Meghan Henning - University of Dayton professor - fascinating
9-2022
Holy Impairment: The Body as the Nexus of Apocalyptic EkphrasisHoly Impairment: The Body as the Nexus of Apocalyptic Ekphrasis
in Acts 2:1–13in Acts 2:1–13
Michael Peppard has noted, there are direct discussions
about the connection between Jesus and Asclepius (The World’s Oldest Church: Bible, Art, and Ritual at Dura-Europos, Syria, Synkrisis [New Haven: Yale University Press, 2016], 329 n. 31). Cf.
Origen, Cels. 3.24, Justin Apol. 1.22, Tertullian, Nat. 2.14.42.
37 Asclepius took on the guise of a serpent and arrived in this form to found the shrine in
Athens (IG 2.4960a; SEG 25.226), Rome (Livy, Periocha 11, Urb. cond. 29.11.1), and Halieis (IG 4.1.122.33). Wells, Greek Language of Healing, 29......
Holladay notes that the Greek literally reads “split [divided] tongues,” ....“tongues of fire” are present in 1 Enoch, where, unlike in Acts, the tongues do not rest on people or effect bodily transformation (1 En. 14:9–10, 15; 71:5).29
Like the events in 1 Enoch, however, the scene in Acts 2 is not a stock image
that is being replayed for audiences—it is an apocalyptic scene that is drawing on
multiple images to depict something utterly novel.
............
Aristotle thinks of the snake as the paradigmatic animal with a “divided
tongue”; he mentions it first before describing other animals (such as seals) who
have this characteristic.31 In antiquity one prevalent image of the snake is positive:
as a sacred animal whose touch could bring about healing.32 The walking staff
entwined with the snake was the “iconographic trademark” of Asclepius that
became prevalent in antiquity (and even today appears in medical seals). In antiq
uity this image appeared on reliefs, mosaics, medicine boxes, and even signet rings.33
In the first century CE
...............
(Aristotle, Hist. an. 2.17; ἐσχισμένην τὴν γλῶτταν)....
for the ancient listener of Acts, snakes—and specifically snake tongues—would signify divine presence and bodily healing. Images of sacred snakes, and of Asclepius as a snake healing with his tongue, are found throughout the material evidence from the Asklepieion as well.40 ........
So what is the meaning of divided tongues “resting on” the apostles? Elsewhere
in LukeActs καθίζω is used to refer to remaining or “staying” some place.50 The
implication of using ἐκάθισεν instead of some other verb seems to be one of a last
ing contact. Alone the verb ἐκάθισεν does not itself have medical resonance; but,
when combined with the imagery of a divided tongue and the transformation of
bodily ability, the phrase “rest on” recalls common medical images of healing. This
odd verbal expression may remind some hearers of ancient medical images of
touch or sustained bodily contact, specifically with a god in the form of a snake.
But in this apocalyptic ekphrasis these different images of divine touch and bodily
transformation are brought together to emphasize the staying power—not just of
the transformed bodily state but of the divine touch itself in the “last days.”
....................
Acts 2:1–4 still brings together the biblical imagery of theophany
with ancient medical imagery of Asclepius and ancient physicians who healed
through snake tongues, touch, and fire. The result is a story of bodily transforma
tion that is conferred by the touch of a fiery divided tongue.54
The ties between Asclepius (the Greek god of medicine and healing) and Pythagorean philosophy run deep through ancient concepts of harmony, medical ethics, and holistic health. Their intersection manifests in two distinct contexts: the historical integration of Pythagorean concepts into ancient Greek clinical medicine (including the Hippocratic Oath and the cult of Asclepius), and the late-antiquity Hermetic text known as the Asclepius
- Pythagorean Music Theory: Pythagoras discovered that musical intervals could be expressed in mathematical ratios. He pioneered the use of specific musical scales and hymns to purify the soul (katharsis) and quiet bodily passions. [1, 2, 3, 4]
- Asclepian Shrines: At the holistic healing sanctuaries of Asclepius, patients underwent a process of physical and spiritual purification. Alongside theatrical performances and sacred sleep (incubation), poetic and musical recitals of hymns or paeans were actively utilized to soothe patients and stimulate healing. [1, 2]
3. The Ethical Foundations of the Hippocratic Oath
The Hippocratic Oath—the foundational code of medical ethics historically bound to the cult of Asclepius—begins by swearing an oath directly to "Apollo the Physician, and Asclepius, and Hygieia, and Panacea..." Scholars have long noted that the secondary directives within the oath align explicitly with Pythagorean duties and taboos: [1, 2]
- Strict requirements for secrecy regarding medical knowledge.
- Deep moral solidarity with peers and absolute reverence/financial protection for one's teachers.
4. The Asclepius Hermetic Text (Late Antiquity)
There is also a textual link. In the 2nd or 3rd century CE, a highly influential philosophical dialogue was written under the title Asclepius. Part of the Corpus Hermeticum, it features a dialogue where the Egyptian sage Hermes Trismegistus teaches his pupil, Asclepius (named after the deity). [1]
The text is deeply infused with Neopythagoreanism and Neoplatonism. For instance, the dialogue advocates a pure, ascetic lifestyle and recommends a vegetarian diet. This explicitly mirrors the iconic Pythagorean doctrine of metempsychosis (the transmigration of souls into humans or animals), which prohibited the slaughter and consumption of living creatures. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Giovanni Bazzana has argued, the exclusion of spirit possession from the scholarly conversation about the miraculous sidelines the way that ancient persons would have understood these texts (Having the Spirit of Christ: Spirit Possession and Exorcism in the Early Christ Groups, Synkrisis [New Haven: Yale University Press, 2020], 4–9).
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