The Devil and Demonism in Early Modern England

Nathan Johnstone teaches history at Canterbury Christ Church University College.

• 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.

Review of the hardback: 'This is a rich, imaginative and (within its period) wide-ranging book, which above all shows a firm grip on an impressive range of sources and a well-informed awareness of current secondary literature.' The Times Literary Supplement