Jesus and the Paralytics.Memorializing Miracles in the Greco-Roman World of the Gospels
Jesus and the Paralytics.Memorializing Miracles in the Greco-Roman World of the Gospels
Author(s): Anthony GiambroneSubject(s): Christian Theology and Religion
Published by: Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II - Wydział Teologii
Keywords: ex-votos; Asclepius; miracles; healing shrines; Iamata; paralytics; Bethesda; Peter’s house
Summary/Abstract: This study explores the Greco-Roman memorialization of healings through ma-terial culture as a point of comparison for the Gospels’ miracle traditions. Special atten-tion is given to the ex-votos left at healing shrines and especially the Iamata inscriptions connected with the Asclepius cult. This corpus of evidence brings into focus a series of dynamics that help illuminate the stories of Jesus’ two healings of a paralytic (John 5:1-15; Mark 2:1-10). The comparisons help clarify both the common memorializing supports that informed and sustained the memory of Jesus transmitted in the Gospels, as well as the distinctive relationship of the Christian cult to certain specific places where memories of Jesus where preserved.
Journal: The Biblical Annals
- Issue Year: 10/2020
- Issue No: 67/3
- Page Range: 389-404
- Page Count: 16
- Language: English
