Legion
Summary
The main division of the Roman army containing about 6,000 soldiers, used in Scripture figuratively to express a vast, organized multitude, whether of angels or demons.
☩Roman Military Organization
A legion was the chief subdivision of the Roman army, corresponding roughly to a modern regiment or division. The number varied over time but in the period of Christ comprised about 6,000 infantry plus a contingent of cavalry amounting to one-tenth of the infantry. Each legion was divided into ten cohorts, each cohort into three maniples, and each maniple into two centuries of 100 men each. The legion was commanded by a legatus legionis, with each cohort commanded by a tribunus militum. At least three and often more legions were quartered in Syria during the first century, making the sight of these organized troops a powerful image in the minds of people in Palestine.
☩Scriptural Usage
In Scripture, 'legion' expresses a great multitude with connotations of overwhelming power and organization. When Jesus was arrested in Gethsemane, He declared that He could pray to His Father, who would immediately provide Him 'more than twelve legions of angels' (Matthew 26:53)—a contrast to the Roman cohort sent to arrest Him and a declaration of the heavenly resources at His disposal. More dramatically, the demoniac of Gadara, when asked his name, replied 'Legion, for we are many' (Mark 5:9), indicating the overwhelming number of unclean spirits possessing him. The Rabbinical writers similarly used the term for any indefinite large number, even applying it to inanimate objects like 'a legion of olives.'
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Legion," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. V (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Hastings (ed.), "Legion," in Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, vol. II (T. & T. Clark, 1906–1908).