Practice Of Exorcism Research Articles

Revisiting the traditional medicine of the tribals in the Jungle Mahals, 1947–2000

This paper deals with the medical system of the tribals (Santals, Oraons, Sabar and Birhors) of Jungle Mahals in eastern India. It also discusses the indigenous system of knowledge about the collection, preparation and medicinal practice highlighting the socio-cultural and ecological context of medicinal plants. The region faced excessive pressure from over-exploitation and the growing demand for forest resources resulting in biodiversity loss and species extinction. In the post-independent period, there was a major transformation in treatment methods among the healers. Most of the healers left the practice of exorcism due to increased awareness on witchcraft practices. This study found low levels of overlap in medicinal floras, even in the case of tribal communities who closely related linguistically, culturally, and ecologically. The efficacy of the medicine depends on the extent to which the healers properly followed the rules for the collection of medicinal plants, drug preparation and application. This medical practice is popular among the poverty-stricken tribal communities as they could not take facilities of western medicine because of their poverty and the high cost of allopathic medicine.

Exorcisme catholique en France contemporaine, entre thérapeutique et régulation institutionnelle

This article proposes to study the contemporary implementation of Catholic exorcism rituals in France. It is a growing demand that challenges the Catholic Church and expresses discomforts in contemporary society. Based on a study conducted in France between 2016 and 2020, the research is spread over various dioceses and works with diverse actors (priests, exorcists, ritual requesters, lay collaborators) belonging to plural groups. Using qualitative strategies – mainly ethnography, active interviews and document analysis – this article analyses the population requesting exorcism, and attempts to understand the environments in which the practices are anchored and the work of the exorcists. This article shows the dialogue established between the practice of exorcism and medical interpretations, and the deployment of a new listening and regulation of the Church towards an increased demand which is related to indeterminate misfortunes linked to the field of health and healing.

A Trance Case Report with Ruqya (Exorcism) Approach in Aceh

Trance disorders or possessed spirit is a form of invisible control over human beings and they also have an influence on the mind, five sense organs, and body functions, which have similar symptoms to Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). However, Ruqya, also known as Islamic exorcism, is a practice of exorcism in the form of incantations or spell recitation from the Qur’an and hadith. It is a great hope in Islamic society used as a form of treatment according to the Sunnah of the Prophet Mohammed. A 53-year-old businessman suffering from psychological problems brought by his 48-year-old wife to a raqi (ruqya practitioner) after being treated by a general medical practitioner for several months was presented. The ruqya procedure was conducted several times which shows an improvement in his mental state.

Hippocratic Diagnosis, Solomonic Therapy, Roman Amulets: Epilepsy, Exorcism, and the Diffusion of a Jewish Tradition in the Roman World

Abstract Two contrasting portraits of exorcism in the Roman period for patients with symptoms consistent with epilepsy, drawn by Josephus (A.J. 8.45–47) and Lucian (Philops. §16), illustrate a substantial albeit contested diffusion of that ancient technique from the Jewish tradition to a wider Mediterranean public. The process is reflected in a similarly complex traditional background and textual composition of a group of inscribed Greek amulets for epilepsy. A sidelight on attitudes towards the practice of exorcism, on its way to wider popularity, and the conception of epilepsy is cast by these amulets, which have not yet been studied as a group. Their texts witness the application of precise Greek medical terminology, yet to an end, and in a compositional company, that authors in the Hippocratic tradition would have rejected. More generally, the artifacts offer a cross-section of amuletic practice and its diversity in the Roman and late ancient periods.

The artistic practice of exorcism: Shabnam Shabazi (in conversation with Simon Ellis)

This is a conversation between artist Shabnam Shabazi and choreographer (and Choreographic Practices co-editor) Simon Ellis. They discuss Shabazi’s practice and focus on her interest in the archive as a creative resource, the role of the concept of home in her creative work and in the ways in which our bodies are sites of transformation for artists and participants.

