Demon Possession And The Believer In The Early Church

In this world there is a proliferation of reality shows and movies that focus on the paranormal and the supernatural realm. The resurgence of interest in the supernatural appears to be pervading every area of life, including the religious. While some scholars dismiss the notion of demons and demonic possession, others readily acknowledge their reality. In particular, bible scholars, ministers, and counselors have a vested interest in this area. However, their professional opinions may differ greatly as to whether a Christian can be demon-possessed. A major reason for this impasse is the ongoing influence of the Age of Enlightenment. It represents an anti-supernatural worldview that denies the existence of the spiritual realm. Thus, in order to by-pass the influence of the Age of Enlightenment on modern day interpretation of demon possession, this study presents the records of the early Church Fathers from A.D. 100 to A. D. 500. Their original accounts are presented, critiqued, analyzed, and evaluated to determine what they communicated about demon possession and the Christian. What was uncovered not only has major ramifications for the Church today, but also informs the world at large about the reality of the spirit world. The author holds a B.A. degree in Bible and Theology from Crown Bible College, a M.A. degree in Missions from Columbia International University, and a Ph. D. degree in Religious Studies from Trinity College and Theological Seminary. Over the past twenty-one years he has served as a Christian high school teacher, Christian radio DJ, pastor, and a college professor. He and his wife of thirty-three years, Vicki, are the proud parents of six wonderful Christian sons.

To many in the church in the West, exorcism seems like the stuff of movies. It requires acceptance of the premise that evil spirits exist and can invade, control, and impair the health of an individual and that the individual can, in turn, be cured through someone forcing the evil spirits to leave. "For the vast majority of biblical scholars," asserts Graham H. Twelftree, "this is tantamount to believing in such entities as elves, dragons, or a flat earth." But for Christians throughout the world--especially the developing world--exorcism is an important part of the freedom that can be had through faith. In the Name of Jesus is the only book that explores this common part of ministry in the early church. This reliable and historical discussion provides church leaders, Bible students, pastors, and scholars with an intriguing and unique resource.

Shows from theology, the Bible and counseling experiences that Christians can be affected by demonic activity. Equips believers to fight spiritual battles--and win.

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

A collection of five lectures which provide a study of the demonic in New Testament literature and thought, with summaries of demonology in the Greek and Jewish literature of that era.

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.

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.

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.