Skip to main content

Supernatural Healing

Happy Easter! Every year for Easter Sunday, Christians around the world pray to Jesus Christ, their Savior. It is the fundamental belief of the Christian faith that Christ came on earth to heal humans and rid them of their pains and sicknesses.

On this occasion, I thought it would be cool to look at some of the supernatural beliefs related to medicine in the ancient world. Most of the ancient civilizations had a close relationship with god. All suffering and diseases were attributed to the wrath of the gods. This was most evident in the oldest civilizations of Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt.

The ancient Egyptians believed that gods, demons, and spirits played a key role in causing diseases. They believed that spirits blocked channels in the body and affected the way the body functioned. They used prayer as a solution to their diseases, and priests played the role of doctors. Similarly, the Babylonians believed spirits were responsible for illness, with each spirit responsible for one disease. Exorcists, called Ashipu, were used to rid people of these spirits to heal them by means of charms and spells.

Mesopotamian amulet to protect from plague believed to be caused by the god Erra

The Ancient Greeks also believed in the power of the gods to cause sickness and health. Apollo was the god of healing and medicine, as was his son, Asclepius, who learned the secrets of medicine from his father. Asclepius was also revered in Rome. People in both places believed illnesses were a punishment, and healing was a gift from the gods. Temples dedicated to Asclepius were erected throughout the regions, and the sick would make pilgrimages to these temples to pray and offer sacrifices.

Although we now know that diseases are caused by pathogens and cannot be cured simply through prayer, religion and spirituality continue to play a major role today, just as they did in the ancient times. Even though there is no scientific basis for the healing power of prayer, many experts believe that prayer can have a strong placebo effect, resulting in healing in some cases. It can have a powerful effect on healing the mind, if not the body (in the case of believers).

In the spirit of Easter amid the coronavirus pandemic, Rio's famous Christ the Redeemer statue was lit up as a doctor, in tribute to healthcare workers! I think it is a powerful image that reminds us that doctors working during these scary times are the true healers.

Rio's Christ the Redeemer statue lit up as a doctor. Image: Artnet



Sources:
https://www.ancient-egypt-online.com/ancient-egyptian-medicine.html
https://www.wrf.org/ancient-medicine/belief-and-the-healing-arts-of-ancient-civilizations.php
https://www.ancient.eu/image/4933/mesopotamian-amulet-against-plague/

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Origin of the Word "Cancer"

In my previous post, I explored the history of cancer. Since we know it existed in ancient times, it follows that so did its name. In fact, the name "cancer" was coined by none other than the great Hippocrates (well, not the exact name but the root of the name). Hippocrates in fact, used two terms,  carcinoma and carcinos,  to describe ulcerous and non-ulcerous tumors respectively. He named the tumors after Carcinus (or Karkinos), a giant crab in Greek mythology that was sent by the Goddess Hera to help Hydra fight against Hercules. As to why Hippocrates chose to name the tumor after a crab is not quite clear but there are several theories:       -  The hardness of a malignant tumor reminded him of the hard shell of a crab.      - The pain induced by a malignant tumor is similar to a sharp pinch of a crab's claw.     -  The tenacity of cancer is similar to the determination with which a crab bites and grabs on to a person.  While all these theories seem plausible, the
Post a Comment
Read more

Hippocrates: Father of Medicine

Another important person in Greek medicine is Hippocrates. Hippocrates is considered the father of modern medicine who continues to influence medicine more than 2000 years later. Although he is as revered as Asclepius, they have very different origins. While Asclepius is a mythological character, considered to be descended from God, Hippocrates is very much a historical figure, whose origin and life is recorded in history. Hippocrates lived from 460 to 375 BCE during the Classical Greece period and practiced medicine in Greece. His contribution to western medicine is rivaled by none other, and his collection of works covers almost every aspect of disease and medicine including infection, hygiene, epidemiology and the human immune system. Bust of Hippocrates Also, unlike Asclepius, Hippocrates practiced medicine as a science, not as divine magic. He was one of the first to separate religion from medicine, and sought to match treatment with symptoms.  His observations in the Corp
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditrinalia: Festival of Health (AKA Wine!)

Happy Meditrinalia! Those who are legally allowed to, raise a glass of your favorite wine in cheer- the goddess of health is smiling upon you today! Meditrinalia is an ancient Roman festival that was celebrated on October 11 in honor of the goddess of medicine, Meditrina. According to legend, the festival marked the end of the vine harvest, and people of Latium began to taste their new wine on this day. Although it was first celebrated in honor of Jupiter, it soon gave rise to a new goddess of  healing/medicine, Meditrina, on whom the festival is now named.  The Romans made an offering of wine to the gods on this occasion while reciting   " vetus novum vinum bibo, novo veteri morbo medeor."   which translates to  ''Wine new and old I drink, of illness new and old I'm cured."  The new wine was thought to hold healing powers. Given that we now know wine is rich in antioxidants, and it can help reduce cholesterol and heart disease, the ancient Romans sure were o
Post a Comment
Read more