Having the Spirit of Christ: Spirit Possession and Exorcism in the Early Christ Groups

Description

A provocative reinterpretation of accounts of spirit possession and exorcism in early Christianity The earliest Christian writings are filled with stories of possession and exorcism, which were crucial for the activity of the historical Jesus and for the practice of the earliest groups of his followers. Most critical scholarship, however, regularly marginalizes these topics or discards them altogether in reconstructing early Christian history.   This innovative book approaches the study of possession from a different methodological angle by using a comparative lens that includes contemporary ethnographies of possession cross-culturally. Possession, besides being a harmful event that should be exorcized, can also have a positive role in many cultures. Often it helps individuals and groups to reflect on and reshape their identity, to plan their moral actions, and to remember in a most vivid way their past. When read in light of these materials, these ancient documents reveal the religious, cultural, and social meaning that the experience of possession had for the early Christ groups. Cover Half Title Title Copyright Dedication Contents Acknowledgments Introduction 1 Beelzebul Against Satan: Exorcist Subjectivity and Spirit Possession in the Representation of Jesus 2 A Ghost among the Tombs: Mk 5:1–20 as a Ritual of Exorcism 3 The Last Adam Became a Life-Giving Spirit: Christ and Pneuma in Pauline Theology 4 If One Does Not Have the Spirit of Christ, One Does Not Belong to Him: The Functions of Spirit Possession in the Pauline Groups 5 “Will They Not Say That You Are Out of Your Mind?” The Performance of Possession Conclusions List of Abbreviations Notes Bibliography General Index A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T W Name Index ANCIENT A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T X MODERN A B C D E F G H J K L M N O P R S T V W Y Index of Ancient Sources BIBLICAL: HEBREW BIBLE BIBLICAL: CHRISTIAN TESTAMENT