Devil, Renaissance Idea of

In the aftermath of the Western Schism, Europe is crossed by concerns of eschatological and apocalyptic nature which weigh down and darken the intellectual and social climate of the time. In this context, the Devil, with his endless array of demons, represents one of the main symbols of the baleful omen predicting the end of the world. In the Middle Ages the Devil was represented as a creature relegated to the infernal world, while in the Renaissance he made his incursions among the living through the phenomenon of the demonic possessions. The Devil and his acolytes, demons and witches, become subjects of reflections and debates of intellectuals, theologians, philosophers and artists, through increasingly sophisticated investigative tools