Demonic Possession and Exorcism: A Religio-Historical Study

No religion or historical epoch has been able to escape the phenomena of demonic possession and exorcism. This fact is evident in the religions of the Ancient Near East and the modern religions of the third world countries. Even in Europe where secularism is rife, the marks and contours left by demons and their chasers are still very evident. This is so because religions have come to accept warfare as part of the cosmic order. This could explain why theomarchy or war among the gods is a prominent feature of ancient religions. This book traces the development of the doctrine of this cosmic strife and argues that what has been accepted as demonic evil force was not so accepted at the beginning. The daimon was a positive force of the gods in the minds of the Greeks. Even the Hebrew bible does not have a developed concept of the demon as a negative force. It was in Christianity that the daimon became demonized and was given the power of attorney over humans. Now exorcism of demons has become a specialized art.