Demonic Possession and the Proof of True Faith

Abstract

Abstract Paulus Knorr von Rosenroth wrote a lengthy report on three cases of demonic possession in Graz in 1599–1600, just as tension between Catholics and Lutherans brought the threat of civil war. The appearance of a peasant girl who claimed to be possessed by evil spirits became important for Catholic clergy, who hoped to demonstrate that only believers in the true faith were given the divine power to expel demons. Two more cases of demonic possession were observed in the city, one of which involved a member of court society, and even Archduke Ferdinand and his family attended the exorcisms. Knorr von Rosenroth was one of those who conducted the exorcisms, but his report was denied episcopal approval and the manuscript disappeared in the diocesan archive for four hundred years.