Minor exorcism in Christianity

The expression minor exorcism can be used in a technical sense or a general sense. The general sense indicates any exorcism which is not a solemn exorcism of a person believed to be possessed, including various forms of deliverance ministry. This article deals only with the technical sense which specifically refers to certain prayers used with persons preparing to become baptised members of the churches which makes use of such rites. These prayers request God's assistance so that the person to be baptised will be kept safe from the power of Satan or protected in a more general way from temptation.

Ancient practice

As early as the 3rd century of Western Christianity, there is evidence of the existence of four minor orders of clergy in the Latin Church, one of which was entitled 'exorcist'. Pope Cornelius (251–253) noted that among the clergy in Rome there were fifty-two such exorcists, among other ministries listed, and the institution of these orders, and the organization of their functions, seems to have been the work of Cornelius's predecessor, Pope Fabian (236–250).

Text previously attributed to a fourth Council of Carthage in 398, now identified as a collection called Statuta Ecclesiæ Antiqua, prescribes in its seventh canon the rite of ordination of such an exorcist: the bishop is to give him the book containing the formulae of exorcism, saying, "Receive, and commit to memory, and possess the power of imposing hands on energumens, whether baptized or catechumens"; and the same rite was still in use in the early 20th century, except that instead of the ancient Book of Exorcisms, the Roman Pontifical, or Roman Missal, was placed into the hands of the ordinand. The same canons required that those preparing to be baptised (known as catechumens) were to undergo a daily imposition of hands by these exorcists.

The 4th century Mystagogical Catechesis of Cyril of Jerusalem gives a detailed description of baptismal exorcism, from which it appears that anointing with exorcised oil formed a part of this exorcism in the East. Anointing with oil as part of baptismal exorcism is also mentioned in the Apostolic Tradition and the Arabic Canons of Hippolytus – early 20th Century scholarship attributed both of these documents to Hippolytus of Rome, but the origin of both sources is now disputed.