Exorcism and Enlightenment : Johann Joseph Gassner and the demons of eighteenth-century Germany / H.C. Erik Midelfort.

By:

Midelfort, H. C. Erik [Author]

Material type: Text

text

Media type:

computer

Carrier type:

online resource

ISBN:

9780300130133
0300130139

Subject(s):

Genre/Form:

Electronic Books.

LOC classification:

BX2340

Online resources:

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Available additional physical forms:

Contents:

""CONTENTS""; ""Acknowledgments""; ""Introduction""; ""1 The Experience of Demons""; ""2 A Niche in the Incubator: Ecclesiastical Politics and the Empire""; ""3 Healing""; ""4 Interpretation""; ""5 Conversation and Ridicule""; ""Epilogue""; ""Notes""; ""Index""

Summary: In the late eighteenth century, Catholic priest Johann Joseph Gassner (1727-1779) discovered that he had extraordinary powers of exorcism. Deciding that demons were responsible for most human ailments, he healed thousands, rich and poor, Protestant and Catholic. In this book H.C. Erik Midelfort delves deeply into records of the time to explore Gassner's remarkable exorcising campaign, chronicle the official efforts to curb him, and reconstruct the sufferings of the afflicted. Gassner's activities triggered a Catholic religious revival as well as a noisy skeptical reaction. In response to those who doubted that he was really casting out demons, Gassner marshaled hundreds of eyewitness reports that seemed to prove his exorcisms really worked. Midelfort describes the enormous public controversy that resulted, and he demonstrates that the Gassner episode yields important insights into the German Enlightenment and Counter-Enlightenment, the limitations of eighteenth-century debate, and the ongoing role of magic and belief in an age of scientific enlightenment.

Item type: Online Book

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Holdings
Item type	Current library	Collection	Call number	URL	Status	Date due	Barcode
Online Book	G. Allen Fleece Library Online	Non-fiction	BX2340 (Browse shelf(Opens below))	Link to resource	Available		ocn123240126

Includes bibliographies and index.

In the late eighteenth century, Catholic priest Johann Joseph Gassner (1727-1779) discovered that he had extraordinary powers of exorcism. Deciding that demons were responsible for most human ailments, he healed thousands, rich and poor, Protestant and Catholic. In this book H.C. Erik Midelfort delves deeply into records of the time to explore Gassner's remarkable exorcising campaign, chronicle the official efforts to curb him, and reconstruct the sufferings of the afflicted. Gassner's activities triggered a Catholic religious revival as well as a noisy skeptical reaction. In response to those who doubted that he was really casting out demons, Gassner marshaled hundreds of eyewitness reports that seemed to prove his exorcisms really worked. Midelfort describes the enormous public controversy that resulted, and he demonstrates that the Gassner episode yields important insights into the German Enlightenment and Counter-Enlightenment, the limitations of eighteenth-century debate, and the ongoing role of magic and belief in an age of scientific enlightenment.

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