Abstract
Exorcism incorporates all three branches of classical rhetoric: judicial (as in a trial, accusing the demon for his actions); deliberative (exhorting the demon to depart); and ceremonial or epideictic (praising the power of God and blaming Satan for taking possession of a human soul). The structure of a typical exorcism follows the classical arrangement of exordium, narratio, divisio, refutatio, probatio, and peroratio. The speaker is the exorcist, a Catholic priest who was often classically educated. There are five audiences in any given exorcism, three supernatural and two human, and each of these requires specific rhetorical strategies.
- Journal
- Rhetorica
- Published
- 2005-06-01
- DOI
- 10.1353/rht.2005.0006
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