Devil's Scourge: Exorcism During the Italian Renaissance

by Gaetano Paxia and Girolamo Menghi

Even during the height of the Renaissance, people believed in demonic possession. Only holy men held the power to do battle with the evil spirits. Here is a concise history of demonology and the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 157863265X
• ISBN13: 9781578632657
• Release Date: June 2002
• Publisher: Weiser Books
• Length: 210 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.9" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Interesting and Educational Read

Girolamo Menghi's book on seven exorcisms he performed during the Renaissance is purely for an educational standpoint. I enjoyed this book to a point--for, you guessed it, educational reasons. There is, however, no entertainment value to this book. Each exorcism is given in a step-by-step process on prayer, exorcising, and interrogation of the demon. Where that sounds very interesting, nearly every exorcism is pretty much done the same way with similiar prayers and words spoken during the exorcising. There are some differences here-and-there with each exorcism, but once you read the first two or three exorcisms, you'll realize that you read all seven without going past page 100. Interesting read--yes. Educational value--tons! Entertainment value--minimal. Recommended--yes, to learn about what happens during an exorcism--just don't expect to be entertained by the material.

Looking for an Exorcist?

My dad is a minister and I've always been interested in religious themed movies. After watching the newest Exorcist movie on DVD I felt compelled to go back and re-watch the entire Exorcist series. I became interested in the mystique that surronded the exorcist. It wasn't easy to find a book that answered the questions I had about exorcism. Once I found The Devil's Scourge by Girolamo Menghi I knew this was the book I was looking for. I found it to be an excellent reference source for that knowledge. It was intellectual but very readable. It told the story of who and what an exorcist was and did. It also provided in depth description into various exorcisms and explained the various ritual and prayer needed to perform a successful exorcism.

Methods for devil-foiling

Girolamo Menghi was the most highly-acclaimed exorcist during the Italian Renaissance. Gaetano Paxia presents a detailed, acute, well-balanced introduction to demonology, as a preface to the full text of Menghi's 16th-century exorcisms, which were widely adopted by men of the Church both inside and outside Italy. This version is based on a volume published in 1576; Paxia and Janet Sethre have translated the Menghi texts into English. Anyone interested in the "idea" of the Devil, as it has varied among cultures and evolved down through the centuries, will find this book to be an indispensable milestone.