Shows
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilHalloween Special '24: Of Books and Basements"The only true mystery is that our very lives are governed by dead people." Kazanian, InfernoGreetings from the Beyond. We are back for Halloween, having watched the following in preparation:-Tombs of the Blind Dead (1972)-The Evil (1978)-The Beyond (1981)-City of the Living Dead (1980)-Rosemary's Baby (1968)-Inferno (1980)The Guardian on the Pelicot trial
2024-10-291h 13
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilIt's Been A Minute Crossover EpisodeBack from the dead to share that we were interviewed on NPR's It's Been A Minute about the devil in cinema.We are also gearing up for a Halloween episode and are assigning the following films as homework (you can find most of these online one way or another...)-Tombs of the Blind Dead (1972)-The Evil (1978)-The Beyond (1981)-City of the Living Dead (1980)-Rosemary's Baby (1968)-Inferno (1980)
2024-10-1205 min
It's Been a MinuteIs the free speech debate dead? Plus, the devil!In anticipation of more pro-Palestinian protests, many college administrators rolled out new rules this fall that include getting pre-approval for posting flyers or hosting demonstrations. Brittany is joined by UC Irvine sociology professor David S. Meyer, who studies social movements and public policy, and Chronicle of Higher Education reporter Kate Hidalgo Bellows. They discuss the changes on campuses and how they tie into debates over free speech. Then, Brittany kicks off a new series exploring horror tropes. It's called The Trilogy of Terror. First up: Beelzebub. Brittany invites Travis Stevens and Klaus Yoder, historians and co-hosts of the...
2024-10-1135 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 4.8 Hildegard of Bingen with Dr. Beverly Mayne KienzleThis week we interview Dr. Beverly Mayne Kienzle about the visionary preacher and medieval abbess, Hildegard of Bingen. Join us to learn more about the tone-deaf devil from the 12th century as we explore the sermons, art, and visions of Hildegard.
2024-02-291h 10
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 4.7 Adieu, Adrian: Mann's Doktor Faustus, pt. 2What is the secularized, capitalistic, art-world equivalent to being torn limb-from-limb by the devil? Find out in our concluding episode on Thomas Mann’s Doktor Faustus. -English translation of Mann’s Doktor Faustus-Danny Riley, “Interpreting Joy: A Guide to Interpreting Beethoven’s Ninth”
2023-11-251h 09
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 4.6 Catholic Horror with Matthew J. CresslerIn observance of the spooky season we're posting our conversation with historian Matthew J. Cressler on the relationship between Catholicism and horror cinema. We explore the sub-genre of Catholic Horror through our analysis of two recent films centering on the Italian exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth (1925-2016): William Friedkin’s (!) documentary The Devil and Father Amorth (2017) and Julius Avery’s horror/dramedy/superhero film The Pope’s Exorcist (2023). The conversation was enlightening and just a delight. Please be on the lookout for all of Matthew’s great work on Catholicism and horror:“The Netflix Series That Should...
2023-10-231h 50
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 4.5 ‘Doktor Faustus, I presume?’ Thomas Mann pt. 1This episode: we can’t leave well enough alone — another literary elaboration of the Faust legend by a member of the Mann family, Thomas Mann’s Doktor Faustus (1947.) We discuss: why learning is actually interesting to young people, the problems with studying theology and the humanities, why the devil owns music, whether committing yourself to creative excellence always means a deal with the devil, and what you’re not allowed to say about hell. English translation of Mann’s Doktor FaustusThe “Jeremy Brett” version of Love’s Labor’s Lost.
2023-10-121h 27
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 4.4 Klaus Mann's MephistoThree Klauses walk into a bar…This episode centers on literary wunderkind/prodigal son Klaus Mann’s attack on Nazi Germany (and an ex-lover, and possibly his dad, the canonical novelist Thomas Mann), in the form of the 1936 novel Mephisto. We discuss the film adaptation, what it means to compare demons to the Nazis, the book’s relationship to Goethe’s Faust, and the politics of race in the novel/film. -Klaus Mann, Mephisto: Ein Roman einer Karriere-Toni Morrison, Playing in the Dark-Farayi Mungazi and Olivia Marks-Wol...
2023-09-021h 06
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 4.3 Beyond BlackHilary Mantel's 2005 novel Beyond Black is the topic of discussion for this episode, continuing our series on devil-themed novels. This one's about psychics and their demons in neo-liberal Britain on the eve of Brexit.-An interview Mantel did on this novel for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.-The Guardian's obituary for Mantel from September 2022.-Etymology of "Old Nick"
2023-08-171h 09
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 4.2 The Devil Rides Out!Summer is for trashy beach novels and Dennis Wheatley's 1934 The Devil Rides Out definitely qualifies. We discuss problematic genre fiction, fake rituals, the rhetorical trap of being asked "do you believe in evil?" and racial demonology of the late British empire.Some useful scholarship: Timothy Jones, "The Black Mass as Play: Dennis Wheatley's The Devil Rides Out" M/C Journal, 17(4).
