Hermes Ingenui[1] carrying a winged kerykeion upright in his left hand, Roman copy reflecting an unknown Greek original of the 5th century BCE. (Museo Pio-Clementino, Rome).
Posted on 12/15/2016 6:08:24 PM PST by Sean_Anthony
The serpent (or serpents) of the medical emblems is a reminder of a misdirection of faith, a deception that there is something other than God that is Healer.
Have you ever considered why the medical arts are represented by snakes? Serpents, then, just to be polite. Having worked in the field of alternative medicine (in a concurrent career) the question hadn’t really come up. But as the president-elect is expected to deliver on his promise to eradicate Obamacare, that a rod encircled by snakes symbolizes medicine is worth a look.
It’s true that the medical arts have made amazing advances over the centuries, yet the caduceus appears to be relatively new on the scene. For those unfamiliar with the term ‘caduceus’ it refers to the oft-used insignia of a staff wrapped by two snakes sporting a set of wings. Whereas the chiropractic (which art was discovered in 1896) caduceus is a ribbon flowing around the human form that evokes the medical standard, it is meant to elevate the concept of innate health.
Very interesting. Thank you for this post.
Yes, there have been huge advances in the medical field. It is unfortunate that the human nurses/attendants and doctors have not advanced past treating human beings like lab rats.
From when God told Moses to fashion bronze serpents and lift them up with his staff and all who looked upon them would be healed. In John 3:14, Jesus stressed their importance when He said “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:”
From that fantastic piece:
“Medicine is the administering of something from the outside in, be it drugs or surgery. Healing comes from the inside out. When God is in the picture, it is faith working from the inside by receiving the promise of healing finished by Jesus’ sacrifice and suffering on the Cross. This is not to say that medicine can’t be part of the equation because even that won’t work without believing that it will work. However, healing can come by way of the miraculous (read the New Testament for untold examples) or it can be delivered by God’s guiding man’s efforts.”
I do believe you are correct. The Army medical Department emblem is the caduceus.
Asclepius
Also, the serpent is often used to symbolize wisdom.
Go back and read yer Bible. That “rod of Aaron”? Was a serpent and staff. Not recent at all.
Yup. I still have a dusty(now) green jacket in the closet with two of them.
Biblical symbol of God healing the Israelites in the wilderness
That is a lie.
Some of the most compassionate care comes from nurses. Not all are great but many are. Your broad brush condemnation is unwarranted
Yeah right...go ahead and treat your diabetes with alternative medicine or your TB, or any of the horrible diseases such as Ebola.
Let me know how that works out for you
Yes, that is my understanding as well: that the serpent lifted up by Moses to offer healing to those who were otherwise doomed to die was a type and a symbol of the Messiah who would come and who also would be lifted up and who would save those who were willing to turn and to look unto Him for salvation.
Nothing more mysterious than that in the meaning, as I understand it.
Ding-ding. Of course, it is a Biblical reference to Moses, coming out of Egypt. The article missed it completely.
“That is a lie.
Some of the most compassionate care comes from nurses. Not all are great but many are. Your broad brush condemnation is unwarranted”
No, it is NOT a lie! I have experienced it over the years and most recently in October!
They are all animals!
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