How the Story Appears in the Patristic Literature
This essay explores the various ways that the Patristic writings interpreted three elements of the Gadarene Demoniac story (Matt 8:28–34) that are unique to Matthew’s telling: the number of demoniacs, and the phrases “before the time” and “no one could go through that way.” Concerning the number of...
| Published in: | Annali di storia dell'esegesi |
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| Subtitles: | Abweichender Titel:The Demoniacs in the Gospel of Matthew |
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Print Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Ed. Dehoniane
2019
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| In: |
Annali di storia dell'esegesi
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Mark
/ Demonology
/ Patristics
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| IxTheo Classification: | HC New Testament KAB Church history 30-500; early Christianity NBH Angelology; demonology |
| Further subjects: | B
Interpretation of
B Bible . Matthew; Criticism, Narrative B Demoniacs B Matthew B Patristic B Reception B Bible . Matthew; Criticism, interpretation B Jesus Christ B Bible; Criticism, interpretation; History0030-600 B Healing of the Gerasene demoniac (Miracle) |
| Summary: | This essay explores the various ways that the Patristic writings interpreted three elements of the Gadarene Demoniac story (Matt 8:28–34) that are unique to Matthew’s telling: the number of demoniacs, and the phrases “before the time” and “no one could go through that way.” Concerning the number of demoniacs, we see that while the earliest texts seem content to conflate details from multiple gospel accounts, later authors develop an interest in objective harmonization, offering unique interpretations for why Matthew has two demoniacs while the other versions of the story have only one. Concerning Jesus’s appearance “before the time,” there is a consensus among the authors that this should be understood in an apocalyptic framework, familiar from texts like Revelation and 1 Enoch. Finally, concerning the blocking of the way, we find that the early interpreters of the story were mostly silent on this Matthean detail, offering only a few limited comments. |
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| ISSN: | 1120-4001 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Annali di storia dell'esegesi
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