Surgery or Spit? Healthcare in the Ancient World

Biblical Time Machine

Countless things could sicken or injure you in the ancient world, so where did people turn for help? Much like today, there were no shortage of healthcare options: herbs, drugs, surgery, saliva — even a literal hole in the head! Helen and Dave welcome historian Jared Secord to discuss what passed for medical care in the ancient Mediterranean and why Jesus fits the profile of a faith healer.
Check out Jared's cool new book, co-authored with Kristi Upson-Saia and Heidi Marx, Medicine, Health, and Healing in the Ancient Mediterranean 500 BCE–600 CE: A Sourcebook.
More from our content partner Bible Odyssey:

• Medicine and the Hebrew Bible
• Magic in the 1st-Century World
• Divine Power in Mark 8
• Barrenness in the Bible

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Theme music written and performed by Dave Roos