The Political History of the Devil
The Political History of the Devil

Author: Daniel Defoe

Publisher: Courier Dover Publications

Published: 2016-02-17

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 0486810534

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Irreverent and ironic, this 1726 satire by the author of Robinson Crusoe examines the evolution of evil and the rise of the historical force known as "the devil." Daniel Defoe's passionate and perceptive survey starts with Satan's origins, chronicling the devil's presence in the Bible and his growing sway over humanity. An overview of satanic influences on eighteenth-century life follows, focusing on monarchs and tyrants as well as common folk. Defoe supports his arguments not only with extensive quotes from scripture but also with citations from other sources, including Milton's Paradise Lost. Written at the dawn of the Enlightenment, this treatise recaptures a moment in time when widespread certainty of the devil's existence was dwindling. Defoe, a firm believer, posits that the devil reacted to the changing times by shifting his influence from the supernatural realm of witches and wizards to the ordinary world of "beaus, beauties, wits, and fools." This intriguing view of politics and society during the 1700s offers a vivid contemporary portrait of a culture torn between theology and reason.

The Political History of the Devil
The Political History of the Devil

Author: Daniel Defoe

Publisher: Forgotten Books

Published: 2016-08-01

Total Pages: 422

ISBN-13: 9781333091644

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Excerpt from The Political History of the Devil: As Well Ancient as Modern; In Two Parts As to his propagating religion, 'tis a little hard indeed, at fir: fight, to charge the Devil with propagating religion, that is to fay, if we take it literally, and in the grofs 5 but if you take it as the Scots infifled to take the oath of fidelity, viz. With an explanation, it is plain Satan has very often had a {hare in the method, if not in the de fign of propagating ehri ian faith For example. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works."