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Exorcismus

Ambrosius · ogl-pl

BothSourceEnglish
JSON Dossier
machine-draft · no human review 3 passages · 638 words

Work dossier · summary and historical context

Summary

The Exorcismus attributed to Ambrose is a liturgical exorcism formula surviving in a single early medieval manuscript tradition, with no independent witnesses before the 9th century. Its attribution to Ambrose (c. 339–397) is uncertain; the work's liturgical form and vocabulary suggest a date no earlier than the 6th century. The text was later incorporated into the Roman Ritual, though its Ambrosian authorship was questioned by early modern liturgists. The present edition does not collate variant readings of the 9th-century manuscript against later copies, so textual fluidity remains unassessed. The work is classified as 'other' in genre, indicating a ritual rather than narrative function.

The Exorcismus is significant as a rare witness to early medieval exorcism liturgy, later absorbed into the Roman Ritual. Its disputed attribution to Ambrose highlights the challenges of authorship in liturgical texts. The work's citation of biblical passages with variant readings (e.g., 'effugate' for 'eicite' in Matt. 10:8) offers insight into textual transmission and exegetical traditions. It relates to patristic typological exegesis, as seen in references to Job, Pharaoh's army, and Daniel.

Historical context

The Exorcismus survives in a single early medieval manuscript tradition, with no independent witnesses before the 9th century. The attribution to Ambrose of Milan (c. 339–397) is uncertain; the work's liturgical form and vocabulary suggest a date no earlier than the 6th century, likely originating in a Latin-speaking Christian community in the post-Roman West. The text was later incorporated into the Roman Ritual, indicating its use in medieval and early modern exorcism practices. The lack of collation between the 9th-century manuscript and later copies means the extent of textual fluidity is unknown. The work's genre as 'other' reflects its ritual function, distinct from narrative or doctrinal texts.

Apparatus · what the pipeline recorded

Annotation and terms

18 commentary units 7 background6 scripture3 structure1 sense1 caution 1 derived notes 6 open questions 3 narrative
What the kinds mean

Pipeline notes

  • coverageNo English translation could be identified: a language model asked twice could not name one, though it could not rule one out either. That is not proof that none exists — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed.
  • limitThe English is a machine draft produced passage by passage from the transcribed Coptic; no human has verified it. The commentary is model-written and cites only keys the pipeline could resolve.
  • registerRegister: other in Latin; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them.
  • structurePassages: 3 narrative.
  • caution1 passage(s) are fragmentary in the source; the English bridges each break and says so in the note.
  • sourceSource edition: ogl-pl — Available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

