Originally appeared in the Boston Book Review.
(Date Approximate.)
Satan is not the distant enemy but the intimate enemy --
one’s trusted colleague, close associate, brother.
The Origin of Satan (1995)
HB: The period of time discussed in The Gnostic Gospels,
Adam, Eve, and the Serpent, and your new book, The Origin of Satan -- the
period of early Christianity -- obviously has a lot of appeal for you. What
keeps drawing you back?
EP: There’s a tremendous convergence of different cultures,
just as there is today. Nothing is set. It is fluid to this point, particularly
with regard to the religious traditions of the West. The Christian movement
comes in as sort of an upstart new religion, an oriental religion if you like.
Judaism is known as an important minority position.