2023-07-291h 10
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 4.1 This Present SnarkinessThe boys are back to discuss Frank E. Peretti's 1986 Christian supernatural thriller This Present Darkness.
2023-06-111h 07
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 3 Faust Cycle 7: A Faustian Age?Back to discuss the historical Faust, "Faustian science," Sylvia Federici, Sycorax and Prospero in Shakespeare's The Tempest, Martin Heidegger's anti-Semitism, The Devil's Miner, and the future of the podcast.
2023-04-2247 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 3 Faust Cycle 6: Goethe's Faust Pt. II--The RevengeKlaus and Travis go the distance to close out Goethe's Faust cycle.One video playlist for the Peter Stein 2001 production of Goethe's Faust II.
2023-02-281h 17
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 3 Film Desk: "First Reformed"In this first episode of 2023 we discuss the 2017 film "First Reformed," written and directed by Paul Schrader, starring Ethan Hawke and Amanda Seyfried. A Protestant minister experiences personal and planetary crisis, making sense of his rage and despair with apocalyptic scripture and radical environmentalism.As is always the case when we do a film episode, there are spoilers. So go check out the film first if you want the best listening experience.
2023-01-151h 13
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 3 Dante's Inferno pt. 2 with Akash KumarThis episode is the second installment in our series of conversations on Dante's Inferno with Dr. Akash Kumar.
2022-12-2341 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 3 Dante's Inferno pt. 1 with Akash KumarThis week we are blessed to be joined by Dr. Akash Kumar for a lively discussion of Dante Alighieri's 14th-century Divine Comedy, and, of course, the Inferno in particular, with all its demons, mythological monsters, personal enemies of Dante, and other tragic figures.Digital DanteAkash Kumar, "Teddy Roosevelt, Dante, and the Man in the Arena"Interactive (hilarious) map of Dante's hell
2022-12-171h 02
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 3 Faust Cycle 6: Goethe pt. 3This episode we finish up Faust 1!Faust 1 (German text)Faust 1 (English translation)Faust 1 (video of performance dir. by Peter Stein, 2000 with English subtitles)
2022-12-0956 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 3 Faust Cycle 5: Goethe pt. 2Scenes discussed from Faust 1: Studierzimmer (study) - Hexenküche (witches' kitchen.)------------------Faust 1 (German text)Faust 1 (English translation)Faust 1 on the stage (Peter Stein, 2000) (no subtitles but better video quality)Faust 1 (same version, with English subtitles)
2022-11-2237 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 3 Faust Cycle 4: Goethe pt. 1Part 4 of our Faust series brings us to Goethe (1749-1832) and the way he reinvented the legend for his own time, or, in as he has Faust say, “take what you have inherited from your forefathers and make it your own.” In this episode, Klaus introduces the work, the author, and the first few scenes. Faust 1 (German text)Faust 1 (English translation)Faust 1 on the stage (Peter Stein, 2000) (no subtitles but better video quality)Faust 1 (same version, with English subtitles)
2022-11-1339 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 3 Halloween! City of the DeadCelebrating Halloween this year with the seasonally atmospheric 1960 film City of the Dead (released as Horror Hotel in the USA) starring Christopher Lee and Venetia Stevenson, directed by John Llewellyn Moxey.
2022-10-281h 08
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 3 Faust Cycle 3 with Katherine WalkerAmazing special guest Dr. Katherine Walker takes us through Christopher Marlowe’s The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus (ca. 1592) in part 3 of our Faust-cycle-series. Check out her book Instinct, Knowledge and Science on the Early Modern Stage out soon!Note: we were being attacked by aliens and ghosts during the recording of this episode and this impacted the audio quality but we carried on heroically nevertheless.Along the way we discuss the lush 1968 Richard Burton / Elizabeth Taylor film version of Dr. Faustus.Reach out to...
2022-10-221h 00
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 3 Film Desk: The Satanic Rites of DraculaGetting warmed up for Halloween with the 1973 Hammer Studios film The Satanic Rites of Dracula (dir. Alan Gibson), starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.
2022-10-1655 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 3 Faust Cycle 2Faust is back, ready to party, and hopefully get things squared away with the hosts of hell.
