Читать книгу Deliver us from the Evil one - Bernardo Olivera - Страница 11

One of the most important contributions of investigation into the Jesus of history has been the rediscovery of the gospel tradition of miracles and exorcisms as indispensable elements of an adequate reconstruction of the life and message of the Prophet from Nazareth. The specific tradition of Jesus’ activity as an exorcist has come to us in three forms:

~ The chief form is that of descriptions of his exorcisms. There are five different examples of Jesus as exorcist:

1 in the synagogue of Capernaum (Mk 1:21-28; Lk 4:33-36);

2 among the Gadarenes (Mt 8:28-33; Mk 5:1-20; Lk 8:26-39);

3 the daughter of the Canaanite woman (Mt 15:21-28; Mk 7:24-30);

4 a boy with a demon (Mt 17:19-20; Mk 9:14-29; Lk 9:37-42);

5 being accused of working under the power of Beelzebul (Mt 12:22-29; Mk 3:20-30; Lk 11:14-23).

~ These accusations constitute another demonstration of the reality of exorcisms. Jesus rebuts them, as he does when accused by the Jewish leaders of being under the influence of Beelzebul, or he simply departs from the scene, knowing that non-believers will hear of his deeds, as occurred in relation to the Gadarenes.

~ A third reference to Jesus’ exorcisms is found in the summaries given of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee (Mk 1:32-34; 3:10-12; Mt 4:24).

The diversity of sources and literary styles referring to Jesus’ expulsion of evil spirits is itself an impressive argument in favor of their authenticity. It is true that not all of these witnesses have the same historical value, but that does not keep us from concluding that the tradition about Jesus’ activity as an exorcist has a solid basis in history. His work as exorcist is one of the most characteristic elements of all his activity, since there is no report of anyone else before him who practiced exorcisms with a simple command, nor anyone who gave them so much importance.

An added sign of the central place that exorcisms had in the public life of Christ is the reaction they provoked in his enemies. Their accusation that he expelled demons is the statement that has the most backing of all those that the Gospels have preserved.13

Here are three lists with a total of twenty references in the Gospels to diabolical possession. First, the texts that show the presence of diabolical possession and the casting out of these demons by Jesus, then a list of when others do the same, and finally a list of other references.

Jesus Casts Out Demons

1. Mk 1:23-28 // Lk 4:31-27	Inaugural exorcism in Capernaum
2. Mk 1:32-34 // Mt 8:16 // Lk 4:41	Summary: Jesus casts out many demons
3. Mk 1:39	Summary
4. Mk 3:11 // Lk 6:18	Summary
5. Mk 3:20-30 and its parallels	Controversy about Beelzebul
6. Mk 5:1-20 and its parallels	The Gerasene demoniac
7. Mk 7:24-30 77 // Mt 15:21-28	The Syrophoenician woman
8. Mk 9:25 // Mt 17-18 // Lk 9:42	A possessed epileptic boy
9. Mt 4:24	A summary: Demoniacs not described in Mk or Lk
10. Mt 9:32-34	A mute demoniac
11. Lk 8:2	The seven devils expelled from some women
12. Lk 13:32	Go and tell Antipas, “I am casting out demons”

Casting Out of Demons Attributed to Others

13. Mt 10:1, 8; Mk 3:15; 6:7; Lk 9:1	The disciples receive authority to expel evil spirits.
14. Mk 9:38: // Lk 9:49-50	An unknown person casts out demons.
15. Mt 7:22	Hypocrites cast out demons in Jesus’ Name.
16. Mt 12:27 // Lk 11:19	“By whom do your exorcists cast them out?”
17. Lk 10:17	“In your name even the demons submit to us.”

Other Texts Showing Diabolical Possessions

18. Mt 11:18 // Lk 7:33	Some say John the Baptist “Has a demon.”
19. Mt 12:43 // Lk 11:24	The movement of an unclean spirit.
20. Mk 16:17 (Canonical appendix)	Believers “will cast out demons.”

A thorough reading of all these texts leads to five important conclusions:

~ Exorcisms are an acknowledged fact, since the texts show that diabolical possession and exorcisms were a familiar reality in Jesus’ time.

~ The general sign of possession was eccentric behavior.

~ Jesus was a powerful exorcist. The Gospels abound in examples of Jesus’ actions in this way, which are confirmed in the gospel summaries of his activity. It is more than probable that these episodes came from the memory of the Apostles, who were eyewitnesses to the events, and from the early pre-gospel tradition in general.

~ The initial fame of Jesus, according to Mark, was not due to his preaching, but to his exorcisms and cures. Jesus was first an exorcist and prodigy-worker, then a teacher.14

~ These conclusions are highly relevant for interpreting the Gospel texts, since they describe the Gospels’ general background. The four most outstanding episodes, which we will comment on below, are the exorcism in Capernaum, the controversy about Beelzebul, the Gerasene demoniac and the possessed epileptic boy.

Besides these different references to the expulsion of demons, it is worth noting that Luke tells us how Jesus’ confrontation with evil is continued by the seventy disciples sent on mission, causing him to say, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning” (Lk 10:18). John also emphasizes the Devil’s defeat through Christ’s Passion and Death: “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out” (Jn 12:31).

It is the Apocalypse, the Book of Revelation, that puts this defeat of the Devil in the transcendent dimension of history:

The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world – he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, proclaiming, ‘Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Messiah, for the accuser of our comrades has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. But they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony (Rev 12:9-11).