File:1998 Thomas.jpg

The Devil, Disease and Deliverance: Origins of Illness in New Testament Thought (1998) is a book by John Christopher Thomas.

Abstract

"The relationship between the Devil and disease, sickness and sin, healing and forgiveness, and exorcism and deliverance form an intriguing and controversial set of issues. This monograph brings some clarity to the topic by offering the first full-length examination of the origins of illness in New Testament thought. In an attempt to respect the diversity of thought within the New Testament, the author employs a method that allows the distinctive contributions of each New Testament writer to be appreciated on their own terms. These readings are followed by an attempt at the construction of a New Testament theology of the Devil, disease, and deliverance where the distinctive voices on this topic are in relation to one another. The monograph concludes with a chapter devoted to the implications of this study for Pentecostal theology and ministry."--Publisher

"John Christopher Thomas’s The Devil, Disease and Deliverance: Origins of Illness in New Testament Thought (1998) explores the interrelationship between demonology, conceptions of illness, and the practice of healing in the New Testament, situating these within the wider cultural and religious milieu of Second Temple Judaism and the Greco‑Roman world. Challenging modern dichotomies between physical and spiritual causes of disease, Thomas argues that early Christians understood many forms of illness through the lens of demonic influence and satanic opposition, while also recognizing natural causes. Through detailed exegesis of Gospel healing narratives, the Pauline letters, and the Acts of the Apostles, he demonstrates that Jesus and the early church interpreted acts of healing and exorcism as manifestations of God’s victory over Satan and the powers of evil. The study highlights the theological and pastoral functions of associating disease with satanic oppression: such associations underscored the eschatological inauguration of God’s kingdom, affirmed Christ’s authority, and provided suffering communities with frameworks of meaning and hope. Engaging both historical‑critical and theological analysis, Thomas situates New Testament views within broader Jewish apocalyptic traditions (e.g., 1 Enoch, Jubilees, Qumran) and Greco‑Roman notions of spiritual causality. The book contributes to scholarship on New Testament demonology and healing by clarifying how the early Christian struggle against Satan encompassed not only temptation and persecution but also the restoration of physical and communal wholeness."--ChatGTP

Editions and translations

Published in Sheffield [England]: Sheffield Academic Press, 1998.

Table of contents

External links

• [ Google Books]