nil See also Lv 1538, 2 S 132, 2 K 1« 87-29 1311 201, Sir 312, 2 Es 831.
nt §§ 216-227.
*** Quoted by J. B. Lightfoot. The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, London, 1875, p. 140.
ttt Gn 602 refers to professional embalmers.
POSSESSION
POSSESSION
251
ally trained pliysician of to-day. Still the ri curative applications * shows the dawning of
Still the rise of ! applications " snows me dawning of some idea of rational treatment. Such men would be viewed with prejudice by jieople of a conservatively pietistic type, as the Chronicler (2 Ch 16'-) who censures Asa for resorting to physicians, and by disappointed patients with whose disease tliey had wrestled in vain (Wis IG'-, .lob 13''). But the success which in many cases they achieved merited and won its meed of praise.f
liut when a disease appeared as a sudden seizure, epidemical, or otherwise abnormal, men still believed that it was caused by a Divine being. Jahweli Himself smites with disease : diseases of the abnormal type are arrows shot from the hand of (Jod.J Leprosy was clearly sent by Jahweh, and therefore His priests were the judges of the presence and of the cure of that disease, and the patient when cured had to offer sacrifice.§ At other times Jahweh employed a subsidiary spirit like the Satan (Job 2'), or some other of his messengers.il Saul's case is instructive. First of all there came upon him a spirit called njn; nn and D-n^N nn.H This spirit departed from him, and another spirit, called nj.i; nx? nyjnn,** and □•ri''7?<-nn nvi,tt a malevolent spirit of the gods, came upon him : and a pathological condition at once ensued, exhibiting itself in intermittent attacks of a strange and therefore demoniacal disorder. JJ For such ab- normal diseases exorcism, in some form or another, would continue to be employed. §§ Thus the evolu- tion of the function and cliaracter of spirits and the advance of medical science led to the differ- entiation of two types of disease, one normal, alwaj's tending to increase in number, and the other abnormal, always tending to decrease in number, the latter type being due to the action of superhuman beings.
In the Apostolic Age a belief in the active par- ticipation of spiritual beings in human affairs was universal. II II Of these some were benelicent, as the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Jesus, the seven spirits before the throne of God, angels, archangels, principalities, powers, ' living creatures,' and prob- ably the Tvpeu^&repoi before the throne.UIT Others, which specially concern us, were malevolent.*** Tliese were organized into a kingdom, the prince of the demons being Beelzebul, otherwise named Satan, and the devil, ttt who is the 'prince of the air,' and has therein his residence.JJJ In fact, to some Christians the age appeared one of law- lessness and unbelief lying under the sway of the Satan. §§§ Satan is not merely a malevolent spirit ; he deliglits in doing evil. As the Evil One, he is in a special sense the Tempter, sows evil in the world, and snatches away good. He has the power of death. He suggests to Judas to betray the Master, and the final surrender of the traitor to the Tempter is described in the words 'Satan
• See the case ot Hezekiah (2 K 207).
t Sir 1010 381-3. 12 ; on 3815 sec UDB iii. 321 ; ExpT x. (1898- 99] 528; Jos. Ant. VI. viii. 2; of. the reported hiding of a medical book of Hezekiah {HUB L 113»). A list of diseases will be found in HDB iii. 323.
: 2 Ch 2111- IS, Ex 915, Nu 1133, Dt 28". 27. 28. se. 60, 1 s 2538 2610, 2 S 1215 2415, 2 K 618, Ig 317, Zeo 141", 2 Es 164, 2 Mac 96 ; HDB iii. 323.
? Lv 13. 14, 2 K 165, Mk 1«« ; Marti, The ReligUm of the OT, p. 113.
[ 2 K 1935, 2 S 2416, 1 Ch 2112-'.n, Dt 29«1, 2 S 12", Ex 122», Nu 1133, 1 S 2538, 2 K 156 1935.
f 1 S 106- 10 116 (2815) (1812) 1623.
•• 1 S 16H. tt 1 S 1616- 18 ISIO.
It Jos. Ant. VI. viii. 2, xi. 3.
i§ lb. VIII. ii. 6 ; £'zp, 7th ser., iii. 323 ; JE iv. 616. nil Mt 1428, Mk C«, Lk 2437-39, Ac 1215.
HH Mt 316, Ro 89 etc., Ac 167, Rev 1*, Ac 107; some angels had acquired names, Jude », 1 Th 416, Ro 838 etc., Rev 4''-6.
"• Mt 1118 12-13, Lk 721- 33 82 1121-26, Jn 670 720 818- ■» 1020. 21.
ttt Rev 202, Mt 12Si-30 = Mk 322-») = ijc uis. 19; DCG i. 439, i41.
ttt Eph 22, Lk 1018; EDB \. 6S1>.
§§§ Appendix to Mark in Codex W, the Freer Uncial.
entered into him,'* Subordinate to him are potentates of the dark lue.sent, the spirit-forces of evil in the heavenly sphere, t among all of whom there are degrees of malevolence.J The demons were numerous, they (congregated in nien,§ and in certain places where they might be found. These places, as can easily be understood, were unin- iiabited, and remote from human dwellings. Arabs and Jews thought of these malevolent beings as dwelling in deserts, waterless places, mountains, cemeteries, and places which had been deserted. II The demons were able to enter into men and animals ; they could go out of their own accord and they coulcl be cast out by exorcists.lf The entrance of a maleficent spirit made a human being a demoniac. But wo get a clearer view of demonomania if we look at it from :