Home
Newcomers
Reference

THE ORIGIN AND THEREFORE THE USAGE OF THE EXPRESSION "HOCUS POCUS" IS BLASPHEMOUS AND A DIRECT ATTACK AGAINST THE REAL PRESENCE OF OUR LORD IN THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT.

Secular References readily attest to this fact:

THE OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY - VOLUME V page 320 (1933-1978)
"Hocus Pocus… to conjure to trick … practise deception…"

1694 Tillotson Sermon xxvi II 237: "In all probability those common juggling words of hocus pocus are nothing else but a corruption of hoc est corpus by way of ridiculous imitation of the priests of the Church of Rome in their trick (sic) of Transubstantiation."

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY (1994) page 399:
"Hocus Pocus… Nonsense words or phrases used when performing magic tricks … deception trickery …alteration of Latin hoc est corpus (meum) this is (my) body (a phrase used in the Eucharist)."

THE BARNHART DICTIONARY OF ETYMOLOGY (1988) page 485:
"Hocus Pocus formula used in performing magic tricks 1632 … perhaps originally sham Latin used by magicians in performing their tricks; very likely a perversion of the phrase from the Mass hoc est corpus meum this is my body. The extended meaning of trickery or deception is first recorded in 1774."

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF WORD AND PHRASE ORIGINS
(ROBERT HENDRICKSON 1987 page 257)
"Hocus Pocus… neither is there positive proof that Hocus Pocus is a blasphemous Scandinavian corruption of the first words of the consecration in the Catholic Mass. Hoc est corpus(filii). This is the Body (of the Son of God). Many scholars lean to this last theory, pointing out that 'hokus pokus fileokus' is still unwittingly used in Norway and Sweden, just as 'hocus pocus dominocus'. … perhaps the word does originally come from the perversion of the sacramental blessing…"

Copyright © 2008 Our Lady of Victory Roman Catholic Chapel. All rights reserved.
Home Schedule Newcomers Reference Material