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Exorcism
(825 words)

Exorcism was part of the magical repertoire of both the scholar and the church, and of popular practices (Magic). Its value lay in its effect of bringing about change, associated with rituals of compulsion or command as opposed to beseeching, blessing, or prayer. Exorcisms were used in cases of sickness, material loss, the averting or elimination of danger, and dealings with various forces (the dead, demons, ghosts, the Devil, saints). They reinforce and authorize their coercive character by enlisting other for…

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Labouvie, Eva, “Exorcism”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_SIM_017529>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20180126



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