Early Christian Beliefs About Exorcism and Evil Spirits

Minucius Felix, Octavius Direct teaching

Therefore, these impure spirits—the demons—as is shown by the Magi, by the philosophers, and by Plato, consecrated under statues and images, lurk there. By their afflatus they gain the authority of a deity that seems present. Meanwhile, they are breathed into the prophets. They dwell in shrines. Sometimes they animate the fibers of the entrails, control the flights of birds, direct the lots, and cause oracles tangled with many falsehoods. For they are both deceived, and they deceive, since they are ignorant of the simple truth, and for their own ruin do not confess what they know. Thus they weigh men down from heaven and call them away from the true God to material things. They disturb life and make all men unquiet. They also creep secretly into human bodies. With subtlety, because they are spirits, they feign diseases, alarm minds, and wrench limbs, so that they may force men to worship them. Then, after being glutted with the fumes of altars and the sacrifices of cattle, by loosening what they had bound they seem to have cured it. These raging maniacs also, whom you see rushing about in public, are themselves prophets without a temple. Thus they rage, thus they rave, thus they ar

Hermas, The Shepherd (Pastor) Supporting witness

and being henceforward filled with evil spirits, he is in a state of anarchy in every action, being dragged here and there by the evil spirits, and there is a complete darkness in his mind as to everything good.

Tertullian, Against Marcion Supporting witness

To liberate men, then, from evil spirits, is a cure of sickness.

Ignatius, The Martyrdom of Ignatius Supporting witness

for all evil spirits have departed from the servants of God.

Tertullian, Apology Supporting witness

They disclaim being unclean spirits, which yet we must hold as indubitably proved by their relish for the blood and fumes and fœtid carcasses of sacrificial animals, and even by the vile language of their ministers.

Minucius Felix, Octavius Supporting witness

These impure spirits, therefore — the demons— as is shown by the Magi, by the philosophers, and by Plato, consecrated under statues and images, lurk there, and by their afflatus attain the authority as of a present deity;

Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Supporting witness

Moreover, these impure and wandering spirits, that they may throw all things into confusion, and overspread the minds of men with errors, interweave and mingle false things with true.

Hermas, The Shepherd (Pastor) Supporting witness

... every answer is made to the emptiness of man. Some true words he does occasionally speak, for the devil fills him with his own spirit, hoping that he may be able to overcome some of the righteous. As many, then, as are strong in the faith of the Lord and are clothed with truth have no connection with such spirits, but keep away from them. But as many as are doubtful in mind and repent often turn to soothsaying, just like the heathen, and bring greater sin on themselves by their idolatry. For he who asks a false prophet about any action is an idolater, devoid of the truth, and foolish. For no spirit given by God needs to be asked. But such a spirit, having the power of Divinity, speaks all things of itself, because it proceeds from above, from the power of the Divine Spirit. But the spirit that is asked and speaks according to the desires of men is earthly, light, and powerless, and it is completely silent if it is not questioned. "How then, sir," I said, "will a man know which of them is the prophet, and which the false prophet?" "I will tell you," he says, "about both the prophets, and then you can test the true and the false prophet by my directions. Test the man who has the

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book I Supporting witness

and have recourse to familiar spirits, dream-sending demons, and other abominations, declaring that they possess power to rule over, even now, the princes and formers of this world;

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book I Supporting witness

They use exorcisms and incantations. Love-potions, too, and charms, as well as those beings who are called “Paredri” (familiars) and “Oniropompi” (dream-senders), and whatever other curious arts can be had recourse to, are eagerly pressed into their service.

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book I Supporting witness

But such spirits as are commanded by these men, and speak when they desire it, are earthly and weak, audacious and impudent, sent forth by Satan for the seduction and perdition of those who do not hold fast that well-compacted faith which they received at first through the Church.

Origen, De Principiis (On First Principles) Supporting witness

Even Judas, too, when the devil had already put it in his heart to betray Christ, afterwards received Satan wholly into him;

Origen, De Principiis (On First Principles) Supporting witness

Logical reasoning will compel us to take the same view with regard to wicked and malignant spirits and unclean demons.

