ABSTRACT
This chapter examines Luther's approach to demonic temptation in his Table Talk, and sets his devil in a context other than that of medieval/modern dichotomies. Luther was deeply affected by two central assumptions of monastic diabology, which were as self-evident to him as the equality of all men was to Thomas Jefferson. One was the belief that demonic attacks intensified as one made progress in the spiritual life. The other was the conviction that the devil could be defeated with Christ's help. Despite the fact that all evils, including temptation, came indirectly from God through the devil, Luther argued that the evil itself was attributable only to Satan. Luther's advice on how to deal with the demonic was no less complex than his redefinition of temptation, and no less paradoxical. Luther's redefinition of the devil was part and parcel of his bid for freedom from perceived errors.
