Possession and Exorcism

Ismael del Olmo

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Chapter 9 Possession and Exorcism

In: A Companion to the Devil and Demons, c.1100â1750

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Ismael del Olmo

Ismael del Olmo
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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 180â204

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004536449_010

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Abstract

This chapter presents the historiographical and historical debates surrounding possession and exorcism in early modern Europe. Viewing the main confessional conflict of this time through this demonological lens allows it to highlight the Catholic use of demoniacs and their miraculous healing in propaganda and the Reformed critique of exorcism as demonic superstition and human deceit. By studying the controversies regarding the natural or demonic origin of traditional possession symptoms, this chapter also traces the relationship between seventeenth-century materialism, Cartesianism, and biblical criticism which was instrumental in denying the ontological reality of possession and exorcism and which nurtured the proto-Enlightenment process that transformed divine Scripture into a human text. These contested cultural scenarios highlight the epistemological difficulties that beset early modern understanding of demons and their relationship with humans.

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A Companion to the Devil and Demons, c.1100â1750

Series:Â Brill's Companions to the Christian Tradition, Volume: 111

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004536449

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 12 Aug 2025

Subjects
- History
- Religious Studies
  - History of Religion

Front Matter

Part 1 The Medieval Intellectual Foundation

Part 2 Demons of the Confessional Era

Part 3 Interpreting Demons in Daily Life

Part 4 Demons, Witchcraft, and Science

Part 5 Depicting Demons

Back Matter

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Chapter 9 Possession and Exorcism

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A Companion to the Devil and Demons, c.1100â1750

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A Companion to the Devil and Demons, c.1100â1750