Demonic Possession In The New Testament

Demon possession in New Testament times was real, contends the author in the face of rationalistic denials. A study of the Gospels reveals that genuine demon possession had two distinctive elements: (1) insanity or idiocy of some sort, forming the natural element," and (2) the confession of Jesus as Messiah, forming the supernatural element." The author's research also led him to conclude that demon possession in the New Testament is a unique phenomenon in the history of the world, being confined indeed to the earlier portion of the ministry of our Lord." Why did this phenomenon erupt when it did? The incarnation initiated the establishment of the kingdom of heaven upon earth. That determined a countermovement among the powers of darkness. Genuine demonic possession was one of its manifestations." Entire chapters are devoted to historic demonology, medical aspects of demonic possession, the existence of genuine demonic possession, the New Testament narratives concerning the Beelzebul controversy" and the Gerasene affair," and the alleged continuance of genuine demonic possession.

2020 Center for Biblical Studies Finalist for Biblical Theology The truth about demons is far stranger--and even more fascinating--than what's commonly believed. Are demons real? Are they red creatures with goatees holding pitchforks and sitting on people's shoulders while whispering bad things? Did a third of the angels really rebel with Satan? Are demons and "principalities and powers" just terms for the same entities, or are they different members of the kingdom of darkness? Is the world a chaotic mess because of what happened in Eden, or is there more to the story of evil? What people believed about evil spiritual forces in ancient biblical times is often very different than what people have been led to believe about them today. And this ancient worldview is missing from most attempts to treat the topic. In Demons, Michael Heiser debunks popular presuppositions about the very real powers of darkness. Rather than traditions, stories, speculations, or myths, Demons is grounded in what ancient people of both the Old and New Testament eras believed about evil spiritual forces and in what the Bible actually says. You'll come away with a sound, biblical understanding of demons, supernatural rebellion, evil spirits, and spiritual warfare.

Eric Sorensen examines how religious tradition is maintained when in conflict with social convention. The author is specifically interested in how Christianity overcame stigmas of magic and superstition in its practice of exorcism as it extended into Greek and Roman areas of Christian mission. Using an historical-critical approach, he argues for three principal factors at work in confirming the exorcist's place in religious society: cultural adaptation (Near Eastern influences on Greek and Roman thought and practice), a tradition of exorcism founded upon authoritative scriptural example, and innovative theological interpretations applied to that tradition. Eric Sorensen proposes that the exorcist's role was adapted in part by Christianity's interpretation of demonic possession relative to the concept of divine possession long familiar to Greco-Roman sensibilities. Early Christians found a suitable metaphor to express this correlation in the doctrine of the Two Ways, which itself had literary antecedents both in Greek literature and in Christianity's own scriptural tradition.

This book on counseling and the demonic by Dr. Rodger Bufford is part of the notable Resources for Christian Counseling series, a series which seeks to combine the best insights from psychology with strict adherence to biblical truth.

Shows from theology, the Bible and counseling experiences that Christians can be affected by demonic activity. Equips believers to fight spiritual battles--and win.

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1902 edition. Excerpt: ... Abraham as a magician, 57. Accommodation, 204 f., 277 f. Ahriman. See Angro-Mainyu. Akom-mano, 25. Angro-Mainyu, 24 f., 41. Apollonius as exorcist, 144. Ashmedai. See Asmodreus. Asmodaeus, 24 f., 37 ff., 92, 12G. Azi-Dahaka, 25. Baalzebub, a fly-god, 179 f. Baaras, the mandrake, 127. Bacchanalia, 282. Barnabas, Epistle of, 219. Baruch, Book of, 22. Beelzebul controversy, 1 he, 11, 174 ff.; its sequel, 190 ff. Bel-Ea, 182 f. Bel-Mul-lil, 182 f. Bene-Elohim, the, 22, 42, 274. Bidding Prayer, the, 231 f. Capernaum as focus of the Dia- spora, 104. Christ and common dcmonology, 50 tr. Christ and common magic, 57 ff. Christ's freedom from supersti- tion, cause of, 59 f. Christ's treatment of the pos- sessed, 137. Cingalese, the, 19. Clairvoyance, 151 f. Classification of the possessed, 157 ff.; results of, 163 ff. Cockcrow and the demons, 46, 55. Confession of Jesus as Messiah, significance of the, 151 ff. Convulsionnaires, the, 236 f. Criterion of genuine liessession, 150. Cro-Magnon race, the, 42. Cross, sign of the, 229, 234. Cutha, legend of, 14. Dancing manias, the, 235 f., 282. David's feigned dementia, 108. Decapolis, 103 f., 120. Degraded gods as demons, 17 f. Demetrian, Epistle to, 229. Demoniac of Capernaum, the, 64 ff., 122. Demoniac of Gerasa, the, 69ff., 123; scene of the healing of, 194 ff. Demoniac, the blind and dumb, 89 f., 162: 174 f., 253 ff.; scene of the healing of, 276 f. Demoniac, the dumb, 88 f., 162, 174 f., 253 11'. Demoniacs of China, the, 243 ff. Demoniacs, strength of, 75, 161 f. Demoniac state, significance of the, 86. Demonic inspiration, 156. Demonising of heathen gods, 17 ff., 272 ff. Deinonolaters of India, 237 f. Demonology of the Old Testament, 13 ff.; of the Septuagint, 21 f.; of the Apocryphal and...

"An emerging field of study that explores the Hispanic minority in the United States, Latino Studies is enriched by an interdisciplinary perspective. Historians, sociologists, anthropologists, political scientists, demographers, linguists, as well as religion, ethnicity, and culture scholars, among others, bring a varied, multifaceted approach to the understanding of a people whose roots are all over the Americas and whose permanent home is north of the Rio Grande. Oxford Bibliographies in Latino Studies offers an authoritative, trustworthy, and up-to-date intellectual map to this ever-changing discipline."--Editorial page.