The Birth of Satan: Tracing the Devil's Biblical Roots (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Gregory Mobley (Author)
Key Phrases: chaos monsters, combat myth, intertestamental literature, Hebrew Bible, New Testament, Second Temple (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Where the devil did the devil come from? Wray, a Roman Catholic who teaches religious studies at Salve Regina University, and Mobley, a Protestant professor of Old Testament at Andover Newton Theological School, suggest that the early Hebrews struggled with the puzzle of a God who is the source of both good and evil. As Israel continued to evolve toward a clearer monotheism, it was considered prudent to cast off the negative characteristics of the one true God—which the authors call "repellant aspects of Yhwh")—and embody them in a personality who would become the biblical "Satan." Beginning with Genesis, the authors trace the development of "the devil" until he appears fully formed in the New Testament, where his role is "to serve as the cosmic scapegoat, saving God from blame for evil." Wray and Mobley pay particular attention to the beliefs of many of Israel's neighbors and their influence on her emerging faith in a cosmic evil being. Ultimately, they reject the concept of a personal Satan, but acknowledge its usefulness in dealing with the idea of evil. Written at a popular level, this book offers an interesting and challenging alternative to traditional beliefs. (Oct. 5)
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From Booklist

A recent Gallup poll revealed that a majority of Americans believe in Satan, aka, most commonly, Lucifer and Mephistopheles, but whatever the moniker, the devil, evil incarnate. Wray and Mobley find this ultimate villain's origins in a biblical character and in early Jewish and Christian writings outside of the scriptures. They try to understand why we as a species strive to feel fearful, why being frightened--vicariously, at least--is so appealing. Satan appears fewer than a dozen times in the Hebrew Bible, truly rising to prominence in the New Testament, especially in the Revelation, in which Satan manifests as Jesus' archrival. Wray and Mobley explain how that characterization came about, examine how Satan's image developed over the centuries, partly under the influence of such writings as Dante's Divine Comedy and Milton's Paradise Lost and investigate the centuries-long witch-hunt craze before advancing to contemporary times to inspect how religious doctrine and popular culture have affected images of the modern Satan. A thoughtful, informative examination. June Sawyers
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (September 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1403969337
• ISBN-13: 978-1403969330
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #351,608 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE book on Satan is out!, November 26, 2005

By	Marc S. Mullinax (Asheville, NC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is an absolute triumph of a book, the one I've been wanting to read for a long, long time.

The Devil has made, for over 2000 years, a good story, and this book tells us why. Using the tools of religion, history, theology, and culture, authors Wray and Mobley offer the general and religious reader alike a conceptually fresh, extremely well-written, and relatively short history of the role Satan has played. This playground includes our literature, religious imaginations, everyday conversations, and religious literature.

The strengths of this book include:

1) Mobley is a gifted Hebrew Bible scholar who understands the pre-Christian world, including its manifold non-biblical writings that held traction in this world. With his co-author this book makes the case that there have been many two-bit ideas of Satan through the years, mostly inchoate and undeveloped (and not that powerful), until a largely single image of the High King of Hell emerges in early Christianity.

2) Powerful summaries throughout the chapters, culminating in a final chapter that is a rare tour de force in synthesis, breadth of insight - and brevity. In that chapter, the reader will get a well-developed job description for Satan.

3) The reader will be invited to think deeply about monotheism, and how that very enticing theological position may have itself led to the birth of Satan as an unintended consequence. The thoughtful reader should anticipate the authors' examination of the more peculiar and distasteful aspects the Bible and God.

4) Conceptually fresh imagery. For example, Chapter Two's introduction of God as "Godfather" is a strikingly unique way the authors get the readers to understand God as the early Jews may have. This is just one of scores of helpful images.

The authors have made in this short book a landmark contribution to popular understanding about the many factors that contributed to Satan's metamorphosis from a third-rank adversary or stumbling block in the Hebrew scriptures to the Titan of Evil in the Christian era. This kind of intelligence is critical in our times.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the best book I've read on the subject., May 26, 2006

By	Matthew the Raven (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

I've read a bunch of books on the history of the doctrine of Satan, including The Biography of Satan by Graves, the Origin of Satan by Pagels, The History of the Devil by Messadie, and this book, and it is the best of the lot, no contest. It's well written and thoroughally researched, packing a lot of information about the Christian and Hebrew Scriptures, intertestamental literature, other ancient religions that influenced the Bible, and other stuff into one easy-to-read volume. For those interested in an objective book on the development of Christianity's Satan figure, you can't beat this one.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read!, January 11, 2006

By	R. Ballard (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As someone who read (and was helped by) T J Wray's first two books ("Surviving the Death of a Sibling: Living Through Grief When an Adult Brother or Sister Dies" and "Grief Dreams: How They Help Heal Us After the Death of a Loved One") and as a religious studies teacher, I was eager to read Wray's newest book, "The Birth of Satan." I received a copy for Christmas and was delighted to find the same accessible and creative writing style that is TJ Wray's trademark. But beyond the wonderful writing is a book that has real substance. Wray, along with co-author Gregory Mobley (both are biblical scholars who really know their stuff!) trace the Devil's beginnings from a rather benign character in the Old Testament to the more popular form of Satan that we are familiar with in the New Testament. I found the chapters on God and hell most interesting and the discussion on the role monotheism played insofar as the development of Satan is concerned quite illuminating. Although this is a non-fiction book, it's so well-written, it almost reads like a novel. It's a "must read" for anyone curious about the development of Satan.