Posted on 03/22/2020 5:07:01 PM PDT by The Ignorant Fisherman
We may not understand why pandemics happen or the means by which God’s glory will ultimately be magnified through them. However, I have found people very interested in how God protected the nation of Israel from contagious diseases and sicknesses through many of the commandments given by Moses in the Law. No other nation around them had anything other than superstition, rituals, and often deadly traditions to deal with these things.
God’s law includes regulations concerning cleanliness, health testing (inspections), quarantines, dietary restrictions, covering disease-causing refuse, sexual prohibitions, etc. all of which protected the health of the nation.
Astoundingly these regulations about washing clothes upon which something died or breaking porous pots but putting brass pots in a hot fire and separation from potentially communicable diseases were centuries even millennia before modern science discovered bacteria, germs, and viruses.
These regulations are evidence that our God created the world and knows far more about health and life than man. I am attaching an article that I think will amaze you and maybe others at the wisdom of the all-knowing and eternal God.
Medical Science and the Law of Moses
by Stephen Caesar
This article first appeared in FrontLine Jul/Aug 2000. A common criticism of the Bible is that it is antiquated and thus no longer relevant to our modern world. Since it was written millennia ago in an unscientific age (the claim goes), it is of no use to us today except as an interesting piece of ancient Semitic mythology. This criticism collapses, however, when one looks closely at the Mosaic Law and its relation to the field of medicine.
While the cultures around him were awash in superstition, Moses left a legacy of unparalleled medical advancement. William R. Vis, M.D., a member of the American Medical Association and the American College of Physicians, states:
As a scientist, Moses rises above all other Biblical characters because of his stupendous knowledge of public health and hygiene. The safeguarding of the people Israel under the difficulties encountered should, perhaps, rank as the greatest achievement in all medical history.1
Dr. Vis uses leprosy as an example of Moses’ unique insight into preventing the spread of disease in ancient times, pointing out that the great lawgiver used techniques unknown to the medical profession until fairly recently:
To show how far Moses was ahead of modern society we need only to remind ourselves that the word quarantine originated in the fourteenth century when the Italian ports of Venice and Genoa first refused admission to immigrants who might be harboring [bubonic] plague and required them to stay on board for forty days—hence the word quarantine. Even in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries leprosy spread over southern Europe until the principles of Moses were re-enacted successfully. Moses disinfected the patient’s clothing [Lev. 13:47 ff.], bed, and even the house itself [14:34 ff.]. The leper was required to wear a covering (mask) upon his upper lip [13:45]. On occasion, the priest was requested to go outside of the camp to examine the suspect [13:46]—further to protect the populace.2
Dr. Edward Neufeld, Professor of Ancient Cultures at Fairleigh Dickenson University in New Jersey, expanded on this point in the Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences:
Of great significance is the fact that “purification” techniques involved also the rinsing or burning of the garment of the diseased person, shaving the hair of the head, beard, and even the eyebrows (Lev. 14:8–9) and sterilization by means of fire (Lev. 13:55–58). Thus, in effect, the ways to fight communicable diseases were to destroy the germs, or prevent their being carried to healthy people. This leads us to the conclusion that although germs which directly cause certain infections and diseases were obviously unknown in those days, there was an awareness of the notion that some diseases were caused by the entry into the body of some infective agents.3
Other medical scientists have noticed the Pentateuch’s astoundingly modern outlook on health and hygiene. D. H. Trapnell, M.D., Consultant Radiologist at Westminster Hospital in London, observed: One respect in which Jewish medicine was better than that of contemporary peoples was the remarkable sanitary code of the Israelites in Moses’ time. … The Jews, as a nation, might not have survived their time in the wilderness, or the many other vicissitudes through which they passed, without their sanitary “code.” It deals with public hygiene, water supply, sewage disposal, inspection and selection of food, and control of infectious disease. The most interesting thing about it is that it implies a knowledge which in the circumstances of the Exodus and the wilderness wanderings they could scarcely have discovered for themselves, e.g. the prohibition, as food, of pigs and of animals which had died natural deaths [Lev. 7:24], the burial or burning of excreta [Deut. 23:13, Ex. 29:14], etc., and the contagious nature of some diseases. … In a number of respects the biblical outlook on the sick, and on health in general, has a bearing on modern medical practice, and is perhaps more up-to-date than is generally realized.4 Another physician who saw modern medical science in the Law of Moses was the late A. Rendle-Short, M.D., professor of surgery and lecturer in physiology at the University of Bristol in England, as well as Examiner and Hunterian Professor of the Royal College of Surgeons. Commenting on Deuteronomy 14:21, which prohibits eating the meat of an animal which has died of disease, Dr. Short observed;
