant victim is.
I have read the translation of what is written on this plaque and have read many books on it, so I Know this is the correct one.
There are many,many other mistakes like this in the book, such as mixing up on of the incarnations of the Hindu god Lord Shiva with being a devil figure.
One of the other main problems with this book is mixing up demonic (mostly pre-Christian) figures with the devil, when the devil is actually, in reality, a Christian entity. You see, the devil was created by the Christian church to scare pagans/heathens into their religion. They did this by incorporating old pagan gods such as Pan, Cernunnos, and Dionysus and claimed them to be "evil", especially Pan, who possessed goat horns and goat legs. I guess this tactic worked well enough, as it incorporated millions into the church. Well, that and threatening to torture and kill those who didn't convert.So that right here is the real history of the devil.
I really would not recommend this book. It's very interesting but it's very flawed.
November 28, 2021
I recall reading a good portion of this book. But because much of it seemed unfamiliar, I’m thinking I never read all of it. My brother has a copy of it and that is the edition I remember reading. This edition is, unfortunately, devoid of the original illustrations, and has regular typos. I suppose that’s what I get for buying a cheap edition from a private publishing company.
This book was written in the early 20th century. More modern books that tackle this subject are utter trash; written by people that are hardly well informed. During the period of this work, writers still valued erudition, and this author does exhibit that attribute. That being said, it really couldn’t also be said to be a scholarly investigation; if I were being generous, I might say it was a philosophical investigation. Scientism (science as religion) is not only alluded to, it is positively endorsed in many places here. Keep in mind that this was the period when eugenics was seen as being scientific. The reification of science can only be seen as disturbing in retrospect. It was eugenicist ideas that helped fuel Nazism, and it played a role in events that happened in the US that almost no one talks about or knows about. It’s hardly surprising that after the second world war, no one seriously posited such a syncretism. While people can claim that science and religion can co-exist, and in some cases, complement each other, pretty much no one now says that one can make a religion of science or a science of religion. Of course, even though no one would literally endorse the combination, there are plenty of atheists that treat science as a religion, even if they would never admit that they do. That subject is too much of a digression to get into, but I certainly can defend the supposition.
This author often follows tangents that are not really all that relevant, even when they are somewhat interesting. He does investigate how evil and/or evil entities play a role in the world religions and in ancient myth. Some of this is thought provoking. I remember being especially taken with one section on the return of Krishna as Kalki that struck me originally because of its similarity to a dream I had had.
By the end of this book, we get the writer’s true perspective that a personal devil (i.e. evil entities in any sense) have been proven to be foolish by science. Why one would even seriously investigate such a subject with that perspective would be an appropriate inquiry. Given the author’s perspective, what the burgeoning field of eugenics played in very real evil occurrences could only be said to be sadly ironic in retrospect. People that endorse Darwinism will often obfuscate when it comes to Darwin’s role in eugenicist theories. But you really can’t have eugenics without Darwin. His theories contributed directly to it. So while writers such as Carus were dismissing spiritual evil and touting the theories that gave us eugenics, evil, unlike that experienced in any other century, was coming in the mid-20th century.
The author apparently respected the devil of literature and saw him as some quaint figure that was like a court jester; something that was only an allegory or human psychological projection. I honestly couldn’t care less if someone rejected some principal figure of evil, but if they can spend any time in this life without acknowledging the existence of spiritual evil, I can only think that they are naïve, foolish, or willfully ignorant.
A subject like this can be handled legitimately in two ways: one is as a scholarly investigation, or two, as a religious investigation. It always seems that when it is approached from an ideological investigation outside of its religious context, it is always full of uninformed rhetoric. For a scholarly study, I do recommend Neil Forsyth’s The Old Enemy. Even though his interest in the subject is apparent, he generally keeps the discussion free from personal opinion. It’s a far more interesting investigation. This book is worth reading for the first half or so. I give it around 2-and-a-half stars. The rhetoric is tiresome by the end. The early chapters are really the only substantive sections of this book. The rest is a sad testament to early 20th century naivete and ignorance.
