Saints, Angels & Demons: An A-to-Z Guide to the Holy and the Damned

Jansen’s (Meditations at Midnight) book is comprised of short profiles of saints, angels, and demons, primarily from Christianity and Judaism. They include saints whose existence has been doubted, such as St. Christopher; or whose impact on Christian life has been pervasive, such as St. Augustine. Succinct accounts balance their life story with theological and intellectual contributions. The angels section emerges in categories of spiritual entities mentioned in various sources, including the Hebrew scriptures and the Book of Revelation. Jansen argues that the image of angels as God’s messengers is still a consistent factor in people’s beliefs and relationship with the divine. The demons category introduces some popular lore, along with more accepted versions, about the role and origins of evil. This includes some demons from pagan traditions, such as Dagon of the Philistines and Moloch of the Ammonites. One shortcoming is that bibliographical sources aren’t listed on the same page as the entries, but there is a one-page bibliography and an extensive index near the end of the book.