Ep 6: The Devil in the Details (or, what I found in Paradise Lost)

Who or what is the Devil? Our culture has strong ideas about Christian teaching, and its view of Satan is no exception. We have seen the images our whole lives, from the red-skinned horned master demon ruling over Hell with his pitchfork to the sly serpent who sells us sinfully delicious deserts to the handsome seductive tempter who lures us with sparkling promises to our doom. We’ve heard of the angel Lucifer and his fall, how Satan has tempted and tormented mankind, and how the Devil and his angels will end up in the lake of fire. But where did this story come from? Using Milton’s Paradise Lost as a launching-off point, Kelly examines all the different stories in the Bible that have been woven together into this narrative, how they grew to be connected over time, and what it means if these diverse accounts of the Evil One don’t line up into a single, neat story. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Faith and Theology 02:45 The Nature of the Devil 11:50 Satan's Role in Human History 19:20 Cultural Representations of the Devil 30:14 Exploring Paradise Lost 49:11 Reevaluating the Concept of Evil