A Brief History Of Satan (Up Until Dante's Vision)

Dante the pilgrim has seen the final vision of INFERNO: Satan, looked in the ice sheet of Cocytus.

Perhaps it's wise to step back and think about where this figure of Satan comes from--and how it exists as a concept in Dante's day.

Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as I try to clear away modern notions of Satan to see what's so unusual about Dante's portrayal.

Here are the segments of this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:

[01:20] The origins of Satan from Hebraic traditions.

[05:26] Two spots where Christian theologians alter the interpretation of the Hebraic texts.

[07:47] Satan's appearance in the stories of the life of Jesus.

[10:06] The medieval notion of Satan as a comic figure, an easy dupe for saints.

[11:10] The growing heresy of dualism, of Satan as an equal to God in some way.

[12:56] The problem of neo-Platonic thought in Christian theology.

[14:45] Try to draw a line between medieval notions of Satan and post-Reformation or even modern notions of this figure.