From the publisher. From the beginning of civilization to the present day, and across all major religions and cultures, there have been documented cases of people seemingly overtaken by an unseen entity. The invading force -- whether good or bad -- appears to replace the possess…
"Between Worlds provides descriptions of the cases of possession as well as analysis of the magical techniques deployed by rabbinic exorcists to expel the ghostly intruders." "Seeking to understand the phenomenon of spirit possession in its full complexity, Chajes delves into is…
"In 1598, the English clergyman John Darrell was brought before the High Commission at Lambeth Palace to face charges of fraud and counterfeiting. The ecclesiastical authorities alleged that he had "taught 4. to counterfeite" demonic possession over a ten-year period, fashioning…
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 his earlies…
"Exorcism is more widespread in contemporary England than perhaps at any other time in history. The Anglican Church is by no means the main provider of this ritual, which predominantly takes place in independent churches. However, every one of the Church of England dioceses in t…
Introduction: American religion in an era of possessions -- Delivering the world -- Possessed possessions, defiled land, and the horrors of history -- The gothic therapeutic -- Haunting desires: agency in an era of possessions -- Conclusion.
Stories of contemporary exorcisms are largely met with ridicule, or even hostility. Sean McCloud argues, however, that there are important themes to consider within these narratives of seemingly well-adjusted people who attend school, go shopping, watch movies, and also happen t…
'American Possessions' examines contemporary American religious culture through the themes of a 'consuming convert's republic', 'the haunted present', and 'the therapeutic'. The work argues that US religious culture in the twenty-first century can be characterised as immersed in…
This innovative work seriously challenges the boundaries that are commonly drawn between such fields of inquiry as Chinese literature, Daoist ritual, and late imperial Chinese society and political history. Mark Meulenbeld steers scholarly awareness in a different direction by r…
Revealing the fundamental continuities that exist between vernacular fiction and exorcist, martial rituals in the vernacular language, Mark Meulenbeld argues that a specific type of Daoist exorcism helped shape vernacular novels in the late Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Focusing on …