2022-09-2337 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 3 Faust Cycle 1This is the first episode of a mini-series-within-a-season devoted to the legend of Faust, a guy who was too clever for his own good and got mixed up with the wrong people--the kind who make you sign a contract in blood. The text discussed here is the anonymously composed 1587 Historia Von D. Johann Fausten.
2022-09-1442 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 3 Film Desk: “I’M A FAN OF MAN!” - The Devil’s AdvocateThis episode we close out the Summer Cinema of Sin series with The Devil’s Advocate (1997), starring Al Pacino, Keanu Reeves, and Charlize Theron, directed by Taylor Hackford.
2022-08-191h 08
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 3 Lit Desk: Heretic of Ulysses, Buck MulliganTo celebrate the 100th anniversary of the publication of James Joyce’s Ulysses, 7H10H goes into the diabolical, blasphemous, and heretical elements of one of the funniest frenemies in English lit: stately, plump Buck Mulligan, the carousing, poetical medical student based on the historical figure of Oliver St. John Gogarty, Joyce's one-time roommate and rival.RTÉ’s amazing podcast version of Ulysses from the 1982 production recorded by Marcus Mac Donald, directed by William Styles, and performed by the RTÉ Players. (RTÉ is the public broadcasting company of Ireland.)The com...
2022-07-1340 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 3 Film Desk: Prince of DarknessThe Cinematic Summer of Sin continues with John Carpenter’s 1987 Prince of Darkness. Compelling devil cinema but also–-is this at once the best and the worst film about graduate school ever made? Stephen Jay Gould “Nonoverlapping Magisteria”Interview with John Carpenter on Assault on Precinct 13
2022-06-261h 06
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 3 Film Desk: Cops and DemonsThis week we discuss two films End of Days (1999) and Deliver Us From Evil (2014) both of which blend the police action flick with the exorcism film. What difference does it make when Satan himself is the criminal mastermind? Along the way we discuss the uses of the idea of "evil" in US politics today in the wake of the mass shootings of May 2022. One book mentioned:Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz's Loaded: A Disarming History of the Second Amendment
2022-06-021h 33
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 3 Baker Street Beat: Sherlock Holmes & The Devil's FootSherlock Holmes, the Devil, and Old Time Radio, all under one podcast roof.Arthur Conan Doyle, “The Adventure of the Devil’s Foot” in the Strand Magazine Arup J. Chatterjee, “Sherlock Holmes and the Spectre of India:” The Adventures of the Devil’s Foot Root”
2022-05-2055 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 3 film desk: Midwinter of the SpiritKicking off our summer cinema series with 2015’s Midwinter of the Spirit, a supernatural British mystery centering on exorcists in the Church of Mystery and their battles against a “Satanist” plot.Watch some it free here.Matthew J. Cressler: “Exorcists, Abusers, and When Catholic History is Horror.”
2022-05-181h 31
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 3 e 4: Pseudo-DionysiusThis episode we deal with our first incognito secret-agent pseudonymous theologian, Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, the way he blends Christianity with Neoplatonism, and how this impacts his demonology. Pseudo-Dionysius, The Complete Works(Free online version.)Marilena Vlad, “Dionysius the Areopagite on Angels: Self-Constitution vs. Constituting Gifts” in Neoplatonic Demons and Angels, ed. Luc BrissonKevin Corrigan and L. Michael Harrington, “Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite” at the Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyChristoph Helmig and Carlos Steel, “Proclus,” at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Colleen Hubbard’s new novel, Housebre...
2022-04-291h 29
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 3 ep 3: Boethius and the Consolation of DemonologyThis episode, Boethius uses Neoplatonic philosophy to prepare himself for his impending execution and to help Klaus and Travis understand why Batman is so miserable.Free online version of the Consolation of PhilosophyP.G. Walsh’s translation and introductionJames Marebon, “Boethius,” at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
2022-04-101h 13
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 3 Lit. Desk: Paradise Lost, House of Pain EditionBonus episode musings on Milton's Paradise Lost Book 2, creeping back to the first text we ever worked on for the pod, rethinking everything.Paradise Lost Book 2
2022-03-2835 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 3 ep 2: Neoplatonic Demonology & Texas BrisketThis episode is all about non-Christian, Greek-philosophical perspectives on demons and their role in the universe that were developing around the formative stages of Christian theology. Neoplatonism would go on to influence late-ancient and medieval Christianity and so we start to track its effects in this episode.Neoplatonic Demons and Angels, ed. Luc BrissonPlotinus, EnneadsPorphyry, On Abstinence from Animal Food, Bk. 2“Iamblichus” by Riccardo Chiaradonna & Adrien Lecerf at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy“P...
