Spiritual Care/Theology

Healing: An Analysis through Church History to Current Denise Chapin Azusa Pacific University Spiritual Care GNRS 506 Renee Pozza PhD, RN, FNP-BC, CNS May 31, 2012 Healing: An Analysis through Church History to Current Healing is the most desirable outcome when one is sick in the mind, body, and soul. Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, and nurses promote healing on a daily basis. Healing can be psychological, physical, and spiritual in nature. This paper will address healing from the bible, Christian church mothers, fathers, and current nursing literature that will facilitate a nurse and advanced practice nurses in these times to heal his or her patients more successfully. The paper will also look at how this healing concept is used throughout church history starting from the Early Church History period ad through current times. Then this writer will then explore modern nursing literature. It is hopeful that this analysis of healing will help aid a full understanding of this concept word and implement this new knowledge into her advanced practice career. Definitions of Healing The verb definition of "healing" in the Webster`s online dictionary is defined as to cure, alleviate, treat, medicine, repair, ad mend. The noun definition of healing is the natural process by which the body repairs itself (-online-dictionary.org). The Oxford advanced learners dictionary defines healing is "the process of making somebody or something healthy again; the process of getting better after an emotional shock" ("Oxford advanced learners dictionary," 2011, p. 1). Faith healing is also defined in the Oxford advanced learners dictionary as "healing achieved by religious belief and prayer, rather than by medical treatment" ("Oxford advanced learners dictionary," 2011, p. 1). Repair is a synonym of healing meaning "to restore (something damaged, faulty, or worn) to a good condition" ("Oxford advanced learners dictionary," 2011, p. 1). After reviewing all the definitions found in healing, this writer developed her own definition; healing is a gradual or instantaneous progress towards wholeness and self discovery that can aid in spiritual expression, creativity, and repair ones physical and emotional health, including sound of mind. Healing: Old Testament Defining the concept word healing in the Old Testament, Hebrew words were examined using the Strong`s Lexicon (n.d.). Three words were found; rapha`, marpe`, kehah, and ta`alah. Marpe` (Strong`s number H4832) means to cure, profit, healing, and sound of mind. Kehah` means alleviation, quenching, lessening, dulling, and healing (Strong`s H3545). Ta`alah in the Old Testament means healing of new flesh and skin forming over a wound (Strong`s H8585). Nine versus using the word healing was found in the Old Testament. The first verse this writer will analyze is in Genesis 20:17 "Then Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Ablimelch, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children" (The New Interpreter`s Study Bible). This is where the word rapha` is used as healed. Before this verse Abraham and Sarah move to the region of the Negev, and he again tells the people there that Sarah is his sister, instead of his wife. Sarah is Abraham`s half sister, so he feels this is enough of a ambiguity that he can keep using this trick when he moves to a new kingdom.) So, the king sends for Sarah, and has her brought to him, presumably to be a wife. However, God comes to him in a dream one night, and warns the king that Sarah is actually married and tells him that he and his people will die because he took Sarah. But King Abimelech was acting with integrity. He did not know Sarah was Abraham`s wife. Sarah even stated she was Abrams sister. God did protect Abimelech by not letting him sinfully touch Sarah. Abimelech then returned Sarah along with oxen, male and female slaves, sheep, and silver. Abraham then prays to God and heals Abimelech, his wife, and slaves. Healing here spiritually means redemption and release from sin. Abimelech is forgiven by God because he does what is honorably right and God heals the people and his decedents in return. Healing in this verse can also mean to be able to conceive with the ability to have children. This is in form of physical healing. Other verses this writer will analyze are from Jeremiah. "There is no one to uphold your cause, no medicine for your wound, no healing for you" (Jer 30:13). God is speaking to adulterous wives. There is no medicine to treat a guilty conscious. Healing here is of the heart and soul once one reconciles with God by confessing our sins. This is a type of mental healing is to remove deeply held resentment of guilt. The Lord wants her to come to him to heal. No one else can heal her except God. One last verse in the Old Testament to be analyzed is from Nah 3:19 "Your injury has no healing. Your wound is severe. All who hear news of you Will clap their hands over you, For upon whom has not your wickedness passed continually?" Those that have been abusive to their neighbors will, one time or another, find it will come back to them; they