This book was written in the early 20th century. More modern books that tackle this subject are utter trash; written by people that are hardly well informed. During the period of this work, writers still valued erudition, and this author does exhibit that attribute. That being said, it really couldn’t also be said to be a scholarly investigation; if I were being generous, I might say it was a philosophical investigation. Scientism (science as religion) is not only alluded to, it is positively endorsed in many places here. Keep in mind that this was the period when eugenics was seen as being scientific. The reification of science can only be seen as disturbing in retrospect. It was eugenicist ideas that helped fuel Nazism, and it played a role in events that happened in the US that almost no one talks about or knows about. It’s hardly surprising that after the second world war, no one seriously posited such a syncretism. While people can claim that science and religion can co-exist, and in some cases, complement each other, pretty much no one now says that one can make a religion of science or a science of religion. Of course, even though no one would literally endorse the combination, there are plenty of atheists that treat science as a religion, even if they would never admit that they do. That subject is too much of a digression to get into, but I certainly can defend the supposition.
This author often follows tangents that are not really all that relevant, even when they are somewhat interesting. He does investigate how evil and/or evil entities play a role in the world religions and in ancient myth. Some of this is thought provoking. I remember being especially taken with one section on the return of Krishna as Kalki that struck me originally because of its similarity to a dream I had had.
By the end of this book, we get the writer’s true perspective that a personal devil (i.e. evil entities in any sense) have been proven to be foolish by science. Why one would even seriously investigate such a subject with that perspective would be an appropriate inquiry. Given the author’s perspective, what the burgeoning field of eugenics played in very real evil occurrences could only be said to be sadly ironic in retrospect. People that endorse Darwinism will often obfuscate when it comes to Darwin’s role in eugenicist theories. But you really can’t have eugenics without Darwin. His theories contributed directly to it. So while writers such as Carus were dismissing spiritual evil and touting the theories that gave us eugenics, evil, unlike that experienced in any other century, was coming in the mid-20th century.
The author apparently respected the devil of literature and saw him as some quaint figure that was like a court jester; something that was only an allegory or human psychological projection. I honestly couldn’t care less if someone rejected some principal figure of evil, but if they can spend any time in this life without acknowledging the existence of spiritual evil, I can only think that they are naïve, foolish, or willfully ignorant.
A subject like this can be handled legitimately in two ways: one is as a scholarly investigation, or two, as a religious investigation. It always seems that when it is approached from an ideological investigation outside of its religious context, it is always full of uninformed rhetoric. For a scholarly study, I do recommend Neil Forsyth’s The Old Enemy. Even though his interest in the subject is apparent, he generally keeps the discussion free from personal opinion. It’s a far more interesting investigation. This book is worth reading for the first half or so. I give it around 2-and-a-half stars. The rhetoric is tiresome by the end. The early chapters are really the only substantive sections of this book. The rest is a sad testament to early 20th century naivete and ignorance.
August 21, 2014
This weekend I picked up The History of the Devil and the Idea of Evil by Paul Carus. The book was originally written in 1900 and had 300 illustrations of gorgeous old images of the devil, demons and deities from around the world. Typically I like books that were written at the turn of the century with late Victorian scholarship so I was very happy to find this reproduction. There was only one problem with it, the author. He was president of the American Monists. Which he summed up in his last chapter on the philosophy of Evil, and was unfortunately permeated throughout his work. He seemed to be suffering from the problem that plagues us today in the form of people using misunderstood quantum physics to try and explain their own philosophical leanings. Though in his case it was the theory of evolution. He had taken the idea of neutral evolution and had made it so every form of evolution was a step towards the better. Society was in a constant state of evolution with each bit of Progress so much better than what had preceded, and the same was true of religion, progression being made from "The lower stage of devil worship to the higher stage of God worship" of course what was demon or devil or God was totally in the perspective of the author. This made to some rather unfortunate misconceptions about how the world worked, and some really horrible prejudicial statements being made.
So with that disclaimer said I shall try and look more closely at the rest of the book. The author seemed to tackle the areas he was more familiar with much better than his early arguments that seemed to really be reaching to make fit to his presupposed arguments. His basic thesis was that man started worshiping devils because he was afraid of them and their power and tried to placate them, then went over to a creator god, or gods, and then settled on monotheism. A popular idea of the time, which has since been shown to be very wrong. I think calling early deities devils is wrong, people didn't so much worship them out of fear but out of need. You wanted help with the things you were doing, the world was an unstable place and you wanted something on your side. Also the earliest religious figures found have been women, the idea of a female creator is much older than a male creator deity. Nowhere did Carus mention a female creator, perhaps this hadn't been discovered yet, but it seemed more in keeping with his other ideas that he just ignored things that didn't fit his view!
