I have always supposed that the unclean spirit speaks generically for all
the minions of Satan. I don't know where I first got this notion, but I
think it may have been quite some time ago from a book or long article by
James M. Robinson on Mark's historical perspective. This is, I think, the
first Marcan confrontation with a figure from the demonic realm (apart from
Satan, of course, in Mark's very brief 2-verse temptation narrative). And I
would certainly make the assumption that Luke takes over the plural from
Mark's version (or proto-Mark, if you prefer that notion).
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University
One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO, USA 63130
(314) 935-4018
cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu OR cwc@oui.com
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/