Ritual, Demons, and Sacred Space

Abstract

This chapter considers how traffic with demons was so etched on some ritual forms of traditional Roman worship that either new rites had to be developed or the symbolic content of old rituals reframed for the early Christian church. The clergy sought to save meaningful and familiar ritual forms when it seemed possible to redirect the symbolic content. However, some behaviors were so thoroughly saturated with messages counter to Christian truths that they could not be reformed. Christians thus created a new kind of space where demons dared not tread. The enclosed hallowed space provided a clean slate on which a new story could be written in the language of ritual. Here, Christian worship aligned itself in form and tone with traditional somber customs of Roman worship, but the symbolic content making up the pagan rituals was redirected, and the aspects attractive to demons were filtered out.