My Name Is Legion, For We Are Many

Who was Legion?

Legion was a man from Garasenes, a place on the border of the Sea of Galilee across from Nazareth. The bible records him as being possessed by many demons or evil spirits, which from our better understanding of mental illness today most likely meant he would be considered a paranoid schizophrenic. He was cast out by the people of his village to live in the mountains and the tombs – a pariah of his own people and even his own family. From his mountaintop he watched the Roman legions, their swarms of fearsome warriors marching into war. For that, he named himself, “Legion,” a description of the conflict of company of demons, or voices, which lived within him.

Paranoid Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a breakdown of thought processes and by poor emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social or occupational dysfunction. Legion’s feeling of being possessed by demons displays these traits.

What happened?

Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee in a boat and Legion ran from the tombs and worshipped him. He beseeches Jesus, begging him to remove the demons from him. The demons begged Jesus not to return them to hell, so instead he sent them into a large herd of swine (pigs) grazing on a nearby hillside. The pigs then threw themselves off the cliffs of the Sea of Galilee’s banks and drowned in the Sea. The man was healed and then, no longer Legion, returned to the village and the villagers, upon seeing the man in his right state of mind and the swine had hurled themselves into the Sea, were afraid. The pigs had been a main factor in their economy so their deaths were devastating to the village. They sent the man away again and when he had gotten into a boat to cross the Sea he prayed to God. Jesus then told him, “Go home to thy friends, and tell them what great things the Lord hath done for thee, and how He hath had compassion on thee.” He went back to the village and told them what had happened and they marveled.

Mental Illness in the Bible

In biblical times, the people considered mental illness to be demonic possession. They did not understand what we now know to be emotional and genetic disorders and chemical imbalances. According to scholars, there are many probable cases of mental illness documented in the bible. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon went into a state of madness after extreme cases of loss. He was kept alive by God’s mercy and relieved of his mental illness. King Saul displayed cycles of depression and anxiety, and manic states consistent with manic depression/bipolar disorder. Many cases of depression are accounted including Moses, Jonah, David, and Job, all of whom experienced periods of depression and were delivered from their struggling by God.

The story of Legion is told in Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

(Mark 5:15-20 KJV)

"5 And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Garasenes.

2 And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him from out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 who had his dwelling among the tombs. And no man could bind him, no, not even with chains, 4 because he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been rent asunder by him and the fetters broken in pieces; neither could any man tame him. 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones. 6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshiped Him, 7 and cried with a loud voice, and said, “What have I to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of the Most High God? I adjure Thee by God that Thou torment me not!”8 For He had said unto him, “Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.” 9 And Jesus asked him, “What is thy name?” And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” 10 And he besought Him much that He would not send them away out of the country. 11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. 12 And all the devils besought Him, saying, “Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.” 13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out and entered into the swine; and the herd ran violently down a steep place and into the sea (they were about two thousand), and were choked in the sea.

14 And those who fed the swine fled, and told it in the city and in the country. And the people went out to see what it was that had been done. 15 And they came to Jesus, and saw him that had been possessed by the devil and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16 And those who saw it told the people what had befallen him that was possessed by the devil, and also concerning the swine. 17 And they began to pray Him to depart from their borders. 18 And when He had gotten into the boat, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed Him that he might be with Him. 19 But Jesus suffered him not, and said unto him, “Go home to thy friends, and tell them what great things the Lord hath done for thee, and how He hath had compassion on thee.” 20 And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him. And all men marveled."