The First Exorcism Prayer

 First Exorcism

Priest: The Lord puts you under ban, O Devil: He Who came into the world, and made His abode among men, that He might overthrow your tyranny and deliver men. Who also upon the Tree did triumph over the adverse powers, when the sun was darkened, and the earth did quake, and the graves were opened, and the bodies of the Saints arose; Who also by death annihilated Death, and overthrew him who exercised the dominion of Death, that is you, the Devil. I charge you by God, Who revealed the Tree of Life, and arrayed in ranks the Cherubim and the flaming sword which turns all ways to guard it: be under ban. For I charge you by Him who walked upon the surface of the sea as if it were dry land, and laid under His ban the tempests of the winds; Whose glance dries up the deep, and Whose command makes the mountains melt away. The same now, through us, puts you under ban. Fear, begone and depart from this creature, and return not again, neither hide yourself in him (her), neither seek to meet him (her), nor to influence him (her), either by night or by day, either in the morning or at noonday; but depart hence to your own infernal abyss until the great Day of Judgment which is ordained. Fear God Who sits upon the Cherubim and looks upon the deeps; before Whom tremble Angels and Archangels, Thrones, Dominions, Principalities, Authorities, Powers, the many-eyed Cherubim and the six-winged Seraphim; before Whom, likewise, heaven and earth do quake, the seas and all that they contain. Begone, and depart from this sealed, newly-enlisted warrior of Christ our God. For I charge you by Him Who rides upon the wings of the wind, and makes His Angels spirits, and His ministers a flaming fire: Begone, and depart from this creature, with all your powers and your Angels.  For glorified is the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

This First Exorcism Prayer of the Orthodox Baptismal Rite is one of the most theologically profound and ancient parts of the baptismal service. It is not merely a “ritual formula,” but a declaration of Christ’s cosmic victory over the devil and the liberation of the human person from the bondage of sin and death. Let’s unpack its theological significance and central themes:

1. The Cosmic Battle and Christ’s Victory

The prayer opens with:

“The Lord puts you under ban, O Devil: He Who came into the world, and made His abode among men, that He might overthrow your tyranny and deliver men…”

This introduces the overarching theme of cosmic warfare—Christ entering the world not merely to teach or heal, but to confront and defeat Satan’s dominion over creation. The Incarnation is thus seen as a military invasion of divine lightinto the domain of darkness.

• “Overthrow your tyranny” echoes John 12:31 — “Now shall the ruler of this world be cast out.”

• The baptismal candidate, through this prayer, becomes part of that victory — a participant in Christ’s triumph over the devil.

2. Christ’s Triumph Through the Cross

“…Who also upon the Tree did triumph over the adverse powers, when the sun was darkened, and the earth did quake, and the graves were opened…”

Here, the Cross (“the Tree”) is proclaimed as the battlefield of victory.
Christ’s death is not defeat but the decisive act of cosmic exorcism, breaking the devil’s hold on humanity. The natural phenomena mentioned (darkened sun, earthquake, open graves) are not just historical signs but cosmic responses—creation itself rejoices in the overthrow of the Evil One.

This connects to Colossians 2:15:

“He disarmed the principalities and powers and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in the Cross.”

3. Death as the Defeated Enemy

“…Who also by death annihilated Death, and overthrew him who exercised the dominion of Death, that is you, the Devil.”

Here the devil is identified with the “one who had the power of death” (Hebrews 2:14).
Christ’s descent into death was not passive; it was a conquest. The prayer thus proclaims that baptism is participation in this Paschal victory—a liberation from death’s dominion.

4. Invocation of Divine Power Through Biblical Imagery

The priest then charges the devil by the mighty acts of God:

“…by Him who walked upon the surface of the sea… laid under His ban the tempests of the winds…”

Each image recalls a divine act of authority over the elements:

• Walking on the sea — Christ’s dominion over chaos (Mark 6:48–51).

• Rebuking the winds — power over natural and spiritual disorder.

• “His glance dries up the deep” — God’s sovereignty over the abyss, symbol of demonic habitation (cf. Job 38:16, Ps. 106:9).

These images affirm that no realm of existence—heaven, earth, sea, or the abyss—is outside the Lordship of Christ.

5. The Devil’s Expulsion and Prohibition

“Fear, begone and depart from this creature, and return not again…”

This is not a symbolic act—it is a real declaration of separation. The priest speaks with sacramental authority, invoking Christ’s own power to banish the enemy.
The human person (the catechumen) is being reclaimed as a temple of the Holy Spirit, no longer a dwelling place of sin or demonic influence.

The repeated commands (“begone,” “depart,” “return not again”) demonstrate the total severance between the baptized and the devil’s dominion.

6. The Eschatological Dimension

“…until the great Day of Judgment which is ordained.”

This phrase places the exorcism within the eschatological timeline — the devil’s defeat is already accomplished in Christ but awaits final manifestation at the Last Judgment.
The baptized, therefore, lives in the “already-but-not-yet” tension: already freed, but awaiting the ultimate consummation of victory.

7. The Hierarchical and Cosmic Witness

“Fear God Who sits upon the Cherubim… before Whom tremble Angels and Archangels, Thrones, Dominions, Principalities, Authorities, Powers…”

Here the prayer affirms the hierarchy of heavenly beings (cf. Colossians 1:16; Ephesians 1:21).
The mention of angelic hosts trembling before God reveals the cosmic scale of divine majesty—before which Satan has no place to stand.
It also frames baptism as an entrance into this heavenly order, a realignment of the baptized person with the ranks of light, rather than the fallen powers of darkness.

8. The Baptized as a “Newly-Enlisted Warrior”

“Begone, and depart from this sealed, newly-enlisted warrior of Christ our God.”

This is a striking image of spiritual enlistment.
Baptism is portrayed as military initiation — the candidate becomes a soldier of Christ, sealed with the Holy Spirit, joining the Church Militant in the ongoing spiritual battle.

This language echoes 2 Timothy 2:3–4, where believers are “soldiers of Christ Jesus,” and reflects early Christian catechetical imagery of baptism as spiritual enlistment against the devil.

9. The Trinitarian Seal

The prayer concludes:

“For glorified is the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit…”

The final doxology anchors the whole exorcism in the Trinitarian economy of salvation.
It affirms that the power to banish evil, sanctify creation, and renew the human person belongs only to the Triune God, whose Name will seal the one about to be baptized.

Summary of Theological Themes

Theme	Theological Meaning
Christ’s Victory over Satan	The exorcism proclaims baptism as participation in Christ’s triumph over evil.
The Cross as Cosmic Exorcism	The “Tree” is where demonic tyranny is overthrown.
Death’s Defeat	Death is personified and vanquished; the baptized are liberated from mortality’s dominion.
Divine Sovereignty	Every realm of creation obeys the Lord who commands the winds and seas.
Severance from Evil	The devil is expelled permanently from the human soul now consecrated to God.
Eschatological Fulfillment	Points forward to the Last Judgment, where the devil’s final defeat will be sealed.
Angelic Hierarchy & Cosmic Order	Reaffirms God’s absolute lordship and the harmony of all creation under Him.
Spiritual Warfare and Baptismal Enlistment	The baptized is a “new warrior” sealed for service in Christ’s army.
Trinitarian Doxology	All exorcistic and salvific power flows from the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

This prayer dramatizes the entire narrative of salvation history — creation fallen under demonic tyranny, Christ entering the world to conquer it, and baptism as the moment that victory is personally applied. It’s the reversal of Eden, the reclaiming of a human being for God, and the re-entry into the divine life once guarded by the flaming sword.