Demon possession and exorcism are major themes in the gospel of Mark. Since the Enlightenment, Mark's Western audience has often found them to difficult to interpret, especially in the case of possession itself. The author of Mark assumed that his audience would understand the idea of possession, an assumption that does not necessarily hold true for modern audiences. This study aims to provide some idea of what possession means in Mark. It proceeds with exegesis of Mark's possession pericopes and situates them within the context of ancient beliefs about demons and possession. Critical consideration of modern cross-disciplinary research related to possession is important in this task. So too is the history of modern interpretation and exegesis of Mark, which has offered insights as well as misapprehensions. The weight of evidence supports the conclusion that part of the spiritual importance of possession for Mark is its disorienting, frightening, and ultimately incomprehensible nature.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.101892 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Rosenberg, Eliza. |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Arts (Faculty of Religious Studies.) |
| Rights | © Eliza Rosenberg, 2007 |
| Relation | alephsysno: 002665959, proquestno: AAIMR38463, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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