THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT EXORCISM

THE PHENOMENON OF EXORCISM HAS PROBABLY

EXISTED FROM VERY EARLY TIMES. IN GREECE,

EPICURUS AND AESCHINES WERE SONS OF

WOMEN WHO LIVED BY THIS ART, AND EACH WAS

BITTERLY REPROACHED, THE ONE BY THE STOICS,

THE OTHER BY DEMOSTHENES, FOR HAVING

ASSISTED HIS MOTHER IN HER

“DISHONOURABLE” PRACTICES

THE WORD EXORCISM COMES FROM THE GREEK WORD

EXORKISMOS – BINDING BY OATH

THE VATICAN FIRST ISSUED OFFICIAL GUIDELINES ON

EXORCISM IN 1614 AND REVISED THEM IN 1999

CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF, THE PRACTICE OF

EXORCISING DEMONS IS NOT CONFINED SOLELY TO

ROMAN CATHOLICISM OR THE WEST. IT IS PERFORMED

ALL AROUND THE WORLD BY EVERY MAJOR RELIGION

EXORCISM IS PRETTY COMMON IN JUDAISM AS

WELL. JOSEPHUS, A FIRST-CENTURY ROMANO-JEWISH

SCHOLAR, REPORTED EXORCISMS PERFORMED BY

ADMINISTERING POISONOUS ROOT EXTRACTS. IN

MORE RECENT TIMES, RABBI YEHUDA FETAYA

AUTHORED THE BOOK MINCHAT YAHUDA, WHICH

DEALS EXTENSIVELY WITH EXORCISM, HIS

EXPERIENCE WITH POSSESSED PEOPLE AND

OTHER SUBJECTS IN JEWISH THOUGHT

IN ISLAM, EXORCISM IS CALLED RUQYA. IT IS USED TO

REPAIR THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY SIHR OR BLACK MAGIC.

EXORCISMS TODAY ARE PART OF A WIDER BODY OF

CONTEMPORARY ISLAMIC ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

CALLED AL-TIBB AL-NABAWI (MEDICINE OF THE PROPHET)

BELIEFS AND PRACTICES PERTAINING TO THE

PRACTICE OF EXORCISM ARE PROMINENTLY

CONNECTED WITH HINDUS AS WELL. OF THE FOUR

VEDAS (HOLY BOOKS OF THE HINDUS), THE ATHARVA

VEDA IS BELIEVED TO CONTAIN THE SECRETS RELATED

TO EXORCISM, MAGIC, AND ALCHEMY

ACCORDING TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, AFTER THE

EXORCISM HAS BEEN FINISHED THE PERSON

POSSESSED FEELS A “KIND OF RELEASE OF GUILT

AND FEELS REBORN AND FREED OF SIN.” UNFORTUNATELY

FOR THE PATIENT, NOT ALL EXORCISMS ARE SUCCESSFUL

THE FIRST TIME AND IT COULD TAKE DAYS, WEEKS,

OR EVEN MONTHS OF CONSTANT PRAYER AND EXORCISMS

SOLEMN EXORCISMS, ACCORDING TO THE CANON LAW

OF THE CHURCH, CAN BE EXERCISED ONLY BY AN

ORDAINED PRIEST (OR HIGHER PRELATE), WITH THE

EXPRESS PERMISSION OF THE LOCAL BISHOP AND ONLY

AFTER A CAREFUL MEDICAL EXAMINATION TO

EXCLUDE THE POSSIBILITY OF MENTAL ILLNESS