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Exorcising a Mute by Gustave Doré, 1865. In Christianity, exorcism is the practice of casting out or getting rid of demons.In Christian practice, the person performing the exorcism, known as an exorcist, is a member of a Christian Church, or an individual thought to be graced with special powers or skills.
In folklore, the witching hour or devil's hour is a time of night that is associated with supernatural events, whereby witches, demons and ghosts are thought to appear and be at their most powerful. Definitions vary, and include the hour immediately after midnight and the time between 3:00 am and 4:00 am.
In the exorcism procedure the person possessed may be restrained so that, in the view of the Church, they do not harm themselves or any person present. The exorcist then prays and commands for the demons to retreat. The Catholic priest recites certain prayers – the Lord's Prayer, Hail Mary, and the Athanasian Creed.
The exorcist often invokes God, Jesus, angels and archangels, and various saints to aid with the exorcism. Christian exorcists most commonly cast out demons in Jesus' name. [1] The concepts of demonic possession and exorcism are found in the Bible and were practiced by the early Christians, especially gaining prominence in the 2nd century. [2] [3]
Official Catholic doctrine affirms that demonic possession can occur as distinguished from mental illness, [19] but stresses that cases of mental illness should not be misdiagnosed as demonic influence. Catholic exorcisms can occur only under the authority of a bishop and in accordance with strict rules; a simple exorcism also occurs during ...
The most impactful true story behind The Exorcist, however, is what happened afterward. The film brought renewed attention to the once-obscure practice of exorcism; today, demand for the ritual ...
In some religions, an exorcist (from the Greek „ἐξορκιστής“) is a person who is believed to be able to cast out the devil or performs the ridding of demons or other supernatural beings who are alleged to have possessed a person, or (sometimes) a building or object.
Fifth century mosaic of Christ exorcising demons, Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, Italy.. The synoptic gospels portray Jesus exorcising at sunset just after he had healed the mother of Peter's wife, in Matthew 8:16–17, Mark 1:32–34 and Luke 4:40–41.