Papers by Massimo Introvigne
Journal of Daesoon Thought and the Religions of East Asia, Aug 31, 2023
Both the late 15th-century Unicorn Tapestries now at the Cloisters Museum in New York and Daesoon... more Both the late 15th-century Unicorn Tapestries now at the Cloisters Museum in New York and Daesoon Jinrihoe's Simudo Paintings present a religious narrative through the symbol of the search for an animal that is then subdued. This is now the prevailing scholarly interpretation of the New York Unicorn Tapestries, with the unicorn representing Jesus Christ, although a concurrent reading alluding to human love cannot be excluded. The article examines the New York Unicorn Tapestries according to their Christological interpretation, rooted in traditions about the unicorn popularized by the German medieval mystic Hildegard of Bingen, although in fact much older. It then discusses the Buddhist iconographic tradition of ox-herding paintings that represents an antecedent for the Simudo Paintings and notes the latter's differences and similarities with the New York Unicorn Tapestries.
Aries, 2018
View Crossmark data research. I expect the book will influence modern Asatru, a faith whose membe... more View Crossmark data research. I expect the book will influence modern Asatru, a faith whose members are often open to academic research. Even seasoned Asatru followers report discovering in Norse Revival groups they have never heard of. The 48-page bibliography alone will be valuable to any future student of Asatru. The one useful tool I missed is a tabular overview with core information of all groups mentioned in the book, many named in unfamiliar languages and some later referred to by acronym only. There are a number of small errors regarding detail that are usually only mentioned to prove the reviewer's thorough reading; for example, the NPD is not "Germany's right-wing party" but the neo-Nazi party and the Wiking-Jugend is not "under police observation" but was banned decades ago (50). But these are trifles in an overall excellent and recommendable book.
For the first time, Massimo Introvigne proposes a general social history of Satanism and anti-Sat... more For the first time, Massimo Introvigne proposes a general social history of Satanism and anti-Satanism, from the French Court of Louis XIV to the Satanic scares of the late 20th century, satanic themes in Black Metal music, the Church of Satan, and beyond.
For the first time, Massimo Introvigne proposes a general social history of Satanism and anti-Sat... more For the first time, Massimo Introvigne proposes a general social history of Satanism and anti-Satanism, from the French Court of Louis XIV to the Satanic scares of the late 20th century, satanic themes in Black Metal music, the Church of Satan, and beyond.
Religioni e società, 2007
Verbo ( Madrid ): Revista de formación cívica y de acción cultural, según el derecho natural y cristiano, 2004
POR .MASSTh10 INrROVIGNE <'J l. El anticatolicismo, ''último prejuicio permitido" Imaginemos el s... more POR .MASSTh10 INrROVIGNE <'J l. El anticatolicismo, ''último prejuicio permitido" Imaginemos el siguiente escenario: una novela en la que se afirma que Buda, después de la iluminación, no ha llevado la vida de castidad que se le atribuye sino que ha tenido esposa e hijos. Que la comunidad budista, después de su muerte, ha vio-(") Nota sobre la Jiteiatura anticatólica, ¡:,oc EsrANJSLAO CANTERO. La literatura anticatólica no es cosa nueva. Podemos decir que de.sde ios albores del cristianismo existieron los escritos contrarios a la Iglesia, contra los que lúcharon los Padres de la Iglesia e incluso autores no tan ortodoxos como Orígenes én su polémica contra Celso. Sin embargo, desde fines del XVII y, muy especialmente durante el xvm (Cfr.
Routledge eBooks, Feb 27, 2023
Oxford University Press eBooks, Feb 20, 2020
In 2002 The Church of Almighty God was accused of having kidnapped thirty-four pastors and lay le... more In 2002 The Church of Almighty God was accused of having kidnapped thirty-four pastors and lay leaders of another Christian group, the China Gospel Fellowship (CGF). The police were informed, or so CGF claims, but did not arrest anybody. Eventually the CGF leaders returned home; only one ended up converting to The Church of Almighty God. However, the CGF kept the accusations alive, and two novels were published about the incident. The chapter discusses different interpretations of what happened and concludes that the same events may have been described as “kidnapping,” a serious crime, by the CGF and as mere “deception,” a minor misdemeanor, by the authorities.
Oxford University Press eBooks, Apr 19, 2018
The chapter describes the career of John Nelson Darby, from his early ministry in Ireland to the ... more The chapter describes the career of John Nelson Darby, from his early ministry in Ireland to the birth of the Brethren movement and its worldwide expansion through Darby’s international and intercontinental travels. His relationships with other Brethren pioneers, such as George Müller and those who established the first Continental Brethren communities in Italy and Switzerland, are also discussed. Although Darby has been extremely influential on the whole evangelical-fundamentalist wing of contemporary Protestantism, details of his life and career remain understudied. The chapter also asks the question whether, and in which sense, Darby may be regarded as the ‘founder’ of the Plymouth Brethren.
Nova Religio, May 1, 2018
During the last week of the most heated American presidential campaign of this century, Russian h... more During the last week of the most heated American presidential campaign of this century, Russian hackers posted online emails connecting Hillary Clinton's campaign manager, John Podesta, to Serbian-born New York performance artist Marina Abramović (b. 1946). Podesta, and by implication Hillary Clinton, were accused of connections with a ''Satanist'' artist. The news made headlines not only on fringe, but also mainline media, both in the United States and abroad. I was in the United States at that time and personally saw flyers in both English and Spanish with these accusations distributed by anti-Clinton activists at the door of Christian churches during the weekend immediately preceding the election. The accusation escalated to a grotesque soap opera when Abramović, Podesta, Clinton, and even President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton were accused of being implicated in a ring for Satanic ritual abuse of children headquartered in a pizza parlor in Washington, D.C. Not only did these tales, preposterous as they might seem, play a role in the elections, according to several analysts, but the farce almost turned into a tragedy when, on 4 December 2016, a man, excited by radio talk shows about the so-called Pizzagate, entered the restaurant armed with a semi-automatic rifle and started firing shots. Happily, no one was injured. An unwanted side effect of the campaign was that the autobiography of Abramović, which coincidentally was published in the same days, sold much sooner than expected. I tried to buy it in several New York bookstores, only to be told that it was sold out, and I had to settle for an ebook version. Why exactly was Abramović, arguably the most famous performance artist in the world, accused of Satanism? And does the autobiography throw some light on the matter? On 27-28 May 2016, I was a speaker at a conference on Esotericism in Eastern Europe organized by CEENASWE (Central and Eastern European Network for the Academic Study of Western Esotericism) at the University of Belgrade. One of the sessions was devoted to Abramović. Nikola Pešić offered a preview of his then forthcoming doctoral dissertation on Abramović and esotericism. From Pešić's work and from a cursory examination of Abramović's art and career, one can easily draw two conclusions. First, accusing Abramović and those who associate with her of being Satanists is ridiculous. How such wild accusations gained currency
For the first time, Massimo Introvigne proposes a general social history of Satanism and anti-Sat... more For the first time, Massimo Introvigne proposes a general social history of Satanism and anti-Satanism, from the French Court of Louis XIV to the Satanic scares of the late 20th century, satanic themes in Black Metal music, the Church of Satan, and beyond.
Springer eBooks, 2004
This study examines the recent rash of official reports done by governmental agencies in Western ... more This study examines the recent rash of official reports done by governmental agencies in Western Europe to guide policy development in those societies. Particular attention is given to reports in France,
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Papers by Massimo Introvigne