2022-03-241h 04
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 3 Interview: Passing Orders with S. Jonathon O'DonnellAn interview with author S. Jonathon O’Donnell about their new book, Passing Orders, in which we discuss spiritual warfare, the Christian Right, and the complicated roles of demons in the political theology of empire. Don’t miss it.S. Jonathon O’Donnell, Twitter: @demonologianPassing Orders: Demonology and Sovereignty in American Spiritual Warfare **The idea mentioned in the episode that “people live in the contradictions” comes from this interview with Patrick Blanchfield on Know Your Enemy about Freud.**
2022-03-041h 33
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 3 Culture Desk: Batman vs Moby-DickMoby-Dick's dramatic return to the pod as he battles the Cape[Cod]d Crusader.Twitter for 1940s Batman vs. White Whale images: @klaus_yoderBattle Ave's music.Video for "My Year with the Wizard"
2022-02-0725 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 3 ep 1: John Chrysostom, Secret Star of Twin PeaksBack in the saddle for the official start of season 3.Sources:John Chrysostom, Homilies on Genesis & Against the Jews (The Translation and Introduction by Paul W. Harkins whose name we neglected to mention.)The Penance of Chrysostom by Giulio CampagnolaBen Dunning, Chrysostom’s Serpent: Animality, Gender, and CreationJames H. Charlesworth, The Good And Evil Serpent: How a Universal Symbol Became ChristianizedPauline Allen and Wendy Mayer, John Ch...
2022-02-021h 12
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 3 Culture Desk: Station Eleven-th HeavenWatching Station Eleven through goggles tinted as red as a cartoon devil.Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaAG-SwEa7k
2022-01-2322 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 2 Bonus: Moby Dick! (pt. 2)Finishing up our coverage of Ahab's centipede-legged soul and mortal combat against the white weasel, ahem, whale (Chs. 133 & 134). With this we bid season 2 adieu and look forward to sharing season 3 with you real soon.------The novel in html: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2701/2701-h/2701-h.htm#link2HCH0119The novel as a cool 1902 edition on pdf: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Moby_Dick/d4VNAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0
2022-01-1340 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 2 Bonus: Moby-Dick?Massively unanticipated bonus pod on personified evil in Herman Melville's Moby-Dick inspired by a long drive across Pennsylvania. ----Moby-Dick as a cool podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/moby-dick-or-the-whale/id384525495?i=1000085154762As html: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2701/2701-h/2701-h.htm#link2HCH0041----Some secondary sources:Jonathon A Cook, Inscrutable Malice: Theodicy, Eschatology, and the Biblical Sources of “Moby-Dick.” Cornell University Press, 2012. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctv177tfgd.Leslie E. Sheldon, "Messianic power and satanic decay: Milton in Moby-Dick": muse.jhu.e...
2021-12-3151 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS2 Epi 14: Behemoth, Keeper of Antichrist’s Family JewelsThis week's pod gets a little rowdy as Klaus and Travis discuss Gregory the Great, his demonology, and most especially his voluminous, and often hilarious, commentary on the Book of Job. With this episode we're wrapping up season 2. We'll be back soon getting medieval on season 3 and in the interim some stand-alone episodes may appear in the feed. Thanks for your support!------Our main primary source, Gregory's Moralia in Job: Secondary Sources:George E. Demacopoulos, Gregory the Great: Ascetic, Pastor, and First M...
2021-12-231h 23
2021-12-1701 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 2 Bonus Xmas Epi: Black Pete, Skeletor SantaThis episode 7H,10H is honored to welcome Louis Römer, ethnographer extraordinaire of the Caribbean and the Netherlands, to discuss Santa's demonic entourage in the Netherlands and Germany, namely Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) and Krampus. We discuss the way these Santa-demons and their re-invented traditions matter for racial politics in Europe, the Caribbean, and Upstate New York. And why, in Italy, Santa is Black.Follow Louis on Twitter: @lromeranthSources:Sacha Hilhorst and Joke Hermes “‘We have given up so much’: Passion and denial in the Dutch Zwarte...
2021-12-1759 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 2 BONUS: Cops and Clergy on TV--Catholicism and the Police ProceduralThis episode we discuss a recent article in the religion/media/culture magazine The Revealer by Klaus about police procedural television and its obsession with Catholicism and Catholic priests in particular. What does this have to do with the devil you ask? Nothing! Nothing at all, I tell you... Wait. Perhaps it has something to do with how these shows represent Black nationalists? Don't be ridiculous. Klaus's article: "Cops and Clergy on TV" An episode of @NoChorus' podcast that helped inspired this researchTrevor Strunk's Patreon for Homicide...
