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Human Children. Retelling of Chapter 18

 

Short retelling of chapter 18 of the essay: Arkhipov S.V. Human Children: The Origins of Biblical Legends from a Physician's Perspective. Joensuu: Author's Edition, 2025. [In Russian] 

Chapter 18. THE MINISTRY OF JESUS 

The accounts of Jesus’ ministry, as recorded by the Gospel writers, offer varying timelines marked by the Jewish Passover. Matthew and Mark mention one Passover, Luke references two, and John notes three instances of the festival’s approach. Based on these milestones, Jesus’ ministry—his bearing of the “cross”—likely spanned one to three years across Galilee (Upper Galilee, 32°59'10"N, 35°20'13"E; Lower Galilee, 32°46'59"N, 35°19'48"E) and Judea (31°35'N, 35°E). Isaac Newton (1642–1727) calculated Jesus’ death as occurring between 33 and 34 CE, with modern scholars pinpointing April 3, 33 CE, as the date of his crucifixion, marking the end of the Galilean Physician’s earthly journey. Thus, the period from 29 to 33 CE stands as the most vibrant chapter of Jesus’ life.

According to this perspective, Jesus, having trained as a physician, returns from Alexandria (31°11'57"N, 29°53'43"E) to Nazareth (32°42'24"N, 35°18'17"E) in 29 CE. An inner calling drives him to seek out the prophet John and be baptized in the Jordan River. Uplifted by this experience, he retreats to the Judean Desert (31°42'N, 35°18'E) for a forty-day fast. The harsh climate, combined with physical strain, induces a brief episode of cerebral hypoxia during sleep, triggering vivid visions. In these, Jesus imagines standing on the temple’s pinnacle, ascending a high mountain, or debating a “devil.” Similar illusions appear in biblical accounts of Abraham under midday heat or Yaakov’s dream at Bethel, induced by an uncomfortable stone pillow after crossing the Yabbok stream.

This solitary sojourn allows Jesus to reflect on his past and envision a new path. In the wilderness, he formulates a plan for his ministry. Drawing on Hippocrates’ medical ethics (b. 460 BCE), Socratic philosophy (c. 470–399 BCE), Greek literature, Egyptian moral codes, Jewish prophetic texts, and the laws of Moses, he crafts a compelling worldview. Rooted in his childhood encounter with the Book of Byreyshyt and shaped by Ptahhotep’s teachings, Jesus chooses not to marry, focusing instead on his mission. He aims to create a harmonious network within a flawed society, acting as a generator of a “humanitarian field” that reduces hostility and fosters healthier relationships. His first step is clear: gather disciples.

In first-century Galilee, far from urban centers, healthcare was scarce. Jesus earns a living as a clinician, offering medical care and practical advice while instructing patients in wise conduct, as compassionate doctors do. He trains his disciples in healing arts, providing them a livelihood, though their field-based learning falls short of his expertise. With a formal education behind him, Jesus knows his students cannot match his skill, which explains the Gospels’ vague descriptions of ailments and treatments. These accounts, clouded by outdated terminology, challenge modern analysis.

Contemporary sources, like Josephus Flavius (37–100 CE), describe Jewish communities, such as the Essenes, who studied healing herbs and texts for body and soul. The term “Essenes” may derive from the Aramaic “asayya,” meaning “physicians.” In Egypt, a sect of “therapists” near Alexandria (per Philo, c. 20 BCE–40 CE) blended spiritual and medical practice. Jesus, however, was not an Essene but a scholar of Alexandria’s library, where he studied diverse treatises, later weaving their insights into his teachings.

As a healer of body and mind, skilled in psychology and oratory, Jesus gains a following in Palestine (31°52'39"N, 35°18'40"E), where Roman-era doctors were few and poorly trained. Word of his prowess spreads, with Gospel narratives emphasizing his medical feats over miracles. He begins in Galilee, his fame reaching “all Syria.” Effective treatment requires deep knowledge, likely honed outside Nazareth, where locals, knowing him as a carpenter’s son, marvel at his untaught wisdom. Jesus avoids his hometown, noting that a prophet finds no honor there, perhaps due to local skepticism or envy.

His success as a physician boosts his renown in Galilee and Judea, extending to Gadara (32°39'22"N, 35°40'31"E), the Golan Heights (33°02'27"N, 35°44'21"E), and Tyre and Sidon (33°16'20"N, 35°11'47"E; 33°33'43"N, 35°22'41"E) in modern Lebanon. He travels through the Decapolis and Jordan Valley, reaching Jericho (31°51'22"N, 35°27'36"E) and Jerusalem (31°46'44"N, 35°13'33"E) via the Judean Mountains (31°40'N, 35°10'E). The Gospels mention no medical missions beyond Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. Memories of Jesus as a healer may have lingered in northern Egypt, fading with his last patient’s death.

