hell – History From Below

A Short History of Demons, Exorcism, And Possessed Women

Since last’s week accusation by Alex Jones that Hillary Clinton and President Obama were demons that smelled of sulfur, I had begun to think about the role of demons, exorcism, and demoniacs in early Christian texts. Over on the Forbes blog, I discuss how the subject of demons has a rich past in the religion, butContinue reading “A Short History of Demons, Exorcism, And Possessed Women”

Mapping the Underworld: Space, Text, and Imaginary Landscapes in Antiquity

One of the foremost painters of the mid 5th century BCE, Polygnotus, was allegedly commissioned by the Cnidian people to paint a clubhouse at Delphi. One of the themes was Odysseus’ ascension into the underworld, described in Book 11 of Homer’s Odyssey (the so called νέκυια). However, Pausanias (10.28-31) reports that the painter took many liberties and mixedContinue reading “Mapping the Underworld: Space, Text, and Imaginary Landscapes in Antiquity”