2021-12-031h 09
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 2, Epi 13: The Curse of Ham (Race and Demonology pt 2)A quick look at one of the weirdest traditions from Genesis, the Curse of Ham, and how it factored into patristic demonology as well as white supremacist Christianity of the 19th century antebellum South.Thanks to Ernest Mitchell for the Zora Neale Hurston assist. Sources:Stephen B. Haynes, Noah’s Curse: The Biblical Justifications of American Slavery : https://oxford.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1093/0195142799.001.0001/acprof-9780195142792David M. Goldenberg, Curse of Ham: Race and Slavery in Early Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: https://press.princeton.edu/bo...
2021-11-2336 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 2, Epi 12: Augustine's many, many demons, pt. 2This week: Return of the Hippo--Augustine's Revenge!A classic, super-helpful source:Peter Brown, Augustine: A Biography
2021-11-1947 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 2, Epi 11: St. Augustine's many, many demons (pt. 1)This episode we look the hippo in the eye and dive into the treacherous, chilly waters of St. Augustine's demonology. Please remember to rate, review, and wait for the signs. Some Augustine Sources:Tractate in John 8: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1701042.htmCity of God Bk XI: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/120111.htmOn the Trinity (De Trinitate Bk XIII)Chronology of Works: https://exploringaugustine.weebly.com/chronological-list.htmlOthers:Neil...
2021-11-1244 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilHistory of Halloween (and the Devil) RELOADEDWe're re-releasing this history of Halloween we recorded last year to keep up with the trick-or-treat vibes.Please remember to leave a review--it really helps. Thanks!A really useful source for this week's material is Nicholas Rogers' Halloween : From Pagan Ritual to Party Night.
2021-10-3143 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilS 2 Halloween Special: Devil’s Touch, Satan’s SkinTo celebrate the witching season we devote our annual Halloween-horror-film episode to the 1970 folk horror classic, The Blood on Satan’s Claw, (dir. Piers Haggard). Watch it here, courtesy of New Castle After Dark, for free.Other things we mentioned:Penda’s Fen (1974) (again, watch it for free.)A great podcast episode from Live at the Death Factory (second half) that covers Penda’ Fenn.Andrew Michael Hurley, Devils and debauchery: why we love to be scar...
2021-10-271h 10
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilSeason 2 bonus "CHURCH HANDSOME"This episode we unleash the takes upon some actually recent pop culture, viz. Netflix's Midnight Mass, and discuss its strengths, weaknesses, and broader relevance for representing the aging, decrepit, and vampiric institutions that feed on our collective life force.Stuff mentioned in the episode:Noroi: The Curse (dir. Kōji Shiraish 2005) can be watched in its creepy entirety on YouTube here.The short story about brain electricity at the moment of death is Tobias Wolf's, “Bullet in the Brain”
2021-10-131h 08
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilSeason 2, Epi 10: Tool Time with Athanasius of AlexandriaLightning strikes twice in one week. It's a short solo episode from Klaus about Athanasius of Alexandria, how the devil might live in the air, and how Christian theology conceptualizes both the human body of Jesus and the airy bodies of demons as instruments of the Lord.Sources:Athanasius, On the Incarnation of the WordAthanasius, Life of AntonyGay Byron, Symbolic Blackness and Ethnic Difference in Early Christian LiteratureGiorgio Agamben, Opus Dei: An Archaeology of Duty
2021-09-2438 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilSeason 2, Epi 9: A Hook Sticking Through the Devil's CheekThe episode that celebrates one year of 7H10H! Then we discusses how the Trinity happened, some influential theologians from Cappadocia, the devil as heretic, the devil as a man-eating Leviathan, Jesus as a fishhook, and God as the devil's therapist. Sources:Gregory of Nyssa’s Great Catechism: chapters XX-XXVIGregory of Nyssa, On the Soul and the ResurrectionNicholas P. Costas “The Last Temptation of Satan: Divine Deception in Greek Patristic Interpretations of the Passion Narrative”Jeffrey Fischer & Kyle Kirchhoff, “‘Even the Enemy himself would not disput...
2021-09-201h 01
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilSeason 2, Epi 8: The Devil & The Desert Daddies"We are their bodies," one monk admitted. This week Klaus and Travis examine the practical knowledge the first generations of Christian monks developed for identifying and combatting their demons and the devil himself. Sources:Life of Ant(h)ony by AthanasiusDavid Brakke, Demons and the Making of the Monk : Spiritual Combat in Early Christianity (Also check ProQuest.)John Cassian, Institutes, Book XAndrew Crisplin, “The Sin of Sloth or the Illness of the Demons? The Demon of Acedia in Early Ch...
