Religion and the Pentateuch Laws
Religion is an issue of intense trepidation for every reflective person, whether one ultimately rejects its validity or not because it addresses and offers answers to the most fundamental questions of human existence. An intractable problem is religious values, which are not open to scientific inquiry. The philosophy of religion takes religious concepts and beliefs as the primary material for study. Although often unrecognized, behind the philosophical discussions and debates lurks the rigorous scrutiny of arguments for the existence of God or the possibility of miracles.
The acceptance/rejection of religious faith should implicitly be interpreted in terms of some idea on the definition of religion. At the same time, the lack of consensus about the nature of religion further complicates the discussion of virtually all-philosophical issues touching on religion. In the existential perspective, religion indicates the most profound dimension of human life in which all other dimensions are rooted. Medical Benefits of the Pentateuch Laws are ancient, modern, and postmodern, meaning they are never outdated. The medical benefits of the laws lay great emphasis on objectivity and subjectivity. God, who created all that exists, is aware of developing diseases and sicknesses and took cautionary steps to prevent them through the laws. Though the phenomenon of religion might seem to have become obsolete in the recent intellectual and history of secular modernity, it has re-emerged with extraordinary and surprising influence.
Christian scholars like Tertullian and Origen adopted the name Pentateuch, which corresponds to their Jewish title, as a convenient designation of these books (Note 7). “The law” was regarded as a unique and authoritative exposition of all individual and social conduct within Israel (Note 8). The “Law” in O.T. was given by Moses (John 1:17), which represents the unanimous belief of both the early Christians and the Chosen Nation (Note 9). Moses was their first, as well as their greatest lawgiver. The historical probabilities of the case support the religious tradition in this matter. Most analytical and empirically informed studies on transformations of the society and culture information and the current role of religion have a mutual predicament. Medical knowledge was slow to advance since the priests were not considered healers, though their medical miracles were acknowledged. The Jewish medical profession was developed during the Hellenistic period in 332-152 B.C. God’s deliverance of Israel from captivity in Egypt made it clear that Israel would not be visited with the diseases inflicted on Egypt, providing God’s commandments were obeyed, “I am the Lord, your healer” (Exodus 15:26; Cf. Deut. 32:39, “I kill, and I make alive, I wound, and I heal.” For the relationship between sickness and sin, see Num. 12:9-13; Deut. 28:15, 21, 22; 1 Kings 14:1-18; Ps 38:3-9; 2 Chron. 21:6, 19).
Shalom expresses health in its broadest sense, “whose root denotes completion, fulfilment, wholeness, and a restored relationship with God” (Note 10). Since sickness, regarded as the result of sin, cut the believer off from God, the patient was considered ritually unclean and in a state of unholy.
#The Pentateuch & Modern Medicine (Series 3) tomorrow will discuss the Modern Medicine & Germ Theory.
Tomorrow, March 21st is my birthday, pray along, with, & for me.
