New Testament

Week 4: The Gospel of Mark, Part 2

Mark 6:7–10:52

• The story in ᴋᴊᴠ Matthew 17:15 calls the possessed/epileptic boy a “lunatic,” a translation of the Greek σεληνιάζεται (selēniazetai), “moonstruck.” The English words lunatic and lunacy are based on the Latin prefix luna–, “moon.” It was once commonly believed that the phases of the moon were responsible for insanity and violent acts. This belief persists today, even though statistical studies have conclusively demonstrated that there is no such connection. See Hal Arkowitz and Scott O. Lilienfeld, “Facts & Fictions in Mental Health: Lunacy and the Full Moon,” Scientific American Mind (blog), 1 February 2009.