2021-08-221h 28
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilSeason 2, Epi 7: Leviathan’s Thighbone: Race and the Devil in Early ChristianityKlaus and Travis think through the ways ancient understandings of race and ethnicity mattered for group formation in early Christianity. They also see how anti-Blackness and anti-Judaism bring this all back to the Devil. Special thanks to Michael Motia for his input on this episode! Check out his new book on Gregory of Nyssa, Imitations of Infinity.Follow us @7heads10hornspod on Insta, @heads_ten on Twitter, Email us at 7h10hpod@gmail.com and thanks for all the likes, reviews, subscriptions, recommendations, and ritual sacrifices.Sources:...
2021-08-0557 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilSeason 2, Episode 6: Origen (sic) of DiabologyEpi 6 focuses on one of the most brilliant, misunderstood, and maligned theologians of Church history, Origen of Alexandria, and his provocative ideas about the origin (so many bad puns coming) of the devil and the possibility that everyone, including said devil, will be saved at the end of time.Follow us on Twitter @heads_tenEmail: 7h10hpod@gmail.comSources for this week;Origen online: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/John Behr, “Introduction,” On First Principles: A Reader’s Edition.Mark J...
2021-07-101h 17
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilSeason 2 Bonus: Catherine Keller's Facing ApocalypseThis episode Travis and Klaus discuss the new book by Catherine Keller, Facing Apocalypse, and talk through the way this contemporary theologian interprets the book of Revelation in the midst of Covid 19, climate change, capitalism, and other catastrophes, while resisting the kind of interpretation ("Y2K was foreseen in the Bible!") that conservatives keep using Revelation for. Keller argues that Revelation does not mean The End but instead points to different possible endings of human exploitation of the earth that in turn may give rise to more humane and holier modes of dwelling.Catherine...
2021-06-251h 16
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilSeason 2 Bonus: The Devil's Trill with StefanoThis episode represents our first guest contribution to the pod. Stefano walks us through the use of the devil's interval in Baroque classical music and from there ventures into diabolic form and content in blues, jazz, Satanist-adjacent classic rock, not to mention Snoop Dogg.Connect with Stefano on Instagram @stefrozental10 and the pod itself @heads_ten on Twitter. Email us at 7h10hpod@gmail.com and thanks for all the likes, reviews, subscriptions, recommendations, and ritual sacrifices.
2021-06-0324 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilSeason 2, Epi 5: Tertotally!This week K&T discuss that 2nd-3rd-century church father who never made it as a saint, Tertullian, and his extremely paranoid diabology.**Warning,** extreme Northeastern USA / SE. Pennsylvanian pronunciation of the word “water” (=wodr) when Klaus starts talking about baptism. Sensitive listeners should be advised. Follow us, @heads_ten, on Twitter Write us: 7h10hpod@gmail.comSources for this week:Tertullian’s worksChristian and Pagan i...
2021-05-2456 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilSeason 2, Episode 4: Perpetua & Felicity vs. The DevilKlaus and Travis discuss the role of the devil in the early 3rd-century martyrdom/passion narrative of Perpetua and Felicity. Sources:The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity, trans/ed. Thomas J. Heffernan, Oxford University PressOnline version: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/perpetua.aspL. Stephanie Cobb, "Suicide by Gladiator? The Acts of Perpetua and Felicitas in its North African Context" Church History' 88:3 (September 2019), 597-628. Katherine E. Milco,“Mulieres viriliter vincentes: Masculine and Feminine Imag...
2021-04-2742 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilSeason 2 Bonus: Lil Nas X, Satan Shoes, and Montero"I saw Lil Nas X's Air Max 97s dropping like lightning."Clearly we had no choice on this Devil podcast but to put out our thoughts and feelings about the recent Lil Nas X scandal/marketing extravaganza/moral panic. Sources:Lil Nas X, "Montero" videoHeather White, "Lil Nas X's 'Satan Shoes' trolled some Christians. But 'Montero' is about more than that."Andrew R. Chow, "Historians Decode the Religious Symbolism and Queer Iconography of...
