Rational and Sacred in Galen

Abstract

This paper examines mutual relations between the rational medical practice and the practice of temple healing connected with the ancient cult of Asclepius in the writings of Galen of Pergamon (129–210/217). It is shown that Galen considered logics as the main methodological basis of medical theory and practice, supposing that by virtue of logics it is possible “to prove in the best way everything that can be proved.” Although he sharply criticized medical Empiricists for denying the usefulness of logics, and did not accept magical incantations and irrational explanations of diseases, nevertheless Galen viewed himself as a disciple and servant of Asclepius, whom he used to call his “paternal god.” In complicated clinical cases Galen recurred to the divine counsels of Asclepius, from whom he received by the way of dreams therapeutic revelations with special prescriptions for treatment. He distinguished this kind of dreams from so-called “semiotic” or “diagnostic” dreams, related to the physical conditions of a patient. The study has shown that Asclepius’ dreams served as a sign of legitimacy in medical profession, since Galen considered rational medicine as a declined form of the perfect medical art of Hippocrates, who received medical training in the “Asclepeion” on Kos and was considered the descendant of Asclepius. However, unlike the Christian conception of the omnipotent God, according to Galen Asclepius is not omnipotent, he helps only in choosing the best way of healing from different possible things and is unable to transgress the laws of nature producing miracles. Thus, in his writings, Galen did not oppose the rational medical practice to the practice of temple healing, but tried to reconcile the rational and the sacred, medicine and religion.