The Miracle of The Gadarene Swine,
Unknown illustrator, probably made in Canterbury,
Detached leaf,
Tempera colours, gold leaf, and ink on parchment,
Executed circa 1000 A.D.
© The John Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
The Miracle of The Gadarene Swine,
Unknown illustrator, probably made in Canterbury,
Detached leaf,
Tempera colours, gold leaf, and ink on parchment,
Executed circa 1000 A.D.
© The John Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
The unclean spirits went into the Gadarene swines
Mark 5:1-20
Jesus and his disciples reached the country of the Gerasenes on the other side of the lake, and no sooner had Jesus left the boat than a man with an unclean spirit came out from the tombs towards him. The man lived in the tombs and no one could secure him any more, even with a chain; because he had often been secured with fetters and chains but had snapped the chains and broken the fetters, and no one had the strength to control him. All night and all day, among the tombs and in the mountains, he would howl and gash himself with stones. Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and fell at his feet and shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, son of the Most High God? Swear by God you will not torture me!’ – for Jesus had been saying to him, ‘Come out of the man, unclean spirit.’ ‘What is your name?’ Jesus asked. ‘My name is legion,’ he answered ‘for there are many of us.’ And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the district.
Now there was there on the mountainside a great herd of pigs feeding, and the unclean spirits begged him, ‘Send us to the pigs, let us go into them.’ So he gave them leave. With that, the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs, and the herd of about two thousand pigs charged down the cliff into the lake, and there they were drowned. The swineherds ran off and told their story in the town and in the country round about; and the people came to see what had really happened. They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his full senses – the very man who had had the legion in him before – and they were afraid. And those who had witnessed it reported what had happened to the demoniac and what had become of the pigs. Then they began to implore Jesus to leave the neighbourhood. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed begged to be allowed to stay with him. Jesus would not let him but said to him, ‘Go home to your people and tell them all that the Lord in his mercy has done for you.’ So the man went off and proceeded to spread throughout the Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him. And everyone was amazed.
Reflection on the Illuminated Manuscript Page
Our artwork housed at the John Paul Getty Museum, is one of the earliest depictions of the Gadarene swines miracle in art history, executed circa 1000 AD. In the center of this miniature, removed from a larger Gospel book, we see Jesus performing the exorcism, transferring the demons into a herd of swines. The early medieval illuminator closely followed the story as Mark described it, depicting at the bottom of the page the swines hurtling down the cliff into the sea. The illustrator, probably a monk, arranged the scene in three horizontal bands, keeping the main focus on the middle figures, whose emphatic gestures and tense body movements recount the vivid story. There is a restored area in the middle of the page, which either addresses damage or maybe at some stage the area was removed so as not show the possible nakedness of the possessed man. Notice also how his face has been rubbed and is undefined.... Throughout the ages some artworks have indeed been tampered with to address any contemporary sensitivities of the viewers.
Today’s Gospel reading is a rather frightening story. The possessed man as described by Mark, is one of the most violent people we meet in his Gospel. He is in the grip of, not just one, but a legion of unclean spirits. A legion at the time was 6,000 Roman Soldiers. So Mark indicates that it was a very large number of unclean spirits that had entered the man. This man is overrun by pain, torment, depravity, brokenness... Yet, this ‘legion’ recognises who Jesus is and falls at Jesus’ feet. The unclean spirits went into a herd of about two thousand pigs which then charged down the cliff into the lake, and there they were drowned. A very dramatic story indeed.
With all the scary surrounding events described in our reading, we have to keep our attention on Jesus. By exercising His authority over evil spirits Jesus is revealing who He really is: the source of power, and of compassion.
Share this Gospel Reading
Did you like this Gospel reading and art reflection?
Join in the discussion about this artwork & Gospel reading
Readings related to Mark 5:1-20
Join our community
In addition to receiving our Daily Gospel Reading and Art Reflection, signing up for a free membership allows you to:
- Comment and interact with fellow members
- Save your favorite readings & artworks
- Access member’s only content
Has anyone suggested what appears to be a shroud covering the inner city that is surrounded by walls, is to represent? I clearly see two herdsmen headed upward toward the town as recorded in scripture; wondering to myself if that shroud is symbolic of something that is hidden within it?
