Legion

A legion was the basic tactical unit of the Roman army, originally numbering 3,000 men but by New Testament times comprising approximately 6,000 infantry plus a cavalry contingent. The word enters Scripture when the Gerasene demoniac declared his name to be "Legion: for we are many" (Mark 5:9; Luke 8:30), indicating a vast multitude of indwelling spirits. Jesus himself invokes the term when declining violent resistance to his arrest: "Do you think I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?" (Matt. 26:53) — more than 72,000 angelic warriors held in reserve at the moment of his arrest.