Coercive Names: Interpreting Mark 5:1–13 with Althusser’s “Interpellation”
This article addresses a significant lacuna in Markan studies—and specifically in scholarship on Mark 5:1–13—by reading the exorcistic encounter between Jesus and Legion through the hermeneutic lens of Louis Althusser’s interpellation theory. The article shows how interpellation provides a compellin...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2023
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| In: |
Biblical interpretation
Year: 2023, Volume: 31, Issue: 3, Pages: 356-373 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Bible. Markusevangelium 5
/ Interpellation
/ Legion
/ Jesus Christus
/ Name
/ Zauberpapyri
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| IxTheo Classification: | BE Greco-Roman religions HC New Testament |
| Further subjects: | B
Names
B Althusser B Jesus B Legion B Greek magical papyri (pgm) B Interpellation |
| Online Access: |
Presumably Free Access Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | This article addresses a significant lacuna in Markan studies—and specifically in scholarship on Mark 5:1–13—by reading the exorcistic encounter between Jesus and Legion through the hermeneutic lens of Louis Althusser’s interpellation theory. The article shows how interpellation provides a compelling way to account for the dynamics of exorcism displayed in this passage, especially in regard to the power of proper names. That is, moving beyond a superficial ascription of Jesus’ exorcistic success to his ability to obtain Legion’s name, this article utilizes interpellation theory in order to show why this onomastic obtainment is such a game-changer and how the process of requesting another’s name effectively interpellates Legion, securing the spirit within an ideology of relative weakness vis-à-vis Jesus. Alongside this analysis of Mark 5:1–13, this article also discusses the comparative relevance of certain pgm spells (e.g., I.222–31, iv.2251–53, 2343–45, and viii.1–63) and the enduring role of interpellation in contemporary hierarchies. |
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| ISSN: | 1568-5152 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Biblical interpretation
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15685152-20221704 |