The Origin of Satan

The Origin of Satan: How Christians Demonized Jews, Pagans, and Heretics
by Elaine Pagels
Published in 1995
214 Pages
Thibault’s Score: 2/5


I didn’t enjoy reading the book, so after reading roughly 10% of the book, I decided that it wasn’t for me.


The main reason why I didn’t like the book is because I found that the tone was condemnatory - the author was making moral judgements about the demonization of “the other.” Modern moral sentiments are anachronistic when analyzing historical behavior, and I wanted to learn more about the transition away from Christianity, not read criticism.


This isn’t a bad book, but it wasn’t for me.