The Mystery if Iniquity has been around since the Fall in the Garden. See St. Paul - epistle to the Thessalonians, Chapter 2, Verse 7.
Also - for an in depth instruction on the nature of evil see The De Malo of Thomas Aquinas that has been for a long time on my must read list that I hope to get to in 2013.
Have a great Christmas everyone! My youngest daughter (14) is coming out of the hospital today after a severe bleed last Tuesday - she has a bone marrow disease that causes low platelets and is usually stable so this is a setback - we could use prayers from all. Thanks!!