The Baal Book

A Biography of the Devil

By: Stephen De Young

Narrated by: Stephen De Young

Ancient Near Eastern texts such as The Baal Cycle portray the pagan god Baal as a rebel—the hero of a revolution, worshiped and glorified for his long string of victories. In The Baal Book: A Biography of the Devil, Fr. Stephen De Young shows that the Hebrew Scriptures consciously turn the Baal story on its head, depicting him as a failed and defeated rebel who nonetheless tries to steal the glory that belongs to Almighty God. From these Scriptures, the figure of the Devil emerged within Jewish and Christian Tradition. Father De Young works through the Old and New Testament passages that refer to various Baal stories, and he surveys Baal worship through followers’ beliefs, religious practices, and liturgical life. In this book, we will see that the figures of Baal and the Devil—the prince of demons—are one and the same.

©2025 Stephen De Young (P)2025 Stephen De Young

Truly enlightening

Crazy to think that a book about the history of the Devil could be written in a way that also helps us understand what truth and love are. Thank you Fr. Stephen for this enlightening work

Excellent

The author traces the history of Baal in the ancient texts and shows how the story is retold in the pre-incarnation scriptures. The retelling of the story turns it on its head and shows us that the values of the ancient, pagan story were not salvific.

Fascinating Connections

Appreciate how Fr De Young ties the story of the Bible together by providing context to the ancient imagery and stories which inform the meaning of the Scriptures.

Thank you Fr. Stephen!

I really appreciate the merging of archeology, primary cultural sources, and the contrast with the Biblical Narrative. Concise and thorough to the bio of Ba'al.

Some interesting observations

Fr Stephen De Young makes some interesting observations and connections in this book. Based on textual research, He connects the Hebrew and Christian concept of the Devil with pagan deities Baal, Zeus, and Jupiter.

It is great having narration by the author.

But note, there is something wrong with the audio editing. The last chapter in the audiobook was an editing error, where a part of the previous chapter was partially repeated and cut off abruptly. That is the main reason I only gave four stars. If the editors correct the error and let me know, I may update the review accordingly.