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Demon Possession: Papers Presented at the University of Notre Dame

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This collection of essays stems from a symposium convened by the Christian Medical Society. It encompasses a variety of scholarly disciplines: Biblical Studies, Law, Church History, Missiology, Psychiatry, Anthropology and English Literature. The essayists are evangelical Christians affiliated with a variety of academic institutions. The essays explore the phenomena of the demonic in the Bible, in literature, on the mission field, in anthropology, legal history and psychiatric treatment. All essayists accept the reality of the demonic but they are cautious about finding a demon "under every rock". This collection will primarily be of interest to Christian readers who seek to gain an in depth and comprehensive over view of the subject.

If you are looking for a more substantial treatment of demon possession than most popular booklets this may well be it; this is a selection of serious papers. But don't expect variety among the contributors - as noted "all essayists accept the reality of the demonic". This is a weakness.

One thing the conference seems to have lacked is input from Judaism to what are historically Jewish source materials (Old and New Testament). This would have been useful in considering both the Jewish demon literature (such as Tobit and Solomon traditions) which is so relevant to the NT, and also the basic contradiction between OT and NT on this subject; i.e. the papers do not address how in Exodus Moses is told by God that he causes deafness, blindness and dumbness, yet in the Synoptics deafness, blindness, and dumbness are caused by demons. This is an issue that demands historical input and more awareness of the original context of demon possession within early Jewish beliefs on medicine and suffering.

In sum, good source material, but by the very nature of symposiums the papers concentrate on details rather than basic issues.

OR SHOULD I SAY "INTERESTING BUT UNCONVINCING?" This collection is far from scientific in any sense: no investigations along strict lines of research; no view to alternative explanations other than to discredit psychological interpretations. Exorcisms are still being performed in the American Catholic Church, in such a way that medical causes are not explored, and no documentation is provided for study, no follow up for medical or statistical analysis. For instance, read Michael Cuneo's book EXORCISMS IN THE LAND OF PLENTY, in which he interviews an exorcist in New York, James LeBar. Obviously, Cuneo was less than impressed. As for a scientific theory of what possession is, what causes it, and the psychological interaction between victim and the priest-exorcist, read Carter J. Gregory's THE FOURTH WATCH OF THE NIGHT, in which the phenomenon is traced back to the plight of our hominid ancestors, and new information is revealed about the 1949 St. Louis exorcism.

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