VIII. Early Church And Exorcism Of Believers
It isn’t a new idea that Christians were in need of deliverance after faith in Christ. In my studies of church history I have found that exorcism for the believer was a common practice prior to their baptism.
I want to make it clear that the early church believers do not supercede scripture, but at times they can be helpful to our understanding of early practices and beliefs whether they were bad or good. The first three centuries of church history are replete with pre-baptism converts going through exorcism. Cultic worship mixed with sexual perversion, idolatry, drunkenness, and drugs was so rampant that exorcism was a constant practice among early believers.
Church leadership began to deal with a new convert’s past before he/she was baptized. In the early Church a person especially trained and appointed to pray and drive out evil from those about to be baptized performed exorcisms.
“This exorcism, which at first only called on them to renounce the devil and all his works, was subsequently modified so as to include certain prayers; adjurations in the name of Christ, commanding the demons to leave the persons about to be baptized; and imposition of hands.” (Tertullian, Apology, 23, translation in ANF 3:37–38.)
Breathing upon (insufflation) the catechumen (prebaptism convert) was next added and was administered both before baptism to signify the expulsion of the devil and after immersion to symbolize the gift of the Holy Ghost. Cyril of Jerusalem exhorted his catechumens to receive exorcism with diligence in the time of catechising; for whether it was insufflation or exorcism, it was thought to be salutary to the soul. (Cyril of Jerusalem, Procatechesls, 9, translation in the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, 14 vols. (
One of the common and widespread characteristics of the ancient church catechumenate was what evangelicals today might call "deliverance ministry. This is well illustrated by a passage from the “Apostolic Tradition”:
“Moreover, from the day they are chosen, let a hand be laid on them and let them be exorcised (exorkizein) daily. And when the day draws near on which they are to be baptized, let the bishop himself exorcise (exorkizein) each one of them, that he may be certain that he is purified. But if there is one who is not purified let him be put on one side because he did not hear the word of instruction with faith. For the evil and strange spirit remained with him” (20.3-4, 8).
The passage probably does not imply that this happened daily for three years, but speaks of a second stage of the catechumenate immediately preceding their baptism.43 This instruction appears in every versional form of the Apostolic Tradition, including the Sahidic, Arabic, and Ethiopie, implying that this was the practice in these areas of the church as well.
A similar instruction is contained in the Testamentum Domini:
And when the days approach [for the occasion of baptism], let the bishop exorcise each one of them separately by himself, so that he may be persuaded that he is pure. For if there be one that is not pure, or in whom is an unclean spirit, let him be reproved by that unclean spirit. If then anyone is found under any such suspicion, let him be removed from the midst (of them], and let him be reproved and reproached because he has not heard the word of the commandments and of instruction faithfully, because the evil and strange spirit remained in him (2.6).
Egcria attests to this practice in the
Chrysostom, Theodore of Mopsuestia, Ambrose, Cyprian, Augustine, and other early Church fathers all attest to this practice. It certainly cannot be described as a practice isolated to the Roman church; it was practiced in the catechumenate in
A corollary to this practice was a time of renunciation of Satan and deliverance during the actual baptismal ceremony. As the new Christians were baptized, they were also instructed to make a verbal renunciation of Satan:
“And a deacon shall take the oil of exorcism and stand at the left hand of the presbyter . . . And when the presbyter grasps each one of those who will receive baptism, let him command him to renounce, saying, "I renounce you, Satan, with all your service and all your works." And when he has renounced all these, let him anoint him with the oil of exorcism, saying, "Let every spirit be cast far from you" (Apostolic Tradition 21.8-1O).
Immediately following this exorcism and renunciation of Satan, the person being baptized would confess their allegiance to Christ in a creedal form:
I believe in the only true God, the Father, the Almighty, and his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior with his Holy Spirit, the giver of life to everything, three in one substance (homoousios), one divinity, one Lordship, one kingdom, one faith, one baptism, in the holy catholic apostolic church, which lives forever. Amen (Apostolic Tradition 21.12).
Similar to the pre-baptismal time of deliverance ministry, the practice of exorcism is also widely attested over a broad span of time. This was a logical time for the early church to deal with the evil spiritual influences on these people as they forsook their pagan religions and magical practices to embrace the living and true God. It had long been a conviction of the OT and judaism that involvement in idolatry was tantamount to communing with unclean spirits (see Deut 32:16-17; Ps 96:5; 106:36-38) This was also the conviction of the apostle Paul that he expressed to the Corinthian congregation (1 Cor 10:19-21). Thus, converts from the worship of the Mother Goddess, Dionysus, Mithras, Sarapis, Isis, and all the other deities as well as new believers who had a background in magical practices, astrology, and divination were taught to renounce their former beliefs and practices.
This ministry of deliverance was done, however, in a wholistic approach to discipleship which simultaneously involved in-depth study of the Scriptures, learning Christian doctrine, and the cultivation of a distinctively Christian life-style.
We need to address the question of how this facet of the early church catechumenate should apply to the modern evangelical church. This is certainly the hardest feature of discipleship for us to consider seriously because it is so foreign to our current practice. It is also a form of ministry that runs quite counter to the prevailing naturalistic world view that has even found some inroads into the church.
We face fellow Christians who tell us that belief in demons or evil spirits is tantamount to a belief in elves, dragons, and a flat earth. Few would doubt the fact that there is an abundance of questionable, sensationalistic, and harmful practices taking place in some sectors of the church today.
But could we be overreacting by denying this form of ministry altogether? Perhaps more thought, study, and effort need to be given to the task of identifying how to integrate an appropriate form of this ministry into contemporary church practice, especially given that it was a universal feature of the ministry to new believers in the early church.
If we may be tempted to dismiss this mode of ministry to new believers by considering it irrelevant to people who have been raised in a world view that is so different from first-century polytheistic culture, then we need to consider how contemporary Western culture is changing underneath our feet.
The extraordinary rise in the popularity of pagan religions is well documented. Eastern religions, native American religions, and folk Islam are also becoming increasingly popular. This is part of a massive shift of world view tied to what is loosely called "postmodernism."
One of the key features of this new trend is a quest for spiritual experience. How is the contemporary evangelical church doing at reaching and making growing disciples of people from this kind of background? Are we equipped and will we be equipped to help root and establish them in Christ? It is precisely at this point where the practice of the early church can help us gain some perspective on how to minister effectively to people with this kind of background.
Last modified:
April 2, 2008 11:31 AM
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