John Livingstone Nevius

Demon Possession and Allied Themes

Demon possession and Allied Themes; Being an Inductive Study of Phenomena of Our Own Times, is a book by American Protestant missionary, John Livingstone Nevius, first published in 1894. Nevius was stationed in China and wrote several books on the subjects of Chinese religion and spirit possession. His interest in the phenomenon of spirit possession was sparked off by conversations about the supernatural with his language tutor, Mr. Tu; the Chinese had a strong belief in the reality and power of the spirit world that was part of an animistic tradition in Chinese folk religion. This book discusses demon possession mainly in China, but also covers India, Japan, and other countries, as well as covering the pathological, biblical, and pyschological theories of possession.