Accordingly, when an exorcist was ordained the
Bishop was directed to give him the book in which the exorcisms were
written, with the words, “Receive thou these, and commit them to
memory, and have thou power to lay hands upon the Energumens, whether
they be baptized or only Catechumens Fourth Council of
Carthage, Can. 7 (a.d. 398)..”
Though this Canon speaks only of exorcising Energumens, or such persons
as were supposed to be possessed by evil spirits, we must remember that
the power of such spirits was believed to extend to the whole world
outside the Christian Church. Thus all converts from Paganism and
Judaism, and even the children of Christian parents were exorcised
before being baptized. The practice was closely connected with
the doctrine of original sin, as we see in many passages of S.
Augustine, and is declared by him to be very ancient and
universal De Nupt. et
Concup. II. § 33: de Pecc. Orig. § 45;
contra aulian Pelag. VI. § 11; Op. Imperf. c.
Julian. I. § 50; III. § 144, &c.. In expounding
the Creed to candidates for Baptism, he says: “Therefore,
as you have seen this day, and as you know, even little children are
breathed on and exorcised, that the hostile power of the devil may be
driven out of them, which deceived one man in order that he might get
possession of all men De Symbolo,
§ 2. Cf. Cat. xx. (Myst. ii.) § 2..”