2021-04-0231 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilSeason 2, Episode 3: The Secret Pod of YaldabaothThis week Travis and Klaus discuss Gnosticism and try to make sense of the confusing religious landscape of the 2nd century CE. In the course of their conversation, they explore yet another re-imagining of the book of Genesis, the role of demons in the creation of the world & humanity, and consider how Gnostic demonology helps us think about the problem of evil in Christianity. Sources:The Gnostic Bible (ed. Barnstone & Meyer)-The Secret Book of John-The Reality of the Rulers
2021-04-0151 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilSeason 2, Episode 2: IrenaeusThis week we return to the scene of the crime from our first episode—the Garden of Eden—to make sense of why Christian theologians got so obsessed with Adam and Eve and why this matters for understanding the Devil. Our main source is Irenaeus, a 2nd century theologian who wrote a very long book about why everyone else was wrong, Against Heresies. Our intro music is by Yung KooladeOur transition music is "Vater Lee" by Black Ant from here: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Black_Ant/Free_Beats_Sel_3/Fater_Lee
2021-03-1446 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilSeason 2, Episode 1: Justin MartyrBack in action with Season 2, Klaus and Travis discuss the mysterious and often acerbic Justin Martyr, the 2nd century philosopher and Christian apologist, whose understanding of devils and demons fits in with a larger project of differentiating Christians from Romans and Jews. What could go wrong?Sources discussed:Justin Martyr's writings: https://archive.org/details/writingsofjustin00justuoftAnnette Yoshiko Reed, "The Trickery of Fallen Angels and the Demonic Mimesis of the Divine" https://muse.jhu.edu/article/169408/summaryJennifer...
2021-03-011h 02
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilEpisode 16: Jesus Goes to HellTravis takes us to Hell for the first time since we discussed Milton's Paradise Lost in episode 5. He discusses the Gospel of Nicodemus B, another apocryphal gospel, in which Jesus leads a prison break out of Hell and we get a bizarre dialogue between Satan and Hades, the personification of Hell.Remember to rate, review, & subscribe and we'll be back before too long to begin our second season.
2021-01-2630 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilChapter 15: Cannibal CityStatues gone wild! Sinister, nameless old men! The Devil's favor shown toward a city of cannibals! This episode focuses an example of New Testament apocrypha, AKA, scripture that didn't make the final draft of the Bible, called The Acts of Andrew and Matthias in the City of the Cannibals. You can read a translation of that text here: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0820.htm
2021-01-2027 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilEpisode 14: Revelation Recap--The Millennium, as told by the MillennialsThis week Klaus and Travis discuss the experience of trying to make sense of the Book of Revelation over the past 2 episodes, its links to modern apocalyptic Christian Fundamentalism, and Revelation- reverberations in the January 6 MAGA coup.
2021-01-111h 10
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilEpisode 13: Revelation Pt. 2This week Travis guides us to safety through the second half of the Book of Revelation. We meet various monsters and learn the diabolical secret of the "mark of the Beast." Travis delves into the misogynistic language of sexual impurity that appears throughout Revelation and determines its biblical sources and rhetorical purposes. Finally, he poses the important question of why things are so boring at the end when the monsters exit the stage. Email us at 7h10hpod@gmail.com and follow us on social media @heads_ten [Twitter] and @7heads10hornspod [Instagram.]
2021-01-0423 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilEpisode 12: The Seven-Eyed Lamb (Revelation pt. 1)This is part 1 of 3 projected episodes on the Book of Revelation. This week we skip to the end of the New Testament to see what the end of the world is like and the role the Devil plays in it. We meet the prophet/seer John and hear about his very strange trip to the heavenly throne room. Along the way we encounter all kinds of monsters including a monstrous lamb, scorpion-tailed locusts, and a certain pale rider. New Twitter handle: @heads_tenInstragram: @7heads10hornspodEmail: 7h10hpod@gmail...
2020-12-2127 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilEpisode 11: The Prince of this World vs. The King of the JewsThis week we look at the gospel that is different from all the rest, especially when it comes to the Devil: The Gospel of John. We discuss the way the Devil appears in this text, its demonization of Jews or "Judaeans," whether or not John was part of a sectarian community, the possible influence of the Dead Sea Scrolls on John, and Pontius Pilate as the personification of Christian ambivalence about political power. And how he might be infested with demons.Email us with comments and controversies at 7h10hpod@gmail.com
2020-12-1440 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilEpisode 10: Saint Paul's DemonsThis week we slide head-first into the New Testament (AKA "the Christian Bible") and puzzle over its oldest sources, the letters of St. Paul. Travis and Klaus discuss the myriad ways Paul thinks about evil: powers & principalities, sin, death, fallen angels, and Satan himself. Find us on Twitter: @klaus_yoder & @realtravis_teaAnd Instagram!Check out the sources we use to make the pod: https://7h10hpod.blogspot.com/2020/11/works-consulted.htmlEmail us feedback at 7h10hpod@gmail.com
2020-12-071h 08
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilEpisode 9: Ancient Iran and the DevilThis week 7H10H addresses the big question on everyone's mind: did Jewish and Christian apocalyptic theologians get their best ideas from ancient Iran when it comes to the Devil and cosmic war?Shout out and thanks to Ernest J. Mitchell and Prods Oktor Skjaervø for help with sources this week.Talk to us: 7h10hpod@gmail.comCheck out our sources: https://7h10hpod.blogspot.com/2020/11/works-consulted.html
2020-11-3041 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilEpisode 8: Children of Light and DarknessOn offer this week: a short overview of the demonology of the Dead Sea Scrolls. This week Klaus gets into the history of the community that produced the Dead Sea Scrolls and introduces some of the malevolent entities that dwell in those ancient documents.Email the pod with questions and comments at 7h10hpod@gmail.comWe're gradually posting the books and articles we use to make the pod. Check out the bibliography here: https://7h10hpod.blogspot.com/2020/11/works-consulted.html
2020-11-1627 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilEpisode 7: Watch out for the WatchersWhat happens when angels patrolling the newly-created world get a little too randy and start behaving recklessly?This episode marks our transition to a more chronological attempt at narrating the history of the Devil. We start with an important set of stories about the origins of demons that takes root around the interpretation and retelling of a rather cryptic moment in the book of Genesis, chapter 6. Taking the Genesis version as our starting point, we move on to discuss Second Temple era pseudepigrapha (= non-canonical works that present themselves as having been recorded by major...
