Exorcism in Christianity
In Christianity, exorcism involves the practice of casting out one or more demons from a person whom they believe to have been possessed by demons. The person performing the exorcism, known as an exorcist, is often a member of the Christian Church, or an individual thought to be graced with special powers or skills. The exorcist may use prayers and religious material, such as set formulas, gestures, symbols, icons, or amulets. The exorcist often invokes God, Jesus, angels and archangels, and various saints to aid with the exorcism. Christian exorcists most commonly cast out demons in Jesus' name.
The concepts of demonic possession and exorcism are found in the Bible and were practiced by the early Christians, especially gaining prominence in the 2nd century.
In general, people considered to be possessed are not regarded as evil in themselves, nor wholly responsible for their actions, because possession is considered to be manipulation of an unwilling victim by a demon resulting in harm to self or others. Accordingly, practitioners regard exorcism as more of a cure than a punishment. The mainstream rituals usually take this into account, making sure that there is no violence to the possessed, only that they be tied down if there is potential for violence. However, some believe possession is a voluntary act, where individuals permit demons to subjugate them.
Old Testament
The Catholic Encyclopedia says that there is only one apparent case of this demonic possession in the Old Testament, of King Saul being tormented by an "evil spirit", but it relies on a reading of the Hebrew word "rûah" as "evil spirit", an interpretation doubted by the Catholic Encyclopedia. The Catholic Encyclopedia ties exorcism methods mentioned in extra-canonical Jewish literature to the driving off of a demon in the Book of Tobias. Some theologians such as Ángel Manuel Rodríguez say that mediums like the ones mentioned in Leviticus 20:27 were possessed by demons.David Bar-Cohn states that authors of the Priestly Law believed in demons but "de-mythologized" them as nameless, destructive forces that were under YHWH's control. Likewise, the Torah criticizes as superstitious the belief that isha katlanit possessed demonic powers so they could kill their husbands.
Israelite belief in demons derived from their semi-nomadic ancestors, who believed demons could be warded off with sacrificial blood. This belief was subsequently preserved in holidays such as Passover.
New Testament
Christian exorcism is founded on the belief that Jesus commanded his followers to expel evil spirits in his name. The Catholic Encyclopedia article on Exorcism says Jesus points to this ability as a sign of his Messiahship, and that he has empowered his disciples to do the same.The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod traces the practice of exorcism to the Scriptural claim that Jesus Christ expelled demons with a simple command. The apostles continued the practice with the power and in the name of Jesus.
The Jewish Encyclopedia article on Jesus states that Jesus, "was devoted especially to casting out demons," and also believed that he passed this on to his followers; however, "his superiority to his followers was shown by his casting out demons which they had failed to expel."
Matthew Poole believes demon possessions were more common in the New Testament so that Jesus could prove his authority over demons to audiences. He also believes God allowed these possessions to correct the 'error' of the Sadducees, who did not believe in spirits. But Reed Carlson argues that belief in demon possession has roots in earlier Israelite literature. Israelites believed that possession was "a corporate and cultivated practice that can function as social commentary and as a means to model the moral self".
History
Early church
wrote, "Receive the exorcisms with devotion...Divine exorcisms, borrowed from the Scripture, purify the soul."The First Epistle to the Corinthians in 11:10, according to the early Church Father Tertullian, referenced the Watchers. Tertullian taught that the lust of the Watchers was the reason for Saint Paul's directive to Christian women to wear a headcovering for protection. Tertullian referenced the case of a woman who was touched on the neck by a fallen angel "who found her to be a temptation".
Middle Ages
The Benedictine formula Vade retro satana has been used since the medieval era.As emphasis on holy items in churches grew over the course of the medieval era, Benedict of Aniane, in his Supplementum to the Gregorian Sacramentary, suggested exorcism as a means of purifying salt and water for use in Holy Water, in turn used for regular benedictions but also human exorcisms. These material exorcisms were directly addressed at the subject substances, in this instance, at water:
I exorcise you creature of water in the name of God the omnipotent Father, and in the name of Jesus Christ his son, our lord, that you should become exorcized water for the routing of every power of the enemy and to eradicate and uproot the enemy himself with his apostate angels, through the power of our lord.Lollardy opposed the practice of exorcisms. The Twelve Conclusions of the Lollards written in 1395 asserts that the exorcisms and hallowings carried out by priests are a sort of witchcraft and are incompatible with Christian theology.
