ANGELS, DEMONS, DELIVERANCE, and EXORCISM - Course Home & Syllabus

This course covers angelology, demonology, and the appropriate pastoral response to certain manifestations of diabolical activity. Students will begin by studying angels and demons from the perspectives of Scripture, patrology, liturgy, and systematic theology. Next, students will study the types of diabolical activity. Analysis of practical pastoral and theoretical instruction on deliverance ministry and exorcism will be presented and case studies will be discussed.

 

Required Texts

1. Amorth, Gabriele. An Exorcist Tells His Story. San Francisco: Ignatius, 1999.

2. Balducci, Corrado. The Devil: Alive and Active in Our World. Trans. Jordan Aumann. New York: Alba House, 1990.

3. Lozano, Neal. Resisting the Devil: A Catholic Perspective on Deliverance. Huntington IN: Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division, 2009.

4. Parente, Pascal P. The Angels: In Catholic Teaching and Tradition. Rockford, IL: TAN, 1994.

5. Scanlon, Mike, and Randall Cirner. Deliverance from Evil Spirits: A Weapon for Spiritual Warfare. Cincinnati OH: Servant Books, 1980. ISBN 978-0-89283-091-6

6. All other required readings are posted on the Blackboard site and/or linked on the course calendar below.

  

 

COURSE CALENDAR

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Angelology

Class 1, September 1, 2011

Topic: Angelic Nature (What Angels Are)

• Parente, The Angels, chap. I, “The Angels,” entire

• Aquinas, ST I, qq. 50, 51, 52, all articles

Class 2, September 8, 2011

Topic: Angelic Operation (What Angels Do)

• Parente, The Angels, chap. II, “Angelic Nature and Its Operation,” entire

• Aquinas, ST I, qq. 54, 59, 60, all articles

Class 3, September 15, 2011

Topic: Creation, Probation, and Hierarchies

• Parente, The Angels, Chap. III, “The Sons of God and the Sons of Perdition,” pp. 28-37 only

• Aquinas, ST I, q. 61, arts 1-3; ST I, q. 62, arts. 1-5

• [Pseudo-]Dionysius the Aeropagite, The Celestial Hierarchy, chapters 6-9

• Pope Saint Gregory the Great, Homily 34 [BB]

Class 4, September 22, 2011

Topic: Angels in Salvation History and the Names of Angels

• Pope John Paul II, “Angels Participate in History of Salvation,” General Audience (6 August 1986)

• Parente, The Angels, chap. VI, “Proper Names of the Angels,” entire

 

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Demonology

Class 5,  September 29, 2011

Topic: Fallen Angels or Demons

• Pope John Paul II, “The Fall of the Rebellious Angels,” General Audience (13 August 1986)

• Parente, The Angels, chap. III, “The Sons of God and the Sons of Perdition,” pp. 37-43

• Balducci, The Devil, pp. 5-32

• Van Slyke, “Demonology” [BB]

• Demons and the Devil page on professor’s web site

• Aquinas, ST I, q. 63, arts 2, 7, 8, 9; ST I, q. 64, art. 4

Class 6, October 6, 2011

Topic: The Devil and the Theologians

• Balducci, The Devil, pp. 33-88

• Hauke, “The Theological Battle over the Rite of Exorcism” [BB]

• Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, “The Devil” (video) [BB]

Class 7, October 13, 2011

Topic: Diabolical Activity

• Pope Paul VI, “Confronting the Devil’s Power,” General Audience (15 November 1972)

• Balducci, The Devil, pp. 91-151

• Van Slyke, “Diabolical Possession (Theology of)” [BB]

• ST I-II, q. 75, art. 3, and q. 80, all articles

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Deliverance and Exorcism

Class 8, October 20, 2011

Topic: Spiritual Warfare

• Lozano, Resisting the Devil, chap. 4 pp. 56-69

• Scanlon and Cirner, Deliverance from Evil Spirits, chap. 2, pp. 13-26

Class 9, October 27, 2011

Topic: Deliverance Ministry

• Lozano, Resisting the Devil, chaps. 7 & 8, pp. 104-127

• Scanlon and Cirner, Deliverance from Evil Spirits, chaps 6 & 7, pp. 63-94

Class 10, November 3, 2011

Topic: The Rite of Exorcism

• Rites of exorcism [BB]

• Van Slyke, “The Ancestry and Theology of the Rite of Major Exorcism (1999/2004)”

• Van Slyke, “Exorcism” [BB] 

Class 11, November 10, 2011

Topic: Possession

• Lozano, Resisting the Devil, appendix B, pp. 153-165

• Scanlon and Cirner, Deliverance from Evil Spirits, chaps 8 & 9, pp. 95-114 

 Class 12, November 17, 2011

Topic: Exorcism

• Amorth, An Exorcist Tells His Story, pp. 43-63, 111-116, and 123-128

 

Thursday 24 November – Thanksgiving Break, no class

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Guardians and Devotions

Class 13, December 1, 2011

Topic: Guardian Angels and Devotion to Angels

• Parente, The Angels, chaps VII, VIII, IX, and XI

• Devotions to the Holy Angels page on professor’s web site

Thursday 8 December – In conceptione immaculata beatae Mariae Virginis sollemnitas

FINAL EXAM: to be held on the last day of class, Thursday 15 December

 

 

* The Professor reserves the right to make substitutions, deletions, or additions to the schedule of readings.