''Vade Retro Satana''

By Crusader1307

The term, ''Vade Retro Satana'' is seen as an early Medieval Latin Prayer, designed to serve as a form of Exorcism and protection against The Devil or His Demons. Traced to The Holy Bible, the term translates to ''Step Back, Satan'' (although ''Get Behind Me, Satan'' – is most commonly used). It was supposedly uttered by Jesus Christ prior to the start of His Public Ministry, when He was ''tempted'' by Satan. The Prayer was adopted by The Order of St. Benedict (Benedictines), as part of the ''origin story'' of that Saint, when Benedict uttered ''Vade Retro Satana'' when He (like Christ), was tempted. First incorporated into that Order in 1415, it was incorporated in a Devotional Medal commonly worn today. The Devotional also includes a longer invocation of protection (with all being abbreviated by it's first Latin Letter). It was also adopted into The Official Rite of Exorcism in the 1740s.