Anyone’s thoughts please.
What I get from this scripture is that in fact we are all possessed by many spirits; greed, hatred, ignorance. These become addictions and identities onto which we cling and which form our own chains. What is interesting in the painting, is the rubbed out face of the possessed man and the strip across the middle (as pointed out above). If it was indeed to hide the nakedness, then for me it symbolises how we deny our own nakedness and ways in which we too are possessed, because we do not want to see these things in ourselves. The rubbed out face could be any one of us….represents the whole of humanity.
I enjoyed a discussion about this passage in Bible study and how it was noted that the people of the area wanted Jesus to leave their area. I didn’t understand why they wanted Him to leave after they witnessed the healing of one of their people. I was encouraged to look at the situation from the pig herders’ perspective. The two men were out in the field, doing their jobs overseeing the pigs and because of this man, Jesus, their entire herd committed suicide. That was their livelihood! The two men went back into town and started telling others what they had witnessed and I’m sure, how it personally impacted them. I imagine there was a mixture of intense emotions when they shared their testimony with others, hence why the people came out to see for themselves that the man they always knew to be mentally unstable was now clear-headed and how an entire herd of 2,000 pigs were dead, floating in the waters at the foot of the cliff. To me, it seems the people were nervous about Jesus, not knowing what He might do next. It’s a sad reality that we humans are more interested in our livelihoods being kept stable, than to heal our neighbor from a lifelong affliction. We can be some very selfish creatures at times. 🙁 Praise God for His Lovingkindness for us! 🙂
Well said. You articulated much of what I was thinking about today’s Gospel reading. Thank you for your insight.
Another piece from the Getty (as yesterday’s!) Amazing place I should think.
I like this gospel and I sense it is an event rather than allegory. The description of the poor possessed man is very detailed…However, I always feel for the innocent pigs – pigs are intelligent animals and suffer immense cruelty these days in their rearing in some countries (eg Denmark) I always go for outdoor reared – happy pigs.
They were thought of as ‘unclean’ until Jesus explained ‘ it’s not what goes into your mouth that’s unclean’, though of course the Abrahamic faiths still don’t eat it.
Aren’t we an Abrahamic faith also?
Posting with a prayer for you Patrick and your fellow seminarians. Your faith and commitment will produce the fruit.
That cannot be a report of an actual event that Jesus was involved in???? Surely some sort of parable or allegory.?
Swine were not popular creatures at the time. What is this story really telling us?
This exorcism took place in Gentile territory where raising pigs was not uncommon.
It’s worth noting that several Gospel accounts record evil spirits correctly identifying Jesus as the Christ (though not Jewish religious leaders). Perhaps the evangelists were making the point that identifying the Christ and believing in Christ are two different things?
The message is ,the reality that there are evil spirits that can possess or repress a person, Jesus healing points to ,it is not what goes into a person but what comes out.As the heart being the centre of our actions,
Evil spirits need to occupy,and look for humans to live in, Jesus compassion, listening to the spirits when they pleaded with him ,sent them into the Swine.As by the law of this earth,at the time Satan ruled , Jesus had yet to be crucified,and the comforter the Holy Spirit had not yet come.For he said , greater things will you do in my name.
Good answer- I never thought of it this way before!
Also note,the spirits knew who Jesus was.!!
Well said Audrey!
What the story is telling me is that despite the power displayed by Jesus in casting out six thousand evil spirits, the townspeople lacked the ability to see beyond their material needs and dependence on farm animals. Evil was more acceptable if it maintained their economic security, than investigating a higher power displayed by Jesus .
1 John 4:4
On first sight I thought this might be Japanese or Chinese print- so light is the touch, especially the swine. Good luck today with your Canon law exam Patrick, so many praying for you to do well.