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The History of Exorcism
Due to the advancement of observable evil in our society, the topic of exorcism has increasingly come to the forefront in the West in this century. In Hollywood movies, exorcism has often been sensationalized and misconstrued. Although volumes have been written about demons and exorcism, little has been explained about what solemn exorcism really is within the larger context of deliverance ministry. But now, Church-decreed expert on demonology and exorcism Adam Blai thoroughly explores the roots of exorcism and breaks open its significance for you. You will find answers to wide-ranging questions such Is possession an exclusively Christian phenomenon, or is it a universal problem? Did exorcism exist before Jesus, or did He introduce it? If it predated Christianity, how did other cultures see it and deal with it? How do other world religions view the phenomenon of possession and exorcism? Are there other methods of confronting it besides the Catholic rite? Blai lays out how exorcisms were performed in the earliest days of the Church. Over time, a liturgical rite was developed and teachings were provided to safeguard the faithful in the practice of exorcisms. In these pages, Blai
You will learn about how a harpist helped deliver King Saul of an evil spirit and how the spirits of giants tormented people. As you read about the evolution of exorcism, you will observe how strange practices sometimes occurred through the use of magic and superstition. You will also find five exorcism guidelines from the Middle Ages and four signs of genuine possession today. Additionally, you will see how the 1614 rite of exorcism differs from the 1998 rite. You will also find a helpful appendix about how to determine whether a disturbance is spiritual, mental, or medical. Extensive references are included throughout the book.
You will learn about how a harpist helped deliver King Saul of an evil spirit and how the spirits of giants tormented people. As you read about the evolution of exorcism, you will observe how strange practices sometimes occurred through the use of magic and superstition. You will also find five exorcism guidelines from the Middle Ages and four signs of genuine possession today. Additionally, you will see how the 1614 rite of exorcism differs from the 1998 rite. You will also find a helpful appendix about how to determine whether a disturbance is spiritual, mental, or medical. Extensive references are included throughout the book.
240 pages, Paperback
Published August 15, 2023
About the author
Adam Blai
6 books21 followersAdam Blai is a Peritus of religious demonology and exorcism for the Pittsburgh diocese. He has been an auxiliary member of the International Association of Exorcists in Rome for a number of years. A regular instructor for the Te Deum Institute of Sacred Liturgy in the Tulsa diocese, Blai provides training for exorcists nationally. He has a Master's in Psychology and has done most of his professional psychological work in forensic settings. Blai is currently working full-time for the Pittsburgh diocese and providing assistance to a number of other dioceses.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 25, 2023
Informative, but brief. He really seemed to be going somewhere with the section about the Freemasons leading up to the St. Michael prayer, but then spent less than a page on it, and didn’t make the connection.
April 9, 2026
In The History of Exorcism and the Resistance of the Demonic, Adam Blai provides what many practitioners consider a "technical manual" for the supernatural. Blai avoids the sensationalism typical of the genre, opting instead for a clinical tone that treats spiritual laws with the same rigour one might apply to physics or jurisprudence. His primary thesis is that the spiritual world operates on a system of "legal rights" or permissions, and his analysis focuses heavily on how these rights are inadvertently granted by individuals.
The Concept of Spiritual Jurisprudence
A significant portion of the book is dedicated to the mechanics of "opening doors." Blai posits that demonic influence is rarely an arbitrary or random occurrence; rather, it is usually the result of a "claim" established through specific actions. He categorises these into several distinct areas:
Occult Involvement: Direct engagement with practices intended to gain hidden knowledge or power, which Blai describes as a formal invitation to non-divine entities.
Habitual Grave Sin: The idea that persistent, unrepentant behaviour creates a "spiritual environment" that weakens an individual’s natural defences and aligns their will with malevolent forces.
Transgenerational Influence: A more controversial aspect of his work where he discusses how the actions of ancestors can create a lingering spiritual vulnerability for descendants, necessitating specific rites of renunciation.
The Taxonomy of Affliction
Blai is meticulous in defining the stages of spiritual interference, moving beyond the binary of "possessed" or "not possessed." He provides a structured hierarchy that helps the reader—and the investigator—categorise the severity of an encounter:
Infestation: Affecting places or objects rather than people (e.g., unexplained noises, moving objects, or a sense of presence in a home).
Oppression (or Vexation): External attacks on a person’s life, health, or circumstances, often manifesting as a string of inexplicable "bad luck," sudden physical ailments, or intense depressive episodes that do not respond to medical treatment.
Obsession: An internal assault on the mind, involving persistent, intrusive thoughts or images that feel foreign to the individual’s own personality.
Possession: The rarest and most severe stage, where an entity gains temporary control over a person’s physical body.
The Role of the Peritus and the Rite
The book also offers an "inside look" at the resistance encountered during the actual Rite of Exorcism. Blai describes the phenomenon of "the manifestations"—the physical and verbal reactions of the entity when confronted with sacred objects or prayers. He treats these not as "theatre," but as diagnostic data. For Blai, the rite is a battle of wills and authority where the priest acts as the legal representative of the Church to revoke the "rights" the entity has claimed.
By focusing on the "resistance" mentioned in the title, Blai highlights that liberation is often a slow, incremental process of reclaiming spiritual ground. His work serves as a sobering reminder that, in this worldview, the physical and spiritual realms are deeply intertwined, with the former providing the gateway for the latter.
The Concept of Spiritual Jurisprudence
A significant portion of the book is dedicated to the mechanics of "opening doors." Blai posits that demonic influence is rarely an arbitrary or random occurrence; rather, it is usually the result of a "claim" established through specific actions. He categorises these into several distinct areas:
Occult Involvement: Direct engagement with practices intended to gain hidden knowledge or power, which Blai describes as a formal invitation to non-divine entities.
Habitual Grave Sin: The idea that persistent, unrepentant behaviour creates a "spiritual environment" that weakens an individual’s natural defences and aligns their will with malevolent forces.
Transgenerational Influence: A more controversial aspect of his work where he discusses how the actions of ancestors can create a lingering spiritual vulnerability for descendants, necessitating specific rites of renunciation.
The Taxonomy of Affliction
Blai is meticulous in defining the stages of spiritual interference, moving beyond the binary of "possessed" or "not possessed." He provides a structured hierarchy that helps the reader—and the investigator—categorise the severity of an encounter:
Infestation: Affecting places or objects rather than people (e.g., unexplained noises, moving objects, or a sense of presence in a home).
Oppression (or Vexation): External attacks on a person’s life, health, or circumstances, often manifesting as a string of inexplicable "bad luck," sudden physical ailments, or intense depressive episodes that do not respond to medical treatment.
Obsession: An internal assault on the mind, involving persistent, intrusive thoughts or images that feel foreign to the individual’s own personality.
Possession: The rarest and most severe stage, where an entity gains temporary control over a person’s physical body.
The Role of the Peritus and the Rite
The book also offers an "inside look" at the resistance encountered during the actual Rite of Exorcism. Blai describes the phenomenon of "the manifestations"—the physical and verbal reactions of the entity when confronted with sacred objects or prayers. He treats these not as "theatre," but as diagnostic data. For Blai, the rite is a battle of wills and authority where the priest acts as the legal representative of the Church to revoke the "rights" the entity has claimed.
By focusing on the "resistance" mentioned in the title, Blai highlights that liberation is often a slow, incremental process of reclaiming spiritual ground. His work serves as a sobering reminder that, in this worldview, the physical and spiritual realms are deeply intertwined, with the former providing the gateway for the latter.
May 31, 2025
Feels very unfinished.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews