The Presbyters Project

I 10.3

During the dedication of the oratory of Saint Sebastian, a woman from Etruria is possessed by the devil.

Eiusdem uero oratorii presbiter, dum eam uehementissime uexari conspiceret, ex altari protinus sindonem tulit eamque cooperuit, sed hunc repente simul diabolus inuasit, et quia ultra uires uoluit quicquam praesumere, conpulsus est cognoscere in sua uexatione quid esset.

The woman is finally cured by Bishop Fortunatus of Todi.

(ed. de Vogüé 1979: 88-90)

I 10.3

During the dedication of the oratory of Saint Sebastian, a woman from Etruria is possessed by the devil.

The presbyter of this oratory, seeing her so violently vexed, took straight from the altar a linen cloth (sindon), and covered her with it. However, the devil possessed him as well, and because he dared to do something beyond his power, he was compelled to learn by his own vexation who he was.

The woman is finally cured by bishop Fortunatus of Todi.

(trans. Gardner 1911: 38-39; changed by J. Szafranowski)

Discussion:

It is not certain why the power of the said presbyter was too small to attempt an exorcism, but it may suggest that only the bishops should perform exorcisms.

Place of event:

Region

Italy north of Rome with Corsica and Sardinia
Rome

City

Rome

About the source:

Author: Gregory the Great
Title: Dialogues, Dialogorum Gregorii Papae libri quatuor de miraculis Patrum Italicorum, Dialogi
Origin: Rome (Rome)
Denomination: Catholic/Nicene/Chalcedonian

Gregory the Great wrote his Dialogues between 593 and 594 in Rome when he was the Bishop of this city. They were written in order to present lives and miracles of Italian saints, many of them contemporary to Gregory, and the greatest of them, saint Benedict of Nurcia. The Dialogues are divided into four books in which Gregory tells the stories of various saints to Peter, who was a deacon and a friend of Gregory, and is also known from the Gregory`s private correspondence.

Edition:

Grégoire le Grand, Dialogues, ed. A. de Vogüé, Sources Chretiennes 251, 260, 265, Paris 1978-1980.

Categories:

Described by a title - Presbyter/πρεσβύτερος

Usurping episcopal power

Ritual activity - Exorcism

Administration of justice - Administration of justice

Relation with - Woman

Ritual activity - Dedication of churches and altars

Devotion - Supernatural experience

Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL: J. Szafranowski, Presbyters in the Late Antique West, ER185, http://presbytersproject.ihuw.pl/index.php?id=6&SourceID=185