Descriptions of common men and women convulsing violently, speaking in tongues, expelling foreign objects like nails and pins, and levitating above their beds seem ripped out of the pages of a bestselling horror novel, or the plot to a (hopeful) blockbuster movie. But, in fact, medieval church records from the 16th and 17th century recount hundreds of cases like these, in which the afflicted was reported to be possessed by a demon.
In this supernatural-themed episode (just in time for Halloween!), guest Brian Levack talks about his latest book The Devil Within: Possessions and Exorcism in the Christian West, and his research into the deeper social causes and meanings of these alleged “demonic possessions” in early modern Europe.
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Author: Brian Levack
Keywords: Demon possession, Demon possessed, Demoniac, Possessed by a devil, Devil possession, Insanity, Mental illness
Bible reference(s): Matthew 4:24, Matthew 7:22, Matthew 8:16, Matthew 8:28, Matthew 8:31, Matthew 8:33, Matthew 9:32, Matthew 9:34, Matthew 10:8, Matthew 12:22, Matthew 12:24, Matthew 12:27, Matthew 12:28, Mark 1:32, Mark 1:34, Mark 1:39, Mark 3:15, Mark 3:22, Mark 5:15, Mark 5:16, Mark 5:18, Mark 6:13, Mark 9:38, Mark 16:9, Mark 16:17, Luke 4:41, Luke 8:2, Luke 8:27, Luke 8:30, Luke 8:33, Luke 8:35, Luke 8:36, Luke 8:38, Luke 9:1, Luke 9:49, Luke 10:17, Luke 11:15, Luke 11:18, Luke 11:19, Luke 11:20, Luke 13:32, John 10:21
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