EXORCISM (Lat. exorcismus, from GI:. 4 opstalths, exorkismos, exorcism, from xorkizcin, to administer an oath. from (.s, cx, out + optdrecv, horkizein, Opsoiip, harkoun, to ad minister an oath, from iipKOS, horkos, oath). The act of conjuring evil spirits, in the name of God, to depart out of the person pOisessed.. The first Christians adjured evil spirits in the name of .lesus Christ; but as the opinion was entertained that all idolaters belonged to the kingdom of Satan, it was cus tomary to exorcise heathens previous to their receiving Christian baptism ; and since, on the theory of original sin, all infants were regarded as belonging to Satan's kingdom, exorcism be came general at the baptism even of Christian children.
Of its exercise in the early Church, both in relation to energumens (q.v.) or persons pos sessed, and in the administration of baptism, there are numerous examples. Tertullian and Origen speak of it as of ordinary occurrence, and the Council of Carthage. in 255, alludes to its use in baptism. The rite of exorcism is used by the modern Church in three different cases: in the ease of actual or supposed demoniacal pos session, in the administration of baptism, and in the blessing of the chrism or holy oil, and of holy water, with the view of withdrawing from the influence of Satan creatures which are to be used in the service of God. Its use in cases of
possession is now extremely rare, and in many diseases is prohibited, unless with the special permission of the bishop. In baptism it precedes the ceremony of applying the water with the bap tismal form. It is used equally in infant and in adult baptism, and Roman Catholic writers ap peal to the earliest examples of the administra tion of the sacrament as evidence of the use of exorcism in both alike. The rite of baptismal exorcism in the Roman Catholic Church follows closely the scriptural model in Mark viii.
The exorcisms in the blessing of the oil and water resemble Very closely the baptismal form, but are more diffuse. See DEMON r.