Historical Auxiliary Sciences Research Papers (original) (raw)

The book is an attempt to systematically map the names, characteristics, and stories associated with the Devil, based on biblical books, deuterocanonic writing, and the work of the Church Fathers. The concept is amplified by the effort to describe the supposed appearance of the Devil on the basis of Christian ideas, which were projected into the level of mosaics, miniatures, paintings, carvings or engravings. As a result, readers can draw attention to the archetypes, presumed incarnations or manifestations of the Devil's character in the sign of the set of beings, which included Baal, Beelzebub, Belial, Beliar, snake, dragon, Leviathan, Azazel, Samael, Melchiresha, Prince of Darkness, Satan, Antichrist or Lucifer. They will learn what functions the authors of the Scriptures ascribed to them. They will understand that the terms "satan" and "devil" in the context of selected biblical stories belonged to a wider range of specific human figures, other supernatural beings, or even the city of Jerusalem. The well-known Old Testament and New Testament books are supplemented by knowledge from the First and Second Books of Enoch, the Book of Jubilees, the Third Book of Baruch, or scrolls from the Dead Sea, while there are also key ideas from works put by church fathers such as Justin Martyr, Athenagoras of Athens, Theophilus of Antioch, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen of Alexandria, Cyprian of Carthage, Lactantius, Jerome or Augustine of Hippo. There are also several references to ancient myths, which in the form of "borrowings" are reflected in the Bible verses. The iconographic section then reveals which ancient deities the Christians borrowed in depicting the Devil and which angelic, animal or human elements have dominated each century. The forms of the Devil are illustrated by themes such as the fall of Lucifer, the temptation of Adam and Eve, the temptation of Job, the temptation of Christ, the exorcisms performed by Christ, Christ stepping on the serpent or beast, Harrowing of hell, the Last Judgment, hell or various forms of hellish or earthly punishments. The presented works of art come from the territory of today's Italy, Germany, England, France, the Czech Republic, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands. The work contains a number of quotations, a rich pictorial appendix (line drawings) and a dense notebook with detailed characteristics of biblical figures, nations and ethnic groups, cities or historical events. The book is relieved of any occult or esoteric nipples and is based entirely on the scientific analysis of textual and pictorial sources, applying research methods of history and related human disciplines.