Aesculapius

Mary Baker Eddy writes (Science and Health p. 150:31): “The hosts of Aesculapius are flooding the world with diseases, because they are ignorant that the human mind and body are myths.  To be sure, they sometimes treat the sick as if there was but one factor in the case; but this one factor they represent to be body, not mind. 


Infinite Mind could not possibly create a remedy outside of itself, but erring, finite, human mind has an absolute need of something beyond itself for its redemption and healing.”

As Luke (the author of Acts) is referred to as a physician, we thought readers might be interested to know more about physicians.  So who is Aesculapius?

Source 1 - http://aesculapbooks.com/abaes.html

“AESCULAPIUS or ASCLEPIUS - Greek and later Roman God of Medicine. Homer called Aesculapius “blameless physician.” According to the legends he was a son of Apollo and Cronis. His mother was beloved and impregnated by Apollo. However, she fell in love with another man and wanted to marry him. To save Apollo from complete humiliation, his sister Artemis killed Cronis by burning her to stake. Before her execution Apollo removed his unborn son from his mother’s womb and named him Asclepius or Aesculapius. Apollo gave him the ability to treat people and Aesculapius later became a great physician. His healing power was so strong that he started to raise people from the dead. Unhappy about losing the privilege of immortality Zeus killed Aesculapius with a thunder bolt.

“Historians speculate that a real Greek physician is source of this legend.”

Source 2 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepius

Asclepius - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: click on link above for photo of Asclepius with his serpent-entwined staff.

 

“Asclepius ( /æsˈkliːpiəs/; Greek: Ἀσκληπιός Asklēpiós [asklɛːpiós]; Latin Aesculapius) is the god of medicine and healing in ancient Greek religion. Asclepius represents the healing aspect of the medical arts; his daughters are Hygieia ("Hygiene", the goddess/personification of health, cleanliness, and sanitation), Iaso (the goddess of recuperation from illness), Aceso (the goddess of the healing process), Aglæa/Ægle (the goddess of beauty, splendor, glory, magnificence, and adornment), and Panacea (the goddess of universal remedy). He was associated with the Roman/Etruscan god Vediovis. He was one of Apollo's sons, sharing with Apollo the epithet Paean ("the Healer").^[2] The rod of Asclepius, a snake-entwined staff, remains a symbol of medicine today.”

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