What is it about?
Medical metaphor and theory abound in the monastic literature of early Christianity. Spiritual guides, variously called "gnostikoi," "abbas," "ammas," or elders, were revered as spiritual ‘physicians,’ practitioners of a therapeutic art exemplified by "Christos iatros," Christ the physician. The fourth-century monk Evagrius of Pontus prescribed the therapeutic remedies of ascetical practice and spiritual knowledge for restoration of the whole person to union with God. In this chapter his use of medical teminology in exegetical and mystical texts is discussed in light of his classical and Christian sources, including Hipporates, Galen, Origen of Alexandria, Basil of Caesaria, and Gregory of Nyssa.
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Why is it important?
The ancient Christian description of Jesus Christ as "physician" ("Christos Iatros") is significant for a culture struggling with widely-diverse notions of health, healing, and therapy.
Perspectives
Ancient Christian soteriology (theology of salvation) was based more on models of therapeutic transformation than forensic justice.
Fr. Luke Dysinger, OSB
Saint John's Seminary, Camarillo, California
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This page is a summary of: The Contemplative as Spiritual Physician, July 2023, Brill,
DOI: 10.1163/9789004549975_003.
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