The Devil and Demonism in Early Modern England (Cambridge Studies in Early Modern British History)
Cambridge University Press, 1/12/2006
EAN 9780521802369, ISBN10: 0521802369
Hardcover, 350 pages, 22.9 x 15.2 x 2.4 cm
Language: English
An original book examining the concept of the Devil in English culture between the Reformation and the end of the English Civil War. Nathan Johnstone looks at the ways in which beliefs about the nature of the Devil and his power in human affairs changed as a consequence of the Reformation, and its impact on religious, literary and political culture. He moves away from the established focus on demonology as a component of the belief in witchcraft and examines a wide range of religious and political milieux, such as practical divinity, the interiority of Puritan godliness, anti-popery, polemic and propaganda, and popular culture. The concept of the Devil that emerged from the Reformation had a profound impact on the beliefs and practices of committed Protestants, but it also influenced both the political debates of the reigns of Elizabeth I, James I and Charles I, and in popular culture more widely.
Introduction
1. The synagogue of Satan
anti-Catholicism, false doctrine and the construction of contrariety
2. Temptation
the Protestant dynamic of diabolic agency and the resurgence of clerical mediation
3. Satan and the godly in early modern England
4. Incarnate devils
crime narratives, demonization and audience empathy
5. 'What concord hath Christ with Belial'
de facto satanism and the temptation of the body politic, 1570–1640
6. 'Grand Pluto's progress through Great Britaine'
the civil war and the zenith of satanic politics
7. 'The Devil's Alpha and Omega'
temptation at the cutting edge of faith in the civil war and the interregnum
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index.