Exorcism as a Genre of Magical Literature
Abstract
The aim of this research work is to carry out an in-depth analysis of the concept of “exorcism” as a genre of magical literature in the form of prayers, oral imprecatory formulas, or inscribed objects (amulets) used during the ritual performances. In order to achieve our purposes, we will deepen the study of the genesis of exorcism by clarifying its archaic roots still present in the shamanic cultures of the prehistory with its survival in the apotropaic rites within the magical-religious Hellenistic (Greek Magical Papyri) and Arab-Islamic (the Qur’an) traditions. These were used for healing and ritual purposes, as well as the ways in which to adapt each of them in the therapies and religious rites of purification and liberation of the so-called “demonic possession.”