SWINE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

Hugh Fogelman

Wild hogs are strong, fierce animals, called “razorbacks” descended from tame hogs that escaped from farms and became wild again. Were the “swine” mentioned grazing in the mountains in the New Testament, wild or tame?

“Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. … And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea. And they that fed the swine fled…”(Mark 5:11-14)

Matthew wrote: “And they that kept them fled” (Matthew 8:33). Luke agreed: “When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled” (Luke 8:34). This sounds as if the “swine” were tamed, and kept in pens, not being allowed to roam freely, while at the hog-farms. How else could these swine be “kept” and “fed?” But then again, there were 2,000 swine, can you imagine the pens that would have been required to contain them.

Those who kept and fed the swine were not Jews. . Jews are not allowed to eat pig, but are allowed to derive benefit from one―such as sandals for foot wear. There was a rabbinical decree enacted, before the time of Jesus, that forbade the raising of pigs in Israel. Specifically, it happened when the Hasmoneans were still in power (after the time of the Chanukah miracle). Therefore the story of the “herd of swine,” if it happened, would have taken place in the country of the Gad’arenes which is over against Galilee. There were many Greek towns and cities in the Northern part of Palestine and, therefore would have been probable the Greeks raised swine there.

There are a few questions regarding the “herd of swine” story. With these 2,000 hogs running lose in the mountains grazing, how did these hog-farmers gather them up and herd them back to their farms or herd them to market? They did not use any “hog-dogs” or cattle prods to “round them up”―did they call out; “here piggy piggy?” How did they move them? Or is this just another story for non-thinkers?

Another question, the story of the 2,000 swine was used as a conduit for this poor man processed with demons. This man had 2,000 demons in him making him appear crazy. When confronted by Jesus, these demons begged Jesus not to send them away out of the country and instead to allow them to enter the swine (Mark 5:10). Matthew wrote: “…did you (Jesus) come to torment us before the time?…So the devils besought him saying, if thou cast us out suffer us to go away into the herd of swine” (Matthew 8:29-31). Luke confirms this.

I wonder if the owners of these 2,000 swine got upset when all of a sudden they lost their means of commerce? After all, one moment they had a going business and the next it all was drowned in the sea. Why didn’t the owners complain? Do you think Jesus compensated them for their loss? Oh, I forgot, Jesus had no money―he lived like a “hippy of the 60’s.

If you really start to analyze a NT story and think of its total implications, you will see that this is just another example of how Jesus didn’t care about anyone or anything but himself.

My final questions are:

(1) Can a man have 2,000 demons inside of him? If any, maybe one or two, or even four or five, but 2,000?

(2) Why would Jesus want to kill innocent hogs for no reason at all? Couldn’t this so called deity have disposed of these demons another way? These innocent hogs were just minding their own business.

One final thought. It might be argued that theoretically the pigs belonged to a non-religious Jew of the time, or a Sadducee who didn't obey the Rabbis' decrees (a gezairah means a Rabbinic Ordinance, or Injunction, or Decree, that sort of thing). Then Christians can argue that Jesus did it because the owner was violating a Rabbinic Decree. The answer to that argument is what gave Jesus the authority to be judge, jury and executioner?

RETURN