Exorcists

EXORCISTS. This word comes from the Greek, Exorcisein, which signifies to conjure, to use the name of God with a design Ἐξορκίζειν. Adjurare.to drive Devils out of the places or bodies, which they possess. We call one of the four minor Orders in the Christian Church Exorcists, whose office it was to conjure those, who were possessed with Devils. We see from the first Apologists of our Religion¹, that the Devils dreaded the Exorcisms of Christians, and that common Believers exercised a very great power over these wicked spirits. It is credible, that when the gift of miracles ceased to be so common, there were Exorcists appointed pretty early in the Church, who were particularly set apart for the exercise of this office, which before the generality of the Faithful performed of themselves, either upon the merit of their faith, or by virtue of some particular gift, which they had received at Baptism.

The Jews had likewise their Exorcists, as Jesus Christ intimates in the Gospel: for the Pharisees having given out, that he cast out Devils only in the name of BeelzebubMatth. xii. 27., his answer was, If I by Beelzebub cast out Devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your Joseph.Judges. Josephus relates, that a certain Antiq. l. Jew, whose name was Eleazar, cured the 8. c. 2.possessed with the help of a ring, in which a root was set, said by some to have been discovered by Solomon. The smell of this root put under the nose of the possessed person, made him fall on the ground; and the Exorcist conjured the Devil, forbidding him to return into that body. He says in another place, that a particular root, called Barad, which grows in Judæa, had the virtue of casting out Devils, when application of it was made upon the body of the Person possessed.

Mark ix. 28. Luke ix. 49.The Apostles inform us, that there were Jewish Exorcists, who took upon them to cast out Devils in the name of Jesus Christ Master, we saw one casting out Devils in thy name, and we forbad him, because he followeth not us; which practice these Exorcists continued after our Saviour’s death. Then certain of the vagabond Jews Exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil Spirits, the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus, whom Paul preacheth. And the evil Spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are ye? Lastly, Justin, Irenæus, Origen, and Tertullian speak of Jews, who boasted of a power to cast out Devils², and sometimes in reality did so, by calling upon the God of Abraham.

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