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One of the greatest challenges to understanding the message of Jesus is knowing how to categorize him as a speaker.  When those first audiences gathered, who did they think they were going to hear?   A teacher?  A philosopher?  A political leader?  Or something else?

In this fifth installment in the Next Steps into the Gospels course we examine Jesus’ rhetorical genre and identify him as an “apocalyptic prophet” – one who comes to proclaim God’s word to his people, one with a message that God is bringing the present age to it’s conclusion and ushering in the new era of salvation.

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Few elements of the biblical story cause contemporary readers more difficulty than talk of demons and devils.  To our (post-?)modern sensibilities, they seem, at best, misdiagnoses of psychiatric conditions, and, at worst, conjure images of the church at its most misguided (witch trial, anyone?).  And yet, Jesus’ confrontation with demonic powers is a fundamental dimension of the Gospels.  Indeed, it is his assertion that the “real” enemy is spiritual (not physical – e.g., Rome) that drives much of his messianic ministry (forgiving enemies instead of launching revolutions).  And his ability to overpower that enemy – to “bind the strongman” – displays his divine authority.

In this episode we examine the story of Jesus’ exorcism of a man “possessed” by demons, and discover the many layers of meaning revealed in Jesus’ healing. 

If you wish to read more on the subject of “Satan” specifically, see my recent post here. 

Been teaching a very fun introductory course on the Gospels, which in turn has provoked some excellent questions from the class.  This one came up the other day – after an examination of Jesus’ ministry of casting out demons – and I thought I’d share.

I was curious how the original Greek Bible described “the devil” that  tempted Jesus in Matthew 4 (and parallel texts).  Is Matthew intending to describe a distinct entity – some creature you could find at  a (spiritual?) zoo?  Or is the language of “the devil/ Satan” used simply to label the indescribable?

And I would like to begin my answer by thanking the questioner for offering my inner geek the opportunity to fully express himself!

So here’s the deal:  The word  Matthew uses (as does Luke) in the temptation narrative is:  diabolos (from which you can easily discern the Latin, Spanish, etc.).  The noun diabolos is derived from the verb diaballo, which itself is a compound word from the preposition dia (= through) and ballo (= to throw).  Pretty exciting, eh????

Diabollo (verb) literally means “to throw across” or “to divide, separate from,” but used in the sense of “to oppose” or “to accuse.”  Can also be used in the context of deception (e.g., “to misrepresent”).

The reason one cares that the noun is derived from the verb is that it’s a pretty good indication that the noun is meant to objectify the qualities of the verb.  That is to say, there isn’t a “thing” that gets named by the noun.  Rather, there is a quality of being that – when expressed – is denoted by the noun.  In short:  there is no “thing” out there called a “devil” that you can put in the zoo.  Rather, there is a thing that has the qualities of Continue reading