Coercive Names: Interpreting Mark 5:1–13 with Althusser’s “Interpellation”

Abstract

This article addresses a significant lacuna in Markan studies—and specifically in scholarship on Mark 5:1–13—by reading the exorcistic encounter between Jesus and Legion through the hermeneutic lens of Louis Althusser’s interpellation theory. The article shows how interpellation provides a compelling way to account for the dynamics of exorcism displayed in this passage, especially in regard to the power of proper names. That is, moving beyond a superficial ascription of Jesus’ exorcistic success to his ability to obtain Legion’s name, this article utilizes interpellation theory in order to show why this onomastic obtainment is such a game-changer and how the process of requesting another’s name effectively interpellates Legion, securing the spirit within an ideology of relative weakness vis-à-vis Jesus. Alongside this analysis of Mark 5:1–13, this article also discusses the comparative relevance of certain pgm spells (e.g., I.222–31, iv.2251–53, 2343–45, and viii.1–63) and the enduring role of interpellation in contemporary hierarchies.