ACC ~ Mark 5 v13b

WAS THIS JUST?

JEROME: Was it just that two thousand swine perished so one soul might be saved? One seeking purity of heart had best not become preoccupied with the natural prerogative of the demonic legion or animals. It is better that each single reader reflect upon his own soul, his own way of life, and the rarity of true excellence. Remember when the whole of Judea was led into captivity when Nebuchadneser came, and thousands were displaced into Babylonia as prisoners [1] —Jeremiah alone was left praising God. And they threw him into a muddy cistern. [2] Nevertheless, the soul of this one man was more decisive for the destiny of Israel [3] than all the rest. HOMILY 54. [4]

[1] Cf. 2 Chron 36:20.

[2] Cf. Jer 38:6.

[3] Within the scheme of the history of salvation.

[4] Cetedoc 0592, 143.267; FC 48:390**. One godly human soul may make more difference than an unclean multitude of animals. Each believer must look to his or her own soul to ferret out the legion of unclean spirits.

WHETHER DEMONS TAKE UP SPACE

EPHREM THE SYRIAN: I asked this too, whether Paradise was sufficient in size for all the righteous to live there. I asked about what is not written in Scripture, but my instruction came from what is written there: “Consider the man in whom there dwelt a legion of all kinds of demons. [1] They were there although not apparent, for their army is of a stuff finer and more subtle than the soul itself. That whole army dwelt in a single body. A hundred times finer and more subtle are the bodies of the righteous when they are risen at the resurrection. [2] They resemble the mind that is able, if it so wills, to stretch out and expand, or, should it wish, to contract and shrink, so as either to focus on one place or to expand to encompass all places. Listen and learn: A lamp with thousands of rays can exist in a single house. Ten thousand scents can exist in a single blossom. Though located in a small space, they have ample room to extend themselves. So it is with Paradise: though full of spiritual beings, it is amply spacious for their habitation.” HYMN 5. [3]

[1] Mk 5:9; Lk 8:30.

[2] Cf. 1 Cor 15:42.

[3] HOP 104-5*. So different from ours is the relation of demonic powers to space that a whole legion can take up residence in a single human body.