Exorcisms and Deliverances in Saints' Lives

Hagiographic sources speak of "energumenes," people tormented by a spirit, or possessions to which a saint's prayer puts an end. These accounts belong to a precise religious vocabulary and cannot be automatically translated into psychiatric, neurological, or medical diagnoses. The page describes the recounted gestures—prayer, sign of the cross, word of authority, relic, or blessing—as well as the episode's place in the saint's life. It distinguishes exorcism from the simple vision of a demonic figure, and from epilepsy when the source explicitly names an illness or the "falling sickness." This separation does not erase historical confusion; it makes it visible. Sancteo presents the accounts as hagiographic traditions, without confirming a supernatural cause and without providing spiritual or medical advice for a contemporary situation.

Accounts

88

Saints

80

Period

6th century BC – 16th century