Demonic Possession and Exorcism

Demonic Possession and Exorcism
Author: Sarah Ferber
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2013-01-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 1134615191

This is a highly original study of demon possession and the ritual of exorcism, both of which were rife in early modern times, and which reached epidemic proportions in France. Catholics at the time believed that the Devil was everywhere present, in the rise of the heretics, in the activities of witches, and even in the bodies of pious young women. The rite of exorcism was intended to heal the possessed and show the power of the Church - but it generated as many problems as it resolved. Possessed nuns endured frequently violent exorcisms, exorcists were suspected of conjuring devils, and possession itself came to be seen as a form of holiness, elevating several women to the status of living saints. Sarah Ferber offers a challenging study of one of the most intriguing phenomena of early modern Europe. Looking towards the present day, the book also argues that early modern conflicts over the Devil still carry an unexpected force and significance for Western Christianity.

Possession and Exorcism

Possession and Exorcism
Author: Brian P. Levack
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 350
Release: 1992
Genre: Demoniac possession
ISBN: 9780815310310

First Published in 1993. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Witchcraft, Demonology and Magic

Witchcraft, Demonology and Magic
Author: Marina Montesano
Publisher: MDPI
Total Pages: 160
Release: 2020-05-20
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 3039289594

Witchcraft and magic are topics of enduring interest for many reasons. The main one lies in their extraordinary interdisciplinarity: anthropologists, folklorists, historians, and more have contributed to build a body of work of extreme variety and consistence. Of course, this also means that the subjects themselves are not easy to assess. In a very general way, we can define witchcraft as a supernatural means to cause harm, death, or misfortune, while magic also belongs to the field of supernatural, or at least esoteric knowledge, but can be used to less dangerous effects (e.g., divination and astrology). In Western civilization, however, the witch hunt has set a very peculiar perspective in which diabolical witchcraft, the invention of the Sabbat, the persecution of many thousands of (mostly) female and (sometimes) male presumed witches gave way to a phenomenon that is fundamentally different from traditional witchcraft. This Special Issue of Religions dedicated to Witchcraft, Demonology, and Magic features nine articles that deal with four different regions of Europe (England, Germany, Hungary, and Italy) between Late Medieval and Modern times in different contexts and social milieus. Far from pretending to offer a complete picture, they focus on some topics that are central to the research in those fields and fit well in the current “cumulative concept of Western witchcraft” that rules out all mono-causality theories, investigating a plurality of causes.

Witchcraft and Demonology in South-West England, 1640-1789

Witchcraft and Demonology in South-West England, 1640-1789
Author: J. Barry
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2011-12-13
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0230361382

Using south-western England as a focus for considering the continued place of witchcraft and demonology in provincial culture in the period between the English and French revolutions, Barry shows how witch-beliefs were intricately woven into the fabric of daily life, even at a time when they arguably ceased to be of interest to the educated.

Demonology, Religion, and Witchcraft

Demonology, Religion, and Witchcraft
Author: Brian P. Levack
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 492
Release: 2013-10-28
Genre: History
ISBN: 1136537996

Witchcraft and magical beliefs have captivated historians and artists for millennia, and stimulated an extraordinary amount of research among scholars in a wide range of disciplines. This new collection, from the editor of the highly acclaimed 1992 set, Articles on Witchcraft, Magic, and Demonology , extends the earlier volumes by bringing together the most important articles of the past twenty years and covering the profound changes in scholarly perspective over the past two decades. Featuring thematically organized papers from a broad spectrum of publications, the volumes in this set encompass the key issues and approaches to witchcraft research in fields such as gender studies, anthropology, sociology, literature, history, psychology, and law. This new collection provides students and researchers with an invaluable resource, comprising the most important and influential discussions on this topic. A useful introductory essay written by the editor precedes each volume.

Exorcism and Its Texts

Exorcism and Its Texts
Author: Hilaire Kallendorf
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
Total Pages: 366
Release: 2003-01-01
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 9780802088178

In Exorcism and Its Texts, Hilaire Kallendorf demonstrates how this 'infection' was represented in some thirty works of literature by fifteen different authors, ranging from canonical classics to obscure works by anonymous writers.

Witchcraft and Masculinities in Early Modern Europe

Witchcraft and Masculinities in Early Modern Europe
Author: A. Rowlands
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 271
Release: 2009-10-22
Genre: History
ISBN: 0230248373

Men – as accused witches, witch-hunters, werewolves and the demonically possessed – are the focus of analysis in this collection of essays by leading scholars of early modern European witchcraft. The gendering of witch persecution and witchcraft belief is explored through original case-studies from England, Scotland, Italy, Germany and France.