Possession And Exorcism In The New Testament And Early Christianity

Author : Eric Sorensen
Publisher : Mohr Siebeck
Page : 320 pages
File Size : 53,8 Mb
Release : 2002
Category : Religion
ISBN : 3161478517

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Possession and Exorcism in the New Testament and Early Christianity by Eric Sorensen Pdf

Eric Sorensen examines how religious tradition is maintained when in conflict with social convention. The author is specifically interested in how Christianity overcame stigmas of magic and superstition in its practice of exorcism as it extended into Greek and Roman areas of Christian mission. Using an historical-critical approach, he argues for three principal factors at work in confirming the exorcist's place in religious society: cultural adaptation (Near Eastern influences on Greek and Roman thought and practice), a tradition of exorcism founded upon authoritative scriptural example, and innovative theological interpretations applied to that tradition. Eric Sorensen proposes that the exorcist's role was adapted in part by Christianity's interpretation of demonic possession relative to the concept of divine possession long familiar to Greco-Roman sensibilities. Early Christians found a suitable metaphor to express this correlation in the doctrine of the Two Ways, which itself had literary antecedents both in Greek literature and in Christianity's own scriptural tradition.

Author : Eric Sorensen
Publisher : Mohr Siebrek Ek
Page : 295 pages
File Size : 42,8 Mb
Release : 2002
Category : Religion
ISBN : 3161478517

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Possession and Exorcism in the New Testament and Early Christianity by Eric Sorensen Pdf

Eric Sorensen examines how religious tradition is maintained when in conflict with social convention. The author is specifically interested in how Christianity overcame stigmas of magic and superstition in its practice of exorcism as it extended into Greek and Roman areas of Christian mission. Using an historical-critical approach, he argues for three principal factors at work in confirming the exorcist's place in religious society: cultural adaptation (Near Eastern influences on Greek and Roman thought and practice), a tradition of exorcism founded upon authoritative scriptural example, and innovative theological interpretations applied to that tradition. Eric Sorensen proposes that the exorcist's role was adapted in part by Christianity's interpretation of demonic possession relative to the concept of divine possession long familiar to Greco-Roman sensibilities. Early Christians found a suitable metaphor to express this correlation in the doctrine of the Two Ways, which itself had literary antecedents both in Greek literature and in Christianity's own scriptural tradition.

Author : Eric Sorensen
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 295 pages
File Size : 47,8 Mb
Release : 1976
Category : Bible
ISBN : 3161478517

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Possession and Exorcism in the New Testament and Early Christianity by Eric Sorensen Pdf

Author : Graham H. Twelftree
Publisher : Baker Academic
Page : 352 pages
File Size : 54,5 Mb
Release : 2007-10
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780801027451

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In the Name of Jesus by Graham H. Twelftree Pdf

This volume offers a comprehensive examination of both historical and theological aspects of exorcism in Christianity's first two centuries.

Author : Giovanni B. Bazzana
Publisher : Yale University Press
Page : 333 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2020-01-07
Category : Bible
ISBN : 9780300245622

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Having the Spirit of Christ by Giovanni B. Bazzana Pdf

A provocative reinterpretation of accounts of spirit possession and exorcism in early Christianity The earliest Christian writings are filled with stories of possession and exorcism, which were crucial for the activity of the historical Jesus and for the practice of the earliest groups of his followers. Most critical scholarship, however, regularly marginalizes these topics or discards them altogether in reconstructing early Christian history. This innovative book approaches the study of possession from a different methodological angle by using a comparative lens that includes contemporary ethnographies of possession cross-culturally. Possession, besides being a harmful event that should be exorcized, can also have a positive role in many cultures. Often it helps individuals and groups to reflect on and reshape their identity, to plan their moral actions, and to remember in a most vivid way their past. When read in light of these materials, these ancient documents reveal the religious, cultural, and social meaning that the experience of possession had for the early Christ groups.