Specter, Phantom, Demon

AbstractIn this article, I engage the existential and ontological ambiguity of “hauntology” by considering the three figures of specter, phantom, and demon. The literary ghost, the psychoanalytic ancestor introject, and the theological evil spirit evoke distinct but interrelated modes of being and nonbeing, presence and absence, subjectivity and intersubjectivity. What they have in common is the element of secrecy, where the secret may in various instances be shameful, not yet speakable, or deceitful. My ethnographic focus is on the demon in contemporary Roman Catholic exorcism as a figure of lies, deceit, and destruction within a ritually constructed assumptive world, and I examine this figure by describing the hauntological structure of the lifeworld of a demonically afflicted woman. The analysis shows that the notion of hauntology can help understand the contemporary phenomenon of Catholic exorcism, but also reciprocally that the examining of the practice of exorcism can help elaborate a theory of hauntology.

Between sacred and profane: Possession, psychopathology, and the Catholic church.

In Catholic culture, and especially within the Italian Catholic environment, there has recently been a significant revival of the practice of exorcism. This is a fact noted by historians such as Levack (2013) and Young (2016). The article intends to show how this phenomenon is related to a series of important historical turning points, the most important of which is the recent collaboration between exorcists and Catholic psychologists and psychiatrists to establish a differential diagnosis between real possession and mere psychopathology. The recent revival of exorcism in Italy is particularly noteworthy because it reverses a slow but clear trend in the Catholic Church, in the course of the 20th century, that increasingly considered possessions either as delusional or very rare. The reality of the devil has never been denied by the Catholic Church, but until the Second Vatican Council, the tendency was to de-escalate the denunciations of its direct and personal presence in the world. The article describes this evolution up to the most recent developments, highlighting the historiographical entanglements related to the coexistence, within the scientific realm, of demonological and psychological themes and beliefs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Egzorcyzmy w Nowym Testamencie

The article discusses the topic of exorcism as presented in the New Testament. Exorcisms were a part Jesus’ mission and he had the power over the evil spirits. Our Lord cared for every human being, including those possessed and tormented by the devil. He also taught about the practice of exorcism. Unlike the Old Testament, the revelation in the New Testament reveals much more about Satan, his nature, and his way of working. Jesus finally overcame the malign ghost on the Tree of the Cross. The fight against the demons was taken up by his disciples in accordance with the will of Christ. Since then the practice of exorcism has become a permanent part of the Church ministry and she draws the strength to perform the exorcisms from the faith received from Christ

Psicopatologia e demonologia. La "diagnosi" di possessione nel corso del XX secolo

Young (2016) ha recentemente notato una reviviscenza dell'idea della presenza del Diavolo e della pratica dell'esorcismo nel mondo attuale. Questo articolo ricostruisce la storia della demonologia cattolica, in relazione alla psicopatologia e alla psicoterapia. I demoni, nel corso della storia, sono stati considerati alla stregua di entità reali e concrete, e identificati come responsabili di malattie psichiche e fisiche, e per disastri nel mondo naturale. L'articolo sottolinea come l'esorcismo sia sopravvissuto all'affermarsi della psicoterapia perché, all'interno della teologia e della cultura cattolica, si è avuta una pervicace resistenza contro un'interpretazione in termini simbolici e metaforici della figura del Diavolo. I tentativi di secolarizzare il concetto di Diavolo - per esempio introducendo il cosiddetto Effetto Lucifero (Zimbardo, 2007) - non sono stati completamente coronati da successo. In alcuni specifici ambienti di psicoterapia a ispirazione cattolica, la credenza nel Diavolo è ancora attiva, come possibile spiegazione di fenomeni bizzarri, estremi o altrimenti inesplicabili.

Demonic Possession and the Practice of Exorcism: An exploration of the Franciscan legacy

