At the very beginning of the church, Christians were known for their compassion in times of illness Gary B. Ferngren Roman roads, public baths and gymnasiums, Hellenistic high culture, the beginnings of democracy, the military muscle to ensure peace—the Roman Empire in the second century after Christ looked like a golden age. For the healthy, perhaps it was. But woe unto you if you got sick. Then the shining Roman city showed its dark underbelly. Mercy was discouraged as it only helped those too weak to contribute to society. In the cramped, unsanitary streets, under the miserable cycle of plagues and famines, the sick found no public institutions dedicated to their care and little in the way of sympathy or help. Perhaps a family member would come to their aid, but sometimes even close relatives would leave their own to die.
bread and circuses Many people began moving from the countryside to the city in search of jobs and amenities. Once in the cities,
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what’s the prescription? Ancient Greeks and later Romans sought healing at temples like this one to Apollo.
however, migrants found themselves living in tenement buildings lacking basic sanitary facilities. Support of family and village now gone, they eked out an oftenlonely urban existence. In the face of daily alienation or times of trouble, they could expect no social support beyond occasional free grain and entertainment such as gladiatorial games (“bread and circuses”). Worse still, should they sicken, no clinics or hospitals existed to provide healing or even basic nursing care. True, one could find physicians. But their fees were too steep for most. Some towns did hire a public physician, but institutional health care was unheard of. Commoners were left to rely on folk healers and sellers of herbs, amulets, and quack remedies.
Christian History
Didyma, Temple of Apollo, Temple Columns, Turkey—David Broad / [cc by-SA 3.0 ] Wikimedia
Demonstrating the love of Christ