Author : Selby Vernon McCasland
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 168 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 1951
Category : Bible
ISBN : STANFORD:36105012189614

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By the Finger of God by Selby Vernon McCasland Pdf

Author : Amanda Witmer
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 264 pages
File Size : 44,9 Mb
Release : 2012-02-23
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780567427564

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Jesus, the Galilean Exorcist by Amanda Witmer Pdf

Amanda Witmer presents an investigation of exorcism in the activities of the historical Jesus, particularly the connection between spirit possession and exorcism on the one hand and the socio-political context of first-century Galilee on the other. Witmer draws on research from the areas of sociology, anthropology, archaeology and biblical studies to illuminate this aspect of Jesus' career, as well as the broader social implications of spirit possession in those he treated and the exorcisms themselves. Evidence found in the strands underlying the Synoptic Gospels is evaluated using the criteria of authenticity and comparative analysis in order to establish early and historical material. Questions posed and answered concern the historical plausibility of Jesus' role as exorcist, the possibility that his own career began with a period of spirit possession, and the meaning that his exorcisms conveyed to his first-century audience. Thus, the methodology includes textual analysis, sociological analysis of general cultural patterns within which first-century Palestine can be fitted, and anthropological analysis of the plausible functions of both spirit possession and exorcism in agrarian societies.

Author : Brian Levack
Publisher : Yale University Press
Page : 368 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 2013-04-22
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780300114720

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The Devil Within by Brian Levack Pdf

A fascinating, wide-ranging survey examines the history of possession and exorcism through the ages.

Author : Andrew Daunton-Fear
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
Page : 211 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2009-07-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781606088746

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Healing in the Early Church by Andrew Daunton-Fear Pdf

This monograph presents the most comprehensive investigation yet made into the healing activity of the Early Church. In contrast to early skeptics like B. B. Warfield, the author is convinced there was a vigorous healing ministry in the centuries that followed the apostles, though it fluctuated somewhat and changed its mode. Exorcism is prominently attested throughout the period. The pre-Nicene Fathers recognized its great apologetic value as a dramatic demonstration of the superiority of Jesus Christ over pagan gods. Interest in healing miracles per se appears to have been particularly characteristic of the less educated members of the Church and those who were chaste in their devotion to the cause of Christ. Amongst these groups gifts of healing were found, becoming rare it seems by the mid-third century, but well attested again later in monastic circles. In the pre-Nicene period anointing with oil (in the name of Christ) was clearly an avenue of healing and, though mentioned comparatively rarely, may have been widespread as part of the regular ministry of local clergy to the sick. Baptismal healing, physical as well as spiritual, also took place. In the post-Nicene Church the shrines of the martyrs became a prominent locus of healing. Devotion to this cult may have been encouraged by Church Fathers as an acceptable alternative to magical practices. But evidence suggests syncretism did occur and martyr's relics could be invested with quasi-magical awe. Most Fathers were positive about the medical profession, seeing it as an avenue of God's work, and in the late fourth century one pioneered the hospital which then spread throughout the eastern Mediterranean. In an appendix to his work, the author sets down nine pointers from the healing activity of the Early Church, and his own experience, to assist those engaged in the healing ministry today.

Author : William M. Alexander
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
Page : 305 pages
File Size : 55,7 Mb
Release : 2001-08-21
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781579107253

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Demonic Possession in the New Testament by William M. Alexander Pdf

Demon possession in New Testament times was real, contends the author in the face of rationalistic denials. A study of the Gospels reveals that genuine demon possession had two distinctive elements: (1) insanity or idiocy of some sort, forming the natural element,Ó and (2) the confession of Jesus as Messiah, forming the supernatural element.Ó The author's research also led him to conclude that demon possession in the New Testament is a unique phenomenon in the history of the world, being confined indeed to the earlier portion of the ministry of our Lord.Ó Why did this phenomenon erupt when it did? The incarnation initiated the establishment of the kingdom of heaven upon earth. That determined a countermovement among the powers of darkness. Genuine demonic possession was one of its manifestations.Ó Entire chapters are devoted to historic demonology, medical aspects of demonic possession, the existence of genuine demonic possession, the New Testament narratives concerning the Beelzebul controversyÓ and the Gerasene affair,Ó and the alleged continuance of genuine demonic possession.

Author : Graham H. Twelftree
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
Page : 289 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 2011-07-11
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781610970600

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Jesus the Exorcist by Graham H. Twelftree Pdf

That the synoptic writers believed that Jesus cast out demons and that such a role figured prominently in the Synoptics' portrait of him can scarcely be denied. And yet, only scant scholarly attention has been focused on Jesus' role as exorcist. Even less consideration has been given to the significance of Jesus as exorcist for understanding the historical Jesus. Now, in a provocative and insightful study, Graham Twelftree helps New Testament scholars move beyond such myopia. Twelftree examines exorcists and exorcism in first-century Palestine, assesses the New Testament accounts of demons and their demise, and explores the implications and significance of the fact that Jesus was indeed an exorcist. The volume appeared originally in the noted German series Wissenschaftliche Unteruchmungen zum Neuen Testament.