In his view of Egypt, Set obviously became the Devil, however there was no mention of Set being an independent deity that was subjugated when Egypt was unified. Carus had in mind the idea that duality was the essence of early religion and so made it fit with Egypt. He seemed to not be as successful with the Hindu Ideas and so mostly just recounted myths for his chapter on them, which was quite nice. His look at Buddhism was rather entertaining. He also recounted the origins and the ideas, however he had the ultimate goal of Buddhists to be reborn in the Western Paradise, nowhere did he talk about Nirvana, or the freedom on non-existence, an end to the cycle of rebirth. In fact the whole idea of rebirth seemed very uncomfortable to him and he just used the wheel of life as an example of the evil one having control over the world. In other words he seemed to miss the point. Still I suppose it was a step in the right direction that he actually included those religions at all.
After that the book focused more on Christianity and the author became a little less obnoxious. There were some really interesting translations of early apocryphal teachings on Christianity, and hell. He spent a lot of time looking at the Gnostics which sound very interesting and made me want to learn more about them. He also looked at the influence of the Mithras cult on Early Christianity which was also very interesting. When the author was sticking to things he knew about it became a much different book. I found myself intrigued instead of wanting to throw it across the room.
Likewise I enjoyed his chapter on the Demonology of Norther Europe, there was nice retelling of their mythology and the implications of it. This was the first place he was able to separate into, "what was originally giants but later became classified as demons". He also looked at the influence of the Northern religions on Christianity.
The majority of the book was spent looking at the middle ages and the inquisition. In looking at the culture of magic and superstition that was rampant in Europe during that period, he was quick to point out the hypocrisy that went along with when you do something it's a miracle and when they do something it's witchcraft. Which was nice and a refreshing change. He did a good job linking the Inquisition with the subsequent persecution of witchcraft and had copies of some interesting documents, including a reproduction of the contract with the devil used in evidence against Grandier after claims by the nuns of Loudun.
He did also spend a nice section looking at the history of the devil in literature, spending time, unsurprisingly on Milton and Faustus. His analysis of Milton was interesting and showed a great deal of sympathy for Milton's devil and what he represented. The history of the story of Faustus was also interesting to read.
The last chapter was a philosophical treatise on why monism was the religion of the future. And how it all fit together. When discussing the idea of evil he stated how the "savage" will respond that evil is when someone steals his wife but good is when he steals someone else's wife calling this hedonism, morality that helps yourself. Later in trying to define his own view of morality he talks about how it is evil for a wolf to kill a sheep but not evil when man does it.(?) His argument rests not on the idea that man was breeding the sheep and the sheep would not have existed without man, but rather that man being "higher evolved" is closer to God or the laws of nature.
The lamb dies on the alter of humanity and this sacrifice is right and good if, and in so far as, it substitutes a higher life for a lower life...The difference between man's and the wolf's actions appears only when we take into account the objective conditions of man's superiority
Which I think is a fancy way of saying it's okay for me to take a sheep but when someone else does it it's bad because they are inferior. Not really that different in my mind from the argument he used about "the savage's" morality.
The best book I've ever read about the history of the devil is The Devil in Early Modern England By Darren Oldbride. That was one of the first books I read on the history of the Devil. He did a great job looking at the Early modern (middle ages) of England and showed how belief was transformed and what it's influences were, and how it came about. It was a very insightful work that I enjoyed immensly and I can't recommend it highly enough. Since then everything I've read has fallen short. The other authors all seem to have some kind of agenda their expounding through their illustrations of the way things have been throughout history, whether it's the case of dualism from Jeffrey Burton Russell, or Monism as in the case of Carus. I just wish someone would write a book as detailed as Oldbridge's looking at the rest of history, without a hidden agenda.
This book did have a lot of nice illustrations (300 in a text 500 pages long) and great quotes and obscure texts. My favorite quote was from Johannes Kepler:
Astrology is indeed a foolish child, but, good gracious, where would her mother, the wise astronomy, be if she had not this foolish child! Is not the world more foolish still, so foolish, indeed, that the sensible old mother must be introduced to the people..through her daughter's foolishness...But when the guesses are limited to yes and no, one has always about half the chances in one's favor...Right guesses are rewarded and failures forgotten, and so the astrologer remains in honor.
So with that disclaimer said I shall try and look more closely at the rest of the book. The author seemed to tackle the areas he was more familiar with much better than his early arguments that seemed to really be reaching to make fit to his presupposed arguments. His basic thesis was that man started worshiping devils because he was afraid of them and their power and tried to placate them, then went over to a creator god, or gods, and then settled on monotheism. A popular idea of the time, which has since been shown to be very wrong. I think calling early deities devils is wrong, people didn't so much worship them out of fear but out of need. You wanted help with the things you were doing, the world was an unstable place and you wanted something on your side. Also the earliest religious figures found have been women, the idea of a female creator is much older than a male creator deity. Nowhere did Carus mention a female creator, perhaps this hadn't been discovered yet, but it seemed more in keeping with his other ideas that he just ignored things that didn't fit his view!
