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A History of Exorcism in Catholic ChristianityExorcism in the Age of Reason

A History of Exorcism in Catholic Christianity: Exorcism in the Age of Reason [In the eighteenth century, attitudes to exorcism divided the Catholic world. This division broadly followed a philosophical division within Catholic Christendom between adherence to a conservative interpretation of Neo-Scholastic Aristotelianism and openness to Enlightenment thought. Spain and its territories were the heartland of the conservative tradition, while France was the centre of a ‘Catholic’ Enlightenment that pushed the boundaries of orthodoxy. Rome, caught between the ‘superstitious’ practices of over-enthusiastic exorcists and the boldness of clergy prepared to deny the reality of demonic possession altogether, attempted to steer a middle course and imposed increasingly strict controls on the practice of exorcism. These, in spite of reassurances that no change of doctrine had taken place, inevitably had the consequence of pushing exorcism to the margins of Catholic life.] http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png

A History of Exorcism in Catholic ChristianityExorcism in the Age of Reason

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

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Publisher
Springer International Publishing
Copyright
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2016
ISBN
978-3-319-29111-6
Pages
155 –179
DOI
10.1007/978-3-319-29112-3_6
Publisher site
See Chapter on Publisher Site

Abstract

[In the eighteenth century, attitudes to exorcism divided the Catholic world. This division broadly followed a philosophical division within Catholic Christendom between adherence to a conservative interpretation of Neo-Scholastic Aristotelianism and openness to Enlightenment thought. Spain and its territories were the heartland of the conservative tradition, while France was the centre of a ‘Catholic’ Enlightenment that pushed the boundaries of orthodoxy. Rome, caught between the ‘superstitious’ practices of over-enthusiastic exorcists and the boldness of clergy prepared to deny the reality of demonic possession altogether, attempted to steer a middle course and imposed increasingly strict controls on the practice of exorcism. These, in spite of reassurances that no change of doctrine had taken place, inevitably had the consequence of pushing exorcism to the margins of Catholic life.]

Published: Apr 20, 2016

Keywords: Eighteenth Century; Church Father; Popular Religion; Enlightenment Thought; Demonic Possession

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