Author : Jan N. Bremmer
Publisher : Mohr Siebeck
Page : 526 pages
File Size : 54,7 Mb
Release : 2017-07-13
Category : Religion
ISBN : 3161544501

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Maidens, Magic and Martyrs in Early Christianity by Jan N. Bremmer Pdf

In this work, Jan N. Bremmer aims to bring together the worlds of early Christianity and those of ancient history and classical literature - worlds that still all too rarely interlock. Contextualising the life and literature of the early Christians in their Greco-Roman environment, he focusses on four areas. A first section looks at more general aspects of early Christianity: the name of the Christians, their religious and social capital, prophecy and the place of widows and upper-class women in the Christian movement. Second, the chronology and place of composition of the early apocryphal Acts of the Apostles and Pseudo-Clementines are newly determined by paying close attention to their doctrinal contents, but also, innovatively, to their onomastics and social vocabulary. The author also analyses the frequent use of magic in the Acts and explains the prominence of women by comparing the Acts to the Greek novel. Third, an investigation into the theme of the tours of hell suggests a new chronological order, shows that the Christian tours were indebted to both Greek and Jewish models, and illustrates that in the course of time the genre dropped a large part of its Jewish heritage. The fourth and final section concentrates on the most famous and intriguing report of an ancient martyrdom: the Passion of Perpetua. It pays special attention to the motivation and visions of Perpetua, which are analyzed not by taking recourse to modern theories such as psychoanalysis, but by looking to the world in which Perpetua lived, both Christian and pagan. It is only by seeing the early Christians in their ancient world that we might begin to understand them and their emerging communities. (Publisher's description).

Author : Ilan Stavans
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 2024-05-04
Category : Hispanic Americans
ISBN : 0199913706

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Oxford Bibliographies by Ilan Stavans Pdf

"An emerging field of study that explores the Hispanic minority in the United States, Latino Studies is enriched by an interdisciplinary perspective. Historians, sociologists, anthropologists, political scientists, demographers, linguists, as well as religion, ethnicity, and culture scholars, among others, bring a varied, multifaceted approach to the understanding of a people whose roots are all over the Americas and whose permanent home is north of the Rio Grande. Oxford Bibliographies in Latino Studies offers an authoritative, trustworthy, and up-to-date intellectual map to this ever-changing discipline."--Editorial page.

Author : William K Kay,Robin Parry
Publisher : Authentic Media Inc
Page : 300 pages
File Size : 53,8 Mb
Release : 2011-04-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781842277645

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Exorcism and Deliverance by William K Kay,Robin Parry Pdf

A significant examination of exorcism and deliverance from a range of disciplines focuses on an important but often neglected area of the church's mission to the world. The diversity of essays makes sure that every facet is presented to encourage the reader thoroughly to consider this aspect of the church's approach to evil in our society. Since Jesus of Nazareth made exorcism a cornerstone of his own ministry, the Church has seen itself as engaged in a battle against the demonic. Exorcism has continued to play a role throughout Christian history in this conflict, although it has received different emphases in different times and places, and has been practiced in a range of different ways. Exorcism and Deliverance aims to shed new light on the phenomena of possession and exorcism by looking at them from a range of disciplinary perspectives.

Author : Michael J. Morris
Publisher : Mohr Siebeck
Page : 320 pages
File Size : 52,9 Mb
Release : 2017-10-24
Category : Religion
ISBN : 3161552636

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Warding Off Evil by Michael J. Morris Pdf

In this study, Michael J. Morris examines aspects of synoptic gospel demonology; specifically, human responses to demonic evil. It is clear that early Christian demonology can be more fully understood against the background of early Jewish traditions. In the Dead Sea Scrolls, for instance, there are two fundamental ways by which protection against demons is sought. The first anti-demonic method is "exorcism," and the second is characterized by its preventative nature and is typically referred to as "apotropaism." Although many contributions have been made on the topic of exorcism in the gospels, less attention has been paid to the presence of apotropaic features in the gospel texts. Therefore, Michael J. Morris offers a timely examination of apotropaic tradition in early Judaism and its significance for demonological material in the synoptic gospels.