In his view of Egypt, Set obviously became the Devil, however there was no mention of Set being an independent deity that was subjugated when Egypt was unified. Carus had in mind the idea that duality was the essence of early religion and so made it fit with Egypt. He seemed to not be as successful with the Hindu Ideas and so mostly just recounted myths for his chapter on them, which was quite nice. His look at Buddhism was rather entertaining. He also recounted the origins and the ideas, however he had the ultimate goal of Buddhists to be reborn in the Western Paradise, nowhere did he talk about Nirvana, or the freedom on non-existence, an end to the cycle of rebirth. In fact the whole idea of rebirth seemed very uncomfortable to him and he just used the wheel of life as an example of the evil one having control over the world. In other words he seemed to miss the point. Still I suppose it was a step in the right direction that he actually included those religions at all.
After that the book focused more on Christianity and the author became a little less obnoxious. There were some really interesting translations of early apocryphal teachings on Christianity, and hell. He spent a lot of time looking at the Gnostics which sound very interesting and made me want to learn more about them. He also looked at the influence of the Mithras cult on Early Christianity which was also very interesting. When the author was sticking to things he knew about it became a much different book. I found myself intrigued instead of wanting to throw it across the room.
Likewise I enjoyed his chapter on the Demonology of Norther Europe, there was nice retelling of their mythology and the implications of it. This was the first place he was able to separate into, "what was originally giants but later became classified as demons". He also looked at the influence of the Northern religions on Christianity.
The majority of the book was spent looking at the middle ages and the inquisition. In looking at the culture of magic and superstition that was rampant in Europe during that period, he was quick to point out the hypocrisy that went along with when you do something it's a miracle and when they do something it's witchcraft. Which was nice and a refreshing change. He did a good job linking the Inquisition with the subsequent persecution of witchcraft and had copies of some interesting documents, including a reproduction of the contract with the devil used in evidence against Grandier after claims by the nuns of Loudun.
He did also spend a nice section looking at the history of the devil in literature, spending time, unsurprisingly on Milton and Faustus. His analysis of Milton was interesting and showed a great deal of sympathy for Milton's devil and what he represented. The history of the story of Faustus was also interesting to read.
The last chapter was a philosophical treatise on why monism was the religion of the future. And how it all fit together. When discussing the idea of evil he stated how the "savage" will respond that evil is when someone steals his wife but good is when he steals someone else's wife calling this hedonism, morality that helps yourself. Later in trying to define his own view of morality he talks about how it is evil for a wolf to kill a sheep but not evil when man does it.(?) His argument rests not on the idea that man was breeding the sheep and the sheep would not have existed without man, but rather that man being "higher evolved" is closer to God or the laws of nature.
The lamb dies on the alter of humanity and this sacrifice is right and good if, and in so far as, it substitutes a higher life for a lower life...The difference between man's and the wolf's actions appears only when we take into account the objective conditions of man's superiority
Which I think is a fancy way of saying it's okay for me to take a sheep but when someone else does it it's bad because they are inferior. Not really that different in my mind from the argument he used about "the savage's" morality.
The best book I've ever read about the history of the devil is The Devil in Early Modern England By Darren Oldbride. That was one of the first books I read on the history of the Devil. He did a great job looking at the Early modern (middle ages) of England and showed how belief was transformed and what it's influences were, and how it came about. It was a very insightful work that I enjoyed immensly and I can't recommend it highly enough. Since then everything I've read has fallen short. The other authors all seem to have some kind of agenda their expounding through their illustrations of the way things have been throughout history, whether it's the case of dualism from Jeffrey Burton Russell, or Monism as in the case of Carus. I just wish someone would write a book as detailed as Oldbridge's looking at the rest of history, without a hidden agenda.
This book did have a lot of nice illustrations (300 in a text 500 pages long) and great quotes and obscure texts. My favorite quote was from Johannes Kepler:
Astrology is indeed a foolish child, but, good gracious, where would her mother, the wise astronomy, be if she had not this foolish child! Is not the world more foolish still, so foolish, indeed, that the sensible old mother must be introduced to the people..through her daughter's foolishness...But when the guesses are limited to yes and no, one has always about half the chances in one's favor...Right guesses are rewarded and failures forgotten, and so the astrologer remains in honor.
