The History of the Devil and the Idea..., Paul Carus
The History of the Devil and the Idea..., Paul Carus
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The History of the Devil and the Idea of Evil
From the Earliest Times to the Present Day

Author: Paul Carus

Narrator: Denis Daly

Unabridged: 10 hr 38 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 12/06/2022

Categories: Nonfiction, Religion, History

Synopsis

Although he was well known as an authority on spiritual traditions, Paul Carus was unusual in that he refused to align himself with any particular form of organized religion. In any case, his universalist view of God would probably have put him outside the allowable boundaries of Christian belief. Carus was particularly active in raising awareness of Eastern spiritual traditions in the West.His monumental study of the history of the Devil and other personifications of evil was published in 1900. Carus’ primary thesis is that the origin of religion is fear of the unknown and that the focus of primitive worship was on placating a hostile and vengeful deity rather than praising a beneficent form of divinity. As civilizations became more sophisticated, it was accepted that the forces of good would inevitably triumph, and the power and status of the evil forces gradually diminished. However, the devil, who has become in more recent times a demoted deity, still remains a source of fascination for religious and non-religious people alike.

About Paul Carus

Paul Carus (1852–1919) was an author, editor, a student of comparative religion, and a philosopher.

About Denis Daly

Denis Daly and Sarah Bacaller are Australian narrators and audiobook producers.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Kateryna on 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 a......more

Goodreads review by Erik on 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 ti......more

Goodreads review by Dave on 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.......more

Goodreads review by Pat on January 16, 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, Christia......more

Goodreads review by Brian on October 04, 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 eve......more

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