Biblical Anthropology and Medicine

By H. Em. Bishop of Tikhvin Konstantin (Goryanov)

The biblical understanding of medicine is very important to us: it always remains a reference point for everyone who believes in God. However, it is very difficult to compare today’s medicine with the healing practice of biblical times. We are referring not only to the difficulty of comparing the biblical terminology, which is highly metaphorical, with the modern international classification of diseases, but also to the very psychology of the attitude towards illness.

Nowadays, a number of diseases have almost disappeared, for example, smallpox; in their place have come others, such as AIDS. And yet, the words spoken by the psalmist King David almost three thousand years ago remain valid: “The days of our lives are seventy years; and if because of strength they are eighty years” (Ps. 89:10). Despite the colossal achievements of modern medicine, they remain true to this day.

Questions of religious ethics also remain significant for the believer’s consciousness, one of which is: what does illness mean for the one who is sick. Illness was usually seen as a punishment for sins – for example, seeing the man born blind, the disciples asked Jesus: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2). It can be sent by God directly – for example, before the plagues on the Egyptians: “The Lord said (to Moses): ‘Who made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, deaf, seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord (God)?’” (Ex. 4:11). Illness can occur in a person by God’s permission or by God’s consent through an unclean force, as in Job. Then “Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with a malignant leprosy from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head” (Job 2:7). Envy can also be a cause of illness. We also read in Job: “…anger kills a fool, and wrath destroys a fool” (Job 5:2). On the other hand: “A meek heart is the life of the flesh, but envy is rottenness to the bones” (Prov. 14:30). The Old Testament also points to physical satiety as a cause of illness; The book Wisdom of Jesus, son of Sirach calls out to us from the depths of the centuries: “My son! examine your soul during your life and observe what is harmful to it, and do not give it that… Do not be full of all sweetness and do not rush into all kinds of food, for from much eating comes illness, and overeating brings cholera; many have died from overeating, but the one who abstains will prolong his life” (Sir. 37: 30-34).

In any case, it was believed that the disease was sent by God because of sins.

In the Holy Scriptures there is no clear classification of internal diseases, medical observations are reduced primarily to what is visible: skin diseases, wounds, fractures and fever accompanying infectious diseases. In addition to them, general concepts are used: weakness and infirmity, excitement and fainting. The natural causes of many diseases are not revealed, but only those of them that are obvious: injuries, falls, weakness and blindness in old age. Another essential question remains: why does the disease, striking the mortal body, also affect the soul of man, in which the image of God is hidden. We must seek the answer to this question in biblical anthropology. The Holy Scriptures do not deal with anatomy and physiology. But from the very beginning they directly and clearly speak about the origin of man: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Gen. 2: 7). Man is not an alien, he does not come from other worlds, he is dust and his body returns to dust.

So, man is composed of two basic elements: the mortal body, the primary substance of which is dust, and the spiritual immortal soul, which carries within itself the image of God. The flesh came out from under the hands of God, as if from under the hands of a potter or a weaver, and the psalmist praises God: “… You formed my inward parts and woven me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Ps. 138:13-14).

In the Old Testament, the body was worthy of respect in the same way as the flesh, because both express the person in his entirety. However, the New Testament emphasizes the dignity of the body to a greater extent. As the flesh returns to the earth, so the body is dedicated to the Lord. The greatness of the body does not reach its highest degree on earth: Jesus Christ “Who will transform our lowly body so that it may be conformed to His glorious body” (Phil. 3:21) in the image of the heavenly Adam – Christ. While “… flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 15: 49-50). The concept of “soul” in the biblical sense of this word differs from what we are usually used to. Our consciousness first of all imagines a person as consisting of body and soul, like a vessel with immiscible liquids, say – water and oil. In the Bible “soul” has too many meanings. In general, the soul denotes the whole person, insofar as he is animated by the spirit of life, but it is not a “part” that forms in union with the body the human essence. In other words, the soul does not reside in the body, but manifests itself through it, which in turn, like the flesh, denotes the whole living person. Therefore, the concepts “person” and “soul” often turn out to be synonymous.

In biblical times, medicine was practiced by priests and to some extent it was connected with magic, although the Holy Scriptures forbid the use of magic, which is anyway an expression of idolatry. But in the Old Testament, the relationship between the priest and the healer was very close; as a rule, this was the same person. In religious ideas about illness, healing was perceived as a sign of forgiveness from the Lord, “for I am the Lord (your God), your healer” (Ex. 15: 26). In the Bible, up until the era of the Kingdoms, doctors are not mentioned as specialists. As in Ancient Egypt, from where the Jews came, medical duties were mainly performed by priests. They examined the sick, imposed quarantine in cases of leprosy, monitored the sanitary condition of the camp and personal hygiene. Sanitary and hygienic regulations are described in particular detail in the book of Leviticus. In addition to prohibiting the use of blood for food, chapter 11 contains a list of unclean animals that were not to be eaten: “And anything upon which one of them falls dead, whether it be a wooden vessel or a garment or a skin or a sack, or any vessel with which any work is done, shall be unclean” (Lev. 11:32). The use of any dead animal was forbidden. Chapter 12 lists the hygienic regulations for a woman giving birth. She “must not touch any holy thing, nor come near the sanctuary, until the days of her purification are fulfilled” (Lev. 12:4).