Demonic Possession and the Practice of Exorcism:An exploration of the Franciscan legacy1 Bert Roest (bio) Early 2018, while trying to address one of the many deficiencies in the Franciscan Authors internet catalogue,2 my attention was drawn towards a peculiar English study and source translation of the Flagellum daemonum, a treatise written by the sixteenth-century Observant Franciscan Girolamo Menghi.3 Almost immediately afterwards, I came across a German translation of and commentary on both the Flagellum daemonum and the Fustis daemonum by the same author.4 According to the makers of these modern translations, they aim to make the works of one of Europe's most famous sixteenth-century exorcists and possibly the most successful writer of exorcism manuals who ever existed, available for a wider scholarly audience. Looking for corroboration of this verdict in a number of modern studies on demonic possession and exorcism, it quickly became apparent that Girolamo Menghi figures prominently in the present-day scholarly discourse on the development of exorcism and demonology during the late medieval, renaissance and early modern period.5 Moreover, alongside [End Page 301] of Menghi, in this discourse figure several other Franciscan demonologists and exorcists active in different periods, who together produced a significant body of texts devoted to exorcisms and related issues. Trying to put these matters into perspective, I came across a recent doctoral thesis, which was issued as a book early 2018, namely Jean-Baptiste Golfier's Tactiques du diable et délivrances. Dieu faitil concourir les demons au salut des hommes?.6 This book seems to make a modern theological case for the presence of the devil as an instigator of evil, and for the creation of a diagnostic theology of diabolical action. Yet it also contains a historical analysis of theological demonological thought, as well as an evaluation of existing spiritual and ecclesiastical remedies against diabolical activities, with recourse to the Catholic theological tradition. Both the historical analysis and the evaluation of existing spiritual and ecclesiastical remedies concentrate heavily, as is so often the case, on the writings of Thomas Aquinas, which Golfier presents as the pinnacle of mature scholastic theological reflection on this particular topic, and uses as the background to his own theological demonological reflections. However, Golfier's book at the same time contains specific statements with regard to the role of Franciscan theological thought in the development of Catholic demonology and therewith in the transformation of the art of exorcism, and of the persecution of witchcraft as a form of alliance with diabolic power in the late medieval and early modern period. [End Page 302] Following the lead of the French intellectual historian Alain Boureau,7 Golfier suggests that the 1277 condemnations of theological positions of Thomas Aquinas would in due course have meant a revival of Franciscan voluntarist theological thought, which curbed Aristotelian naturalism, and emphasized both God's freedom and the contingent status of creation. And in this process, the Thomist 'verrous spéculatifs' that would have bound demonic agency would have sprung, opening up pathways to a far more fear-ridden world view, in which the devil and his underlings were thought to have much more power to wreak havoc on mankind: La paranoïa collective, que la chrétienté allait vivre peu après, n'aurait plus disposé du gardefou thomasien, équilibre manifestant la puissance du démon tout autant que sa place mineure et soumise dans le gouvernement divin.8 Hence, a less-reasonable and less-equilibrated scholastic demonology would have emerged as the long-term effect of Franciscan theological thought, connected with the opposition to Thomistic positions in the writings of Guillaume de la Mare, Pietro of Giovanni Olivi, Pierre d'Aureole, John Duns Scotus, Durand of Saint-Pourçain, William of Ockham and Enrico of Carretto (known for his advice to Pope John XXII with regard to inquisitorial jurisdiction in matters of sorcery). Over time, this would have bolstered the witch craze of the renaissance, the ubiquitous presence of the devil, demoniacs, and hence the concomitant need for exorcism, as well as an active persecution of witchcraft and sorcery. Both Golfier and Boureau, in particular, single out Olivi's nine questions on demons...

Demon Possession and Psychopathology

This paper is an inquiry into demon possession, exorcism and psychopathology. In the history of the belief in demon possession and the practice of exorcism, belief in demons, evil and good spirits, possession, etc have always been part of human belief systems. Many church fathers testify that exorcism was practised in the various periods of Church History. The Catholic Church and the various Orthodox traditions advocate exorcism. However, it is the rationalism and the emergence of the scientific view of the world that questioned the belief in the demonic. However, the 20th and 21st century has seen a resurgence of these beliefs and practices particularly among Christians. Since exorcism played an important role in the ministry of Jesus and his disciples, it should have an integral part in the ministry of the Christian Church as well. The paper presents some tentative guidelines as to how the reality that there are two distinct conditions must be incorporated into the pastoral ministry and the missional approach of the contemporary church. Discernment and diagnosis is important in cross-cultural mission situations.

