All Topics  
Vade retro satana

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Vade retro satana
 
 
  Topics Vade retro satana Topic Home

Vade retro satana ("Step back, Satan
Satan

Satan is a term that originates from the Abrahamic religions, being traditionally applied to an angel in Judeo-Christian belief, and to a Genie in Islamic belief....
") is a Medieval
Middle Ages

File:Karl 1 mit papst gelasius gregor1 sacramentar v karl d kahlen.jpgThe Middle Ages of European history are a period in history which lasted for roughly a millennium, commonly dated from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the beginning of the Early Modern Period in the 16th century, marked by the division of Western Christi...
 Catholic
Catholicism

Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its Theology and doctrines, its Catholic liturgy, Ethics, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
 formula for exorcism
Exorcism

Exorcism is the practice of evicting demons or other evil spiritual being from a person or place which they are believed to have Spiritual possession....
, recorded in a 1415 manuscript
Manuscript

A manuscript is any document that is written by hand, as opposed to being printed or reproduced in some other way. The term may also be used for information that is hand-recorded in other ways than writing, for example inscriptions that are chiselled upon a hard material or scratched as with a knife point in plaster or with a stylus on a wa...
 found in the Abbey
Abbey

An abbey , is a Christianity monastery or convent, under the government of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community....
 of Metten
Metten

Metten is a Municipalities of Germany in the district of Deggendorf in Bavaria in Germany.The town grew up round Metten Abbey, founded in 766....
 in Bavaria
Bavaria

Bavaria , with an area of and almost 12.5 million inhabitants, is a region located in the southeast of Germany and is the largest States of Germany of Germany by area....
 and traditionally attributed to Saint Benedict
Benedict of Nursia

Saint Benedict of Nursia was a saint from Italy, the founder of Western Christian monasticism communities, and a rule-giver for cenobite monks....
 (480–547).

In current Catholic tradition, the formula (sometimes reduced to the vade retro verse) is used to repel any possible evil
Evil

Evil, in many cultures, is a broad term used to describe intentional negative moral acts or thoughts that are cruel, unjust or selfish. Evil is usually good and evil, which describes acts that are kind, just or unselfish....
 thing or happening, as a "spoken amulet
Amulet

An amulet , a close cousin of the talisman consists of any object intended to bring good luck and/or protection to its owner.Potential amulets include: Gemstone or simple Gemstone, statues, coins, drawings, pendants, jewelry ring, plants, animals, etc.; even words said in certain occasions?for example: vade retro satana?, to repe...
". The initials of this formula (VRSNSMV SMQLIVB or VRS:NSMV:SMQL:IVB) were often engraved around crucifix
Crucifix

A crucifix is a Christian cross with a representation of Jesus' body, or corpus. It is a principal symbol of the Christianity religion. It is primarily used in the Roman Catholic Church, Anglican churches, and Eastern Orthodox churches, and it emphasizes Christ's sacrifice— his death by crucifixion, which they believe brought about th...
es or Catholic religious medal
Medal

A medal is usually a coin-like sculpted object of metal or other material that has been engraved with an insignia, portrait or other artistic rendering....
s featuring Saint Benedict.

The phrase vade retro satana (often spelled vade retro satanas) is also used as a witty or scholarly prose device, dissociated from its religious implications, to express strong rejection of an unacceptable (but possibly tempting) proposal, or dread of some looming menace.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Vade retro satana'
Start a new discussion about 'Vade retro satana'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Vade retro satana ("Step back, Satan
Satan

Satan is a term that originates from the Abrahamic religions, being traditionally applied to an angel in Judeo-Christian belief, and to a Genie in Islamic belief....
") is a Medieval
Middle Ages

File:Karl 1 mit papst gelasius gregor1 sacramentar v karl d kahlen.jpgThe Middle Ages of European history are a period in history which lasted for roughly a millennium, commonly dated from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the beginning of the Early Modern Period in the 16th century, marked by the division of Western Christi...
 Catholic
Catholicism

Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its Theology and doctrines, its Catholic liturgy, Ethics, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
 formula for exorcism
Exorcism

Exorcism is the practice of evicting demons or other evil spiritual being from a person or place which they are believed to have Spiritual possession....
, recorded in a 1415 manuscript
Manuscript

A manuscript is any document that is written by hand, as opposed to being printed or reproduced in some other way. The term may also be used for information that is hand-recorded in other ways than writing, for example inscriptions that are chiselled upon a hard material or scratched as with a knife point in plaster or with a stylus on a wa...
 found in the Abbey
Abbey

An abbey , is a Christianity monastery or convent, under the government of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community....
 of Metten
Metten

Metten is a Municipalities of Germany in the district of Deggendorf in Bavaria in Germany.The town grew up round Metten Abbey, founded in 766....
 in Bavaria
Bavaria

Bavaria , with an area of and almost 12.5 million inhabitants, is a region located in the southeast of Germany and is the largest States of Germany of Germany by area....
 and traditionally attributed to Saint Benedict
Benedict of Nursia

Saint Benedict of Nursia was a saint from Italy, the founder of Western Christian monasticism communities, and a rule-giver for cenobite monks....
 (480–547).

