Chili

He believes in charismatic faith healers from 2000 years age who get sick Jews HEALED with just a slamdunk, because he said, those PhD's with shaggy hair and beard dug those pools up to make the Gospels read what they say.

They probably are the same guys who could not find the ark on that mountain top and instead they found this, and so here we are.

tanya

1. Illness, not battle, caused mayhem in Alexander's army (and every other military expedition). Supply lines were stretched thin, resulting in decreased caloric consumption, dehydration, and consequent immune dysfunction, with the army then vulnerable to infectious disease. We always think of Alexandria, in terms of his conquering the Persians who had administered Egypt, but what of the actual village along the coast that became this impressive city bearing his name? That village would likely have included a fountain of local lore, wisdom, and experience in treatment of various scourges confronting his troops, and from that tradition, it is easy to imagine the evolution of "Therapeutae". We need a Coptic source, to learn their origin.

2. That famous library in Alexandria, did not spring up from zero. Egypt had been a famous urban center for thousands of years, before Alexander. We know from study of the mummies, that Egyptian physicians had mastered trepanation, as an example of a difficult procedure designed to rescue soldiers, seriously wounded in battle. Further, we know that Aristarchus, writing fifty years after Alexander, had already deduced heliocentrism, else, encountered the notion in that famous collection of ancient papyrus scrolls housed in the library of Alexandria, where he served as head librarian. Do we imagine that the ancients wrote about sunshine, and not about health care?

Yes, Philo verified their existence, but that need not indicate a Jewish sect, and the therapeutae's renowned egalitarianism and empathy points to a Greek, not a Semitic origin, in my opinion. To me, the Hebrews and their successors, the christians and muslims, were all about killing anyone who failed to observe their rules, whereas, the therapeutae were all about helping anyone in pain, anyone suffering, anyone injured, regardless of clan, family, or village ancestry, the exact opposite of judaism, christianity and islam.

stephan huller

well at least that's settled

Clivedurdle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepeion

I went to Kos at Easter (OK, British, not Orthodox Easter!)

The Asclepion there is huge and was internationally renowned.

I would agree with MM that there is something very "fishy" about theraputae.

By the way, I also appeared at the Kos Odeon where St Paul is alleged to have gone. That is a far smaller place, also internationally known.

Perspicuo

'De' does not mean 'the' (it's not Dutch!). It means about. As in "De imitatione Christi": 'imitatione' is ablative, not vocative or nominative. The correct English rendering of de vita contemplativa is On contemplative life.

Chili

The sophists were imitators by definitions and 'look-alikes' deprived from the glow as man in their own Being procuring only the art wherein they shine.

Sophistry is an art, such as heckling, and angling, or pirating to get the most from those they can deceive to believe and take their money and run. In his Chain of Division Plato demonstrates where they will branch of into 'non-being' leaving us stranded venerating their remains like dust in the wind.

In his Sophist, Plato called them 'failed philosophers' and not the real thing:

http://oxfordindex.oup.com/view/10.1093/acprofso/9780199564453.003.0005

Then let me add that if sophists are look-alikes and not the real thing, the essence of philosophy must be real for them to be look alikes, which so may just be a little beyond Oxford to comprehend as the finest of fine arts.

And here again: if the "therapeutae" are "[temple] worshippers or servants" they physically are close but in reality are far removed from the truth where no temple is to be found.

mountainman

Do you mean like the Apostle Paul?


He was [one of the therapeutae of Asclepius].

As was Galen.

All those who served at any of the many Asclepian temples considered themselves as the therapeutae of Asclepius - the servants of the healing god, the attendants to the physicians.

mountainman

The point is that the WIKI page claims that the therapeutae were some Jewish sect on the basis that Philo (a Jew) mentions them. I think this claim is misguided. The therapeutae were not a Jewish sect but appear to have represented one of the largest groups of people associated with the Graeco-Roman-Egypto temples cults in antiquity.

IOW the point is that I think there is good and sufficient evidence to claim the therapeutae of antiquity were not a Jewish sect but a Pagan sect.

mountainman

Good catch Perspicuo.

outhouse

Dont start with Paul it is off topic, and something you wont be able to address properly. If you would like to start another thread please do so.



As far as your quote mining and the word "therapeutae" you can stop now.


You took a dream, a Phantazomai, and taken a literal translation.


Not only that your not even using the word as intended, as Stephan carefully pointed out.


As far as Galen, please, get real.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galen

at 16 he began studies at the prestigious local sanctuary or Asclepieum dedicated to Asclepius, god of medicine, as a θεραπευτής (therapeutes, or attendant) for four years.


This shows the greek meaning of "attendant" for the proper context of this word in use at this specific time.


Not a sect of Hellenistic Jewish Abrahamic god worshipping people, we know very little about.