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A brief history of the devil - Brian A. Pavlac

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Satan, the beast crunching sinners’ bones. Lucifer, the fallen angel. Mephistopheles, the trickster striking deals. These three divergent devils are all based on Satan of the Old Testament. But unlike any of these literary devils, the Satan of the Bible was a relatively minor character. So how did he become the ultimate antagonist, with so many different forms? Brian A. Pavlac investigates.

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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Brian A. Pavlac
  • Director Reza Riahi, Mehdi Shiri
  • Narrator Jack Cutmore-Scott
  • Music André Aires
  • Sound Designer André Aires
Avatar for Sazia Afrin
Lesson in progress

Does the problem of evil require an active supernatural agent, such as the Devil, or how else does evil work?


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Avatar for Ojaswini Mehra
Lesson in progress

I think the problem of evil doesn't necessitate an active supernatural agent; evil can result from human actions, nature, or chance.


Avatar for Juan Jose
Lesson completed

No, i think is more your choice but also the socialcontext where you live and grow
could have a big influence in your moral and actions



Avatar for Bosworth Sun
Lesson completed

No, evil will be forever present, because people some people have already gone too far in evil. They will pass it down, and so on.


Avatar for Jennifer Mink
Lesson completed

no all evil needs to exist is humans


Avatar for Murat Şerif Gürmen
Lesson completed

we will make them like those who work; their lives and their deaths are one
do they think it will happen?How evil is the judgement they make! God,
he created the heavens and the earth in their proper place.So everyone
he will be rewarded according to his earnings.It is not fair to them."


Avatar for 8x8x da Menace
Lesson completed

humans and the deity or God are not the cause of the evil.


Avatar for Sienna Slattery
Lesson completed

No you do not need a supernatural agent for evil.Evil can be in people's heads and they can peer pressure others into believing their evil is actually the devil.


Avatar for Do Pham Anh Thu
Lesson completed

There is no exact time that proves the first existence of Devil. And through many cultures, there are several versions of Devil. Devil symbolizes the dead and punishment, it somehow represents the belief of mankind that we have to make ourselves pay for our false.


Avatar for Ikasketa saila Elduaien
Lesson in progress

What if it is language that opens the door to evil. Language allows us to tell stories, to fantasize about imaginary worlds, epic battles and so on. We can create these terrible what-ifs only because we have language, but having created them, we are tempted to act upon them.
In the beginning was the word, and the word was both God and the Devil!!!

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