Legion

The umbrella collects the gospel scene in which the demoniac in the country of the Gerasenes gives his name as Legion. The word names the multitude of demons inhabiting him; the scene appears in two parallel accounts.

The naming of Legion

In Mark, Jesus puts the question to the unclean spirit, and the answer is the multitude itself:

"And he asked him, What is your name? And he says to him, My name is Legion; for we are many." (Mr 5:9).

Luke's version repeats the exchange with the demoniac as the speaker:

"And Jesus asked him, What is your name? And he said, Legion; for many demons went into him." (Lu 8:30).

After the deliverance

The aftermath is given in Mark. The villagers, arriving to investigate, find the man transformed; the narrator identifies him by the name the demons had given:

"And they come to Jesus, and look at him who was possessed with demons sitting, clothed and in his right mind, [even] him who had the legion: and they were afraid." (Mr 5:15).

The man who had been a multitude of demons is now sitting, clothed, in his right mind — and he is identified, exactly, as the one who had the legion.