Is there any mention of who the man was that was possessed by demons at Kursi? This man was mentioned in several passages in the Bible but not by name.
The man is not specifically mentioned in either Sacred Scriptures or various archaeological records from the region, and there even seems to be controversy as to whether there were one or two men possessed by the demons (see Matthew 8:28)...
Just to add to Father Junger's post: Here is a very brief, but clear, explanation of the one/two demoniac question: . I have been unable to find a tradition about a name or a follow-up story for the man/men in question. However, you may enjoy the poem my previous superior wrote on the event -- the part with the pigs (The Prayer of the Geresenes):
Matthew, Mark and Luke were no chroniclers, but evangelists. The 'literary genre' they practice is 'Evangelium' (Good news, Gospel); the goal of their writing: advancing the case of Jesus. One of the retorical devices very common to the genre is 'victory stories' in which the enemy (the devil c.s.) is defeated, e.g. healing the sick with or without exorcism. These stories were already 'traditional (part of the oral tradition, told template-like, stock-stories) when 'evangelists' began to use them in the construction of their 'gospel'. This also explains that Matthew mentions 2 possessed and Luke and Mark only 1 (to mention only the most conspicuous amongst other differences in the narration). The content of such stories is fluid. Asking for names (identification) in this context seems beside the point.
Mr. Dick Wursten raises the question of Biblical Inerrancy. The Evangelists were testifying to the truth of what they saw and heard. Their styles are their own, but their testimony is true. They gave their lives for it (and every time they are "proved wrong" -- further science/studies prove them right).
Dear Sister, I don't raise the question of Biblical Inerrancy. You do. I summarised the scholarly 'status quaestionis'. For your convenience: My view is very similar to the chapters on the gospels in 'The New Jerome Biblical Commentary', ed. R.E.Brown (S.S.), Joseph A. Fitzmyer (S.J.) and Roland E. Murphy (O.Carm.) with a foreword by Cardinal Martinia (S.J.) imprimatur 15 november1988.
Personally I like this story for its fantastic imagery, and yes, the defeat of the Enemy. I also tell my parishioners that this is where “deviled ham” comes from...
And to answer the original question about the name. One of the intriguing aspects of this story is that the possessed identifies himself as 'LEGIO' (Legion). Not a name, but a message. I am 'many' (with negative connotation: legio = the Roman army, occupation. Not free). The German exegete and psychiatrist Eugen Drewermann even turns this story in a parable about the 'spiritual illness' of people who can't say 'I', but can only reflect 'the many'. They are torn apart. The meeting with Jesus who adresses him as a person causes panic (in the story: the shuddering of the demon) is the beginning of the process of personal individuation. A liberation to 'normal human life' (with which the story ends).
Does anyone know what was there before a monstery was built at the location?
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