Antichrist by Bernard McGinn
As the millennium draws to a close, we are experiencing a surge of interest in Antichrist. Historically, turns of the century, but especially turns of millenia, seem to whip up our fantasies about the end and the role of a thoroughly evil human agent in its coming. In this survey of the history of the Antichrist, the author presents the Christian origins of the legend, playing close attention to how it plays on the popular imagination. Perhaps literal belief in Antichrist was far more widespread centuries ago than it is today, but the legend continues to haunt us. With all our psychological sophistication, we cannot make peace with the dark side of our own natures, nor comprehend the evil humans do.