Realizing the Witch: Science, Cinema, and the Mastery of the Invisible by Richard Baxstrom and Todd Meyers

Reviewed by: Realizing the Witch: Science, Cinema, and the Mastery of the Invisible by Richard Baxstrom and Todd Meyers David B. Levy (bio) Richard Baxstrom and Todd Meyers, Realizing the Witch: Science, Cinema, and the Mastery of the Invisible. New York: Fordham University Press, 2016, 285 pp. $29.95 paper. Realizing the Witch: Science, Cinema, and the Mastery of the Invisible is an eye-opening study of the masterful silent innovative 1922 film Haxan (The Witch—the Danish word for witch is heksen). The book makes significant contribution to film studies. It will also be of interest to anthropologists, critical theorists, women's studies, folklorists, scholars of the occult, intellectual historians and historians of ideas, legal experts, sociologists, and psychologists. This book shows that the film Haxan blends spectacle and argument with use of early twentieth-century cinematographic techniques. The authors brilliantly reveal how Christiansen translates his profound insight into artistic representation. The focus of the film and its analysis in this book incorporate staged historical scenes of satanic initiation, confession under torture, possession, exorcism, and misogynistic persecution. Christensen gathered a vast library of historical and contemporary sources together for his film. He draws on visual accounts with direct reference to writings, art, and literature on witchcraft and witch trials from the Middle Ages through the Reformation and after. For example, chapter 4 notes how Christensen draws links between diagnostic strategies for identifying nervous disease and forms of interrogation used by magistrates of the Inquisition outlined in guides such as the infamous Malleus maleficarum (1487). Such handbooks created forms of the witch stereotype by which Inquisitors could "match" their findings with the accused witch. Realizing the Witch shows us Christensen's use of historical sources. In chapter 5, Christensen draws on Johann Weyer's De praestigiis daemonism (1563) to reveal the complex nature of the sensual, if not sexual, relationship of the practice of exorcism. Chapter 6 reveals the appearance of possession, ecstasy, and insanity relating to the reach of demonic influence. The authors show how Christensen draws from the neurological writings of Jean-Martin Charcot and his followers, especially the volumes they produced in the Bibliotheque diabolique that explicitly deal with the relationship between witchcraft and nervous disease. The filmmaker's weaving together of documents and of the culture of demonology gives the film not only the documentary power of representing knowledge of the witch with "objective criteria," but also "gives the witch life" (p. 13), according to Baxstrom and Meyers. Christensen creates an artistic work filled with irrationalities that make the witch real and plausible while at the same time tempering such representation with a psychological diagnosis of the phenomena in order to correct the errors of belief in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries that led to witch trials. [End Page 553] Like Favret-Saada (Deadly Words: Witchcraft in the Bocage [Cambridge University Press, 1980]), Christensen provides a diagnosis of the symptoms of the viral catching power (contagieux) of the witch by bringing the powers that animate them to life on the screen. Both Favret-Saada and Christensen acknowledge that witchcraft is difficult to study because of the inaccessible materiality of the witch to anthropologists and believers, since witchcraft is usually performed clandestinely and sorcery constitutes an invisible mobile field of force. While others such as John Ernst, Jytte Jensen, Casper Tybjerg, Arne Lunde, and Jack Stevenson have examined Haxan, none have exposed, as do the authors of this book, Christensen's vision that it is not enough to think about the film but instead that "one must think with it" (p. 9). Christensen advances the thesis that the appearance of witchcraft in Europe during the late medieval and early modern periods was actually due to unrecognized manifestations of clinical hysteria and psychosis. The symptoms of hysteria were thus misattributed to the being in league with Satan. Christensen attempts to allow the cinematographic possibility of making nature speak. Christenson thus offers a diagnosis of the phenomena of the witch as a form of nervous disease described by psychologists and its uncanny (unheimlich) abnormal behaviors. Thus diagnosis of nervous disease as a more humane way of dealing with the "witch" is substituted for the religious, superstitious, demonological thinking leading...

