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Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy pp 1–3Cite as

Devil, Renaissance Idea of

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Abstract

In the aftermath of the Western Schism, Europe is crossed by concerns of eschatological and apocalyptic nature which weigh down and darken the intellectual and social climate of the time. In this context, the Devil, with his endless array of demons, represents one of the main symbols of the baleful omen predicting the end of the world. In the Middle Ages the Devil was represented as a creature relegated to the infernal world, while in the Renaissance he made his incursions among the living through the phenomenon of the demonic possessions. The Devil and his acolytes, demons and witches, become subjects of reflections and debates of intellectuals, theologians, philosophers and artists, through increasingly sophisticated investigative tools.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. CESDES (Centro dipartimentale di Studi su Descartes “Ettore Lojacono”), Lecce, Italy

    Siegrid Agostini

Authors
  1. Siegrid Agostini
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Correspondence to Siegrid Agostini .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Philosophy a. Cultural Heritage, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia Dept. of Philosophy a. Cultural Heritage, Venezia, Italy

    Marco Sgarbi

Section Editor information

  1. Universität Basel, Basel, Switzerland

    Anna Laura Puliafito

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Agostini, S. (2020). Devil, Renaissance Idea of. In: Sgarbi, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02848-4_999-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02848-4_999-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-02848-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-02848-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Religion and PhilosophyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Humanities

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