
The Devil Within
Possession and Exorcism in the Christian West
Brian Levack(Author)
Yale University Press
Published on 15. March 2013
Book
Hardback
360 pages
978-0-300-11472-0 (ISBN)
Description
A fascinating, wide-ranging survey of the history of possession and exorcism through the ages
In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the era of the Reformation, thousands of Europeans were thought to be possessed by demons. In response to their horrifying symptoms-violent convulsions, displays of preternatural strength, vomiting of foreign objects, displaying contempt for sacred objects, and others-exorcists were summoned to expel the evil spirits from victims' bodies. This compelling book focuses on possession and exorcism in the Reformation period, but also reaches back to the fifteenth century and forward to our own times. Entire convents of nuns in French, Italian, and Spanish towns, 30 boys in an Amsterdam orphanage, a small group of young girls in Salem, Massachusetts-these are among the instances of demon possession in the United States and throughout Europe that Brian Levack closely examines, taking into account the diverse interpretations of generations of theologians, biblical scholars, pastors, physicians, anthropologists, psychiatrists, and historians. Challenging the commonly held belief that possession signals physical or mental illness, the author argues that demoniacs and exorcists-consciously or not-are following their various religious cultures, and their performances can only be understood in those contexts.
In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the era of the Reformation, thousands of Europeans were thought to be possessed by demons. In response to their horrifying symptoms-violent convulsions, displays of preternatural strength, vomiting of foreign objects, displaying contempt for sacred objects, and others-exorcists were summoned to expel the evil spirits from victims' bodies. This compelling book focuses on possession and exorcism in the Reformation period, but also reaches back to the fifteenth century and forward to our own times. Entire convents of nuns in French, Italian, and Spanish towns, 30 boys in an Amsterdam orphanage, a small group of young girls in Salem, Massachusetts-these are among the instances of demon possession in the United States and throughout Europe that Brian Levack closely examines, taking into account the diverse interpretations of generations of theologians, biblical scholars, pastors, physicians, anthropologists, psychiatrists, and historians. Challenging the commonly held belief that possession signals physical or mental illness, the author argues that demoniacs and exorcists-consciously or not-are following their various religious cultures, and their performances can only be understood in those contexts.
Reviews / Votes
"Riveting [and] readable . . . must-reading for students of history, psychology and religion." -Publishers Weekly * Publishers Weekly * "Brian P. Levak, a distinguished historian of early modern witchcraft, now sets exorcism in a long historical perspective, providing the most comprehensive and scholarly overview of the theme yet published...Underpinned by deep and empathetic learning, and an enviable knowledge of the sources, Levack's cultural "script" theory of possession and exorcism is an attractive one."-Peter Marshall, Times Literary Supplement -- Peter Marshall * Times Literary Supplement * Selected as a Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2013 in the Western Europe Category. -- Outstanding Academic Title * Choice *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
16 pp b-w illus.
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 156 mm
Weight
794 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-300-11472-0 (9780300114720)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
04/2013
1st Edition
Yale University Press
from
€69.49
Available for download
Person
Brian P. Levack is John E. Green Regents Professor in History, University of Texas at Austin, and author of the best-selling book The Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europe. He lives in Austin, TX.