Biblical Context: Demons

A man was there in their synagogue who was possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon. “Get away!” he shouted. “What is it with us and you, Jesus from Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the holy one from God!”

But Jesus rebuked it, saying, “Be quiet and come out of him!”

Then the demon (the unclean spirit) threw him down into convulsions in front of them and screamed with a loud voice. But then it came out without harming him. They were all amazed and argued among themselves, saying, “What are these words? New teaching with authority! He even commands the unclean spirits and they obey him.”

– The Story of Jesus 7.2

[Adapted from Mk 1:21-28; Lk 4:31b-37]

In first century Judea, the Greek word daimon (translated “demon”) referred to a spiritual being, but without the negative connotation that the word carries today. Back then, a demon was a spirit that wasn’t necessarily good or bad. However, other names for them in the Bible do suggest their evil nature, such as “unclean spirit” and “evil spirit.” Over time Christian tradition adopted the word “demon” to mean fallen angels that rebelled with Satan against God. Jews in the first century understood that demons could possess and control people, causing problems like deafness, blindness, mental disorders, seizures, and the inability to speak. Not all diseases were blamed on demons, since the Gospel writers often differentiated between the same problem as having natural or supernatural causes. However, it’s unclear what the criteria were to attribute an affliction to demon possession or simply a medical cause. Exorcism is the act of evicting demons from the people or places they possess, which was practiced throughout the ancient Middle East by Jews and other religious groups. 

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