The most important instructions in the Bible concern leprosy and the differential diagnosis of skin diseases: “… Every garment, shoes, and everything that the leper had touched was subject to burning. Even the plaster was scraped from his house. The leper had to live outside the camp, wear torn clothes, and cry out: Unclean, unclean! (Lev. 13:45). And in the New Testament, Jesus Christ, healing ten lepers, ordered them to go and present themselves before the priests (Luke 17:14)

The medical knowledge of the Old Testament priests, who were engaged in healing activities, was basically empirical. The ritual of sacrifice gave some idea of ​​the anatomy of animals. Human anatomy hardly existed as a science, considering the Old Testament ritual prohibitions against touching a dead person, let alone opening a corpse. In In the Bible we find very few references to anatomical and physiological facts.

The specific names of diseases are also very few. The expressions used are mainly: disease, weakness, infirmity. Specifically, leprosy, kel, lichen, scabies are mentioned. Plague, ulcer and plague are also often mentioned in the Old Testament. The bubonic plague was a scourge for the ancient population. Blindness was widespread in Palestine and its neighboring countries. We can distinguish two main types: trachoma – viral conjunctivitis, which to this day is a cause of blindness in the Near and Middle East; and atrophy of vision, found in the elderly – such as in Isaac (Gen. 27: 1), in the priest Eli (1 Chron. 3: 2), etc. Blindness deprived men of the right to the priesthood, but compassion for the blind was considered a duty (Lev. 19: 14), and the one who insulted the blind was cursed (Deut. 27: 18). As for the methods of treatment, the Holy Scriptures do not contain much data in this aspect. They focus on how the person perceives his illness. We read about washing, anointing with oil, applying pain-relieving ointments to wounds before bandaging them (Isa. 1: 6), about a plaster of fig leaves applied to boils (Isa. 38: 21), about pouring wine and oil on the wounds of the good Samaritan (Luke 10: 34), about warming a body from another body, as Abishag warmed the elderly King David (1 Sam. 1: 2). The Bible says little about medicines taken internally, although the Near East was well acquainted with herbal concoctions. The wine with myrrh offered to Jesus on the cross was intended to relieve pain. Myrrh or myrrh (an aromatic resin – b. p.) is a mild soporific. The Apostle Paul recommended that his disciple Timothy use a little wine to relieve stomach pains (1 Tim. 5: 23). Mandrake was considered to aid conception. The Gospel mentions tithing of mint, dill, and cumin (Matt. 23: 23), which suppress the formation of gases in the stomach. The majority of the remedies in both the Jewish and Egyptian pharmacopoeias were dietary, for example: flour, milk, vinegar, wine, water, almonds, figs, raisins, oranges, honey. The art of pharmacy is only mentioned in the sense of preparing incense. The most important surgical operation that has religious significance and is mentioned in the Bible is circumcision of the foreskin, traditionally performed with a flint knife. Piercing the ear with an awl as a visible sign of voluntary slavery is described in the book of Exodus (Ex. 21: 6).

In the New Testament era, the healing art of Jesus Christ was accepted as a heritage by the apostles along with His teaching; healing the sick was considered the main duty of the Church. Listing the gifts of the Holy Spirit (charisms), the apostle Paul writes: “… to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing” (1 Cor. 12: 8, 9). The apostle calls the apostle Luke his “beloved physician” (Col. 4: 14). According to Tradition, Luke was a physician. His Gospel contains a number of accurate medical observations.

Following the example of the apostles, the priests of the New Testament Church of Christ are called to alleviate suffering. Addressing the first Christians, the apostle James calls: “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up” (James 5:14-15).

Since the time of Jesus Christ, it has been believed not that illnesses should not happen, but that the Divine power, which will ultimately triumph, is already at work on earth. For illness has a spiritual significance, but nevertheless remains a test for man. The last enemy, the ancient enemy with whom Christ fights, is death. God is life. After the Second Coming of Christ, there will be no more diseases and the mysterious apocalyptic “leaves of the tree of life” will heal the nations (Rev. 22:2).

Ad Notem: By decision of the Russian Orthodox Church’ Holy Synod of May 5, 2015 (Journal No. 9), the author of this article was appointed His Grace of Petrozavodsk and Karelia, head of the Karelian Metropolitanate. He is a member of several academies (Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, Mannequin of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Biology, etc.), a member of the Ethics Council under the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, a member of the Union of Writers of Russia, and a member of the editorial board of the journal “Theological Works.”