[ness31]

I am currently fascinated by the biblical account of Legion, the apparent demon collective in possession of a man.
My personal reading of the Gospels shows too much variation and ambiguity to agree with the "for there were (are) many" interpretation. I dunno...it just doesn't sit right with me

The explanations as to why Jesus allowed the alleged demon(s) to then take possession of the herd of swine don't do it for me either. Unsophisticated or simplistic to infer the owners were Jews, hence breaking law giving justification for the anomaly.
Saying that Jesus allowed it, acting as Gods agent to exemplify divine power...mm..don't buy it.

From a narrative point of view, and from the perspective of the 'Ego' there could be so many more interesting and less nasty explanations for this account.

I have not read any scholarly literature on this topic, if anyone can suggest some, please do.

Also, if anyone would like to share their interpretations of the story, that'd be cool too.

[Noelnada]

The only sense i found in that story is :

Jesus Christ has power over these demons not because he is God but because he is powerful enough to seduce Satan.

Jesus is like a very strong creature which fill God with pride. In return, God grants him more of his own power.

But Satan is betting he can make Jesus switch side and reject mankind. So he grants him power too.

That's just politics.

We assume Jesus is loyal to God forever. That's what we believe in and the reason why we try to emulate him and embrace mankind with love forever.

My own interpretation is that the story is one more fable. Probably that nothing like this happened in reality. Maybe there was some mentally disturbed guy and maybe Jesus miraculously healed him, then coincidentally, some pigs went mad at the same time. I don't know, it's not really important, is it ?

[GirdYourLoins]

Ness, I heard a homily on the swine reading recently. What I remember most about it was that the demons recognized Jesus for what He was, it was they who suggested He put them into the swine. (The swine just happened to be there...symbolism not withstanding!?) For they would rather toss themselves off a cliff than submit- better to be obliterated than explain to the boss than He intervened and the plot was thwarted.

As for there being many.. I don't know how many times in scripture that it is reported that Jesus removes demons but regardless of how many times it's mentioned, surely common sense suggests that it must have happened a lot to be mentioned so often. How can just one demon possess so many? That suggests a power that only God has. Therefore, to possess so many people, there has to be a gang of demons.

I'm not sure what you mean by ego in the narrative explanation. Jesus was not ego driven, to say the least. It is pretty safe to say that satan has an ego though...

Sadly, I know of no scholarly literature on this, for I too would be interested.

[Zamuel]

I am currently fascinated by the biblical account of Legion, the apparent demon collective in possession of a man. - I have not read any scholarly literature on this topic, if anyone can suggest some, please do.

Arcane knowledge is recorded but it's not available to the uninitiated. Demons are vortices of negative energy, they are not conscious entities. The statements manifested by humans under demonic influence reflect the individuals mental capacity and level of comprehension. Exorcism is a simple matter of focusing greater energy to displace the parasite(s).

Zam

[ness31]

Arcane knowledge is recorded but it's not available to the uninitiated. Demons are vortices of negative energy, they are not conscious entities. The statements manifested by humans under demonic influence reflect the individuals mental capacity and level of comprehension. Exorcism is a simple matter of focusing greater energy to displace the parasite(s)

I am going to set aside the arcane knowledge and initiation speculation for a moment and focus on your understanding of "demons". Firstly, the word demon is fraught with negativity, not unwarranted, if one accepts that the fruits of perceived demonic influence aren't exactly positive on the one possessed. Homelessness, self harm, violence and generally malevolent behaviour all seem to be the traits of the 'demon' possessed.
And I tend to agree with your idea that human behaviour whilst under perceived demonic influence reflects their mental capacity and even their sub conscious.
What I'd like to dispute and explore is that they are not conscious entities and therefore not able to be reasoned with. Explosive stuff I know hahahhahah.

This brings me to Samson the Nazarite. A man with supernatural strength, reliant upon his long locks. To Philistines, surely this man was demon possessed, wouldn't you say?
Like the Legion story I am also stuck on Samson the Nazarite. What if he had lice and these creatures were the secret to his strength? And who am I or you to say a louse isn't to be communicated and reasoned with?

[Zamuel]

Firstly, the word demon is fraught with negativity

BS ... Acoustic resonance can be evocative, but attaching a value judgment to a word is as about as baseless as superstition gets. The intent communicated thru expression (regardless of any words used) is where energy is focused. If you think the word has a "Charge" it's because you attached it.

if one accepts that the fruits of perceived demonic influence aren't exactly positive

More absurd value judgment. Humans harness demons to their will all the time, without ever knowing it. If the will is strong, and mental capacity is unimpeded ... they can and do focus external energies on many beneficial activities.

Homelessness, self harm, violence and generally malevolent behaviour all seem to be the traits of the 'demon' possessed.

Generally, no. Humans are quite capable of abusing themselves without any outside influence.

What I'd like to dispute and explore is that they are not conscious entities and therefore not able to be reasoned with.

Try arguing with an electrical outlet, that's essentially the same thing. Any "personality" attributed is strictly the internal product of an infected mind. This is why there are strictures against the uninitiated involving themselves.

This brings me to Samson the Nazarite. A man with supernatural strength

No. There is no such thing as "Supernatural." In this universe everything conforms to nature (regardless of human comprehension) ... Outside of it, nature is invalidated, and there can be no "supernatural" where there is no "natural."

surely this man was demon possessed, wouldn't you say?

No. Samson was one of the pre-monarchy judges that "God" set over Israel ... as such he was undoubtedly an extraordinary character and was reputed to be a "strong warrior." Strength and Physical Prowess are often linked to devout spirituality (martial arts, knights, etc) ... I would suspect Samson was one such, and expect that like all exploits his were heavily exaggerated. Samson's downfall is deceptively easy to understand ... Hair-cut - Schmair-cut. The bitch put something in his wine.

Zam