The Concept of Liberation in Luke 4:16-22 and Exorcism in the Church: The Nigerian Experience

This research was conducted to examine the concept of liberation in Luke 4:16-22 against the understanding and practice of exorcism by some Nigerian exorcist and faith-healers. Using the liberation model as a method, the paper used the passage (Luke 4:16-22) as a recipe for exorcist and faith-healers in Nigeria. The study revealed that Jesus’ concept of liberation (deliverance) in Luke 4:16-22 was not intended to exert violence on or exploit the victim of demonic oppression or illness. Furthermore, the passage showed a compassionate declaration of God’s willingness to liberate or deliver the oppressed from their predicament with the power of the Holy Spirit. As far as liberation and exorcism were concerned, the Church in Nigeria was challenged to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit so as to avoid abuse and embarrassment of victims. The church is also admonished to be concerned and fight for the right and liberation of the oppressed in Nigeria. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v4n1p195

Exorcism Practices in South-West Nigeria: A Comparative Analysis

In South-West Nigeria, the indispensability of services of exorcists cannot be overemphasized as there were numerous instances when orthodox medical practitioners, after having done their utmost but unsuccessfully, would advise patients to seek spiritual remedies to their maladies. The exorcists whose services are sought after in the region abound in the three main religions namely Islam, Christianity and Yoruba Traditional Religion. This study is a survey and a comparative analysis of exorcism practices by the Muslim, Christian and Yoruba Traditionalist exorcists in SouthWest Nigeria purposely to determine the possibility or otherwise of interference in their practice of exorcism. Areas of comparison include the personality of the exorcists, their diagnostic methods and the exorcism modus operandi. The result showed that difference in religious calling notwithstanding, there is, to a large extent interference and borrowing in their exorcism modus operandi, since they all operate in the same milieu.

Mermaids and Spirit Spouses: Rituals as Technologies of Gender in Transnational African Pentecostal Spaces

This article aims to approach the construction of gender in transnational spaces by focusing on the ritual practice of African Pentecostal migrants in Europe and in Africa. One dimension of African Pentecostalism is its insistence on the practice of exorcism called ‘deliverance’ where malevolent spirits are expelled from one’s body. Within the Pentecostal demonology, several categories of spirits carry implications for how gender is constructed. This article will analyse effects of the appearance of these spirits on the construction of gender among Ghanaian and Congolese Pentecostal churches in Geneva and in Accra. It will show that variations in the appearance of spirits within rituals can be interpreted as a negotiation of gender roles in a migratory context. Shifts in Pentecostal demonology can therefore be interpreted as a response to the reconfiguration of gender roles associated with the broader gender context and work opportunities in Europe.

Od charyzmatu do "Ordo exorcistarum". Rozwój praktyki egzorcyzmu w pierwotnym chrześcijaństwie

The term „exorcism” comes from the Latin exorcismus and from the Greek term, which originally meant „an oath”, but later in a Christian environ­ment has assumed the meaning „to curse” or „to expel the demons/evil spirits”. The practice of exorcism in early Christianity has been influenced by Old Testa­ment, ancient Judaism and especially by the exorcisms done by Jesus Christ and described in the New Testament. In patristic texts of IInd and IIIrd century we find the following elements of an exorcism: prayer in the name of Jesus, recitation of some elements of early Christian Creed, reading of the Gospel and it was done as an order. An exorcism has been accompanied by the imposition of hands, fast and using of the holy cross. An exorcism has been usually performed publicly and was treated as evidence of the truth of the Christian faith. Until the IIIrd century there was no office of exorcist in the ancient Church and the ministry of it was not con­nected at all with the priesthood, but depended on the individual charisma received from God and was confirmed by the effectiveness to realase the possessed people.

Powerful Yet Powerless, Powerless Yet Powerful: The Burmese Exorcist

One of the most typical forms of weikza cult consists in congregations ( gaing ) specialized in the practice of exorcism. Relying on the monographic study of such a congregation — the Shweyingyaw Congregation? the article explores the Burmese exorcist's identity. It describes the parameters of this identity in accordance with the way the exorcists themselves conceive their role and their efficacy. The article eventually compares the Burmese exorcist with three archetypal figures in the scholarly study of religion (the possession specialist, the shaman and the Church priest) in order to offer a generic characterization of his exorcistic faculty.

