Satan: A Biography (Paperback)

~ (Author) "It may come as a surprise to some of the readers of this book that there is no devil, Devil, or DEVIL in the Book..." (more)
Key Phrases: Old Testament, Angel of Yahweh, Fallen Angels (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...the book intriguingly and meticulously maps each minute twist and turn in Satan's "biography.""
Daniel Pick, BOOKFORUM

"K.'s chronological and historical approach makes a useful contribution to the understanding of Christian images of Satan and will be of interest to historians, theologians, and individuals interested in religious studies and the humanities in general." --J. Edward Wright, University of Arizona, Tucson: The Catholic Bible Quarterly

Product Description

Christians traditionally think of Satan as Lucifer, God's enemy, who rebelled against Him out of pride and then caused Adam and Eve to sin. But, as Kelly shows, this portrayal is not biblical but a scenario invented by the early Fathers of the Church which became the 'New Biography of Satan'. The 'Original Biography' must be reconstructed from the New Testament where Satan is the same sort of celestial functionary we see in the Book of Job - appointed to govern the world, specifically to monitor and test human beings. But he is brutal and deceitful in his methods, and Jesus predicts that his rule will soon come to an end. Kelly traces the further developments of the 'New Biography': humankind's inherited guilt, captivity by Satan, and punishment in Hell at his hands. This profile of Satan remains dominant, but Kelly urges a return to the 'Original Biography of Satan'.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 374 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (August 14, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521604028
• ISBN-13: 978-0521604024
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #660,626 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars bit off more than he could chew, February 22, 2007

By	C. T. Schreep "Student" (Durham, NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Satan: A Biography (Hardcover)

This book has helped cement my suspicions of those who decide to undertake an authoritative work well outside their own fields of expertise. Kelly is an English professor endeavoring to synthesize Greek and Hebrew linguistic analysis, Biblical history and exegesis, and the various influences on and developments of Christian theology over the course of well over one thousand years. In this nonplussing result, Kelly aptly fits the saying, "Jack of all trades, master of none."

For starters, I found his linguistic analysis to be wanting. He attempts to make subtle linguistic points, but his unwieldy use of both Hebrew and Greek and occasional inconsistencies prevent those points from being particularly poignant. He forcefully explains how he will use and understand certain words and concepts, but it seems he carelessly diverges from his definitions.

Another complaint is the organization of the material. I would wager Kelly picked up a copy of Strong's, looked up every reference to Satan and/or the Devil, and made an attempt to organize everything chronologically. Sadly, in the resulting expositions he jumps around from text to text without clearly demonstrating how (or indeed if) one affects the other. He brings up texts, and then does nothing with them.

Another point is the general rambling nature of Kelly's work, especially in the chapters dealing with the New Testament. There he goes on for pages and pages while making few key points. It reads like an undergraduate trying to pad five pages' worth of notes into a 20-page thesis.

Furthermore, Kelly rarely calls in the work of other scholars. The most frequently referenced work (apart from the Bible itself, of course) is own writing. Kelly seems to consider himself as writing de novo a new and authoritative treatment of Satan. In fact, numerous other scholars have examined the origins of Satan and produced works far superior to this one.

My final criticism is Kelly's writing style. It is ***painfully*** plebian. Using layman's terms is perfectly acceptable; however, Kelly's prose is an outright insult to the intelligence of his audience (I cringed as I read the words, "No way, Jose. Not yet, Josette").

All things considered, Satan: A Biography is a woefully inadequate treatment of a vast subject. Kelly does indeed cover a lot of ground, but he only picks up a few shiny pebbles here and there and never digs too deeply. I honestly cannot think of a reason to purchase this work instead of any other.

5.0 out of 5 stars Poor Kelly..., October 29, 2009

By	R. Barrow - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Satan: A Biography (Hardcover)

In contrast to other reviewers, I found the book to be very useful actually.

It's one of those books that does what it says on the tin, and pretty much lists every reference to Satan in the Bible and brings a number of interesting concepts to light.

No, it's not written by a theologian, and if you want one written by a theologian, I'd recommend The Birth of Satan: Tracing the Devil's Biblical Roots by Wray and Mobley.

Some people are a bit snobbish when it comes to theological books because they make a distinction between theologians and 'laymen'. I do too. But that doesn't mean non-theologians books are non-useful. One has to remember that most of the New Testament were written by laymen.

Also, once you've read a number of theologians, you eventually realise "Oh dear...scholars love to contradict each other and disagree."

Personally, I'd recommend this book if you want to have a good overview of the topic of Satan.

I didn't read anything that was contradicted by official theologians, and have found it useful to explain things to others.

So yes, even though I went to seminary, and have studied the official theologians, and have read the writings of the Early Church, and studied Koine Greek, I still think that this book would be very useful, although when I bought it, it was much cheaper!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The 'You'll need to know alot already to appreciate this' biography, May 4, 2008

By	Andrew "AJ" (Australia) - See all my reviews

As someone talking to friends about my own beliefs and conclusions on the devil, finding the need to look for a helpful book on the issue to clarify my thoughts, bounce them off another's and generally see if I could find a few handy passages to logically help myself and others reason through this complex issue, I bought this book.
I was fortunate that I was able with my pre-exising knowledge 'keep up' with the approach of this book. My appetite for information drove me through this book. The author's approach in both his written style and method of presentation of his thesis was simply a hinderance. Without my drive, this book is a reluctant 'page turner', because there's more of the same over.
The analysis is, from my theological point of view as a believer in the devil, satan and human sin as being essentially 'the same' phenonomenon described, ie that sin or any adversary is the 'enemy' expressed or embodied in satan or personified as the devil... not a fallen angel etc, was attracted to the overall thesis, but his reasoning is outlined without an elegant line of reason sufficient to captivate any but the most committed reader. It sounds like notes from a series of lectures that still need the mind of their author to extend them into an argument in prose. Helpful content + stylistic hinderance =