Towards a Renewed Biblical Understanding of Health and Healing A Prophetic Response

includes index and biblioraphy

Introduction .........1 1. Statement of the problem ......1 2. Elaboration of the problem ..........3 2.1. Health : Debate ..........3 3. Previous research ..........7 4. Terms pertaining to Rpha in the old testament ............9 5. Metaphors and terms pertaining to health and healing in Hosea, Isaish and jeremiah .........11 6. Scope and method of research ..........16 6.1. Scope of the research ........16 6.2. Method of the research ..........16 6.3. The format of the investigation ...........19 Chapter 1 : Illness in the old testament : its definitions and meanings .........21 Introduction ............21 1.1. Illness and its cause ............21 1.1.1. Illness as a result of sin and disobedience .........23 1.1.2. Illness from yahweh`s mysterious motive ............29 1.1.3. Supernatural beings as source of illness ............31 1.1.4. Illness a natural ............33 1.2. The social situation of the patient ............34 Summary .........36 Chapter 2 : Health in old testament with special reference to rapha, Arukah, shalom and Marpe: Its meanings and definitions ............39 Introduction ..........39 2.1. Rapha : Lexical and etymological discussions in the old testament ..........40 2.1.1. Yahweh as raphe ..........44 2.1.2. (Raphe) by the physicians .........45 2.1.3. by the prophets ............46 2.2. (Arukah): its meanings and definitions ..........46 2.3. (Shalom): its meanings and definitions ...............47 2.4. (Marpe): its meanings and definitions ...........51 Summary ..........52 Chapter 3 : The concept of illness, health and healing in ancient west asia ...............53 Introduction ........53 3.1. illness, health and healing in Egypt ........53 3.1.1. illness and its cause ............54 3.1.2. Health and healing ..............56 3.2. Illness, heaith and healing in mesopotamia ..............59 3.2.1. perceived origin of illness .............60 3.2.2. Heaith and healing ............63 Summary ..........67 Chapter 4. Health and healing in select passages of pre- exilic prophetic literature in the books of hosa and isaiah .............69 Introduction ...........69 4.1. The socio -Historical background of the pre-exilic prophets .........69 4.1.1. pre-exilic time : Atime of prosperity .............69 4.2. Health and healing in hosa .....71 4.2.1. Historical and textual background of hosea ............71 4.2.2. Metaphorical images in hosa ........73 4.2.3. Exegtical study .................75 4.3. Health and healing in isaiah ..........97 4.3.1. introduction .............97 4.3.2. Exegtical study ................98 Summary ...........116 Chapter 5 : Illness, health and healing in Exilic prophecy of jeremiah and deutero- isaiah .........117 Introduction ........117 5.1. The socio- historical context of the exilic period .............117 5.2. Heaith and healing in jeremiah ...........119 5.2.1. Exegetical study ............120 5.3. Health and healing in deutero- isaiah ..........161 5.3.1. Socio- historical setting of deutero - isaiah ........161 5.3.2. Exegetical study ..................162 Summary ......170 Chapter 6 : Health and healing in the post- exilic strata of the book of isaiah ........171 Introduction ...........171 6.1. Post- exilic prophecy .............171 6.2. Exegetical study ................173 6.2.1. Isaiah 19:22 .......173 6.2.2. Isaih 33:24 ............177 6.2.3. Background study og isaiah 56-66 ........180 6.2.4. Isaiah 57:18-19 ..............183 6.2.5. Isaiah 58:2-8 .................186 Summary .........195 Chapter 7: Analysis of health and healing in the light of the prophetic understanding of rapha, shalom andMarpe ............197