Term index

CopticRenderingCountFirst
no glossary terms recorded
stoa0022.stoa049.opp-lat1:1 · narrativehigh
Source
EXORCISMUS. [ Omnipotens Domine, Verbum Dei Patris, Christe Jesn, Dens el Dominus univerSae creaturae, qui sanctis apostolis tuis potestatem dedisti calcandi supra serpentes et scorpiones: qui inter caetera mirabilium tourum præcepta dignatus es dicere; Dæmones effugate (Matth. x, 8); cujus virtute victus tamquam fulgur de caelo Satanas cecidit: tuum nomen cum timore et tremore supplex precor, ut indignissimo mihi, data venia omnium delictorum, confidentiam, et possibilitatem donare dignetur; ut hunc crudelem draconem brachii tui munitus potentia, fideliter et securus aggrediar. Adjuro te ergo, omnis immundissime spiritus, omne phantasma, omnis incursio Satanæ, in virtute nominis Christi, aui post lavacrum Jordanis in desertum ductus est, et in tuis te sedibus vicit; ut quem ille de limo terrae ad honoreni gloriæ suæ formavit, tu desinas impUgnare, et in homine tniserabili non humanam fragilitatem, sed omnipotentis Dei imaginem contremiscas. Cede ergo Deo, qui te in humiliato famulo suo Job in servitutem redegit: cede Deo, qui te et militiam tuam in Pharaone, et in ejus exercitu per Moysen servum suum demersit in abyssum: cede Deo, qui te per Danielem puerum suum iii beel perdidit, et in dracone prostravit: cede Ded qni te per fidelissimum suum David de Saule rege spiritalibus canticis pulsum fugavit: cede Deo, qUi te in Juda traditore damnavit.
English
Exorcism. [Almighty Lord, Word of God the Father, Christ Jesus, God and Lord of all creation, who gave to your holy apostles the power to tread upon serpents and scorpions: who among your other wonderful precepts deigned to say, "Drive out demons" (Matt. 10:8); by whose power, conquered like lightning from heaven, Satan fell: I, a suppliant, entreat your name with fear and trembling, that you may deign to grant to me, most unworthy, with pardon for all offenses, confidence and ability; so that, fortified by the power of your arm, I may faithfully and securely attack this cruel dragon. Therefore I adjure you, every most unclean spirit, every phantom, every incursion of Satan, by the power of the name of Christ, who after the baptism in the Jordan was led into the desert and conquered you in your own haunts; that you cease to assail him whom he formed from the mud of the earth to the honor of his glory, and that you tremble in a wretched man not at human frailty but at the image of almighty God. Yield therefore to God, who reduced you to servitude in his humiliated servant Job: yield to God, who drowned you and your host in Pharaoh and his army through his servant Moses in the abyss: yield to God, who through his servant Daniel destroyed you in Bel and laid you low in the dragon: yield to God, who through his most faithful David drove you out, put to flight from King Saul by spiritual songs: yield to God, who condemned you in the traitor Judas.
stoa0022.stoa049.opp-lat1:2 · narrativehigh
Source
Ille enim te nunc divinis verberibus agit, in cujus conspectu cum luis leglonibus tremens clamabas: Quid nobit et tibi, Jesu fili Ddvid? venisti ante tempus torquere nos (Matth. VIII, 29). Ille te flammis perpetuis urget, qui in fine temporum dicturus est impiis: Ite maledicti in ignem æternum, quem præparavit Pater meus diabolo et angelis ejus (Marth. ixv, 4i). Tibi enim impie et angelis suis vermis, qui numquam moritur: tibi et angelis tuis inexstinguibile praeparitur incendium; quia tu es, ma. ledicte, homicidii princeps, tu auctor incesti, tu sacrilegorum caput, tu artium pessimarum magister, tu hæreticorum doctor, tu totius obscenitatis inventor. Eli ergo, impie, exi, scelerate, exi cum omni fallacia tua; quia horhinem templum suum voluit esse Deus. Sed quid diutius moraris? Da honorem Deo Patri omnipotenti, cui omne flectitur genu: da locum Christo Jesu, qui pro homine suum sanguinem fudit: da locum Spiritui sancto, qui te per beatum apostolum suum Petrum manifestavit in Simone, qUi fallaciam tuam in Anania et Saphira condemnavit, qui te in Herode rege bonorem Deo non dante percussit, qui te in pessimo mago per apostolum suum PallIUm cæcitatis caligine perfudit, et per eumdem de pythonissa verbo imperans exire præcepit. Discede ergo nunc, discede seductor; tibi enim cremus sedes est, tibi habitatio serpens est. Humiliare, prosternere: non eat jam differendi tempus.
English
For he now drives you with divine scourges, in whose sight you, trembling with your legions, cried out: 'What have we to do with you, Jesus son of David? Have you come before time to torture us?' (Matthew 8:29). He pursues you with perpetual flames, who at the end of time will say to the impious: 'Go, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which my Father prepared for the devil and his angels' (Matthew 25:41). For you and your angels a worm that never dies is prepared; for you and your angels an inextinguishable fire is prepared; because you, accursed one, are the prince of murder, you the author of incest, you the head of sacrilegious men, you the master of the worst arts, you the teacher of heretics, you the inventor of all obscenity. Therefore go out, impious one, go out, criminal, go out with all your deceit; for God wished man to be his temple. But why do you delay longer? Give honor to almighty God the Father, before whom every knee bows; give place to Jesus Christ, who poured out his blood for man; give place to the Holy Spirit, who through his blessed apostle Peter manifested you in Simon, who condemned your deceit in Ananias and Sapphira, who struck you in King Herod when he did not give honor to God, who through his apostle Paul covered you in the darkness of blindness in the worst magician, and through the same apostle commanded you to depart from the pythoness by word of command. Therefore depart now, depart, seducer; for the pyre is your seat, the serpent your dwelling. Humble yourself, prostrate yourself; there is no longer time for delay.
stoa0022.stoa049.opp-lat1:3 · narrativemedium
Source
Ecce enim dominator Dominus proximat, cito ignis artte ipsum ardebit, et inflammabit in circuitu inimicos suos. Si enim hominem fallis, Dominum noh potes irridere. Ille te ejicit, cujus oculis nibil occultumest: ille te expellit, cujus virtuti universa subJecta sunt: ille te excludit, qui tibi et angelis tuis a'ternam præparavit gehennam, de cujus ore exiet gladius bis acutus, qui venturus est in Spiritu sahcio Judicate Sacculum per ignem, amen.
English
Behold, for the Lord and master draws near; soon the fire itself will burn him and will blaze around his enemies. For if you deceive a man, you cannot mock the Lord. He casts you out, in whose eyes nothing is hidden; he expels you, to whose power all things are subject; he excludes you, who has prepared eternal Gehenna for you and your angels, from whose mouth will come forth a two-edged sword, who is to come in the Holy Spirit to judge the age by fire, amen.
Citation. Tergwame, “Exorcismus”, stoa0022.stoa049.opp-lat1:1, machine-draft, 2026. https://naxiai.com/christian/works/stoa0022.stoa049.opp-lat1#s1
Colophon. Source: ogl-pl · licence: Available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License · model: deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor · provider: Relace · cost: $0.0019 · generated 2026-11-15.