DEMONIACS IN THE BIBLE. - In the Gospels (and Acts) numerous healings of demoniacs are narrated. With possession, a demon (v.) or several demons animate the body (Lesêtre), but as a motor adventitius (Benedict XIV) or an external principle of actions (Leistle): that is, they penetrate it, subsist in it and operate there, and can torment it unless they are prevented by God (St. Bonaventure).
This is denied by the rationalists who deny the miracle, down to the moderns (such as O. Holtzmann, E. Rasmussen, J. Weiss, A. Harnack, etc.), who maintain the non-existence of spirits, which would be chimeras of superstitious peoples, a residue of the darkness of past centuries, symbols and figures of moral and physical evil; the symptoms of demonic possession described in the Gospels would refer to subjects with nervous illnesses (epileptics, hysterics, etc.); the cures would have occurred through hypnosis and suggestion: Jesus would not have expelled demons, but would have cured such sick men with his psychic power.
Of true and proper demoniacs there is no mention in the Old Testament. There sometimes appears a demonic influence that is ethical (1 Kings 22:19-23; 1 Chronicles 18:18-22: the spirit of lying deceives the prophets of King Ahab) or even physical (as in the case of Job); but this influence is rather external. The case of Saul (1 Samuel 16:14-23; 19:9) is understood by many (A. Calmet, M. Hagen, L. Janssens) as a severe melancholy caused and fostered by the evil spirit.
In the New Testament the intervention of Satan, up to possession, is connected with the diabolical attempt to divert Christ's mission by way of seduction and intimidation (Mark 1:12 ff.; Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13; Luke 22:31), in order to hinder the Kingdom of God (Luke 11:20; Matthew 12:28).
The Son of God, by contrast, has come to undo the work of the devil (1 John 3:8), and the Apostles in turn are invested by the Master with the power to "cast out demons" (Luke 10:17-19). Jesus engages the final struggle on the day of the Passion (John 12:31 ff.; 14:30; 16:11), with a battle virtually already won.
Various references to Jesus' miracles place alongside the sick who were healed the demoniacs who were freed (Matthew 4:24; Mark 1:32, 34, 39; Matthew 8:16; Luke 4:40 ff.; Mark 3:10; Luke 6:17-19; 7:21).
That Jesus is immune from error or deception emerges clearly from the Gospels, considered even merely as historical books. Both He and the Evangelists clearly distinguish the sick from the demoniacs, while admitting that certain illnesses are caused by demonic presence.
Moreover, if it is true that Jesus accommodated himself to the manner of speaking of his contemporaries when dealing with physical phenomena or secondary questions, this did not happen, however, in questions of a religious character; on the contrary, on this point he intended to correct false ideas (cf. John 9:1-3). Now the influence of demons on humanity constituted an important point of his religious mission; Jesus spoke of it on his own initiative (Luke 11:21 ff.; 22:31; John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; Matthew 25:41 etc.), not only for therapeutic purposes.
Numerous demoniacs are found, especially in the Synoptics, above all in Galilee. They are possessed by one or more "unclean" or "evil" spirits (Matthew 12:45, and parallels) that torment them (Mark 5:2-6), that speak through their mouths (Mark 1:34;
3:10 etc.). Diabolical possession sometimes causes muteness (Matthew 9:32; 12; 22), blindness (Matthew 12:22), epilepsy (Matthew 17:14-20), madness (Matthew 5:1-5). Not all illnesses, however, are attributed to diabolical possessions; on the contrary, they are sometimes expressly distinguished (Luke 6:17-18; 7:21; 8:2; 13:22 etc.).
Some facts demonstrate the personal and intelligent character of satanic activity in the demoniacs. The most important liberations of demoniacs are: "the man possessed by an unclean spirit" in the synagogue of Capernaum (Mark 1:23-28; Luke 4:33-37); the demoniac of Gerasa (Mark 5:1-20; Matthew 8:28-34; Luke 8:26-39; in the mouth of the demoniac Peter's confession is anticipated); the Syrophoenician demoniac girl (Mark 7:24-30; Matthew 15:21-28; Jesus acts according to the woman's prayer and persuasion); the epileptic demoniac (Mark 9:18-29; Matthew 17:14-21; Luke 9:37-42; Jesus recognizes the presence of the demon).
As for the manner of expelling demons from the wretched demoniacs, Jesus alludes to the manner in use among the Jews (Matthew 12:27; Luke 11:19); in Acts 19:13 there is mention of Jewish exorcists; some cast out demons in the name of Jesus (Mark 9:37). To deny the divine cause of the miracle, the Jews accused Jesus of performing the miracle by means of the prince of demons (Matthew 9:34; 12:24, 27; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15, 19).
Jesus frees the demoniacs with a mere command: he does not at all follow the empirical therapies of the time, which were often based on magic.
For the other cases of demoniacs, v. DEMONIACHE MANIFESTAZIONI.