Asclepius: Collection and Interpretation of the Testimonies

by Emma J. Edelstein, Ludwig Edelstein, Gary B. Ferngren

Overview

A classic study of the legendary Greek physician and—in the last stages of paganism—the Greek deity who posed the greatest challenge to Christ.

Throughout nearly all of antiquity, the legendary Greek physician, Asclepius, son of Apollo and Coronis, was not only the primary representative of divine healing, but also so influential in the religious life of later centuries that, as Emma J. Edelstein and Ludwig Edelstein point out, "in the final stages of paganism, of all genuinely Greek gods, [he] was judged the foremost antagonist of Christ." Providing an overview of all facets of the Asclepius phenomenon, this book, first published in two volumes in 1945, comprises a unique collection of the literary references and inscriptions in ancient texts—given in both the original and translation—to the deity, his life, his deeds, his cult, and his temples, as well as an extended analysis of them.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801857690
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	03/20/1998
Series:	Institute of the History of Medicine, SE
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	782
Sales rank:	534,266
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 1.56(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Ekaterina N. Lomperis is a PhD candidate in theology at the University of Chicago and a junior fellow at the Martin Marty Center for the Advanced Study of Religion.

Gary B. Ferngren is a professor of history at Oregon State University, editor of Science and Religion: A Historical Introduction, and author of Medicine and Health Care in Early Christianity, both published by Johns Hopkins.

Editorial Reviews

It will remain the cornerstone for future study.
—Philosophical Review

A useful and scholarly work which in certain respects makes considerable contributions to our knowledge and appreciation of Asclepius.
—Martin P. Nilsson, American Journal of Philology

From the Publisher

A useful and scholarly work which in certain respects makes considerable contributions to our knowledge and appreciation of Asclepius.

American Journal of Philology - Martin P. Nilsson

It will remain the cornerstone for future study.

Philosophical Review

A useful and scholarly work which in certain respects makes considerable contributions to our knowledge and appreciation of Asclepius.

— Martin P. Nilsson

American Journal of Philology

The legendary Greek healing god, Asclepius, son of Apollo and Coronis, became the patron saint of physicians, who called themselves Asclepiads. The authors collect and analyze the literary references and inscriptions in ancient texts to this deity, his life, his deeds, his cult, and his temples. Part I contains 861 numbered literary and epigraphic testimonies in Greek or Latin with English translations. Part II is a narrative account of the cult of Asclepius that proposes a radical new interpretation of the deity's origins. A new introduction gives background on the authors' lives and careers and points out flaws in their research and assumptions. First published in 1945 by Johns Hopkins University Press. No index. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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