The Usage of ἀνήρ [anēr] and ἄνθρωπος [anthrōpos] in the Healing of the Gerasene Demoniac (Luke 8:26–39)

Abstract

The study takes into consideration the alternating usage of two nouns ἀνήρ and ἄνθρωπος in the healing of the Gerasene Demoniac (Luke 8:26–39). The author briefly analyzes the use of those two nouns in the Gospel of Luke in order to find a logic behind the choices made by the evangelist. Both nouns are frequently used by Luke, and there are cases where he employs them as synonyms, although he displays a preference for the first at the expenses of the second. What at first may seem to be a haphazard usage of words and expressions, with no logic behind it, reveals itself to be a methodical and well-thought strategy to underline the impact of the encounter with Jesus on man’s live from now on. The use of rhetorical techniques such as inclusio in Luke 8:27 and 8:38 and repetition in Luke 8:29.33.35 awakes the audience’s alertness, serves to underscore the restored humanity of the once-demonized man and pinpoints the most important character of the narrative. The distinction between the two nouns ἀνήρ and ἄνθρωπος, as intended by the “beloved physician” Luke should, therefore, be preserved in modern translation of the Bible, which is not always the case.