The Devil: A Very Short Introduction is a compact book by Darren Oldridge, whose title points right to its content. It was published in 2012 by Oxford University Press.
It can be purchased in paperback for $10.76. ISBN: 978-0-19-958099-6
This book is a helpful guide to the history, depiction, and beliefs surrounding one of the most known yet most enigmatic beings in the study of theology—the Devil. In it, Oldridge addresses how the Devil has come to occupy a place within the teachings of the church from a simpler past in the Hebrew scriptures.
Before addressing the notion of particular being named the Devil or Satan or Lucifer, Oldridge addresses the concept of evil itself. This is a good place for any discussion about the Devil to begin. For we attribute the source of evil to the Devil. It therefore makes good sense to begin the discussion at this place.
Why is the Devil even a concern? Answer: because evil exists, and the Devil is responsible for it.
The book's strongest feature is Oldridge’s history of the Devil. For those who have only a cursory, Sunday school understanding of the Devil, this is particularly enlightening. Oldridge writes, “Some may find the historical approach to the Devil problematic, however. This is because it assumes that religious ideas are shaped by the cultures in which they emerge, and they change in response to developments within these cultures.”
This worry is one that plagues Christian theology in areas not concerned with dæmonology as well. To insist that culture in any impinges on theology for many folks makes them question their entire theological way-of-thinking. For them, theology is something that exists in a vacuum, completely removed from the physical world. Not only is this way of thinking about things patently false—theology does intersect our culture—it is inherently and dreadfully dangerous. It is closely related to Oldridge’s later observation that today’s culture discounts the existence of Satan, despite a long-standing tradition that points to the contrary.
Oldridge concludes the book by saying—“If the prince of darkness existed, he would surely rejoice that this truth is easily forgotten. He might even, as Charles Baudelaire suggested, choose to encourage our ignorance by pretending he does not exist at all.” What Oldridge is saying here is that today we rely so heavily on our senses of logic and good order for the world that we can’t possibly allow for some creature such as the Devil to be part of our worldview, and it’s precisely this notion that the Devil uses to further his diabolic agenda. What better way to hide than to not even exist?
In response to the concern about culture influencing how we approach the whole question of the Devil—and anything else theological for matter—Oldridge writes that the past is our best source of information for the Devil’s activity in this world. The past, while culturally bound, does not dictate our the truth, although it does give us a guide to look at when perplexed. For Christians, part of our past is Scripture and the interpretation of it. In light of that reality, we can also approach questions about the Devil, who makes appearances in Scripture as well.
Quoting the historian Jeffery Burton Russell, himself an expert on the Devil, Oldridge writes—“The ‘only sure knowledge we have about the Devil is our knowledge of his historical development.’” It’s through the recounting of experiences of people gone before us, themselves part of culture, that we today are even able to speak about the Devil and his working of evil in the world.
For anyone who need a “very short introduction” into the question of the Devil, this book is a good choice. In its 104 thematic pages, the book packs a lot of information that could merit a second or third reading. In addition to the meat of the matter, Oldridge includes an extensive, helpful bibliography of almost ten pages.
This book is a good resource for anyone who has questions about the question of evil in our world and the way that that question has been tackled throughout history.
-DS
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