The Devil in the Reformations

Gary K. Waite

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Chapter 6 The Devil in the Reformations

In: A Companion to the Devil and Demons, c.1100â1750

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Gary K. Waite

Gary K. Waite
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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 117â139

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004536449_007

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Abstract

This chapter analyzes the place of demons in sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century religious reform movements. It concludes that the Reformation movements contained two contradictory tendencies: first, the desire to cleanse a community of godlessness to avert divine wrath and, second, an emphasis on salvation as a personal or internal affair. The first trend made the Devil even more frightening and real, contributing to bloody Reformation conflicts and the revival of witch hunting. The second tendency was taken to its logical extreme by spiritualists such as the Dutch nonconformist David Joris who argued that the Devil was nothing more than the inner voice of temptation. Neither position was a necessary outcome of Reformed thought, but particular circumstances could lead individuals in one direction or the other or to try to maintain the two in a tension.

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A Companion to the Devil and Demons, c.1100â1750

Series:Â Brill's Companions to the Christian Tradition, Volume: 111

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004536449

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 12 Aug 2025

Subjects
- History
- Religious Studies
  - History of Religion

Front Matter

Part 1 The Medieval Intellectual Foundation

Part 2 Demons of the Confessional Era

Part 3 Interpreting Demons in Daily Life

Part 4 Demons, Witchcraft, and Science

Part 5 Depicting Demons

Back Matter

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Chapter 6 The Devil in the Reformations

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A Companion to the Devil and Demons, c.1100â1750

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A Companion to the Devil and Demons, c.1100â1750