As it is now a New Year, and I wish to take up new enterprises, I will take my leave of this particular discussion. However, since George and Jordan and others have shown an interest in the general topic of demons, possession, and exorcism in Mark and in the New Testament and in early Christianity generally, I think it might be helpful if I provide some links to detailed studies in this area which cover the topics of our discussion.
Thomas Farrar has published several items in this area, including:
http://www.dianoigo.com/publications/When_an_unclean_spirit_goes_out_of_a_person_Jan2015.pdf,
and
http://dianoigo.com/publications/Satanology_and_Demonology_in_the_Apostol.pdf
The last of these articles responds, critically but politely, to Jonathan Burke’s above-cited article on demons in the Apostolic Fathers. The second article, which was also published in the Journal of Theological Studies, covers the general topic of Jewish and Christian Satanology in the early period. The first article covers – very thoroughly – much of what we have discussed here, including the theory of “accommodation” (and alternatives to it), the secondary literature cited by Jonathan Burke (and some other secondary literature besides), many New Testament passages going beyond Mark and even beyond the Synoptics, and many particular arguments of Jonathan Burke and of other Christadelphians.
Farrar shows great familiarity with the scholarship, which he interprets (in many cases) differently from J. Burke. He also shows facility in Hellenistic Greek. Readers here can make up their own minds who has presented the stronger case, but I thought they should be aware of alternate views in the scholarly literature that directly take account of the views and arguments of J. Burke (and of other Christadelphians, and of others who doubt that Mark believed in demons).
A Happy New Year to all at Peaceful Science!