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Mosaic of the exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac from the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, dating to the sixth century AD. The exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac (Matthew 8:28–34; Mark 5:1–20; Luke 8:26–39), frequently known as the Miracle of the (Gadarene) Swine and the exorcism of Legion, is one of the miracles performed by Jesus according to the New Testament. [1]
In Christianity, exorcism involves the practice of casting out one or more demons from a person whom they believe to have been possessd by demons. The person performing the exorcism, known as an exorcist, is often a member of the Christian Church, or an individual thought to be graced with special powers or skills.
The practice is traced to biblical accounts of Jesus expelling demons and exhorting his apostles to "cast out devils". [17] The church views demonic possession as the devil's primary means of enslaving humanity and rebelling against God. Orthodox Christians believe objects, as well as individuals, can be possessed. [18]
Jesus is said to have directly granted his 12 disciples the power to cast out unclean spirits and to heal. [41] At Luke 9:49–50 , John the Apostle reports that he and his fellow disciples have asked a man to stop casting out demons in the name of Jesus "because he isn't one of us," but Jesus replies that the man should be allowed to continue ...
Jesus' family and contemporaries regarded him as delusional, possessed by demons, or insane. [4] [7] [8] And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for people were saying, "He is beside himself". And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Be-el′zebul, and by the prince of demons he casts out the demons".
The New Testament mentions Jesus casting out evil spirits fifty-five times but only describes the events in detail five times. [4] He casts demons out of a man in a synagogue (Mark 1) and two men near tombs (Matthew 8). In both episodes, Jesus converses with the demons, and they acknowledge him as the Son of God before he casts them out. [5]
Illustration of Jesus exorcizing the Gerasene demoniac by Spencer Alexander McDaniel, 2020. In the New Testament, Legion (Ancient Greek: λεγιών) is a group of demons, particularly those in two of three versions of the exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac, an account in the synoptic Gospels of an incident in which Jesus of Nazareth performs an exorcism.
The Greek makes clear that healing illnesses and casting out spirits were two parts of the same act, a reflection of the common belief at the time that diseases were caused by demonic possession. Throughout the New Testament, the power to conduct such exorcisms is one of the leading examples of spiritual power. [3]