Where did the idea of a red-flanneled, pitchfork-bearing Devil come
from? The roots of this grotesque caricature of Satan are found in the
Middle Ages. It was popular sport in medieval days to mock the Devil by
describing him in ludicrous terms. There was a method in this madness.
The medieval church believed in the reality of Satan. It was aware that
Satan was a fallen angel who suffered from an overdose of pride. Pride
was Satan’s supreme weakness. To resist Satan, that proud but fallen
creature, required fierce combat. The combat focused on Satan’s most
vulnerable point, his pride. The theory was this: Attack Satan at his
point of weakness and he will flee from us.
What better way to attack Satan’s pride than to depict him as a
cloven-hoofed court jester in a red suit? These silly images of Satan
were intentional caricatures. Unfortunately, later generations responded
to the caricatures as if they were intended to be the real thing. Keep Reading...
No comments:
Post a Comment