In current Catholic tradition, the formula (sometimes reduced to the vade retro verse) is used to repel any possible evil
Evil

Evil, in many cultures, is a broad term used to describe intentional negative moral acts or thoughts that are cruel, unjust or selfish. Evil is usually good and evil, which describes acts that are kind, just or unselfish....
 thing or happening, as a "spoken amulet
Amulet

An amulet , a close cousin of the talisman consists of any object intended to bring good luck and/or protection to its owner.Potential amulets include: Gemstone or simple Gemstone, statues, coins, drawings, pendants, jewelry ring, plants, animals, etc.; even words said in certain occasions?for example: vade retro satana?, to repe...
". The initials of this formula (VRSNSMV SMQLIVB or VRS:NSMV:SMQL:IVB) were often engraved around crucifix
Crucifix

A crucifix is a Christian cross with a representation of Jesus' body, or corpus. It is a principal symbol of the Christianity religion. It is primarily used in the Roman Catholic Church, Anglican churches, and Eastern Orthodox churches, and it emphasizes Christ's sacrifice— his death by crucifixion, which they believe brought about th...
es or Catholic religious medal
Medal

A medal is usually a coin-like sculpted object of metal or other material that has been engraved with an insignia, portrait or other artistic rendering....
s featuring Saint Benedict.

The phrase vade retro satana (often spelled vade retro satanas) is also used as a witty or scholarly prose device, dissociated from its religious implications, to express strong rejection of an unacceptable (but possibly tempting) proposal, or dread of some looming menace. Namely, in the sense of "do not tempt me!", "I will have nothing to do with that", "will someone deliver us from that", and so on.

Text


The Latin text says:

Crux sancta sit mihi lux / Non draco sit mihi dux
Vade retro satana / Numquam suade mihi vana
Sunt mala quae libas / Ipse venena bibas


In approximate translation:

"May the Holy Cross be my light / Let not the demon lead me
Step back Satan / Never tempt me with vain things
What you offer me is evil / You drink the poison yourself."


Origins and history

The verse Vade retro satana was probably inspired by a phrase said by Jesus
Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth , also known as Jesus Christ, is the central figure of Christianity and is revered by most Christian churches as the Son of God and the Incarnation ....
 to Peter
Saint Peter

Saint Peter was a leader of the early Christianity church, who features prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles....
 in the Vulgate
Vulgate

The Vulgate is an early Fifth Century version of the Bible in Latin, and largely the result of the labors of Jerome, who was commissioned by Pope Damasus I in 382 to make a revision of Vetus Latina....
 New Testament
New Testament

The New Testament is the name given to the second major division of the Christianity Bible, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
, Mark 8:33: vade retro me, satana ("Step back from me, Satan!").

There is no evidence that the formula was composed by Saint Benedict, or even that it is older than the 14th century. It came to general attention in 1647, when certain women who were persecuted for witchcraft
Witchcraft

Witchcraft, in various historical, anthropological, religious and mythological contexts, is the use of certain kinds of supernatural or Magic powers....
 declared that they had been unable to do harm where there was a cross, and the Abbey of Metten
Metten Abbey

Metten Abbey, or the Abbey of St. Michael at Metten is a house of the Benedictine Order in Metten near Deggendorf, situated between the fringes of the Bavarian Forest and the valley of the Danube, in Bavaria in Germany....
 was particularly exempt. A search of the monastery turned up crosses painted on the walls with the formula's initials. The meaning of those letters remained a mystery for some time, until the complete verses were found in a manuscript dating to 1415 in the abbey's library , next to an image of St. Benedict. The same formula was later found in an Austria
Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west....
n manuscript from the 14th century.

Following its 1647 rediscovery, the formula was for a time considered a superstition, but soon the formula was struck and sold on talisman
Talisman

*A Talisman is a small amulet or other object, often bearing magical symbols, worn for protection against evil spirits or the supernatural.May also mean:...
 medals. Wrote Henry Charles Lea
Henry Charles Lea

Henry Charles Lea was an United States historian, civic reformer, and political activist. Lea was born and lived in Philadelphia....
 in A History of Auricular Confession and Indulgences in the Latin Church, "As a rule...it suffices to wear (the medal) devoutly, but, if some special favor is desired, it is advisable on a Tuesday to say five Glorias
Glory Be to the Father

Glory Be to the Father, also known as Gloria Patri, is a doxology, a short hymn of praise to God in various Christianity liturgy. It is also referred to as the Minor Doxology or Lesser Doxology, to distinguish it from the Greater Doxology, the Gloria in Excelsis Deo....
, three Aves
Hail Mary

File:Madonna. Petit Palais Avignon.jpgThe Hail Mary or Ave Maria is a traditional Catholic prayer asking for the intercession of the Mary , the mother of Jesus....
 and then three more Glorias to secure the protection of St. Benedict." In 1742 the formula received the approval of Pope Benedict XIV
Pope Benedict XIV

Pope Benedict XIV , born Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, was Pope from 17 August 1740 to 3 May 1758....
, and is now part of the Roman Catholic ritual
Roman Ritual

The Roman Ritual is one of the official ritual works of the Roman Catholic rite. It contains all of the services which may be performed by a priest, or decon which are not contained within either the Missale Romanum or the Breviary....
. The formula popularity grew considerably in the 19th century, mainy due to the efforts of Léon Papin Dupont
Léon Papin Dupont

L?on Papin Dupont , a fervent Roman Catholic who promoted the veneration of the Holy Face of Jesus, was the impassioned devot? whose excavations in 1860 at Tours of the former basilica church of Martin of Tours were influential in the campaign to build a new Martin of Tours in its ancient site in the city, repurchased from property o...
.

See also

  • Of Exorcisms and Certain Supplications
    Of Exorcisms and Certain Supplications

    Of Exorcisms and Certain Supplications is an 84-page document of the Roman Catholicism Catholic church describing the rite of exorcism. It was revised on 26 January 1998, making it the last liturgical book to be revised following the Second Vatican Council of 1962-1965....