Today, if a butcher exposed an animal which had died of disease for sale in his shop he would be prosecuted under the Food and Drugs Act, because there is the possibility of conveying some germ infection or parasite. The law is the more noteworthy because thereby a considerable source of food supply is cast away as useless. Whence had the Biblical writer this insight, two or three thousand years in advance of his day?5
Regarding Leviticus 11:32–38, which underscores the necessity of clean water for hygienic purposes, he noted:
The importance of a clean water supply is one of the major discoveries of the modern public health services. It was only about fifty years ago [Dr. Short was writing in 1949] that it became recognized that typhoid fever in this country [Great Britain], cholera in India, bilharziasis in Egypt, and many other diseases, were spread principally by polluted water.6 The late physician further wrote:
Closely connected with the protection of the wells and springs is the safe disposal of sewage. Water-borne and fly-borne diseases, such as dysentery and enteric fever, have been the scourge of armies in the field even more than of stationary populations. In the South African [Boer] War the loss of life from these diseases was greater than from wounds. It was not till the Great War of 1914–1918 that effectual precautions were put into practice. Yet all through the centuries the remedy was ready to hand, if the generals had troubled to read their Bibles, and to observe the directions given for the disposal of excreta by burial (Deut. xxiii. 12–14).7
The Mosaic Law not only stressed protection of water from contamination, but food as well. Commenting on Numbers 19:15, which declares unclean any food container not sealed with a tight lid, Prof. Neufeld stated that some care was taken to protect the food being prepared from surrounding contamination. Textual references to “open vessels” with no lids fastened down clearly indicate that pots with fastened-down lids were used during preparation and storage to protect food from insects and various contamination. In fact, an ingeniously constructed lid of the middle 8th century B.C. was unearthed by [Yigael] Yadin at Hazor.8
These facts are more than interesting in themselves; they also stand in marked contrast to the medical “science” of the pagan Egyptian milieu out of which Moses and the Israelites emerged. Without divine inspiration, the Egyptian-influenced author of the Pentateuch would have absorbed—or at least been heavily influenced by—the unscientific beliefs about medicine and health care held by the Egyptians. This, however, is not the case. The great archaeologist Dr. William F. Albright, late professor of Semitic Languages at the Johns Hopkins University and former Director of the American School of Oriental Research in Jerusalem, pointed out, “it is clear that the religion of Israel revolted against virtually every external aspect of Egyptian religion, including the complex and grotesque iconography, [and] the dominion of daily life in the Nineteenth Dynasty by magic.”9 Prof. Neufeld similarly noted that the Pentateuch’s laws on purification and disease prevention do not reflect the beliefs of the cultures that surrounded Moses:
They presuppose a fairly well-developed system of hygiene. None of the known rituals of the ancient Near East, as illustrated in mythological texts, incantations, and descriptions of festivals, can be compared to the vast scope of detailed topics, extent of knowledge, systematic elaboration, and clear identification of spiritual “purity” with community responsibility, as exemplified in the textual materials of the Bible.10
Dr. M. R. DeHaan, who received his M.D. from the University of Illinois Medical School and was a practicing physician for many years before becoming an evangelical preacher, expands on this central point: Ask the question, since Moses was educated in all these [Egyptian] superstitions and primitive practices, how does it happen that he does not teach or recommend these remedies in his writings? Although he deals in detail and great length with diseases, the treatment of infections, leprosy, and running sores, yet the illusions, deceptions, gross errors, and superstitions concerning anatomy, physiology, pathology, and treatment of diseases as taught in the highest schools of learning in Egypt from which Moses was a graduate [Acts 7:22], are never taught or even suggested in the books of Moses. But instead the instructions Moses laid down for Israel were utterly at variance with the accepted practices of that day, and fully in harmony with modern-day scientific facts.11
Dr. Short similarly remarked: It is not to be expected on ordinary grounds that a small secluded nation like the Hebrews, lately come out of the desert, would have any better ideas of health and disease than were current amongst a great settled civilization like that of Egypt. It is the more surprising, therefore, to find in the Old Testament the observations of disease so accurate, and the sanitary science so much in accord with modern knowledge.12