are building enemies against themselves. The troublers shall be troubled and will be the burden of many, as it has in Nineveh. Sin is a spiritual disease we all have, an incurable disease and there is no healing without Jesus. The sinners continue to sin over and over again with no respect and no obeying of God`s law. So those that clap their hands are actually shaking the dust off as they want no part of it. Your wound is severe, saturated with sin. This can also be looked at as of the constant abuse of others in which the abusers reputation has been tarnished for life. Even if those sins have been forgiven and all the righteousness in which he has brought forth in the future, his past he will forever be known as the abuser. Within the Old Testament the concept word of healing generally means well being, healing of a person and health in general including mental, spiritual, healing of wounds, healing of a nation, and the capability to have children. There is nearly always chastisement (disaster, illness) before there is healing; and God`s redemption is a sign of His unwavering love. Those involved in calamity see personally the mistakes of their behaviors and then the Lord redeems and heals His people. Healing: New Testament Defining the concept of healing in the New Testament, Greek words were examined using the Strong`s Lexicon. The following words were found: iaomai, sozo, iasis, therapeno, iama. Iaomai means to heal, cure, and restore. Sozo means to make well, heal, restore health, and save one from suffering, keep safe and sound, and to rescue one from danger and destruction (Strong`s number G4982). Iasis means healing. Therapeno means to heal, serve, cure, restore to health (Strong`s number G2323). Lastly iama means healing, curing, and remedy (Strong`s G2386). The first verse n the New Testament to be examined is in Acts: 4:22 "Forty is often symbolic for the span of a generation. The length of the man`s illness underscores the power of the name by which he is finally healed." This is in reference to the Greek word therapeno (to heal, cure) This verse talks about a man that has been crippled since birth and was a familiar site at the temple of gates (act 3:10) then Jesus must of passed him many times without healing him. This is because God`s timing is just as important as his will. Jesus through Peter and Paul instantaneously physically healed the crippled man perhaps through faith and or spiritual expression. In Mar 5:23 the Greek word, sozo is used "and besought him greatly saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray to thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and shall live." The father is asking Jesus to save his sick daughter. The crowd is formed in a Jewish town. Jesus comes into the home and goes to the nearly dead child is and heals her. The man is a rich man pleading for help which shows that no one is immune to pain and suffering. The word "heal" in this verse is to restore ones health and wholeness. It is also the father`s faith in Jesus that makes his daughters healing likely. The last verse to be looked at is with Mat 4:23 "and Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people." God did three things (1) taught, (2) preached the good news of the kingdom, (3) healed all way of illness and all manner of disease. In this time, Romans control was dangerous for the health of the people. Rural peasants encompass most of the population. Their construction was removed by heavy taxes imposed by Rome, by cities, by wealthy landowners, and were badly affected with different diseases, evil spirits, and paralysis. In this verse physical healing is only part of body, soul, and spirit (Harrelson, 2003). Healing here means of physical of healing of disease such as cerebral palsy, those overcome by evil spirits, and other sicknesses related to disease. Healing Summary of Old Testament and New Testament There are similarities of the concept of healing within the Old Testament and the New Testament. In the Old Testament, the Hebrews often spoke of spiritual healing and had a holistic approach referring to the whole person, but in most cases where it is used in the Old Testament, it is referring to emotional, spiritual, and mental healing. In the New Testament, Mathew shows us an important element can be seen in the mental and physical healings of Jesus. The term healing is used more all through the New Testament since Jesus is in the flesh healing throughout the communities. Also, "healing" is frequently used for the term salvation, and the action of bringing forth one`s own salvation. People could go to Jesus because he was there in flesh and physically heal and bring back a person to life. Healing was also referred to as a gift as Jesus would often put his hands on a person to heal them. To compare with the Old Testament, healing was of a realm or a person over time, more gradual. Healing in the Early Church Period 0-300 CE: Tertullian Tertullian was a prolific early Christian author and he produced extensive work on Christianity most concerning Latin Christian literature. Tertullian was also a polemicist against heresy and a n...