December 25, 2024
I picked up this book knowing nothing about it but expecting it to be a somewhat scientific study. boy was I wrong.
instead, as other commenter has said, it looks more like a philosophical study, which is at times extremely hard to read. starting from quoting Bible verses for several pages straight and ending with unrelated musings on adjacent topics. and the author starts the book with calling all pre-Christian pagan religions - devil-worshipers...
also, do not buy a new re-print, it is full of typos.
instead, as other commenter has said, it looks more like a philosophical study, which is at times extremely hard to read. starting from quoting Bible verses for several pages straight and ending with unrelated musings on adjacent topics. and the author starts the book with calling all pre-Christian pagan religions - devil-worshipers...
also, do not buy a new re-print, it is full of typos.
November 10, 2020
I picked this one up at the old Kroch's and Brentano's Bargain Book Center several years before getting around to reading the thing. I was with, I think, Michael Miley, another one as incapable as I was myself back then to avoid entering a bookstore and, when there, buying at least one book. This time, however, I believe I bought both Carus and Graves' 'Laurosse Encyclopedia of Religion'--also on the sale table. While standing in the checkout line with Mike, in the midst of an argument about whether or not reality could be said to be plural, I was struck by a sense of appreciation for having such a friend, accompanied by some concern as to how our heated argument was being heard by those around us.
As it happened, neither book was a particularly good purchase. Carus' is basically just one chapter following another in rough chronological order, spanning the globe rather sketchily, and giving little snippets of history. Some were interesting, some not, some new to me, some not. There was no overarching thesis of any great note nor anything like the kind of system and comprehensiveness which would be necessary for this to be considered a scientific study.
As it happened, neither book was a particularly good purchase. Carus' is basically just one chapter following another in rough chronological order, spanning the globe rather sketchily, and giving little snippets of history. Some were interesting, some not, some new to me, some not. There was no overarching thesis of any great note nor anything like the kind of system and comprehensiveness which would be necessary for this to be considered a scientific study.
April 18, 2018
Amazing lineage of the idea of Satan, tracing back to Egypt, India ect. The illustrations are fantastic, so many versions of the devil! Lot’s of cultures missing and almost entirely Christian-based, but a very account of that.
September 24, 2022
The Topic of The Devil has always been intriguing throughout history. The idea of a supernatural being controlling the bad in the world is a provoking and terrifying thought. I picked up this book as an Atheist with an evangelical background. As a child I was raised to fear the devil and that all feelings of guilt, envy, sadness, fear, etc. were all hand crafted by the Devil themself. Being raised under this I shoved a lot of blame from the things that make me human onto this deity who I couldn’t even recognize more specifically a form of Lucifer. This book takes on the ideas and histories of many Devils, not just lucifer, there was also Egyptian, Accadian, Persian, Buddhist, Muslim and many other Devils and evil spirits discussed. The book was published in 1900, a time when discussions of these topics, especially Devil worship, was very taboo. Paul Carus the author took on these topics impressively well for his time period and took being respectful to other cultures very seriously. Although as a general disclaimer for the book it would be worth noting that he uses very discriminatory language and inaccurate ideas about Native Americans for his time that was to be expected but of course still not acceptable and worth a warning and proper care when reading. Overall, this book was very interesting and Carus wrote it very well and very informative. I recommend it to anyone seeking further knowledge on the taboos of religion.
January 17, 2021
Highway to Hell
Wow! What a book, well written, plenty of references, a great journey through time to see how the of concepts of the greatest adversary known to man evolved.
A must read for any student, not only of the Bible, but a student of life itself, whether you are an atheist, agnostic, Christian, or of any other belief.
Wow! What a book, well written, plenty of references, a great journey through time to see how the of concepts of the greatest adversary known to man evolved.
A must read for any student, not only of the Bible, but a student of life itself, whether you are an atheist, agnostic, Christian, or of any other belief.
April 1, 2014
Very informational. It was cool to see the demons of different cultures and religions throughout history, and how they compared to one another. Highly suggest for those interested in history and/or theology.
October 4, 2023
This ambitious book is interesting, but it really shows its age as a product of Victorian times, first published in 1899. Carus tries to survey the whole world of religion, explaining how notions of the Devil arose at a primitive stage of humanity's development. Naturally, that development leads ever upward toward modern monotheism. The ideas of advanced religions such as Christianity, if "understood in their symbolical nature ... are the seeds from which a purer conception of the truth will grow."