The Gospels document numerous healings: Matthew cites nine, Luke eight, Mark five. Conditions range from “diseases” and “infirmities” to seizures, leprosy, paralysis, blindness, muteness, and wounds. Diagnoses remain unclear, as Jesus likely avoided technical terms like “diabetic foot” or “cardiac asthma” for lay audiences. Specific cases include a leper in Galilee (chronic skin infection), a mentally ill man in Capernaum (32°52'51"N, 35°34'32"E), and two disturbed individuals in Gadara. In Tyre and Sidon, he treats a girl’s mental disorder. In Capernaum, he heals paralysis (possibly from stroke or trauma), epilepsy near Mount Tabor (32°41'14"N, 35°23'23"E), and gynecological bleeding. Other cases involve fever, blindness, deafness, scoliosis, and a severed ear in Gethsemane. Jesus also revives a girl in Capernaum, a youth in Nain (32°37'54"N, 35°20'55"E), and Lazarus in Bethany (31°46'23"N, 35°15'35"E), possibly from coma-like states.

These accounts suggest expertise in dermatology, psychiatry, infections, neurology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, and emergency care. Gospel terminology, typical of the first century, confounds modern readers, reflecting untrained eyewitnesses’ limited grasp of medicine. Jesus’ success stems from skill, not miracles. Reported wonders—turning water to wine, calming storms, multiplying food—are attributed to suggestion, coincidence, or narrative embellishment for early Christians.

Jesus’ methods include verbal psychotherapy, touch, and salves, which disciples adopt, anointing with oil or laying hands. Unlike lesser Roman-era physicians, criticized by Pliny the Elder, Jesus excels. Seeing widespread suffering and few doctors, he trains disciples in basic care, granting them “authority over demons and diseases.” Their three-year training produces paramedic-like skills, insufficient for mastery, as seen in their struggles with epilepsy, prompting Jesus’ frustration: “How long must I endure you?”

Recognizing the limits of field training, Jesus shifts focus to a social network inspired by fishermen’s nets and Amenemopet’s teachings. This community, rooted in Mosaic law but refined in the desert, fosters mutual aid among Jews under Roman rule. Initially exclusive, it expands to other ethnicities, promoting harmony without forming a formal church—a concept later shaped by apostles. His Sermon on the Mount remains timeless.

Jesus’ work reduces conflict and injury, enhancing societal health. He critiques priests’ distortions of Moses’ laws, exposing their exploitation. This threatens religious elites, who plot against him, first in Galilee. Aware of impending arrest, Jesus, inspired by Socrates’ death (per Plato, c. 428–348 BCE), plans a public, symbolic end. Quoting Zechariah—“strike the shepherd, and the sheep will scatter”—he envisions betrayal, trial, and crucifixion during Passover in Jerusalem.

Judas Iscariot, a trusted, literate disciple, undertakes the role of betrayer, requesting thirty pieces of silver, echoing Zechariah and Yoseyf’s sale. Judas’ loyalty, not greed, drives him, though apostles later vilify him. Jesus orchestrates his fate, entering Jerusalem on a donkey, fulfilling prophecy. He instructs Judas to act swiftly, ensuring a public spectacle. Crucified on April 3, 33 CE, Jesus becomes the “Physician on the Cross,” a martyr whose death exposes injustice.

Historians like Josephus, Tacitus (56–120 CE), and Mara Bar-Serapion (c. 73 CE) confirm Jesus’ execution, grounding the Gospels in reality despite embellishments. Jesus, shaped by Byreyshyt, lived for others, leaving a legacy rivaling Cheops or Hippocrates, enduring two millennia without a written word. 

Retelling done by Grok, an artificial intelligence developed by xAI.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS


                                                                    

Author:

Arkhipov S.V. – candidate of medical sciences, surgeon, traumatologist-orthopedist. 

Citation:

Архипов С.В. Дети человеческие: истоки библейских преданий в обозрении врача. Эссе, снабженное ссылками на интерактивный материал. 2-е изд. перераб. и доп. Йоэнсуу: Издание Автора, 2025. 

Arkhipov S.V. Human Children: The Origins of Biblical Legends from a Physician's Perspective. An essay with references to interactive materials. 2nd revised and expanded edition. Joensuu: Author's Edition, 2025. [Rus]

Purchase:

PDF version is available on GooglePlay & Google Books

Keywords

ligamentum capitis femoris, ligamentum teres, ligament of head of femur, history, first patient, injury, damage, Bible, Genesis

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