Rating: 
Summary: Eye Opening
Review: I could use many adjectives to describe Elaine Pagel's book The Origin of Satan, but, they can't really do it justice. All of Elaine Pagel's works have been extraordinary, this is no exception. A highly interesting look at the very roots of where Christians and Jews alike got their views of Satan and Evil, and how it contributed to the development of the church. Interesting too, is the look at the Gospels and the demonization of the Jews. Of course, as always the Gnostic interpretations are much appreciated and very insightful.
If you are looking to expand your religious horizons and open your mind, look no further. In fact, I'd suggest reading this before her book on the Gnostic Gospels.
Rating:
Summary: Satanic Origins.
Review: A groundbreaking effort by Pagels that reshapes our view of formative Christianity and gives voice to those long silenced by politics and power. If you have any interest in this area of study, The Origins of Satan will serve as the essential guide.
Rating: 
Summary: Not What It Promises...
Review: Elaine Pagels is one of the foremost authorities on the early church and a very good researcher, but if this book is a good example, she is not a terribly good author. For one thing, the book really doesn't talk about the origin of Satan. Rather, it discusses early Christian writers and their usage of the term and the idea. Which is all well and good, but it isn't really what either the back of the book nor the title really promise. There is also the problem of organization. While it makes sense to cover the Gospels in order of creation and then follow up with the Gnostic works, the intrachapter organization is frequently almost painful, as you easily get lost in trying to figure out what the point is of what she is currently discussing. There is a frequently used (and used well) literary device called signposts that should have been used in this book. Conclusions at the end of the chapters for some transition would also have been helpful.The facts were all interesting, though, and I even learned a few things. The middle part of the book was exceptionally dull, but I was still able to work my way through it, and the end was pretty clear and concise. All told, it wasn't the worst book I have read recently (Seal of Gaia by Marlin Maddoux gets that illustrious honor), but it wasn't the best either. Go ahead and read it if you are interested in the concepts of the early church writers on the topic of Satan and the possibilities of him controlling whomever the church was currently upset with, but otherwise don't bother.
Harkius
Rating:
Summary: A decent read...
Review: This book has many interesting aspects about the origin of the Satan (Hebrew for Accuser/Adversary) concept and how many of the characters within society behaved in a more realistic sense than originally portrayed. This book, while bearing some slight flaws in open presentation - also has many grand factual and historical insights that have long been looked over. Such as the violent and iron fisted nature of Pilate, whom is represented as the gentle and fair government offical in the bible. The this book shows not only the history of satan, but it also shows the bible is not the story of Jesus representing the Jewish/Messianic tensions...and how both sides have twisted the story to mark them as the "Good guys".
Rating: 
Summary: Another attempt to demonize Christianty
Review: Overall, most of this book had very little to do with the origins of Satan. I expected much more focus to be placed on Satan's earliest recorded beginnings and how the concept evolved through the centuries. Unfortunately, most of the book's focus was on the New Testament, recaping familar stories while shedding only a few new insights into them (which, of course, strongly imply that Christianity, itself, IS the origin of Satan) Her disdain towards early Christians and the formation of Christianity is subtle yet apparent throughout the book so that you have to question her "historical insight" as well as her interpretation of the scriptures (especially since a couple of the books she listed in the bibliography point to Christianity as the root of Anti-Semitism). Also, in keeping with the current trend, Pagels promotes the Gnostic Gospels over the New Testament Gospels which, in itself, makes this book more "trendy" then "scholarly" This book was a HUGE disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: Probably Pagels' best
Review: Elaine Pagels is a wonderful historian and writer. In this book, which I personally regard as her best, she takes the reader on a journey to discover the character of "Satan." Did he start out as "the devil"? How did one of god's servants transform over the course of time into a rival for power? As always, Pagels is much like Marvin Harris or B.F. Skinner. You thought you understood an argument or issue, but she finds a way to explain it that makes it make perfect sense, but in a way you hadn't considered.
Rating: 
Summary: The role of evil...
Review: Elaine Pagels, Princeton professor and National Book Award-winning author of "The Gnostic Gospels", has written a mostly fascinating book about the evolution of Satan, from seldom seen fallen angel in the Old Testament to central-to-the-scene villain in the Gospels. Even having read 30+ books on Christianity, there are things in this book that made me reconsider what I know about the religion. For example, I had always assumed that Christians believed that Jesus's cruxifiction was a pre-ordained blood sacrifice required by God for the salvation of others, not the folly of the devil. But, this book contends that early Christians converted skeptics by claiming that Satan had intervened in God's plan for the Messiah. Jesus hadn't performed all the tasks of the Messiah by the time of his death because Satan possessed Judas and the Roman officials, and he was killed before he was able to. The book is filled with such revelations. In spite of a sluggish last third, it has added yet another angle of consideration to a fascinating religion.
Rating:
Summary: Title Misleads
Review: As usual Pagels is an excellent historian. She tells her story well, but since the title of the book is the 'origin' of Satan, I expected much more in the way of the beginnings of such thought than I received. The rest of the book seemed to be a good explanation of various appearances of the idea, but again, there is no initial explanation of why Satan showed up in human thought. For instance, what is the probability that the returnees from the Babylonian captivity may have brought a dualistic view of their world after being exposed to Zoroastrian thought?
Rating:
Summary: The Origin Satan
Review: Good book, well written, clear and concise with no wasted words.
Rating:
Summary: An outstanding history of Satan.
Review: An outstanding history of Satan. I thoroughly enjoyed and was enlightened by her deft weaving of the historical threads showing how western society has arrived at its concept of Satan. She clearly exposes the biases of the early Christian church. And, in no uncertain terms she explains how the political landscape during the Christian church's formative years "forced" it to target the Jews as those responsible for Christ's crucifixion while providing cover for the Roman Empire. If you are a fundamentalist and read the bible literally this is not a book for you. Her historical approach captures the evolution of the Jesus story within the four gospels.
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