9/9/14
Eph 6:6 not by
the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing
the will of God from the heart,
Eph 6:7 rendering
service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man,
As well as taking a leading role in caring for the sick,
Christians also played very important part in the furtherment of medical
knowledge. Together, Jews and Christians took the lead in collecting and
copying manuscripts from all over Europe after the burning of the Great Library
at Alexandria. This rescued much medical knowledge for the religiously tolerant
Arabic Empire and for later generations.
During the Dark Ages, Arabic medicine advanced considerably
due to their access to these documents. In Europe, however, progress was
comparatively slow. It was Christian thought that led to the formation of the
Western universities. Founding of medical faculties was often due to Christian
initiative. So too were attempts to raise standards of research and care.
During this period, the field of surgery saw most progress.
Christians were among those advocating the need for cleanliness and less use of
the cautery in treating wounds. Chauliac, the author of Chirugia Magna
(Textbook of Surgery) was a priest and surgeon, who made many advances in
orthopedics. He led by example, staying at his post to investigate the plague
and treat its victims when many of his colleagues fled.
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