Clarification of the meaning of doctor in New Testament through the example of St. Luke (original) (raw)
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Christian Journal for Global Health
Few people only will know that as early as the second century AD, Christ was called a physician. Not being scriptural, this nomenclature originally reflected the looming rivalry with the pagan Asclepius cult very popular in Hellenistic times. Yet despite its polemic background, that designation grew into an accepted rhetorical trope for Christians since it was regarded as well-suited to illustrate the corporeality of salvation. It implied that redemption is as corporeal as is the work of medical practitioners, an aspect crucial for Christian medical missions. This article first provides a sketch of the early occurrences of the Christus medicus trope documenting only some of the crucial texts (I). In a second part, the article addresses the imitatio Christi motif, that is, the call to imitate Christ, because imitatio Christi became somewhat typical for arguing the cause of medical missions in their nascent stage. This had to do with breath-taking developments in medicine beginn...
Christus Praedicator/Medicator' Homiletical, Patristic and Modern Elements of Theologia Medicinalis
2012
The Christology of the Church Fathers includes the title of physician (Greek iatros, Latin medicus) for the salvation of man, numerous medical images, and a rich range of medical metaphors. This study presents a part of the lesser known Greek and Latin homiletics on this rich theme, and the manner in which it was reflected in Western and Eastern iconography. It also highlights several changes in the line of this medical soteriology.
Medicine: The first step on the road to holiness?
The Journal of Medical Humanities, 1995
The connections of Medicine and Religion are thoroughly documented in the primitive societies, and it comes as no surprise to see them together. Here we describe the true story of a Portuguese physician of the late 19th century whose image today is venerated in such a way as to compare him to a saint and to bestow upon him miraculous powers of healing. We propose that modern day physicians can learn from the example of this man that the role of doctor encompasses not only scientzfic and technical mastery but, most of all, piety, humanity and compassion.
Outside of family care, there were physicians in antiquity; however, they were not licensed and many so-called physicians were quacks. Even those with medical training practiced with mixed motives. As the second-century physician Galen described the doctors of his day, "some practice the medical art for monetary gain, some because of exemptions granted them by the laws, some from love of their fellow men (dia philanthropian), others again for the fame and honour that attend the profession" (De plac. Hip. et Plat. 9.5.4). 3 Doctors rarely practiced because of philanthropia, love for humanity. Fame and money were the primary motivations, and a doctor's reputation and income depended on the success of his treatment, which meant he was reluctant to treat severe or chronic illness.
"'Representations of the Physician in Jewish Literature from Hellenistic and Roman Times"
Harris, William V., (ed.), Popular Medicine in Graeco-Roman Antiquity: Explorations. Leiden and Boston: Brill: 2016, pp 173-197.
Ancient Jews who were afflicted with diseases had a number of options to explain the causes and to find healing. These options were partly overlapping and complementary, even though the underlying ideologies might seem contradictory. Biblical tradition traces illness back to sins; only God himself and the human observance of God's commandments were believed to change this state.1 Throughout antiquity various types of self-promoting healers offered their wares, ranging from herbal remedies to magical spells and amulets.2 In addition, trained physicians, whose knowledge was based on empirical science and Greek medical traditions, were active at least in the major cities of Roman Palestine.3 If we apply the labels 'religious' , 'popular' , and 'scientific' to healing, various overlaps between these three phenomena are recognizable: physicians might complement medicinal treatments with remedies based on 'popular' beliefs; religious leaders such as priests and rabbis would utilize physicians and their knowledge for their own religious and ritual purposes; and these leaders could also possess medical knowledge themselves and/or engage in 'spiritual' healings.