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A History of Exorcism in Catholic Christianity

  • Book
  • © 2016

Overview

Authors:
  1. Francis Young

    1. The King's School, Ely, United Kingdom

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  • The first thorough exploration of the church's long tradition of and attitude to exorcism
  • Provides a new perspective on this through it's long chronological span
  • Explores liturgical sources, exorcism manuals and demonological treatises as well as specific exorcisms

Part of the book series: Palgrave Historical Studies in Witchcraft and Magic (PHSWM)

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Table of contents (8 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiii
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  2. Introduction

    • Francis Young
    Pages 1-26

  3. Exorcism in the Early Christian West, 300–900

    • Francis Young
    Pages 27-59

  4. Exorcism in Crisis: The Middle Ages, 900–1500

    • Francis Young
    Pages 61-97

  5. Exorcism in Counter-Reformation Europe

    • Francis Young
    Pages 99-130

  6. Catholic Exorcism Beyond Catholic Europe

    • Francis Young
    Pages 131-154

  7. Exorcism in the Age of Reason

    • Francis Young
    Pages 155-179

  8. Exorcism in an Age of Doubt: The Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries

    • Francis Young
    Pages 181-207

  9. The Return of Exorcism

    • Francis Young
    Pages 209-241

  10. Back Matter

    Pages 243-275
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Keywords

About this book

This book traces the development of exorcism in Catholic Christianity from the fourth century to the present day, and seeks to explain why exorcism is still so much in demand.  This is the first work in English to trace the development of the liturgy, practice and authorisation of exorcisms in Latin Christianity. The rite of exorcism, and the claim by Roman Catholic priests to be able to drive demons from the possessed, remains an enduring source of popular fascination, but the origins and history of this controversial rite have been little explored. Arguing that belief in the need for exorcism typically re-emerges at periods of crisis for the church, Francis Young explores the shifting boundaries between authorised exorcisms and unauthorised magic throughout Christian history, from Augustine of Hippo to Pope Francis. This book offers the historical background to – and suggests reasons for – the current resurgence of exorcism in the global Catholic Church.

Reviews

“A history of exorcism in Catholic Christianity is a valuable contribution to Catholic theological and liturgical history. Because it includes relatively few exorcism narratives, it has less to contribute to the social history of religion. Also, the narratives that do appear do little to capture the drama of these exorcisms, which were theatrical productions in every sense of the word.” (Brian P. Levack, Journal of Ecclesiastical History , Vol. 70 (1), January, 2019)

Authors and Affiliations

  • The King's School, Ely, United Kingdom

    Francis Young

About the author

Francis Young is Volumes Editor for the Catholic Record Society. He is the author of several books, including English Catholics and the Supernatural, 1553–1829 (2013) and The Gages of Hengrave and Suffolk Catholicism (2015).

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