Given such advanced knowledge on the part of Moses (in contrast to the unscientific ignorance around him), Dr. Vis makes the following statement: The medical knowledge imparted by Moses to the people of Israel stands out as a solitary scientific mountain peak above the barren centuries which had gone before and the period of darkness which followed. … Moses, then, should be ranked not only with the great law-givers of history but also with the very great names in sanitary science. In safeguarding Israel from pestilence and communicable diseases he was the first and greatest of hygienists.13
These facts go far in demonstrating that the Bible is not of mere human origin. If it were, the commands regarding health and hygiene found in the Mosaic Law would have been tainted by the biases, prejudices, and presuppositions of its author, who was born and raised in an era of pre-scientific ignorance and superstition. Whether the Pentateuch was a product of a man fleeing Egypt or of Jewish priests in exile in Babylon (as critics claim), the scientific facts it contains regarding health and medicine are so advanced and so completely unstained by pagan superstition and unscientific error that only a single conclusion can be reached about its origin—divine inspiration. Dr. Short commented that the medical principles in Moses’ writings are so free from paganism or magic, are so simple, so scientific, so neglected for centuries only to be rediscovered within our own lifetime, so little likely to be due to the observation of a people as primitive as the Israelites, a thousand or fifteen hundred years before Christ, that we must surely conclude that the writers had a special revelation from God.14
Another titan in the field of modern medicine, the late Dr. Howard A. Kelly, concurred heartily. Dr. Kelly received his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania (an Ivy League school) and served as associate professor of obstetrics at that same institution. He later became chairman of gynecological surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and Medical School, and finally Emeritus Professor of Gynecological Surgery at that prestigious institution. He closed his extremely productive life as chief surgeon and radiologist at Howard A. Kelly Hospital in Baltimore, as well as the author of countless papers on medical science, particularly obstetrics and gynecology. This intellectual and medical giant once wrote:
I am sure that the Bible is the Word of God, with an assurance greater than all other convictions directing my course in this brief earthly pilgrimage. Above all those maxims regulating the practical relations of life born of experience, above those logical deductions from philosophical and scientific premises, I place the clear light of truth shining from the pages of the Bible. The Bible, the Word of God, is my one great guerdon on my homeward journey. … The Bible appeals to me strongly as a physician, because it is such excellent medicine; it has never yet failed to cure a single patient if only he took his prescription honestly. Whatever there is in civilization that is worth while rests on the Bible’s precepts. … Everywhere and in all its teachings the Bible claims to be the authoritative Word of God, and as such, I accept it.15
At the time of the original publication, Stephen Caesar was pursuing his master’s degree in anthropology/archaeology at Harvard University. William R. Vis, M.D., “Medical Science and the Bible,” in Modern Science and Christian Faith, 2nd ed. (Wheaton, IL: Van Kampen Press, 1950), 238. [↩] Ibid., 244. [italics original] [↩] Edward Neufeld, “Hygiene Conditions in Ancient Israel (Iron Age),” Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences 25 (1970); reprinted in The Biblical Archaeologist Reader IV, Edward Campbell and David Freedman, eds. (Sheffield, England: The Almond Press, 1983), 171. [↩]
New Bible Dictionary, 3rd ed. (Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1996), s.v. “Health, Disease and Healing.” [↩] A. Rendle Short, M.D., Modern Discovery and the Bible, 2nd ed., rev. (London: Inter-varsity Fellowship, 1949), 120. [↩] Ibid. [↩] Ibid., 121. [↩] Neufeld, op. cit., 162. [↩] William F. Albright, From the Stone Age to Christianity, 2nd ed. (Garden City, NY: Doubleday Anchor Books, 1957), 270. [↩] Neufeld, op. cit., 172. [↩] M. R. DeHaan, M.D., Genesis and Evolution (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1962), 61. [↩] Short, op. cit., 119. [↩] Vis, op. cit., 249. [↩] Short, op. cit., 123. [↩] Howard A. Kelly, M.D., A Scientific Man and the Bible (Philadelphia: Sunday School Times Co., 1925), pp. 41, 54, 61. [↩] Rom. 10:2-4
I remember that the Prussian officer who developed regs for Washington’s army made one which is just common sense but was not practiced before.
“Have the latrine and kitchen on opposite sides of camp.”
Moses also banned the eating of disgusting scavanger animals, a ban that would put the wet markets in China out of business.
Fascinating.
Thanks for posting.
One of my students was preparing for her Bat Mitzvah. I asked her what her Torah Reading was going to be (it is determined by the calendar date of her ceremony). She shrugged and made a sad face.
