The Devil and Demonism in Early Modern England is a stimulating examination of conceptions of the devil in the period between the Reformation and the Civil War. Nathan Johnstone bases his analysis upon a wide range of sources, from the liturgical to the devotional to the populist, and makes a vigorous case for the continued significance of the devil and demonism in religious and political culture right through to the end of the period. The decision to start the analysis with the advent of English Protestantism is not born of a belief that religious change brought about a seismic shift in perceptions of the devil; indeed, Johnstone argues at the outset that the impact of the Reformation was more a “subtle realignment of emphasis” (1) than a radical transformation of perceptions of the devil. However, this subtle change was to have far-reaching consequences throughout the century under consideration. Protestant theologians, Johnstone suggests, emphasized internal temptation by the devil over the physical manifestation of the demonic form, and this shift of emphasis was to have considerable repercussions. In liturgical terms, the impact of reform was almost instant, in the changed liturgy of baptism between 1549 and 1552. Where the exorcism of the child had implied an immediate triumph over the devil, reformed theology reflected this sense of internal struggle between the individual and the devil, who sought to tempt and deceive the godly. But the threat posed to the conscience of the individual was also a threat to the commonwealth, and Johnstone's book explores these twin themes of individual and communal conflict with the forces of evil. The breadth of source materials that underpins the study also facilitates a lively commentary on the interaction of educated and popular attitudes, an interaction that ranged from the antagonistic to the more constructive. Ultimately, Johnstone concludes, the reform of demonism in the early modern period, while theologically driven, was subject to a process of acculturation, succeeding precisely because it provided a demonological understanding and interpretation that was every bit as sophisticated as the individual experiences of the people.

The early sections of the book consider the development of anti-Catholicism in the first decades of the Reformation in England, exploring the emphasis upon hidden diabolism and false doctrine that pervaded much evangelical polemical writing on the Catholic church. The third chapter looks more broadly at the issue of temptation and the representation of the temptations of the devil contained in liturgy, conduct books, and works of doctrinal exposition. There is a substantial and thoughtful discussion of the difference between Catholic and Protestant prayer in this period and the functions of Catholic priest and reformed minister in equipping their congregations to deal with diabolic temptation. Chapter 4 is an analysis of the reform of demonism and its influence upon early modern cultures, particularly the role of the devil in the mentality of the self-consciously godly. Johnstone argues for the presence of internal temptation by the devil as a key theme in the Puritan “subculture” and the importance of individual experience in shaping perceptions of the devil. In this section the interaction of popular belief and printed polemic and pastoral writing is discussed in some detail, and Johnstone concludes that it was the accumulated knowledge derived from sources such as sermons and personal experience that enabled individuals to develop their own blueprint of the devil. The “godly” were certainly willing to describe their own experiences of temptation, and through a detailed reading of personal writings Johnstone is able to comment upon the perceived presence of the devil in childhood and particularly young adulthood, and later on the deathbed. Chapter 5 broadens the scope of the study to the demonization of particular individuals in early modern society, with a focus upon witches and criminals, most notably those guilty of murder. The case of witchcraft seems, predictably, unique, with witches alone represented as the demonic “other,” and with pamphlets on witchcraft maintaining much more rigorously the distinction between physical and internal temptation. The next two chapters consider the representation of the devil in political culture, and Johnstone argues for the existence of a sense of the potential for the temptation of the body politic as early as the second half of the sixteenth century. The devil, he suggests, was “central to the cosmic environment” (215) of the Civil War era, but demonism was already politicized well before this period and was far from being a “semiotic failure” (285) in the 1640s. The early modern devil, Johnstone concludes, was certainly not merely the shadow of medieval belief; it was the embodiment of a very real experience of internal struggle in the conscience of the believer, and the particular demonism of the post-Reformation period exerted a powerful influence over the early modern church.

Although Johnstone notes that there has been remarkably little modern literature on the subject of the devil, he is not afraid to engage in debate with recent commentators. The introduction presents a lively if brief engagement with the historiography of demonism broadly interpreted, and the works of Peter Elmer and Stuart Clark are used and debated throughout the volume, particularly in the sections of the book that deal with witchcraft and literary discourse. Darren Oldridge's work is less positively received and represented; The Devil in Early Modern England (Stroud, 2000) is criticized as “simplifying” and “misrepresenting” (22–23). The two books certainly cover similar ground, but once the territory of Johnstone's work has been defended, it is clear that this volume, along with other recent work, serves to highlight the continued importance of debates over demonism, witchcraft, and politics in the early modern period.