In the Name of Jesus: Exorcism among Early Christians

by Graham H. Twelftree

Overview

To many in the church in the West, exorcism seems like the stuff of movies. It requires acceptance of the premise that evil spirits exist and can invade, control, and impair the health of an individual and that the individual can, in turn, be cured through someone forcing the evil spirits to leave. "For the vast majority of biblical scholars," asserts Graham H. Twelftree, "this is tantamount to believing in such entities as elves, dragons, or a flat earth." But for Christians throughout the world—especially the developing world—exorcism is an important part of the freedom that can be had through faith. In the Name of Jesus is the only book that explores this common part of ministry in the early church. This reliable and historical discussion provides church leaders, Bible students, pastors, and scholars with an intriguing and unique resource.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801027451
Publisher:	Baker Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/01/2007
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.79(d)

About the Author

Graham H. Twelftree (PhD, University of Nottingham) is the Charles L. Holman Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity and the director of the PhD program in the School of Divinity at Regent University, Virginia. In addition to many scholarly articles and reviews, he is the author of a number of books, including Jesus the Exorcist and Jesus the Miracle Worker.

Table of Contents

Part 1: Jesus and the Problem of Exorcism
1. The Problem of Exorcism
2. Jesus and Other Exorcists
Part 2: The First Century
3. Paul
4. Q
5. Mark
6. Luke-Acts
7. Matthew
8. 1 Peter, Hebrews, and James
9. Johannine Christianity
Part 3: The Second Century
10. Fathers, Apologists, and the Early Second Century 11. Mark's Longer Ending and the Later Second Century
12. Critics of Christianity
Part 4: Exorcism among Early Christians
13. Conclusions and Contemporary Coda

Editorial Reviews

This is Twelftree's (New Testament, Sch. of Divinity, Regent Univ., VA) third book considering the significance of exorcism in the early Christian community. Christ Triumphant(1985) and Jesus the Exorcist(1993) laid the foundation by examining both the historical Jesus and the social-cultural milieu in which he exercised his ministry. Here, we find a more thorough and reasoned study of the biblical evidence relating to exorcism, including several critical voices of the practice from the second century. Twelftree examines how the Q document and the Synoptic Gospels view exorcism in contrast to the Gospel of St. John and the later Pauline letters. He posits an evolutionary understanding of the purpose and value of exorcism in the early church, which has implications for pastoral practice in the modern world. Although the text seems centered on the reality of evil and the demonic, truth and divine grace are the real theme of this meticulously researched, carefully written, and pastorally sensitive theological work. Recommended for theological collections.
—John-Leonard Berg

Library Journal