Today, the thought that a demonic entity could potentially inhabit your physical body and suppress your personality and your spirit, leaving you without any control of yourself is truly terrifying.  Depending on your religious background or your exposure to the Hollywood version of exorcism, I’ve often wondered how much of what we see in popular culture and cinema has taken creative liberties verses which aspects these accounts actually happened.  I reached out to our guest today in hopes to find some answers.

Today’s guest, here to discuss the historical elements of exorcism, bears some impressive credentials.  Dr. Francis Young is a historian and editor, the author or translator of over a dozen books in the fields of church history, folklore, cultural history and the history of East Anglia. He obtained a degree in Classics from University of Wales, Lampeter and a doctorate in History from Cambridge University. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and was Volumes Editor for the Catholic Record Society between 2015 and 2017. For many years he was Head of Sixth Form at an English cathedral school, and he is now a freelance author and editor and a member of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders as well as the Secretary of the East Anglian Catholic History Society.

Important Items Mentioned on this Episode:

• https://francisyoung.wordpress.com/

• Dr. Young’s Book: A History of Exorcism in Catholic Christianity

• Dr. Young on Twitter @SuffolkRecusant