Justin Martyr, The First Apology Supporting witness

and those who are seized and cast about by the spirits of the dead, whom all call dæmoniacs or madmen;

Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Supporting witness

...ey trouble them through men and persecute them by the hands of others. And if they admit that these demons exist, we have won. For the true religion must be the one that understands the nature of demons, understands their craftiness, and compels them, once conquered and subdued, to yield to it. If they deny it, they will be refuted by the testimony of poets and philosophers. But if they do not deny the existence and malice of demons, what remains except for them to say that there is a difference between gods and demons? Let them then explain to us the difference between the two kinds, so that we may know what should be worshiped and what should be held in execration, and whether they agree with each other or are truly opposed to one another. If they are joined together by some necessity, how shall we distinguish them? Or how shall we join the honor and worship of each kind? But if, on the other hand, they are enemies, why is it that the demons do not fear the gods, or that the gods cannot drive away the demons? Look, someone stirred by the impulse of a demon is out of his senses, raving, and mad. Let us lead him into the temple of the excellent and mighty Jupiter, or, since Jupi

Tertullian, Apology Supporting witness

...have answered well enough the charges of the many crimes on which these fierce demands are made for Christian blood. We have fully presented our case. We have shown how we can prove that what we say is true, from the trustworthiness and antiquity of our sacred writings, and also from the confession of the powers of spiritual wickedness themselves. Who will dare to refute us, not with skill in words, but, as we have made our demonstration, on the basis of reality? But while the truth we hold is made clear to all, unbelief meanwhile, even at the very time when it is convinced of the worth of Christianity, now well known both for its benefits and from the intercourse of life, takes up the idea that it is not really something divine, but rather a kind of philosophy. "These are the very things," it says, "that the philosophers advise and profess: innocence, justice, patience, sobriety, and chastity." Why then are we not allowed the same freedom and immunity for our teachings that they have, when we are compared with them in what we teach? Or why are they not also forced to the same acts, by refusing which our lives are put in danger, if they are so much like us? For who forces a phil

Tatian, Address to the Greeks Supporting witness

.... You accept the rule of many instead of the rule of one, and you have trained yourselves to follow demons as if they were powerful. For just as a cruel robber usually overpowers others like himself by boldness, so the demons, by going to extremes in wickedness, have completely deceived the souls among you that are left on their own through ignorance and false appearances. These beings do not die easily, because they do not share in flesh. But while they live, they practice the ways of death, and they themselves die as often as they teach their followers to sin. Therefore, what is now their main distinction, that they do not die like men, they will still have when they are about to suffer punishment. They will not share in everlasting life, so that they might receive it instead of death in a blessed immortality. And just as we, for whom it now happens easily to die, later receive either immortality with joy or immortality with pain, so the demons, who misuse the present life for wrongdoing, and who die continually even while they live, will later have the same immortality that they had while they lived. But its nature will be like that of men who willingly did what the demons to

Tatian, Address to the Greeks Supporting witness

...ing condition, nor is a madman cured by hanging little leather amulets on him. There are attacks of demons. The sick man, the man who says he is in love, the man who hates, and the man who wants revenge accept them as helpers. And this is how they work: the shapes of letters and the lines made from them cannot by themselves show what is meant. Rather, people have invented signs for their thoughts, and by their special arrangement they know what the order of the letters was meant to express. In the same way, the different kinds of roots, and the way sinews and bones are related to each other, can do nothing by themselves. They are only the raw material with which the wickedness of the demons works, since the demons have decided what use can be made of each thing. And when they see that people agree to be served by such things, they take them and make them their slaves. But how can it be honorable to serve adulteries? How can it be noble to stir people up to hate one another? Or how is it fitting to credit matter, and not God, with relieving the insane? For by their skill they turn people away from the godly acknowledgment of God, leading them to put their trust in herbs and roots

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness

and others were excited by demons, or were disturbed by waters, and fumigations, and air of a peculiar kind.

Tatian, Address to the Greeks Supporting witness

The demons were driven forth to another abode;

Cyprian, Treatises Background

...flesh; and whatever soul eats of the flesh of the saving sacrifice, which is the Lord's, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from his people." Leviticus 7:20 Also, the apostle testifies and says, "You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils; you cannot be partakers of the Lord's table and of the table of devils." 1 Corinthians 10:21 Moreover, he threatens the stubborn and those who approach the Lord unworthily, saying, "Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of the body and blood of the Lord." 1 Corinthians 11:27

