Denison University’s Goodspeed Lecture welcomes Phil Harland, professor of humanities at York University in Toronto, presenting “A Cultural History of Satan.” Culturally speaking, where did the personified evil figure of Satan come from and what functions did he serve in interactions between Judeans, Jesus-followers, and others in the Greco-Roman world? Harland’s talk explores the apocalyptic origins and social functions of personified evil (whether Satan, Beliar, Mastema, or the Devil). Harland studies cultural life in the Greek and Roman worlds with a focus on small groups or associations, as well as the social and cultural lives of Judeans (Jews), followers of Jesus, and others. His books include “Associations, Synagogues, and Congregations,” “Dynamics of Identity in the World of the Early Christians,” and “Travel and Religion in Antiquity.”