The novel opens and closes with Rebus and his girlfriend, Deborah Quant (a forensic pathologist) dining in a restaurant which is part of the Waldorf Caledonian Hotel. Rebus is reminded of the 1978 murder at this hotel of Maria Turquand, an unsolved case in which Edinburgh bankers and pop stars were suspects. Rebus revisits the case, which becomes intertwined with others more actively pursued by the police in the coming week.

a b Berlin, Adele, ed. (2011). The Oxford dictionary of the Jewish religion (2nded.). New York: Oxford University Press. p.651. ISBN 978-0-19-973004-9. The Book of Revelation represents Satan as the supernatural ruler of the Roman Empire and the ultimate cause of all evil in the world. [104] In Revelation 2:9–10, as part of the letter to the church at Smyrna, John of Patmos refers to the Jews of Smyrna as "a synagogue of Satan" [105] and warns that "the Devil is about to cast some of you into prison as a test [ peirasmos], and for ten days you will have affliction." [105] In Revelation 2:13–14, in the letter to the church of Pergamum, John warns that Satan lives among the members of the congregation [106] and declares that "Satan's throne" is in their midst. [106] Pergamum was the capital of the Roman Province of Asia [106] and "Satan's throne" may be referring to the monumental Pergamon Altar in the city, which was dedicated to the Greek god Zeus, [106] or to a temple dedicated to the Roman emperor Augustus. [106] La Bête de la Mer (from the Tapisserie de l'Apocalypse in Angers, France). A medieval tapestry, depicting the devil as a dragon with 7 heads in the Book of Revelation.Colin Larkin, ed. (1995). The Guinness Who's Who of Blues (Seconded.). Guinness Publishing. p.197/9. ISBN 0-85112-673-1. Miller, Phil (17 March 2016). "Ian Rankin reveals new Rebus novel, to be published in November". Herald Scotland . Retrieved 13 November 2016. In many cases, the translators of the Septuagint, the pre-Christian translation of the Hebrew Bible into ancient Greek, chose to render the Hebrew word sâtan as the Greek word διάβολος ( diábolos), meaning "opponent" or "accuser". [3] [2] This is the root of the modern English word Devil. [2] [4] Both the words satanas and diábolos are used interchangeably in the New Testament and in later Christian writings. [2] The Pauline epistles and the Gospel of Mark both use the word satancas more frequently than diábolos, [2] [5] but the Gospel of Matthew uses the word diábolos more frequently and so do the Church Fathers Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and Origen. [2] Best Picture was formed by two newspaper columnists, Kenny Farquharson (drums) and Euan McColm (guitar), who have known each other since they were young rival political editors on the Scotland on Sunday and the News of the World. Farquharson has form when it comes to making music with a bestselling novelist; he and Ali Smith were at Aberdeen University together in the early 1980s and would busk in Union Street, he on the bongos, she on the mouth organ.

The Latin Vulgate translation of this passage renders Heylel as " Lucifer" [120] and this name continues to be used by some Christians as an alternative name for Satan. [120]Ronald L. Eisenberg Dictionary of Jewish Terms: A Guide to the Language of Judaism Taylor Trade Publications 2011; ISBN 978-1-589-79729-1, p. 356. a b Encyclopedia of Urban Legends, Updated and Expanded Edition, by Jan Harold Brunvand, ABC-CLIO, 31 Jul 2012 pp. 694–695 Rankin has spent nearly three decades in the company of Rebus, about 10 years longer than Chandler with Marlowe, and this relationship shows no sign of medical emergency. Following novels establishing the characters of Clarke and Fox alongside Rebus and his archenemy, Big Ger, the more recent cast members now feel as credible as Rebus himself and the sparks of their interaction create an atmosphere as rich as the plot, boding well for the future.

Can believers be demon inhabited? This is a question which many ask. Theologically considered, it is hard to believe that it is possible that a believer can both be a dwelling place for a demon and the temple of the indwelling Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19 and 2 Cor. 6:16). However, there is every reason to believe that a believer may be demonized in the sense of oppressed by demonic malevolence (1 Pet. 5:8–9). Likewise, the devil may actively seek to harass a godly servant as Paul tells the Corinthians (2 Cor. 12:7). In brief: inhabited, no; oppressed, yes. 9. The devil and demons have no future with God. Rebhorn Wayne A. "The Humanist Tradition and Milton's Satan: The Conservative as Revolutionary", SEL: Studies in English Literature 1500–1900, Vol. 13, No. 1, The English Renaissance (Winter, 1973), pp.81–93 in JSTOR Militarev, Alexander; Kogan, Leoni (2005), Semitic Etymological Dictionary 2: Animal Names, Alter Orient und Altes Testament, vol.278/2, Münster: Ugarit-Verlag, pp.131–132, ISBN 3-934628-57-5 Gray, Steven (2007-10-16). "Santa Muerte: The New God in Town". Time.com. Chicago: Time. Archived from the original on October 31, 2007 . Retrieved 2009-10-07. The Hebrew term śāṭān ( Hebrew: שָׂטָן) is a generic noun meaning "accuser" or "adversary", [7] [8] and is derived from a verb meaning primarily "to obstruct, oppose". [9] In the earlier biblical books, e.g. 1 Samuel 29:4, it refers to human adversaries, but in the later books, especially Job 1–2 and Zechariah 3, to a supernatural entity. [8] When used without the definite article (simply satan), it can refer to any accuser, [10] but when it is used with the definite article ( ha-satan), it usually refers specifically to the heavenly accuser, literally, the satan. [10]

For the next thirty-three years, James made no known recordings and performed sporadically. He was virtually unknown to the general public until about 1960. Blues singer and guitarist Big Joe Williams believed that James had already passed, having been murdered in Mississippi. [9] In 1964, blues enthusiasts John Fahey, Bill Barth, and Henry Vestine found him in a hospital in Tunica, Mississippi. [10] According to Calt, the "rediscovery" of both James and Son House at virtually the same time was the start of the blues revival in the United States. [4] No man is an island”, the poet John Donne announced. Muriel Spark played with this notion in her early novel, Robinson, where a human-shaped island begins to affect a group of castaways stranded there. Islands have a long association with literature, providing a setting for adventure, rebirth and danger. From Treasure Island to Lord of the Flies, they explore us as much as we explore them. Russell, Jeffrey Burton. Mephistopheles: The Devil in the Modern World (1990) excerpt and text search Satanism and Demonology, by Lionel & Patricia Fanthorpe, Dundurn Press, 2011, p. 74, "If, as theistic Satanists believe, the devil is an intelligent, self-aware entity..." "Theistic Satanism then becomes explicable in terms of Lucifer's ambition to be the supreme god and his rebellion against Yahweh. [...] This simplistic, controntational view is modified by other theistic Satanists who do not regard their hero as evil: far from it. For them he is a freedom fighter..." Most of the mysteries are resolved in due course, while Welin himself finds peace (or perhaps just resignation): “I do not fear death. Death must be freedom from fear. The ultimate freedom.”