As twins, Satan and Jehovah are both heir to the heavenly throne, a situation destined never to end well. Satan is a young boy like any other, whose birthright is taken away by his father and given to his younger brother, Jehovah. Confused and unloved, he battles through a rough childhood. Under the tutelage of Diablo their cunning servant, he grows into his name, an adversary of the throne who is willing to do anything to protect his birthright.This is a story of how it all began. Of how the two brothers came to despise each other so much, culminating in the creation of the seven demon princes of hell, but not before the one to be later known as the devil had conceived his own children, us. Are any of the two brothers actually evil? Does a person's childhood shape whom he becomes? Is it enough to justify his actions today? Who is the true heir to the Heavenly throne? All this you will have to decide for yourself. This beautiful story forms the fulcrum of two separate yet interconnected series of novels, The Seven Demons of Hell and Children of the Devil.
A James Patterson Presents Novel From the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Stalking Jack the Ripper series comes a new blockbuster series... Two sisters.One brutal murder. A quest for vengeance that will unleash Hell itself... And an intoxicating romance. Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are streghe -- witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. One night, Vittoria misses dinner service at the family's renowned Sicilian restaurant. Emilia soon finds the body of her beloved twin...desecrated beyond belief. Devastated, Emilia sets out to find her sister's killer and to seek vengeance at any cost-even if it means using dark magic that's been long forbidden. Then Emilia meets Wrath, one of the Wicked-princes of Hell she has been warned against in tales since she was a child. Wrath claims to be on Emilia's side, tasked by his master with solving the series of women's murders on the island. But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is as it seems...
This supplement for the D&D game presents the definitive treatise on devils and their malefic home. Along with information about the physiology, psychology, society, and schemes of devils themselves, you'll find feats, spells, items and tactics commonly employed by these infernal creatures and those who oppose them.
This edition of the Testament of Solomon is a complete and accurate reprint of the original translation of ancient manuscripts by F.C. Conybeare first printed in 1898. It contains all Conybeare's original notes and commentary, including the Greek characters he footnoted for the reader's consideration. Beware of other editions of this work that do not contain all the original text. The Testament of Solomon is a pseudepigraphical work attributed to King Solomon the Wise of the Old Testament. Written in the first-person narrative, the book tells the story of the creation of the magical ring of King Solomon and how Solomon's ring was used to bind and control demons, including Beelzebub. In this book of King Solomon, the discourses between the King and the various spirits are told, and the story shows how Solomon uses his wisdom to withstand the demons' tricks and guile and enlist their aid in the building of his temple. The spells and seals of Solomon used by the King to bind the spirits are detailed, which makes this work a book of Solomon's magic, similar in nature to the Lesser Key of Solomon the King and the Greater Key of Solomon the King, which both are King Solomon books of magic and contain various talismans of Solomon, including the secret seal of Solomon. The manuscripts from which this work was discovered date from the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries. All were written in Greek. This dating makes most experts believe that the work is medieval. But some scholars, including D.C. Duling, argue that it is likely that the work comes from the 5th or 6th centuries. The various manuscripts used to source the work all date to medieval times, but the text itself, as well as references to other works, indicate the Testament is much older. For example, in the Dialogue of Timothy and Aquila, there is a direct reference to the Testament of Solomon. The Dialogue purports to have been written during the Archbishopric of Cyril in 444 C.E., and therefore, its reference would date the Testament before that time. Similarly, in the early 4th century Gnostic text On the Origin of the World, references to the book of Solomon and his 49 demons are made. No matter the date, the text provides an immensely interesting description of how King Solomon tamed various demons to build his temple. The text includes predictions of the coming of Christ, as one demon explains to Solomon that while he may be bound, the only thing that can truly take his power away is the man born from a virgin who will be crucified by the Jews.
The seven deadly sins are pride, envy, anger, sloth, gluttony, greed, and lust. The seven virtues are prudence, fortitude, temperance, justice, faith, hope, and love. This book brings all of them together and for the first time lays out their history in a collection of the most important philosophical, religious, literary, and art-historical works. Starting with the Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian antecedents, this anthology of source documents traces the virtues-and-vices tradition through its cultural apex during the medieval era and then into their continued development and transformation from the Renaissance to the present. This anthology includes excerpts of Plato's Republic, the Bible, Dante's Purgatorio, and the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche and C. S. Lewis. Also included are artworks from medieval manuscripts; paintings by Giotto, Veronese, and Paul Cadmus; prints by Brueghel; and a photograph by Oscar Rejlander. What these works show is the vitality and richness of the virtues and vices in the arts from their origins to the present. You can continue this book's conversation by visiting http://www.virtuesvicesinthearts.blogspot.com/. There you can join conversations, find out more, and meet other scholars and artists interested in this vibrant tradition.
The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage-originally published in 1900, translated by Samuel Mathers from a 15th-century French document-was purportedly written by Abraham for his son Lamech. Within this volume are three books. The first book is Abraham's autobiography in which he speaks to his son. The second book is an explanation of the purification rituals necessary to bring the magician's personal demon under his control. And the third book details what feats can be accomplished once the practitioner is able to use a form of magic controlled and directed through sigils of magic words written on a grid. Anyone with an interest in the occult will find this an interesting, though perhaps impractical, guide for exploring mystic arts.
When Kai Kelly inherits her estranged grandfather's estate in Bliss, Idaho, life becomes anything but blissful. The discovery of a beautiful but unusual ring in the attic, leads to much more than she bargained for. Kai may not realize what she has in her possession, but the boys in Hell sure got the message. Lucifer and the six other princes of Hell, existed for several millennium believing that the Ring of Solomon–an object with the power to control demons– had been destroyed. However, the moment Kai slips the ring on her finger, the tremor of it's power ripples through the underworld. Knowing the ring's existence could mean the destruction of all demons, Lucifer sends his six princes to earth in search of the ring and it's bearer. There's one catch, a demon can't take the ring from it's owner, it has to be given willingly…or they have to be dead. Asmodeus, the Demon of Lust, is happy to have another opportunity to visit the mortal world and dally with a human female…or twelve. However, when he arrives on earth, he realizes Lucifer made all the demons mortal in an effort to keep them motivated, focused on their mission and immune from the powers of the ring. When Asmodeus meets Kai along a deserted section of highway in Magic Valley, it's more than the ring she wears that catches his eye. He plans to woo the ring out from under her but before long, the lines between lust and love blur. When the other members of the brotherhood realize Asmodeus has found the ring, they descend on Bliss, determined to get the ring from Kai at any cost. When Asmodeus is faced with choosing between the brotherhood and his one true love, he realizes the battle for Hell is nothing compared to the battle for her heart.