L'Esorcista, Gli Ossessi e L'Esorcismo, nel Canone 1172 de Codice di Diritto Canonico Fonti e Legislatione vigente (review)

Reviewed by: L'Esorcista, Gli Ossessi e L'Esorcismo, nel Canone 1172 de Codice di Diritto Canonico Fonti e Legislatione vigente John J. Coughlin O.F.M. L'Esorcista, Gli Ossessi e L'Esorcismo, nel Canone 1172 de Codice di Diritto Canonico Fonti e Legislatione vigente by Maurizio Bogetti. Torino: Universitá di Scienze Specialistiche Esorcistato Demonologia Escatologia Internazionale, 2011. This book offers a canonical, theological, and pastoral analysis of the sacramental of exorcism in the praxis of the Roman Catholic Church. The book focuses on the solemn exorcism of the possessed, recognized in Canon 1172 (CIC-1983), in distinction from baptismal exorcism and other forms of exorcism such as the blessing of holy water. The book is divided into five major chapters. The appendices to the book include various rituals and other church documents pertaining to exorcism. The author, Maurizio Bogetti, has penned the book with bishops, exorcists, and priests in mind, but the book will also be of interest to all persons who confront the mystery of evil. Bogetti writes in response to a "hyper technologized, rationalist, and scientific society" which adopts a "pseudo-theology" assuming "the death of Satan." Tracing the historical origins of exorcism to Judaism, Bogetti describes rabbinical exorcism as an antidote to "the practice of magic in pagan civilization." He notes that, in the Gospels, Jesus battles and conquers the ordinary and extraordinary manifestations of evil in order to liberate persons from "slavery to Satan." Ancient Christian authors such as Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Cyprian of Carthage, Origen, and Martin of Tours all affirmed the significance of the practice of exorcism in the Church. In 416, Pope Innocent I decreed that the exorcism of a possessed person must be approved by the bishop. Bogetti also discusses various historical rituals for exorcism employed during the patristic, medieval, and post-Tridentine Church. The historical examination lays the groundwork for the author's commentary on the present day practice of exorcism. In modern society, Bogetti recognizes that exorcism must be considered in relationship to medicine, psychiatry, and pharmacology. He reviews the classical signs of demonic possession recalling the instruction of the Church that medical diagnosis and treatment be attempted prior to the authorization of an exorcism. He observes that the entire process that leads to approval of an official exorcism must be enlightened by a correct "vision of Christian anthropology." The Christian understanding of the human person posits no necessary contradiction between science and faith. With regard to the office of exorcist in the diocese, Bogetti recalls that the exorcist must [End Page 313] be a bishop or priest who is outstanding in holiness and integrity of life and who should have necessary preparation to fulfill the office. Observing that the exorcist would ordinarily use the rite for solemn exorcism approved by Pope John Paul II and promulgated in 1999, Bogetti comments that the diocesan bishop might also request permission from the Holy See for the exorcist to rely on the 1952 pre-conciliar rite. This book is guided by the principle that a solemn exorcism remains an extraordinary feature of the Church's prayer for deliverance from evil through the healing grace of Christ. John J. Coughlin O.F.M. New York, NY Copyright © 2012 The Catholic University of America Press

O guia medicinal Primitive Physick de John Wesley de 1747: ciência, charlatania ou medicina social? (John Wesley’s medical guide Primitive Physic[k] from 1747: science, charlatanism or social medicine?) - DOI: 10.5752/P.2175-5841.2011v9n21p339

In 1747, John Wesley, spiritus rector of the Methodist movement, published the first edition of his medical guide Primitive Physic[k] . What was its purpose in a world where the Royal Academy, herbalists, healers / as, exorcists and quacks competed for the attention of the population? What is its legacy and limitation, considering the different interests of contemporary religious movements in Brazil? The article introduces the different groups who promoted or pretended to promote health in 18th century England and compares the contents of the guide Primitive Physic [k] with their proposals and therapeutic strategies. The conclusion is that a significant portion of the guide consists of guidelines of the Royal Academy of Medicine, but that it always favors homemade remedies with ingredients available to humbler classes. In relation to the socalled Spiritual Physick, prayer is mentioned as a complementary measure, but the practice of exorcism is totally ignored.

