EXOMOLOGESIS
415
EXORCISM, EXORCIS'!
165) ; Reuter, Commentarhts (Francf. IGIG, 4to) ; *Ri- vetus, Cummeniarii (_L. B. 1G34, -Ito) ; Jackson, Para- phrase (in Works, ix, 384); De la Haye, Commentarii (Paris 1639, 1G41, 2 vols, fol.) ; Liglitfoot, Gleanings (Lond. 1643, 4to) ; Sylvius, Commentarius (Duac. 1G44, 4to) ; Cartwright, Adnotatioms (Load. 1653, 8vo) ; Ca- llxtus, Erjyjsitio (Helmst. 1641, 1654, 4to) ; Cocceius, Observationes (in his 0pp. i, 136); Hughes, Exposition (Lond. 1672, fol.) ; *Patrick, Commentcmj (Lond. 1697, 4to); Hageinann, BdrachUmgen (Brunsw. 1738, 4to); loTeWius, Animadversiones (Lips. 1746, 4to) ; Haitsma, Commentarii (Franc. 1771, 4to) ; Hopkins, Notes (Lon- don, 1784, 4to) ; !l St.Cruce, Ilei-memia (Heidelb. 1787, 4to) ; *Horsley, Notes (in Bih. Criticism, i, 47) ; Cock- burn, Credibilitij, etc. (Lond. 1809, 8vo) ; *Rosenmuller, Scholia (Lips. 1822, 8vo) ; Newnham, Illustrations (Lond. n. d. 8vo); Vizard, Commentarij (London, 1838, 12mo) ; Buddicom, Exodus (2d cd. Liverp. 1839, 2 vols. 12mo) ; Trower, Sermons (Lond. 1843, 8vo) ; Kitto, II- lastratlon {Daily Bible Illust. ii) ; *Bush, Notes (N. Y. 1852, 2 vols. 12mo) ; Gumming, Beadings (Lond. 1853, 8vo) ; *Kalisch, Commentary (London, 1855, 8vo) ; Os- burn, Israel in Egypt (London, 1856, 12mo) ; *Knobel, Erkldrung (Lpz. 1857, 8vo) ; Howard, Notes (Cambr. 1857, 8vo); *Keil and Delitzsch, Comment, (from their Bibelirerk, Edinb. 1864, 8vo) ; *Lange, Comment, (in his Bibelwerk, ii, Lpz. 1864, 8vo) ; *Murph3', Comment. (Ed- inb. 1866, Andov. 1868, 8vo). See Old Testament.
Exomologesis Q'i,oi.io\6y7]nig, confession). The word was used in the ancient Church to denote not only confession in words, but also the various acts re- quired of penitents to give expression to sorrow for sin, and resolution of amendment.
1. It is common with Romanist writers, Avhen "they meet with the word exomologesis in any of the ancient writers, to interpret it as private or auricular confession, such as is now practised in the communion of that Church, and imposed upon men as absoluteh^ neces- sary to salvation. But they who, with greater judg- ment and ingenuity among themselves, have more nar- rowly considered the matter, make no scruple to con- fess that the exomologesis of the ancients signifies a quits different thing, viz. the Mhole exercise of public penance, of which public confession was a noted part. The learned AlbaspinjEus very strenuously sets him- self to refute this error in the writers of his own partj'. Cardinal Bellarmine, says he {Observaft.Wh. n,ea.\).2ij), and Baronius, and Maldonat in his controversies, and Pamelius in his commentaries upon Tertullian and Cyprian, laj^ it down as a certain truth that the fa- thers generally take the word exomologesis for private and auricular confession ; but, having long and accu- rately considered all the places where it is mentioned, I cannot come in to their opinion. The fathers, adds he, always use this word when they would describe the external rites of penance, viz. weeping, and mourning, and self-accusation, and other the like things, which penitents usuallj^ practisedin the course of public pen- ance" (Bingham, Orig. Eccles. bk. xviii, ch. iii).
2. So anxious was the primitive Church to preserve the voluntary character of penance, that it was deem- ed unlawful to exhort or invite any one to submit to this kind of discipline. It was required that the of- fenders should seek it as a favor, and should suppli- cate for admission among the penitents. The follow- ing are the duties or burdens imposed npon them. Penitents of the first three classes — the mourners (Jkntes), the hearers (imditntes), the kneclers or pros- trators (gemijlcctentcs or sTtbstrati) — were never allow- ed to stand duiing public prayers, but were obliged to kneel. Open and public confession before the whole church was to be made with lamentations, tears, and ether expressions of grief, and these were to bo often repeated. All ornaments of dress were to be laid aside, and all expressions of joy or pleasure to be abandoned. Male penitents were required to cut their hair and shave their beard in token of sorrow, and females
were to appear with their hair dishevelled, and wea?« ing a veil. During the whole time of penance the candidates were required to abstain from bathing, feast- ing, and corporeal pleasures lawful at other times. They were forbidden to marry during this period of humiliation. In addition, thej' were obliged to be present at every religious ceremonj-, and to perform works of love and charitj', particularly almsgiving. The}' were also expected to perform the office of the;)a- rabolani in visiting and relieving the sick and l)urying the dead (Riddle, Christian Antiquities, bk. iv, ch. iv).
3. The greater litanies are sometimes termed exomo- logeses, confessions ; because fasting, and weeping, and mourning, and confession of sins was nsually joined with supplication to avert God's wrath and reconcile him to a sinful people (Bingham, Orig. Eccles. bk. xiii, ch.i,§ll).
Exorcism, Exorcist (t^opKi<7Tr]Q, Acts xix, 13). I. In Genercd. — The belief in daemoniacal possessions, which may be traced in almost every nation, has al- ways been attended by the professed ability, on the part of some individuals, to release the unhappy victims from their calamity. In Greece, men of no less dis- tinction than both Epicurus (Diog. Laertius, x, 4) and ^Eschines were sons of women who lived by this art, and both were bitterlj' reproached, the one by the Sto- ics, and the other bj' his great rival orator Demosthe- nes (De Cor.), for having assisted their parents in these practices. In some instances this power was consider- ed as a divine gift ; in others it was thought to be ac- quired by investigations into the nature of dajmons and the qualities of natural productions, as herbs, stones, etc., and of drugs compounded of them, by the use of certain forms of adjurations, invocations, cere- monies, and other observances. Indeed, the various forms of exorcism, alluded to in authors of all nations, are innumerable, varj'ing from the bloody human sac- rifice down to the fumes of brimstone, etc. See Sor- cery.