The inclusion of the Hebrew Scriptures in the Christian canon implies what is certain: Christians claim inheritance in the story of Israel. What is shameful, however, is how poorly Christians know the greater arc of the narrative. Yes, they know the smaller stories well — tales of heroes, scoundrels and prophets or of lovers won and lost — but they seem unaware of — or unconcerned with — the story of ages, when kings reigned in Judah and Israel: centuries of war, empire, and then the final era of disaster under Assyria and Babylon. For this reason, such “Biblical” believers frequently misunderstand and misapply the prophetic books. For this reason, they misunderstand the meaning of empire in general, and mistake a figment of their imagination for the real live devil — the one that humankind can unleash on itself through the power of military and other armed conflicts, or through the subjugation of people in classes.