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The person performing the exorcism, known as an exorcist, is often a priest, or an individual who is thought to have special powers or skills. The exorcist may use a combination of magical and religious methods, such as prayers and set formulas, gestures, icons and amulets, etc.. Usually the exorcist's goal is to force the evil spirit to leave, or to invoke some benign supernatural power that will perform the task.
The influential horror movie The Exorcist ( 1973, re-released 2000) was inspired in the Catholic exorcism ritual and folklore. After its release, the Catholic diocese of Chicago was inundated with so many requests for exorcism that it had to add exorcists to its existing staff.
The concept of "possession" by "evil spirits" and the practice of exorcism are very ancient and widespread, and may originate in prehistoric Shamanistic beliefs.
The Christian New TestamentThe New Testament sometimes called the Greek Scriptures is the name given to the part of the Christian Bible that was written after the birth of Jesus Christ. The term is a translation of the Latin Novum Testamentum which translates the Greek Η &Kappa includes exorcism among the miracleMiracle is a term used by adherents of many religions for what they say is an intervention by God in the universe. One must keep in mind that in Judaism, Christianity, Islam and in other faiths people have substantially different definitions of the word ms performed by JesusImages of Jesus in which a halo is used to represent divinity. 6 4 BCE to c. 29 33 CE) is the central figure in Christianity, in which context he is known as Jesus Christ (from the Hebrew Yehošua , and Greek Chi;ριστ&sigmaf Chris. Because of that precedent, possession was part of the belief system of Christianism since the beginning, and exorcism is still part of the ritual of CatholicismThis article considers Catholicism in the broadest ecclesiastical sense. See Catholicism (disambiguation) for alternative meanings Catholicism has two main ecclesiastical meanings, described in Webster's Dictionary as: a) "the whole orthodox Christian chu and some Protestant sects.
In recent times, Exorcism has diminished in importance and use. This is due mainly to a greater understanding of psychology and the functioning and structure of the human mind. Many of the cases that in the past might have been candidates for exorcism have been found to be the products of mental illnessThe Scream, the famous painting commonly thought of as depicting the experience of mental illness. A mental illness is a psychiatric disorder that results in a disruption in a person's thinking, feeling, moods, and ability to relate to others. Mental illn. These cases are treated through medical means instead of exorcism.
In the former ministry of the Roman Catholic ChurchThe Roman Catholic Church (often called simply the Catholic Church, but see Catholicism for other meanings of the term "Catholic Church") is a worldwide body of Christians in full communion with the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, and subscribing to the beliefs, the third of the minor orders was that of exorcist. In some dioceses, priests have been given the title of "Exorcist" for their diocese. The exorcist is invested with the power of casting out devils from persons possessed, by the imposition of hands. This power, however, according to the present law of the church, may be only exercised by priests, and by them only with the express permission of the local bishop; and this permission is rarely given. However, Pope John Paul II has encouraged the use of Exorcism, as a result a number of dioceses have designated a priest as the Exorcist for the diocese. Gabriele Amorth is the chief exorcist of the Roman Catholic Church. Only a priest or a higher prelate may perform the Rite of Exorcism.
Of exorcism, the Catholic Encyclopedia (1908) enjoined: "Superstition ought not to be confounded with religion, however much their history may be interwoven, nor magic, however white it may be, with a legitimate religious rite."
A well-known formula for exorcism, originating from a 1415 manuscript found in the Abbey of Metten in Bavaria, says
The verse Vade retro satana was probably inspired on a phrase by Jesus to Peter in the Vulgate New Testament, Mark 8:33: vade retro me, satana ("Step back from me, Satan!"). In Catholicism, it is used to repel any possible evil thing or happening, as a "spoken amulet". The initials of this formula (VRSNSMV SMQLIVB or VRS:NSMV:SMQL:IVB) were usually engraved around crosses or Catholic religious medals featuring Saint Benedict, to whom the formula is traditionally ascribed.
See: List of Exorcists