2. Deriyaticn. — The word SpKos seems primarily to have referred to a spirit, or an object made sacred by the indwelling of a spirit, and so came to mean the thing that brought a spirit into efl'ec- tive touch with a j^erson, hence ' an oath.' opd^eiv, in the same way, came to mean to bring these two together, hence [a) ' to administer or cause to take an oath ' (Gn 50^ Nu 5i«) ; or (6) ' to adjure ' (Jos &\ 1 K 22^\ 2 Ch 18'5, Ac W% When the high priest said to Jesus bpni^u) * ae Kara rod deov rod ^Qvtos (Mt 26^^), he thereby brought the prisoner into
* This, not efopKi'^w, is the reading of D L. The reading in Gn 24^ is efopxio).
384
EXOKCISM
EXORCISM
such effective touch -with Jahweh that the latter could punish him if he did not speak the truth. i^opdieiv, on the other hand, meant the separating of the spirit from the person, and from it conies i^opKiff/ibs, the Latin exoreismus, and the English 'exorcism.'
' The formula i^opxiiia is of Oriental origin. It is absolutely unknown in Greek and Italian tabellse from the fifth century B.C. to the second century a.d. ; and, when it does appear, it appears only in tablets which make mention of Oriental deities ' (F. B. Jevons, 'Deiixionum Tabellae,' in Transactions of the Third International Congreffifor the History of Religions, 190S, vol. ii. p. 138). A heathen amulet has the inscription efopKifoj v/nas Kara rov ayCov ovofLaTO? depaTrevirai. toi/ Aiovvatov ; and ' the adjective is of consUuit occurrence in the magic papyri ' (Moulton and MUligan, ' Lexical Notes from the Papyri ' in Expositor, 7th ser. vii. [1909] S7G).
3. History. — As the cause of disease Avas the incoming of an evil spirit, so the cure of the dis- ease consisted in its expulsion. All exorcists were not equally clever at their Avork ; but, though a patient might, like an old Babylonian, complain that ' the exorcist has not handled my illness suc- cessfully' (F. B. Jevons, Comparative Religion, 1913, p. 7), still failures were overlooked and for- gotten, and exorcism prevailed among all the nations of antiquity, and prevails among all un- civilized peoples to-day (G. T. Bettany, Primitive Religions, 1891, pp. 20, 113, 128; The Book of Ser Marco Polo, tr. H. Yule, 1871, vol. ii. pp. 71, 78).* Sometimes, as in the histratio of the Romans (W. Warde Fowler, The Religious Experience of the Roman People, 1911, p. 209) and the Anthesteria of the Greeks (Gilbert Murray, Four Stages of Greek Religion, 1912, p. 30), the exorcism Avas national and periodic.
In private life, when a person became ill ('was possessed '), an exorcist was at once called in who by various means attempted a cure. David by music expelled the evil spirit from Saul (1 S 16''*'^^), though, when the spirit came mightily, he failed (199; Jos. Ant. VI. viii. 2 and xi. 3). Embracing (another form of exorcism) is mentioned in 1 K 17'-^ 2 K 4**, Ac 20"*. Solomon, according to tradition, acquired a great reputation as an expert prac- titioner of the art — ' a science,' says Josephus (Ant. VIII. ii. 5), 'useful and sanative to man.' He com- posed incantations by which cures were effected, and also formulas by which demons could be ex- pelled. These were used as late as the time of Vespasian, a notable instance being recorded by Josephus [loc. cit. ; see also his account of the root of Baaras [BJ VII. vi. 3]). In the OT Apocrypha there are such references to the art as that in To 6i«-i7 82-3. Our Lordt accepted the beliefs of His time on this as on other matters. His words and deeds show us the evil spirits going out of a patient (Mt 17i«, Mk 58, Lk 8^9, Mk 9-5-2"6) ; entering into lower animals (Mt 8^2^ Mk 5^3, Lk 8^3) ; wandering through waterless places (Mt 12'*^ Lk IP^) ; co- operating with other spirits (Mt \2^^, Lk IP'') ; and re-entering the patients from wliom they had been expelled (Mt 12-'^ Lk ll-«). In contrast to the exorcists of His time (Mt 12^7, Lk ll'S), our Lord exhibited exceptional skill and unbroken success in the expulsion of evil spirits. He healed ' all who were tyrannized over by the devil ' (Ac lO''*^).^ Exorcism, it must be observed, is not nearly so proininent in the First Gospel as in the Third, and all instances of its use are omitted in the Fourth (J. Moaa.tt,The Theology of the Gospcls,\2l2, pp. 13,
• Fora psychological explanation of exorcism see W.McDoiigall, Psychology, 1912, p. 190; Andrew Lang, Makinci of Reliiion-, p. 129 ; T. J. Hudson, The Law of Psychic Phenomena, 1893.
t P. Dearmer, Body and Soul, 1909, p. 146 ; T. J. Hudson, op. cit., chs. xxiii., xxiv. ; G. J. Romanes, Thoughts on lie- ligionfi, 1896, p. ISO and Gore's note.
J (caTaJucao-Tevo^eVovs. The word here employed is used in the papyri thus : ' I am being harshly treated in prison, perish- ing with hunger,* and indicates the physical sulfering arising from possession (Moulton and Milligan, loc. cU. p. 477).
120 ; J. M. Thompson, Miracles in tlie NT, 1911, p. 63). It is especially noteworthy that our Lord in expelling evil spirits employed no outward means (except once, the spittle [Jn 9"]) ; He simply com- manded and it was done.* Perhaps the secret of His power, His triumphant and universal success, and of the failure of others, is revealed in His words, ' this kind cometh not out except by prayer ' (Mk 9'-^9).| Prayer is the complete opening up of one's entire personality to the incoming of the entire personality of God. Jesus was able to do this and did it ; others failed and fail.