Carus claims that notions of an evil deity, angel, or spirit arose from primitive people's fears of harmful forces in a dangerous world: "there seems to be no exception to the rule that fear is always the first incentive to religious worship." I guess that tends to overlook the influence of wonder, empathy, etc.
Still, for all his universalizing assumptions, Carus is a man from the age of enlightened rationality, and he can offer critical analysis of his own religious tradition: "The last remnants of the idea that the wrath of the Deity must be appeased by blood, and that we acquire spiritual powers by eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the victim ,still linger with us today in the medieval interpretations of certain church dogmas."
Carus claims that notions of an evil deity, angel, or spirit arose from primitive people's fears of harmful forces in a dangerous world: "there seems to be no exception to the rule that fear is always the first incentive to religious worship." I guess that tends to overlook the influence of wonder, empathy, etc.
Still, for all his universalizing assumptions, Carus is a man from the age of enlightened rationality, and he can offer critical analysis of his own religious tradition: "The last remnants of the idea that the wrath of the Deity must be appeased by blood, and that we acquire spiritual powers by eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the victim ,still linger with us today in the medieval interpretations of certain church dogmas."
August 13, 2020
Incredibly inaccurate, and you can see an example in a review posted here, so I won't beat that dead horse too much.
I would have really enjoyed reading about the timeline of the archetypal Devil and the idea of evil, but unfortunately this book is just the author taking concepts, practices and ideas from other cultures and religions and washing them with an Abrahamic veneer of good/bad duality.
The analysed pieces from other religions are not only misunderstood by the author but sometimes they're flat out completely inaccurate portrayals sprinkled with made up facts. Carus clearly didn't understand that not all religions had an absolute negative entity to be appeased, and sometimes entities could be neutral or both good and bad, and a similar route can be taken for their religious concepts.
I suppose one could excuse his unidimensional vision of religion and terribly aged terms when talking about other cultures and groups, but the book is still hardly enjoyable or informative considering how inaccurate it is.
1/5, if I hated a theologist/historian very much, it'd probably make a great gift for them during the holidays.
I would have really enjoyed reading about the timeline of the archetypal Devil and the idea of evil, but unfortunately this book is just the author taking concepts, practices and ideas from other cultures and religions and washing them with an Abrahamic veneer of good/bad duality.
The analysed pieces from other religions are not only misunderstood by the author but sometimes they're flat out completely inaccurate portrayals sprinkled with made up facts. Carus clearly didn't understand that not all religions had an absolute negative entity to be appeased, and sometimes entities could be neutral or both good and bad, and a similar route can be taken for their religious concepts.
I suppose one could excuse his unidimensional vision of religion and terribly aged terms when talking about other cultures and groups, but the book is still hardly enjoyable or informative considering how inaccurate it is.
1/5, if I hated a theologist/historian very much, it'd probably make a great gift for them during the holidays.
August 6, 2017
A great work. Carus researched the archetype as it appears within many forms, including those of ancient Egypt, Accadia, India, Persia, and tracing these aspects into the Abrahamic conceptualisation as it developed throughout the middle ages, the reformation, the early modern period, and into the present. Despite what is clearly a Christian perspective, Carus manages to effectively argue why the Devil is essential and has been harshly portrayed -- even to the extent that Carus offers the reason why the archetype has been essential in the development and becoming of man.
The 350 or so images that accompany the text serve well to illustrate the depictions of the archetype by an array of cultures.
The 350 or so images that accompany the text serve well to illustrate the depictions of the archetype by an array of cultures.
January 6, 2019
This history of evil and its various personifications throughout the centuries was written in the 1800s. Despite this early work, the author's historical research comports with many experts' work today, including that of Elaine Pagels. Demonolatry preceded the worship of the all-Good due to the primal emotion of fear that Satan could easily harm the human element and, thus, must be appeased. The research is of commendable depth and breadth, and the author recasts an anthropomorphic demon as the ultimate symbol of the potential for evil within humans themselves. This is a history book of some repute, and recommended for those who have an interest in the principles of good and evil as well as their etiologies.
October 30, 2019
I picked out this book because i'm honestly fascinated by the religions of the world. What better way to learn about them than read about each religions version of "the devil"? It was really fascinating and a challenging read. Though I have realized that it was written in the 1900's and there might be more than a few inaccuracies. Yet Paul Carus really tried to go into detail about different religions around the world and teach about the stories within them. A quote that really stuck with me throughout the past few weeks was: "and, in spite of death, life is immortal." (page 28). It's such an interesting concept/view of life and our world. I overall enjoyed reading it and would recommend it to anyone looking for a challenging, yet interesting, read.
