An Exorcist Explains the Demonic: The Antics of Satan and His Army of Fallen Angels

You would be hard-pressed to find a better book from a more respected authority on the subject of the demonic. The author himself was an esteem exorcist, priest, and figure at the Vatican and had been doing this work longer than most of us had been alive, probably. As for the content, it walks beautifully that fine line between minimizing the subject matter and sensationalizing it. Amorth addresses, first and foremost, the underpinnings of the topic in Catholic theology, scripture and tradition and starts from the basics on towards the "big guns." Something you don't often see in discussions of demonic possession is the reality that if one encounters Satan, he would much rather NOT manifest extraordinary action, i.e. vexation, possession, et al. He would much rather act in more ordinary means, such as temptation and sin. He deftly explains all the ways that Satan manifests in the ordinary, the spiritual implications, and how to deal with them. In the sections regarding extraordinary action, he details each type of action and how they are addressed, ranging from the use of prayers and sacramentals to full-blown exorcism. I have read about the subject of exorcism over a number of years and Amorth gives the best explanation of how real-life exorcisms happen that I have seen, the kind of knowledge you can only get from the inner sanctum of demonology. Something else I noticed is that he doesn't just tell us what happens, but can tell us, physically, emotionally, and spiritually WHY it happens, in almost scientific fashion. One of the best and strongest features of this work is the insistence of ruling out the mundane before jumping to the spiritual. Amorth insists that physical, medical, and psychiatric explanations be found first, and revealed that he refused to see clients until he could ascertain that the problem was spiritual. He and other exorcists admit that some of their clients were not, in fact, demonaics and thus turned them away, encouraging them to find the real, non-spiritual cause of their problem. I have always admired this quality in people who deal in the paranormal, when they are able to only use their hammer on actual nails, to not mislead or cheat people regarding their beliefs and abilities. It instills confidence in the reader. Another best and strongest feature? The calm and understanding that is reflected in his work. Amorth tells us the need and the means to welcome people experiencing spiritual evils and to not treat them as modern day lepers. He shares with us the view that many of the poor women persecuted in times past were innocent, likely struggling with some kind of evil, spiritual or otherwise, and sympathizes with the view that our modern rationality was born out of the abuses of the church in centuries past. His case histories include people from all walks of life and all levels of demonic influence, so he doesn't just serve the far right of Catholicism, for lack of a better way to put it, nor does he exclusively serve the least active of believers. In additional to respecting modern advancements, the work shows a reverence for history and tradition, reflected in the exorcist's preference for the exorcistic rituals of 1614 and in oldie-but-goodie ideas including, but not limited to, the idea that exorcism isn't just a means of healing but a means of diagnosis. Anyone versed in Catholic theology and sacred tradition will be pleasantly surprised at the mixture of ancient, centuries old, and modern sensibilities, trending neither towards clinging to musty ideas of a previous time, nor towards iconoclastic and post modern attitudes that discard everything passed down to us. One minor criticism: Understandably, given the man's background, he tends to "see the devil everywhere," something he himself realizes and alludes to in his text. Especially when talking about swearing but also in other areas, I feel he overestimates the danger of these things, either seeing them as uniformly evil or at best, being of no value and being too dangerous to bother with. I appreciate his concerns as a reader and a believer, but I think he overstates his case here. All in all, this is a work that deserves to be read by all. Truly impressive!

Very informative and interesting. I learned a lot about the subject that I didn’t know.

Probably the most valuable section of this book is the INTRODUCTION which begins with a dazzling expression from the great sixteenth-century mystic St. John of the Cross: "In the evening of life, we shall be judged on love (alone)." This is essentially the same mysterious reality that Jesus presented to his disciples shortly before offering HIs life in redemption for the sins of mankind. At the sunset of our life, all that will remain is that particle of love that we have placed in each thing. Indeed every word of this introduction is filled to the brim with meaning for all of us who are experiencing this life together. From Father Gabriele Amorth, the Vatican's chief exorcist (now deceased) comes this very powerful and very well-written dissertation on the deadly antics of Satan and his fallen angels. It also provides spiritual remedies for subsequent difficulties caused by the demons of Satan seeking to steal lost souls from God. Fr. Amorth outlines his information as follows: General explanation for the victory of Christ over sin; Catholic doctrine on the fallen angels; the foundation of Satanism, its cult, and its many manifestations; its spiritual consequences and its remedies. If there is good in the world there is also evil and one does not have to look very far to find it. The question is are you and I contributing to the evil or practicing the art of loving others as we do ourselves.????

Excellent read! Very insightful and informative. A thorough telling of the motives and tactics of demons, as well as the mercy and motive of God.

It’s a good read

Great explanation on evils, deliverance and what is expected of a faithful life. Explores the topics of deliverance in depth.

Quite easy to read, not over dramatic. Deals with a serious subject in a very sensible manor allowing for mental illness. Honest and truthful. This is not a book sensationalising demonic possession ,nor is it saying it is common,but it is saying it exists. Some parts I find difficult to believe in so much as I do not believe a baby can be born possessed as I believe Christ would Not allow that. It does condemn many things we feel is our 'right' in this day and age like abortion, free sex, . Most certainly worth reading for both Catholics , other Christians as well as people of other faiths. We must not forget that Satan does not mind people not believing in him as that makes life easy for him.

A well written and informed book by the 'world's greatest Exorcist', reads in a manner that lay people can understand. Father Gabriele Amorth, provides a clear understanding of the life of an exorcist. He encourages all Dioceses have an exorcist as it is still a required position and he wants the education classes for vocational school to bring back the classes on Exorcism. There is currently a shortage of trained exorcists, not something we hear about in the media. In main stream culture, and even in my conversion process to Catholicism there was little mention of hell, let alone exorcisms. I found the saints that he calls on to help him during exorcisms to be particularly interesting and would like to read more about them. As a convert, rather than a cradle Catholic I found this book to be helpful to explain the background of exorcisms and how they are still required in modern life. I found the part about making sure the person is truly possessed by a demon (i.e. referral to a psychiatrist) to rule out mental health conditions prior to examining the demonic to be particularly interesting. Because some of the symptoms overlap between possession and mental illness, He emphasizes the differences between the two. Interestingly, those possessed by demons often seek the help from exorcists. There are quite a few examples and details in the short, 143 page book. Covering the topics: 1. Victory of Christ in Sin an Death 2. Satan and the Fallen Angels 3. The Cult of Satan and It's Manifestations 4. The Extraordinary Action of Satan: Possession, Vexation, Obsession, and Ubfestation 5. Body to Body with Satan: The Exorcism 6. Other means of struggling with the Devil 7. The Principles of Christian Eschatology Father Gabriele Amorth explains why he seek assistance from Mary in exorcisms, as the Evil One is repelled by Hail Mary Prayers. The ways in dark magic, white magic, occult, new age and wizards ect. have become mainstream norms of culture also caused me to question some of my own consumption habits of media and literature. Overall, a quick and interesting read that I will likely refer back to as I learn more about the Catholic Faith.

It is the most wonderful book I've ever read. Every single line you read gives you overwhelming knowledge. Read it slowly in order to get all the information. It is a very serious topic, not for everyone.

It is great¡ I just saw this book on Instagram and I felt I had to read it. I just asked Amazon and voilà! I just received next day. Thanks for giving me the opportunitie to have it in a blink of an eye!

While some sections are somewhat frightening, this books show the reality of Satan and his nefarious works and warns us not to be involved with him in any way. The work of the exorcist is exhausting. Fr Gabriel Amorth, the President of the European Exorcists is nothing short of heroic and he explains everything.