Ritual, Ruin, and Laughter

The Inversion of the Sacred in Acts 19,13-17

Abstract

In Acts 19,13-17, the author presents the narrative of an exorcism that, despite its failure, contributes significantly to the spread of the Christian message. A group of Jewish exorcists attempts to perform a ritual using the name of Jesus but fails humiliatingly, being physically assaulted by the very spirit they sought to expel. In narrating this episode, the author not only exposes the vulnerability of the men involved but also highlights the superiority of the Christian faith over the magical practices of the time. The scene, constructed with elements of irony, comedy, and horror, fits within the aesthetic of the monstrous and the grotesque. The presence of the evil spirit, who reverses the logic of the ritual and mocks the exorcists, serves as a literary device to emphasize the legitimacy of Christian power and the exclusive authority of the name of Jesus. The narrative, by articulating symbols such as the name, forced nudity, ritual inversion, and the community’s reaction, affirms a new spiritual hierarchy. This article proposes a symbolic and aesthetic reading of the pericope, combining the analysis of the monstrous and grotesque with Iúri Lotman’s conceptof semiotics. From this perspective, the failed exorcism is not merely a scene of defeat, but a literary construction that effectively legitimizes the Christian faith in contrast to the beliefs of its time.