The mass exorcism in ''Capernaum''

Discussion about the New Testament, apocrypha, gnostics, church fathers, Christian origins, historical Jesus or otherwise, etc.
Post Reply
Giuseppe
Posts: 13732
Joined: Mon Apr 27, 2015 5:37 am
Location: Italy

The mass exorcism in ''Capernaum''

Post by Giuseppe »

Josephus says there was a fountain called Capernaum not far from the Lake of Gennesareth (War, 3:10:8).

So Zechariah 13:1-2:
13 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.
2 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land
it is not so surprising that Jesus does a mass exorcism just in the invented ''town'' of ''Capernaum''.

What I see of properly ''marcionite'' in this midrash from Zech. is simply the rapidity by which that ''fountain'' (i.e., Jesus himself) emerges.
Nihil enim in speciem fallacius est quam prava religio. -Liv. xxxix. 16.
Giuseppe
Posts: 13732
Joined: Mon Apr 27, 2015 5:37 am
Location: Italy

Re: The mass exorcism in ''Capernaum''

Post by Giuseppe »

As collateral effect of the rapid apparition of Jesus in Capernaum, Jesus heals a lot of people in Capernaum, by exorcizing many demons.

The original baptism episode was therefore a mass exorcism: Jesus was the ''fountain'' that serves to ''baptize'' (really, exorcize) the people of ''Capernaum''.

This mass exorcism was transformed in the episode of John who baptizes many people near the Jordan.

But why did the editors cast an original mass exorcism in a mass baptism ?

What there was of ''heretical'' about the idea of a mass exorcism done by Jesus the his first time on the earth ?

A possible answer is in the surprising fugue of Jesus and in the reaction of the people of Capernaum after the mass exorcism:

Luke 4:41-44 Mark 1:32-39
41 Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Christ. 42 At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. 43 But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” 44 And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea
32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33 The whole town gathered at the door, 34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”

38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

So you have a Jesus very similar to (the later and interpolated) John the Baptizer:

Jesus the ExorcistJohn the Baptist
He enters according to prophecy of Zechariah. he enters according to prophecy of Isaiah.
He does a mass exorcism. He does a mass baptism.
He goes to a solitary placeafter the baptism, Jesus goes to a solitary place. Also John is in the wilderness.
Jesus is tempted by the people and/or Peter In the wilderness, Jesus is tempted by Satan
Jesus starts to preach the kingdom of God in other places. Jesus starts to preach the Kingdom of God in other places.

Clearly the original temptation story had Jesus tempted not by Satan, but by Peter and the people of Capernaum.
Nihil enim in speciem fallacius est quam prava religio. -Liv. xxxix. 16.
Giuseppe
Posts: 13732
Joined: Mon Apr 27, 2015 5:37 am
Location: Italy

Re: The mass exorcism in ''Capernaum''

Post by Giuseppe »

So now may be explained the great enigma represented by the interpolation of ''city of Galilee'' made by Luke in the original Earliest Gospel.

The Earliest Gospel had as incipit the following passages:
Jesus descended [out of heaven] into Capernaum
and was teaching [in the synagogue] on the Sabbath days;
And they were astonished at his doctrine,
for his word was in authority.
33 And in the synagogue there was a man,which had a spirit of an unclean devil,
and cried out with a loud voice, saying,
34 Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus ?
art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.
35 And Jesus rebuked him, saying,
Hold thy peace, and come out of him.
And when the devil had thrown him in the midst,
he came out of him, and hurt him not.
36 And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying,
What a word is this!
for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits,
and they come out.
37 And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about.

40 Now when the sun was setting,
all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him;
and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.
41 And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying,
Thou art the Son of God.

[-41c] And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak.
42 And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place:

and the people sought him,
and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them.
43 And he said unto them,
I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also:
for therefore am I sent.


As it is already known, to make Jesus a more historical person, Luke edited the passage so (in red the interpolation):

3:1/4:31 In the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar,
Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea,
Jesus descended [out of heaven] into Capernaum, a city in Galilee,

Why did Luke add ''a city in Galilee'' to describe Capernaum?

Because ''Capernaum'' was not located anywhere in the Earliest Gospel. ''Capernaum'' is symbol of Jerusalem.


Not only. But in the Earliest Gospel Jesus replied to who wanted him:
43 And he said unto them,
I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also:
for therefore am I sent
Jesus is saying that he is abandoning Capernaum (and so, the entire Judaea and Jerusalem) to go to other cities. Of the gentiles. (or of the Galilea, that is the same thing of ''gentiles'').

By localizing explicitly ''Capernaum'' just in Galilea, ''Luke'' (editor) breaks the marcionite antithesis between a Jesus who is going to abandon forever Jerusalem (''Capernaum'') and a Jesus who is desired in Jerusalem (''Capernaum'') by the same his 12 (false) apostles.

So we have possibly a reason for the introduction of the ''Galilee'' in the our Gospels: now Jesus isn't abandoning Jerusalem (to go to the gentiles), but is abandoning only a mere single city of Galilee (to go to Judaea and to the other cities of Galilee).
Nihil enim in speciem fallacius est quam prava religio. -Liv. xxxix. 16.
Giuseppe
Posts: 13732
Joined: Mon Apr 27, 2015 5:37 am
Location: Italy

Re: The mass exorcism in ''Capernaum''

Post by Giuseppe »

A Jesus who comes down from above, does a lot of exorcisms and preaches a new surprising message and then wants to abandon rapidly the same people healed by him (people who don't know him) to go somewhere is really a Jesus who bears division, not union. A sword and not the peace.

How much different is he from a John who comes already predicted in explicit scriptures, who baptizes a lot of people already converted for the "remission of sins" (therefore according to their own will to be purified by water) and not exorcizes them?

Surely the same difference between an innovator and a traditionalist. Beteeen a land of people possessed by demons going to be exorcized and a land of pious people going to be baptized.
Nihil enim in speciem fallacius est quam prava religio. -Liv. xxxix. 16.
Post Reply