Matthew 17:15-18 - (Science)
Q: In Matthew 17:15-18, Jesus cures a boy described as lunatick -- that is, epileptic -- via exorcism: And Jesus rebuked the devil, and he departed out of him. While first-century people may have attributed epilepsy to demons, it seems unscientific and absurd to do so today.
A: Matthew does not say that all epilepsy is the work of demons. Matthew does not even identify the affliction as epilepsy; it may have been some other seizure-causing condition.
Also, by comparing the parallels in Matthew 17:14-21, Mark 9:14-29, and Luke 9:37-43, one may notice that the boy was not only afflicted with a condition similar to, if not identical with, epilepsy, but also was possessed by a demon, and the symptoms of the demon-possession, according to Jesus words in Mark 9:25, included deafness and muteness. Luke differentiates the relief which the Lord provided against the afflictions: Jesus rebuked the unclean demon, and healed the boy.
When one considers the various incidents in which blind people or deaf people are healed, the general objection that the authors thought that all blindness and deafness and other afflictions are caused by demons cannot be seriously sustained.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
Q: In Matthew 17:15-18, Jesus cures a boy described as lunatick -- that is, epileptic -- via exorcism: And Jesus rebuked the devil, and he departed out of him. While first-century people may have attributed epilepsy to demons, it seems unscientific and absurd to do so today.
A: Matthew does not say that all epilepsy is the work of demons. Matthew does not even identify the affliction as epilepsy; it may have been some other seizure-causing condition.
Also, by comparing the parallels in Matthew 17:14-21, Mark 9:14-29, and Luke 9:37-43, one may notice that the boy was not only afflicted with a condition similar to, if not identical with, epilepsy, but also was possessed by a demon, and the symptoms of the demon-possession, according to Jesus words in Mark 9:25, included deafness and muteness. Luke differentiates the relief which the Lord provided against the afflictions: Jesus rebuked the unclean demon, and healed the boy.
When one considers the various incidents in which blind people or deaf people are healed, the general objection that the authors thought that all blindness and deafness and other afflictions are caused by demons cannot be seriously sustained.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
