Jeffrey Burton Russell (born 1934) is an American historian and religious studies scholar.

Early life

Russell received his undergraduate degree from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant un ...

in 1955 and his PhD from

Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...

in 1960.

Career

He is currently Professor Emeritus of History at the

University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021–2022. It is part of the U ...

. He has also taught History and Religious Studies at Berkeley, Riverside,

California State University, Sacramento California State University, Sacramento (CSUS, Sacramento State, or informally Sac State) is a public university in Sacramento, California. Founded in 1947 as Sacramento State College, it is the eleventh oldest school in the 23-campus California ...

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...

, and Notre Dame. Russell has published widely, mostly in medieval European history and the history of

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

. His first book was ''Dissent and Reform in the Early Middle Ages'' (1965). He is most noted for his five-volume history of the concept of

the Devil Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehood ...

: ''The Devil'' (1977), ''Satan'' (1981), ''Lucifer'' (1984), ''Mephistopheles'' (1986) and ''The Prince of Darkness'' (1988). In ''

Inventing the Flat Earth ''Inventing the Flat Earth'' ( ) is a 1991 book by historian Jeffrey Burton Russell debunking the notion that medieval Christians believed the Earth was flat. See also * Modern flat Earth beliefs * Myth of the flat Earth The myth of the flat ...

'' (1991) he argues that 19th century anti-

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ� ...

invented and spread the falsehood that educated people in the Middle Ages believed that the earth was flat. As one writer summarizes, "Russell also examined a large selection of textbooks and found those written before 1870 usually included the correct account, but most textbooks written after 1880 uncritically repeated the erroneous claims in

Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and " The Legen ...

John William Draper John William Draper (May 5, 1811 – January 4, 1882) was an English-born American scientist, philosopher, physician, chemist, historian and photographer. He is credited with producing the first clear photograph of a female face (1839–40) and ...

and

Andrew Dickson White Andrew Dickson White (November 7, 1832 – November 4, 1918) was an American historian and educator who cofounded Cornell University and served as its first president for nearly two decades. He was known for expanding the scope of college curricu ...

. Russell concludes that Irving, Draper and White were the main writers responsible for introducing the erroneous flat-earth myth that is still with us today." Russell has also written two books on the history of the notion of

Heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...

: ''A History of Heaven: The Singing Silence'' (1997), which deals with the period from around 200 B.C. up to

Dante Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: ' ...

, and ''Paradise Mislaid'' (2006), which takes the story up to the present day.

Works

The Library of Congress lists 18 books written by Russell: * ''Dissent and Reform in the Early Middle Ages'' (1965, 1982, 1992) * ''Medieval Civilization'' (1968) * ''History of Medieval Christianity: Prophecy & Order'' (1968, 1986, 2000) * ''Religious Dissent in the Middle Ages'' (edited by Jeffrey B. Russell) (1971) * ''Witchcraft in the Middle Ages'' (1972) * ''The Devil: Perceptions of Evil from Antiquity to Primitive Christianity'' (1977) * ''History of Witchcraft, Sorcerers, Heretics, and Pagans'' (1980, 2007) * ''Medieval Heresies: a Bibliography,'' 1960-1979 (with Carl T. Berkhout) (1981) * ''Satan: The Early Christian Tradition'' (1981) * ''Lucifer: The Devil in the Middle Ages'' (1984) * ''Mephistopheles: The Devil in the Modern World'' (1986) * ''The Prince of Darkness: Radical Evil and the Power of Good in History'' (1988) * ''

: Columbus and Modern Historians'' (1991) * ''History of Heaven: the Singing Silence'' (1997) * "Devil, Heresy, and Witchcraft in the Middle Ages" in ''Essays in Honor of Jeffrey B. Russell'' (edited by

Alberto Ferreiro Alberto is the Romance version of the Latinized form (''Albertus'') of Germanic ''Albert''. It is used in Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. The diminutive forms are ''Albertito'' in Spain or ''Albertico'' in some parts of Latin America, Albertin ...

) (1998) * '' Life of the Jura Fathers: The Life and Rule of the Holy Fathers Romanus, Lupicinus, and Eugendus, Abbots of the Monasteries in the Jura Mountains'' (1999) * ''Paradise Mislaid: How We Lost Heaven—and How We Can Regain It'' (2006) * ''Exposing Myths about Christianity: A Guide to Answering 145 Viral Lies and Legends'' (2012) Articles by Russell include: * "Flattening the Earth" (2002) Book reviews by Russell include: * "Satan: A Biography" (2007) * "Bad to the Bone" (2008) * "A God of the Times" (2009)

Honors and accolades

*Fulbright Fellow *Harvard Junior Fellow *Guggenheim Fellow (1968)

References

External links

University of California, Santa Barbara
Jeffrey Burton Russell
Encyclopædia Britannica
Jeffrey Burton Russell
The Veritas Forum
Jeffrey Burton Russell *

excerpt from ''A History of Heaven: The Singing Silence'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Jeffrey Burton 1934 births Living people University of California, Berkeley alumni Emory University alumni University of California, Santa Barbara faculty University of California, Berkeley faculty University of California, Riverside faculty Harvard University faculty University of New Mexico faculty University of Notre Dame faculty Medievalists American historians of religion American Christian writers Critics of atheism 21st-century American historians 21st-century American male writers Historians from California American male non-fiction writers