Believe Not Every Spirit: Possession, Mysticism, and Discernment in Early Modern Catholicism (review)

Reviewed by: Believe Not Every Spirit: Possession, Mysticism, and Discernment in Early Modern Catholicism Alison Weber Believe Not Every Spirit: Possession, Mysticism, and Discernment in Early Modern Catholicism. By Moshe Sluhovsky. (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. 2007. Pp. x, 374. $45.00. ISBN 978-0-226-76282-1.) In this fascinating and well-written study, Moshe Sluhovsky explores how early-modern Catholics struggled to create a reliable, probative method for reading supernatural signs in human bodies and actions. Were beatific ecstasies, visions, and voices gifts from God? Or were they deceptions of the devil, wont, as St. Paul warned, to disguise himself as an angel of light? Were demonic torments signs of sinfulness or spiritual progress? Drawing on extensive sources primarily from Spain, France, and Italy, Sluhovsky posits a close correlation between the diffusion and democratization of mysticism and the increasingly frequent determination that possessing spirits—especially in cases involving women—were demonic rather than divine. Part 1 addresses changes in the practice of exorcism that occurred in the early-modern period. At the end of the Middle Ages, demonic possession was a catchall term for various afflictions that failed to respond to medical cures, and exorcism was a common healing technique practiced by laity and clergy alike. There was no standard rite, nor was there agreement as to whether exorcism worked ex opere operato (by virtue of the rite itself) or ex opere operantis (by virtue of the exorcist’s divine gift). The sixteenth century, however, witnessed an explosion of treatises on exorcism and the discernment of spirits. What made the sixteenth century the Golden Age of possession? Previous scholars have argued that the printing press made it possible for Catholics to utilize dramatic stories of successful exorcisms in the propaganda war against Protestantism. Sluhovsky identifies another crucial factor—the “spiritualization of possession,” that is, the notion that possession can take place in the soul as well as in the body. As exorcists consequently acquired new importance as interpreters of souls, the Church moved to standardize the rite and exclude lay practitioners, a campaign that culminated in the Roman Rite of 1614. Although these efforts were part of the broader post-Tridentine program of clarifying the boundaries between the sacred and profane, Sluhovsky posits another concern: the growing anxiety over lay misappropriations of beliefs, practices, and rituals. [End Page 367] In part 2, Sluhovsky provides a lucid account of the nonsynchronous schools of Catholic interior spirituality. He groups various movements (recogimiento, dejamiento, Alumbradismo, orthodox Carmelite spirituality, Pelagianism, Molinism, and Salesian spirituality, among others) under the umbrella terms of pre-Quietism and, following Molinos’s condemnation in 1685, Quietism. Although these terms are burdened with connotations of sexual excess, there is no denying the usefulness of a comprehensive rubric for orthodox and heterodox forms of mysticism. A main argument of this section is that early modern Catholics established an increasingly close correspondence between the effects of mystical contemplation and diabolic possession. Many feared that the quieting of senses, memory, and will during contemplation could leave the soul susceptible to demonic assaults, as evil spirits rushed to fill the void in consciousness with libidinous suggestions and blasphemous ideas. Such fears were compounded by the belief that spiritually advanced souls aroused the particular ire of the devil. It is not surprising, therefore, that pre-Quietists and Quietists were accused of sexual improprieties. Sluhovsky declines to enter into a debate over whether the alleged debaucheries actually took place; his concern, rather, is with the theological anxieties that motivated such allegations. Part 3 addresses Catholic efforts to develop an infallible method of discernment—efforts that ultimately failed. Sluhovsky does an admirable job of analyzing influential texts from a vast corpus. From Gerson to Bossuet, he shows, the literature of discernment deployed misogynistic topoi—defining women as mentally inferior to men, more sensual, devious, and more easily deceived by the devil. According to Sluhovsky, however, this mistrust of feminine spirituality reached a peak in the late-seventeenth century, when a majority of women were judged as deluded, impostors, or possessed. Nevertheless, certain extraordinary women—notably Teresa of Ávila and Jeanne de Chantal—overcame criticism and even succeeded in practicing the art of discernment within...