Demonic Possession in the New Testament: Its Relations Historical, Medical, and Theological

Demonic possession in the New Testament is still an unsolved problem. That statement is at variance with a considerable body of opinion recently expressed on two continents. Nevertheless, it is a correct representation of the present state of the case. Modern writers have attained a certain unanimity, only by approaching the subject from one point of view and confining attention to the more conspicuous phenomena. But any investigation which claims finality must explore the whole environment and scrutinise all residual facts. There is a comparative demonology to be studied; there are types of mental disease to be examined; there is a criterion of genuine possession to be discovered and applied. The inquiry thus broadens out and takes account of many points hitherto ignored or neglected. - Preface.