The History of the Devil

Exploring the personification of evil, through the ages and across cultures, a French historian and critic shows that our image of Satan - the antithesis of God and good - was a concept unknown to the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Hindus and Chinese. The Devil as we know him was probably invented in Persia six centuries before Christ, by Zoroastrian high priests eager to demonize their adversaries and aid their own political machinations. The image of evil has been a useful tool of political power ever since, from the proponents of the Spanish Inquisition to the Cold Warriors, fundamentalists and proponents of "ethnic cleansing" of our own time. Gerald Messadie's historical references and broad cultural analysis aim to show that it is precisely a belief in the Devil that lies at the root of contemporary religious fanaticism.