June 11, 2018
Great Book. Has over hundreds of pictures now the devil in all societies from the ancient times to the now. Has topics on Persian/Egyptian/Chinese/Christians and etc. Once once can pinpoint who "Satan" then you should have a good idea who Good is. Based on my experience on my journey is Appears The Pagan God the Ancient Egyptian God of Warfare "SET" is indeed alias made "Satan" and God himself is Amen-RA hence the alias God. The Divine battle between RA and SET, RA is perfection while SET sets the standards for disorder and chaos. It appears the Christian SATAN is Ancient Egyptian God SET. Look into it, great book and great ideas to pinpoint who is THE ONE
April 11, 2020
Two things: You can't have the light without the dark and this is an exploration of where that dark came from, spanning all civilizations and religions through modern times. This is not light reading, but rather an explorations of the myths and superstitions and historical need for a scapegoat for famine, disease, oppression and simple bad luck and how that was fostered throughout the centuries to become its own dogma equipped with all the bells and whistles of theology and malicious intent.
October 7, 2019
My brain just stormed to read the modern concept of Devil. 😅
The concept of the Devil as it paved its way through history is precisely described by the writer.
There's nothing biased even a single idea rather the writer has told the chronological concept of the Devil. It's an interesting book indeed.
The concept of the Devil as it paved its way through history is precisely described by the writer.
There's nothing biased even a single idea rather the writer has told the chronological concept of the Devil. It's an interesting book indeed.
May 22, 2020
Profoundly Important
The author has helped me clear up many of the doubts and questions that have lingered for years. I will likely read this book again after having time to think about it. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a desire to better understand their duty while on earth.
The author has helped me clear up many of the doubts and questions that have lingered for years. I will likely read this book again after having time to think about it. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a desire to better understand their duty while on earth.
March 19, 2019
This book offers an excellent analysis of the concept of the Devil through the ages.
I have translated it to Spanish, under the the title:
La historia del diablo y la idea del mal desde los primeros tiempos hasta nuestros días
It is available at Amazon.com.
I have translated it to Spanish, under the the title:
La historia del diablo y la idea del mal desde los primeros tiempos hasta nuestros días
It is available at Amazon.com.
January 27, 2019
great overview about the subject with a lot of pictures
December 9, 2019
Overly well written will lots of references but nothing about the view of the Devil and evil in the Muslim world. A shame as it would have made this book almost complete for the common humanity.
April 16, 2021
History of the devil
The book is "Thought Provoking". There are statements that really got me thinking .. Without Evil There Could Be No Good, and many more.
The book is "Thought Provoking". There are statements that really got me thinking .. Without Evil There Could Be No Good, and many more.
Read
June 9, 2022Started reading it... there was so many spelling and grammatical errors on the first few pages that I have given up... there should have been a proof reader...
Read
March 26, 2025Very engaging read that presented both theological and philosophical take on the evolution of our view of the nature of good vs evil.
April 18, 2025
Very interesting to review the history of evil from different civilizations and at different times in history.
Very interesting arguments and ideas are presented at the conclusion.
Very interesting arguments and ideas are presented at the conclusion.
August 13, 2025
It’s okay for what it is
I strongly disagree with his conclusions, but I did find the history of demons and demonology throughout the world and throughout time very intriguing
I strongly disagree with his conclusions, but I did find the history of demons and demonology throughout the world and throughout time very intriguing
August 19, 2019
Well I guess I need to make sure I spend a little extra time researching my reads and not grab something and expect it to be current. Many things in the book have been corrected, updated, or just flat out been removed from the lexicon of life and as expected it made things a bit difficult to follow. Research material and a lesson learned.
April 10, 2023
This is not a scholarly text, but a religious and philosophical one. It is riddled with inaccuracies and falsehoods, all to serve Carus' thesis that "devil worship" is a natural precursor to worship of God, and that "savage" peoples often worship evil or the devil because they misunderstand the nature of divine benevolence.
Carus repeatedly characterizes Native Americans as savage and ungodly people. Native Americans are a significant part of the chapter "The Devil's Prime," in which Carus writes, "We look with contempt upon the Indian prophet who poses as a rain-maker, but read the story of Elijah with great edification, and while we justify the holy zeal of the latter, we would make no allowance for the severity of Indian reformers who fail to spare the lives of their rivals." This is his primary characterization of Native Americans, and of other societies in general. They are, in Carus' view, murderous, primitive, savage and in need of religion. He regularly and repeatedly distorts the traditions of other societies (for example, characterizing the Powhatan "huskanaw" rite of passage as child sacrifice) in an attempt to strengthen the view that he is "[pursuing] in religion the same path that science travels" in the hope that "the narrowness of sectarianism will develop into a broad cosmical religion which shall be as wide and truly catholic as science itself."
