An inquiry into the existence of a personal devil / [By John Epps.

Date:
1848
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An inquiry into the existence of a personal devil / [By John Epps. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    54/104 (page 48)
    Possessions indicated by certain signs. Madness an indication. The Pythia. Unusual bodily contortions. The Gadarene and Gergesene demoniacs were madmen. Lunatics. Epileptics, Possessions, bcapovia, daimonia, must have been indicated by certain signs, otherwise such possessions could never have been inferred. Some deviations from the usual habits of the individual must have been presented to have induced the belief, that the individual was influenced by some supernatural power. What, then, were the indications that the Greeks, the Romans, and the Jews, beholding in an individual, referred to possessions ? 145 “ And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying. The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto ns the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.” The phrase, here rendered, “ possessed with a spirit of divination,” is eyovo-a TTvivpa Uvdoovos, echousa pneuma Puthdnos, that is, having a spirit of Python or Apollo : one supposed to be influenced by the god Apollo. The history of this damsel shows that her conduct, in continually following Paul and his companion, was contrary to the usual decorum, manifested by her sex. And this deviation was a sign of her being influenced by something not usual; we should say by madness : the ancients, by a possession. She followed Paul many days, continually crying, “ These are the servants of the most high God.” She exhibited, in other words, a kind of insane fury or excitement. And that this exhibition was common to persons supposed to be possessed, is evident from the following description of Pythia, the priestess of Apollo at Delphi: “ She146 delivered the answer of the god to such as came to consult the oracle, and was supposed to be suddenly inspired by the sulphureous Acts xvi. 16—18. 146 Lempriere’s Classical Dictionary ; article Pythia.