Demon Possession and Allied Themes (Annotated)

Originally published in 1894, “Demon Possession and Allied Themes” is a study of demon possession written by a veteran missionary to China, John Livingstone Nevius, who was initially sceptical of the phenomenon, until he began to study it himself.

Livingstone Nevius begins with a series of cases in China which he personally investigated, followed by the results of a survey sent out to other missionaries in China, and then gives examples from India, Japan, etc. He finds strong correlations with the New Testament accounts, and with other accounts from the ancient world. This is considered by many the classic treatment of the subject. The author also interacts with the various alternative explanations of the phenomena.