2020-11-0951 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilEpisode 6: Histories of DemonizationThis week's episode centers on the demonic as a conceptual and cultural tool for imposing or resisting power structures. Demonization has a complicated history in Christianity: it justifies the suppression of many aspects of pre-Christian Roman civilization, provides a key rationale for early-modern European colonization, but also enables a contemporary Womanist critique of white supremacy. Just in time for the US's electoral rituals of inclusion and exclusion from the national community, we delve into the politics of demonization.Many thanks to Ernest J. Mitchell for the library-access-assist with Delores S. Williams' article "The Color...
2020-11-021h 06
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilThe History of Halloween & the DevilThis week on the pod we cover the history of Halloween as it is practiced in the USA and intersects with the history of the Devil.A really useful source for this week's material is Nicholas Rogers' Halloween : From Pagan Ritual to Party Night.Email us with questions and comments at 7h10hpod@gmail.com
2020-10-2643 min
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilHALLOWEEN MOVIE SPECIALThis week we take a break from excavating ancient accounts of the Devil from the dustbin / slaughter bench of history to talk about some horror movie classics just in time for Halloween season. The films we discuss are Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) & Hereditary (2018). We spoil the hell out of these movies but it's totally worth it for the trick-or-pod thrill!Email us with questions and comments at 7h10hpod@gmail.com
2020-10-191h 18
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilEpisode 5: Milton's Satan, or, How the Devil became a SnakeHow did the Devil become a snake? In this episode we find out about an odd fashion choice with enormous consequences.Full disclosure: this is the first thing we ever recorded when we were figuring out what this pod was going to be about back in May 2020. The mics in our conversation aren't great. Unlike the other episodes we've done so far, this is focused on one text, John Milton's Paradise Lost, a 17th century epic poem about the creation of the world and humanity's fall into sin. The reason we focused on this...
2020-10-111h 05
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilEpisode 4: Dualism and the DevilThis week: how should we think about the Devil if the universe is divided between good & evil, light & darkness, truth & falsehood? Is the Devil God's equal in these scenarios? And how does dualism live on in Christian thought?We examine 3 examples of traditions frequently labeled as dualistic: the late-antique Essene community at Qumran in the West Bank as represented in the Dead Sea Scrolls, Manichaean religion of Persia and Babylon from around the same period, and the Cathar heresy of medieval Europe.Email us with questions and comments at 7...
2020-10-051h 19Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilEpisode 3: Possession & ExorcismWhat happens when demons or the Devil invade a human body? And how can they be driven out? This week: a look at possession and exorcism in early Christianity, medieval / early-modern Europe, and, of course, the classic 1973 film, The Exorcist.Email us with questions and comments at 7h10hpod@gmail.com
2020-09-281h 15
Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the DevilEpisode 2: Satans, Dragons, and TyrantsThis week we take a look at some gruesome characters from the Hebrew Bible who influenced later ideas about the Devil.Email us with questions and comments at 7h10hpod@gmail.com
2020-09-2150 minSeven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the Devil7 Heads, 10 Horns 1: Serpent and TempterIn the first episode, Klaus and Travis introduce themselves and the pod and begin to explore the history of the Devil by discussing the theme of temptation in the Garden of Eden and beyond.Other texts discussed include the Gospels of Mark and Matthew (NRSV translation) plus the Life of Adam and Eve (Greek and Latin versions in English translation, available here: http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/anderson/vita/english/vita.lat.htmland: http://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/lifeadameve.htmlPodcast art: made available through the Cornell...
2020-09-1558 min