So ultimately, this text is a kind of colonial propaganda. It is an attempt to assert western Christian values as superior to the values and beliefs of other cultures. And it is masquerading as a book of scholarship, which it unquestionably never was.
One star for useful illustrations.
Carus repeatedly characterizes Native Americans as savage and ungodly people. Native Americans are a significant part of the chapter "The Devil's Prime," in which Carus writes, "We look with contempt upon the Indian prophet who poses as a rain-maker, but read the story of Elijah with great edification, and while we justify the holy zeal of the latter, we would make no allowance for the severity of Indian reformers who fail to spare the lives of their rivals." This is his primary characterization of Native Americans, and of other societies in general. They are, in Carus' view, murderous, primitive, savage and in need of religion. He regularly and repeatedly distorts the traditions of other societies (for example, characterizing the Powhatan "huskanaw" rite of passage as child sacrifice) in an attempt to strengthen the view that he is "[pursuing] in religion the same path that science travels" in the hope that "the narrowness of sectarianism will develop into a broad cosmical religion which shall be as wide and truly catholic as science itself."
So ultimately, this text is a kind of colonial propaganda. It is an attempt to assert western Christian values as superior to the values and beliefs of other cultures. And it is masquerading as a book of scholarship, which it unquestionably never was.
One star for useful illustrations.
December 26, 2016
A very easy-to-read, copiously illustrated, and comprehensive history of the Devil, first published in 1900. Its age means that there are an awful lot of inaccuracies and out of date scholarship, but the wide range of information and Carus' obvious enthusiasm for the subject made it forgivable. Even when the theories and interpretations are wrong, they are still interesting and entertaining. You will inevitably find some chapters more interesting than others, depending on your interest and how much you can forgive the out of date research. (I found the final chapter, on the philosophical arguments around good and evil, so boring that I almost, almost deducted a star from my rating.)
For a more scholarly and up-to-date history of the Devil, see Jeffrey Burton Russell's Devil Quartet (The Devil: Perceptions of Evil from Antiquity to Primitive Christianity, Satan: The Early Christian Tradition, Lucifer: The Devil in the Middle Ages, and Mephistopheles: The Devil in the Modern World) or his excellent single-volume summary Prince of Darkness: Radical Evil and the Power of Good in History.
I read Prince of Darkness and few months ago, and found Carus's history a nice accompaniment. While some of the same ground is covered, Carus' history has far more illustrations, and covers a lot more ground but in less depth. It was also made interesting by the authors differing outlooks: Carus, writing at the end of the 19th century, thought that belief in the Devil was a primitive superstition, and that humanity was moving towards a bright scientific future and deeper understanding of good and evil; Russell, writing towards the end of the violent 20th century, thinks that the decline of belief is an absolutely evil force has made the world a more dangerous place.
If you want accuracy and up-to-date scholarship, get Russell's more recent books.
If you want eve more Devil history from a different, less pessimistic perspective, get Carus' history.
Pro tip: if you can, get one of the gloriously sinister looking older editions which have the potential to make guests very nervous:
For a more scholarly and up-to-date history of the Devil, see Jeffrey Burton Russell's Devil Quartet (The Devil: Perceptions of Evil from Antiquity to Primitive Christianity, Satan: The Early Christian Tradition, Lucifer: The Devil in the Middle Ages, and Mephistopheles: The Devil in the Modern World) or his excellent single-volume summary Prince of Darkness: Radical Evil and the Power of Good in History.
I read Prince of Darkness and few months ago, and found Carus's history a nice accompaniment. While some of the same ground is covered, Carus' history has far more illustrations, and covers a lot more ground but in less depth. It was also made interesting by the authors differing outlooks: Carus, writing at the end of the 19th century, thought that belief in the Devil was a primitive superstition, and that humanity was moving towards a bright scientific future and deeper understanding of good and evil; Russell, writing towards the end of the violent 20th century, thinks that the decline of belief is an absolutely evil force has made the world a more dangerous place.
If you want accuracy and up-to-date scholarship, get Russell's more recent books.
If you want eve more Devil history from a different, less pessimistic perspective, get Carus' history.
Pro tip: if you can, get one of the gloriously sinister looking older editions which have the potential to make guests very nervous:
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