Book Review: Healing in the Early Church: The Church’s Ministry ofHealing and Exorcism from the First to the Fifth Century

摘要

Since the publication of William Peter Blatty’s in 1971,and the subsequent movie release two years later, popular culture and the entertainmentindustry have found a ready audience for stories regarding struggles with and victoriesover demons. Perhaps the dramatic growth of televangelism during the same period wascoincidental, but the presence of Satan and his hold on mortal souls was a primary focusof the leading figures in that media, particularly with the healing of physicalailments. Although the contrasts between these phenomena are many, there arecommonalities. The most important aspect for both exorcism and healing is their deephistory in Christianity.