The rhetoric of exorcism Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Abstract Exorcism incorporates all three branches of classical rhet-oric: judicial (as in a trial, accusing the demon for his actions); deliberative (exhorting the demon to depart); and ceremonial or epideictic (praising the power of God and blaming Satan for taking possession of a human soul). The structure of a typical exorcism follows the classical arrangement of exordium,narratio, divisio,refutatio, probatio, andperoratio. The speaker is the exorcist, a Catholic priest who was often classically educated. There are five audiences in any given exorcism, three supernatural and two human, and each of these requires specific rhetorical strategies.

published proceedings

  • RHETORICA-A JOURNAL OF THE HISTORY OF RHETORIC

author list (cited authors)

  • Kallendorf, H.

citation count

  • 2

complete list of authors

  • Kallendorf, H

publication date

  • January 2005