Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

A History of Exorcism in Catholic ChristianityExorcism in Crisis: The Middle Ages, 900–1500

A History of Exorcism in Catholic Christianity: Exorcism in Crisis: The Middle Ages, 900–1500 [Far from being the ‘golden age’ of exorcisms, the Middle Ages were a period in which the practice of priestly liturgical exorcism underwent a profound crisis. In the absence of effective centralized church government at the fringes of Europe, especially before the eleventh century, the theological and liturgical foundations for exorcism laid in late antiquity and the Carolingian era were in perpetual danger of dissolving as the diverse cultures of Christian Europe either adapted liturgical exorcism for their own purposes or ignored it altogether. Medieval exorcism made use of ancient liturgical formulas as ubiquitous solutions to spiritual and medical problems, from sexual temptation to toothache, and was at times a ‘trivial’ process. Yet exorcism was also a subject of interest to medieval theologians (rarely practising exorcists themselves) who explored philosophical problems associated with it. How could the devil take possession of a human body without compromising free will? How could an exorcist tell the difference between a madman and a demon speaking through the mouth of a demoniac? The diagnostic criteria for possession that took centre stage in the early modern period were underpinned by the speculations of medieval theologians.] http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png

A History of Exorcism in Catholic ChristianityExorcism in Crisis: The Middle Ages, 900–1500

Part of the Palgrave Historical Studies in Witchcraft and Magic Book Series
Young, Francis
Springer Journals — Apr 20, 2016
Download PDF
36 pages

Loading next page...
 
/lp/springer-journals/a-history-of-exorcism-in-catholic-christianity-exorcism-in-crisis-the-k0Wfsupk9Y
Publisher
Springer International Publishing
Copyright
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2016
ISBN
978-3-319-29111-6
Pages
61 –97
DOI
10.1007/978-3-319-29112-3_3
Publisher site
See Chapter on Publisher Site

Abstract

[Far from being the ‘golden age’ of exorcisms, the Middle Ages were a period in which the practice of priestly liturgical exorcism underwent a profound crisis. In the absence of effective centralized church government at the fringes of Europe, especially before the eleventh century, the theological and liturgical foundations for exorcism laid in late antiquity and the Carolingian era were in perpetual danger of dissolving as the diverse cultures of Christian Europe either adapted liturgical exorcism for their own purposes or ignored it altogether. Medieval exorcism made use of ancient liturgical formulas as ubiquitous solutions to spiritual and medical problems, from sexual temptation to toothache, and was at times a ‘trivial’ process. Yet exorcism was also a subject of interest to medieval theologians (rarely practising exorcists themselves) who explored philosophical problems associated with it. How could the devil take possession of a human body without compromising free will? How could an exorcist tell the difference between a madman and a demon speaking through the mouth of a demoniac? The diagnostic criteria for possession that took centre stage in the early modern period were underpinned by the speculations of medieval theologians.]

Published: Apr 20, 2016

Keywords: Thirteenth Century; Fifteenth Century; Fourteenth Century; Twelfth Century; Evil Spirit

There are no references for this article.