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THREAD: on demon possession
The term ‘demon-possessed’ is common in modern Bible translations (eg ESV, HCSB, NIV, NKJV at Matt 8:28) & has become a standard phrase.
It conveys to people that 1 or more demons possess a person.
That’s the problem. We’ll see there’s been a shift.
The term ‘demon-possessed’ is common in modern Bible translations (eg ESV, HCSB, NIV, NKJV at Matt 8:28) & has become a standard phrase.
It conveys to people that 1 or more demons possess a person.
That’s the problem. We’ll see there’s been a shift.
The Greek is usually a single verb daimonizomai, which we might literalistically render as ‘be demonized’.
But earlier translations tended to express that the person had the demon, not the demon, the person.
But earlier translations tended to express that the person had the demon, not the demon, the person.
The #LindisfarneGospels give us beautiful Latin with Anglo-Saxon glosses above.
Here’s Matthew 4:24: Latin et qui daemonia habebant ‘and whoever had demons’.
You can probably make out the words ‘devil’ & ‘have’ in the Anglo-Saxon.
So the people have the devils, not vice versa.
Here’s Matthew 4:24: Latin et qui daemonia habebant ‘and whoever had demons’.
You can probably make out the words ‘devil’ & ‘have’ in the Anglo-Saxon.
So the people have the devils, not vice versa.
