exorkizein

Exorkizein is a Greek verb meaning to adjure or invoke by oath, typically in the context of magical or religious rites. In ancient Greek and Greco-Roman magical literature, the act of exorkizing involved compelling a spirit, deity, or demon to act or, in some cases, to refrain from harming the conjurer. The term is closely associated with formal oaths or curses embedded in incantatory formulas.

Etymology and forms: Exorkizein (ἐξορκίζειν) is formed from a prefix often interpreted as “out” or “forth” combined with a root related to taking an oath or invoking the sacred. The related noun exorkismos denotes the act of adjuration or the rite itself, and texts sometimes refer to practitioners or formulas as exorkists or exorkismoi. In later sources, the concept contributed to the Latin and Christian term for rite of expulsion, influencing the English word exorcism.

Usage and context: The verb and its noun appear in Greek magical papyri and other Hellenistic or Greco-Roman writings, where magicians or ritual specialists issue oath-bound invocations to gods or supernatural beings. These rites often pair invocations with spells, protections, or demands that the spirit acquiesce or be compelled to perform a specified act. The practice reflects a broader ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean tradition in which binding oaths and formulaic curses were used to control supernatural agents.

Relation to exorcism: Exorkizein is a source of the modern concept of exorcism, though Christian traditions develop their own theological framework around demon expulsion. The term’s emphasis on oath-bound compulsion distinguishes the Greek practice from later Christian exorcistic rites in emphasis and vocabulary.