Athenagoras, A Plea for the Christians Background

...Thales, as those who have carefully examined his opinions report, divides superior beings into God, demons, and heroes. He recognizes God as the Intelligence of the world. By demons he means beings possessed of soul. By heroes he means the separated souls of men, the good being the good souls, and the bad the worthless ones. Plato again, while withholding his agreement on other points, also divides superior beings into the uncreated God, and those produced by the uncreated One for the adornment of heaven, the planets, and the fixed stars, and into demons. About these demons, although he does not think it right to speak himself, he thinks that those who have spoken about them should be listened to. He says, "To speak about the other demons, and to know their origin, is beyond our power. But we ought to believe those who have spoken before, the descendants of gods, as they say. And surely they must be well acquainted with their own ancestors. Therefore, it is impossible not to believe the sons of gods, even though they speak without probable or convincing proofs. But since they claim to tell of their own family matters, we are bound, according to custom, to believe them. In this w

Origen, Against Celsus Background

...ls are nothing, what harm will there be in taking part in the feast? On the other hand, if they are demons, it is certain that they too are God's creatures, and that we must believe in them, sacrifice to them according to the laws, and pray to them that they may be gracious." In response to this statement, it would be useful for us to take up and clearly explain the whole passage of the first Epistle to the Corinthians in which Paul deals with offerings to idols. From the fact that an idol is nothing in the world, the apostle draws the conclusion that it is harmful to use things offered to idols. He shows, to those who have ears to hear on such matters, that whoever takes part in things offered to idols is worse than a murderer, for he destroys his own brothers, for whom Christ died. Further, he maintains that the sacrifices are made to demons. From that he goes on to show that those who join the table of demons become associated with the demons. And he concludes that a man cannot both be a partaker of the table of the Lord and of the table of demons. But since it would take a whole treatise to explain fully all that is contained on this subject in the Epistle to the Corinthians

Clement of Alexandria, Exhortation to the Heathen Background

...ry to me to find out whether those whom you place in this second rank, next to the gods, are really demons. For if demons are greedy for pleasure and impure, then native demons that have received sacred honors can be found in crowds throughout your cities: Menedemus among the Cythnians; among the Tenians, Callistagoras; among the Delians, Anius; among the Laconians, Astrabacus; at Phalerus, a hero fastened to the prow of ships is worshipped; and the Pythian priestess ordered the Plataeans to sacrifice to Androcrates and Democrates, and Cyclaeus and Leuco, while the Median war was at its height. Anyone who looks around a little can bring many other demons to light.

Lactantius, The Epitome of the Divine Institutes Direct teaching

... and rest. But how important this sign is, and what power it has, is clear, since the whole host of demons is driven out and put to flight by this sign. And just as before His suffering He put demons to confusion by His word and command, so now, by the name and sign of that same suffering, unclean spirits that have slipped into the bodies of men are driven out. While they are racked and tormented, and while they confess that they are demons, they give way to God, who afflicts them. Therefore, what can the Greeks expect from their superstitions and from their wisdom, when they see that their gods, whom they also do not deny to be demons, are overcome by men through the cross?

Tertullian, De Anima (On the Soul) Supporting witness

This imposture of the evil spirit lying concealed in the persons of the dead, we are able, if I mistake not, to prove by actual facts, when in cases of exorcism (the evil spirit) affirms himself sometimes to be one of the relatives of the person possessed by him, sometimes a gladiator or a bestiarius, and sometimes even a god;

Lactantius, The Epitome of the Divine Institutes Supporting witness

And as He Himself before His passion put to confusion demons by His word and command, so now, by the name and sign of the same passion, unclean spirits, having insinuated themselves into the bodies of men, are driven out, when racked and tormented, and confessing themselves to be demons, they yield themselves to God, who harasses them.

Tatian, The Diatessaron Supporting witness

Luke 6:18 And those that were under the constraint of unclean 17 spirits were healed.

Tatian, The Diatessaron Supporting witness

Matthew 8:16a And at even they brought to him many that had 51 demons: and he cast out their devils with the word.

Tatian, The Diatessaron Supporting witness

And they talked one with another, and said, What is this word that orders the unclean spirits with power and 45 authority, and they come out?

Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Supporting witness

For as He Himself, when He was living among men, put to flight all the demons by His word, and restored to their former senses the minds of men which had been excited and maddened by their dreadful attacks;

Hippolytus, Refutation of All Heresies Supporting witness

and he prescribes similar treatment for those possessed of devils.

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness

nor will those who cast out demons be sanctified by the demons being made subject to them: for they only mock one another, as they do who play childish tricks for mirth, and destroy those who give heed to them.

Arnobius, Against the Heathen Supporting witness

they, too, by no different command, restored to health and to soundness of mind those labouring under the inflictions of these demons.

Methodius, Connection to Luke 8:29 Supporting witness

they heard that the demons had been put to flight; the sick restored to health