“Just a bunch of Rules and regulations, and stuff about diseases.” she said with a shrug.
“Ah” I said, “That’s awesome! Imagine Moses and Aaron trying to get over a million people across a desert for forty years, without good hygiene and public health rules. Can you IMAGINE how nasty that would have gotten? You got a real good Torah Portion for your Bat Mitzvah...and something cool to put in your speech too!”
Her Dad was an MD, so he was excited about helping her with her speech. It was perfect.
Excellent article!
No justice, no republic.
Not many on this planet have experienced what we have experienced. The lack of similar Bill of Rights in other countries is problematic.
From Hammurabi Code through Halakhah, Moses, Sharia, Napoleonic code, Magna Carta, Constitution and Bill of Rights of The United States of America, there has never been a justice system designed to give individuals maximum freedom while dealing with depths of wickedness unseen. Are we Past Peak Civilization?
OUTSTANDING effort FF. Thanks.
An excellent read. Thank you T.I.F.
Its amazing how it isn’t mumbo jumbo... it all has meaning and by faith the children of Israel had to have faith to believe. It just shows the Bible is true and Almighty God is real!
Thank you for posting this. This is excellent.
I had noticed just these items in Mosaic Law when reading Genesis through Deuteronomy years ago, and desired to write an article such as this one after doing the research. There are apparently between 610-616 of these laws in total. It would be of extreme help to have a series of articles on public health as related by these laws. Perhaps another half-dozen articles.
Thank you again. Norski
I was blown away with this article! God’s moral, social and dietary laws are wisdom indeed etc..
Great insight into the manifold Wisdom of God...
Psalm 19:7-14
7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
and all of them are righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the honeycomb.
11 By them your servant is warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12 But who can discern their own errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Here is a prayer for your governor
A Prayer For The Lost
Heavenly Father:
I come boldly before your throne of grace, in the name of Jesus Christ, to pray and intercede on behalf of ( Connecticut governor Ned Lamont ). I plead the merits of the blood of Jesus over his sins, past, present, and future. I plead the merits of the blood of Jesus over his sitting down, getting up, coming in and going out, over every place and situation. I plead the blood of Jesus over his mind, will, and emotions. I bind the strongman over him and loose him from the will and plans of Satan and bind his feet to the narrow path of Jesus. I loose angels to chop, cut and sever every plan that Satan had for his life and I cancel it by the blood of Jesus and the power of His Name. I loose angels to destroy all soul ties stopping him from coming to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Satan, I address you from my position in the third heaven, seated on the right hand of the Father next to the Lord Jesus Christ, high above you and all of your demons. I take authority over you according to Luke 10:19 and I address you in the presence of the Holy Trinity. The Lord Jesus Christ rebukes you and all of your demons working in the life of ( Ned Lamont ).!!! I command your works to cease in his life and for you to loose him from your grip.
I lose warring angels to destroy the veils that Satan has put over his mind and heart., blinding him from coming to the saving knowledge and truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I ask that warring angels would be loosed in heaven to start attacking and destroying the demonic strongholds in his life. I loose warring angels to execute the vengeance and judgement and punishment and wrath of God upon the demons in his life .I also loose perpetual burning destruction and judgement upon them as well as fire and brimstone and burning coals. I loose the plagues and judgements from the book of Revelation upon them as well as the plagues and judgements that fell upon Egypt.
I ask you, Father, to create a need for the Savior, Jesus Christ, in his heart. I loose upon him spirits of salvation, repentance and conviction. I loose the fear of the Lord upon him. I also loose the spirits of knowledge, wisdom, revelation and truth concerning the Lord Jesus Christ upon him. I loose the spirits of faith, hope and love upon him. I loose the spirits of adoption, acceptance in the beloved and the agape love of God into his life.
Father, I pray according to Your will that you do not desire anyone to perish and I believe that he will be saved. I claim ( Governor Lamont ) for the kingdom of God and I thank you for his salvation.
In Jesus’ Name I pray,
Amen.
Yep - brought that up to some Catholics that were thrilled to hear the Church will hold Easter services “no matter what”...some were giddy saying it would be a super “Passover’....
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God Bless and stay well.
Yes! One if ny favorite Psalms!
It’s all good! God is PERFECT and RIGHTEOUS!
Good thing Jesus did away with all those impossible to observe laws...
Just trying to draw some of them out to tell us Gentiles how healthy their state is.
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