In the 15th century, Catholic exorcists were both clerical and lay, since every Christian has the power to command demons and drive them out in the name of Christ.
The Roman Missal promulgated by Pope Paul V contained the Latin exorcism titled De exorcizzandis obsessiis a daemonio.
Reformation
After the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther abbreviated the Roman ritual used for exorcism. In 1526, the ritual was further abbreviated and the exsufflation was omitted. This form of the Lutheran Ritual for Exorcism was incorporated into the majority of the Lutheran service-books and implemented.Current beliefs and practices
Anglicanism
Church of England
As the Bishop of Exeter, Robert Mortimer set up an exorcism commission, which published its report in 1973.In 1974, the Church of England set up the "deliverance ministry". As part of its creation, every diocese in the country was equipped with a team trained in both exorcism and psychiatry. According to its representatives, most cases brought before it have conventional explanations, and actual exorcisms are quite rare; blessings, though, are sometimes given to people with psychological conditions.
Anglican priests may not perform an exorcism without permission from the Diocesan bishop. An exorcism is not usually performed unless the bishop and his team of specialists have approved it.
Episcopal Church in the United States
In the Episcopal Church, the Book of Occasional Services discusses provision for exorcism, stating that cases are to be referred to the diocesan bishop for consultation. There is no specific rite, nor an office of "exorcist". Diocesan exorcists usually continue in their role when they have retired from all other church duties. The Order of Christ the Saviour is a Dominican religious order that trains exorcists and deliverance ministers in the Episcopal Church.Baptists
, the ninth president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, states that Baptists, among other evangelical Christians, doAs a result of this theology, Baptists argue that the weapons of "warfare are spiritual, and the powers that the forces of darkness most fear are the name of Jesus, the authority of the Bible, and the power of his Gospel."
Catholicism
In Catholic dogma, exorcism is a sacramental but not a sacrament, unlike baptism or confession. Unlike a sacrament, exorcism's "integrity and efficacy do not depend... on the rigid use of an unchanging formula or on the ordered sequence of prescribed actions. Its efficacy depends on two elements: authorization from valid and licit Church authorities, and the faith of the exorcist."The Catholic Church revised the Rite of Exorcism in January 1999, though the traditional Rite of Exorcism in Latin is allowed as an option. The act of exorcism is considered to be an incredibly dangerous spiritual task. The ritual assumes that possessed persons retain their free will, though the demon may hold control over their physical body, and involves prayers, blessings, and invocations with the use of the document Of Exorcisms and Certain Supplications. In the modern era, Catholic bishops rarely authorize exorcisms, approaching would-be cases with the presumption that mental or physical illness is the more probable cause.
Solemn exorcisms, according to the Canon law of the Church, can be exercised only by an ordained priest or higher prelate, with the express permission of the local bishop, and only after a careful medical examination of the victim to exclude the possibility of mental illness, and in the ritual people cannot in any circumstance be harmed. The Catholic Encyclopedia enjoined: "Superstition ought not to be confounded with religion, however much their history may be interwoven, nor magic, however white it may be, with a legitimate religious rite." Signs listed in the Roman Ritual as being indicators of possible demonic possession include: speaking foreign or ancient languages of which the possessed has no prior knowledge; supernatural abilities and strength; knowledge of hidden or remote things which the possessed has no way of knowing; an aversion to anything holy; and profuse blasphemy and/or sacrilege.
Fr. Gabriele Amorth, who claimed to have performed 160,000 exorcisms, said exorcists have the ability to detect an evil presence. However, he notes that "they are not always right: their 'feelings' must be checked out." In his examples, they are able to detect the events that caused the demon to enter, or are able to discover the evil object that has cursed the individual. He notes that exorcists "are always humble."