Christianity and Pharmaceuticals, Part 1
Christianity and Pharmaceuticals
The Greek words pharmakon, pharmakos, and pharmakeia are usually rendered “sorcerer” or “sorcery” in the King James Version of the Bible. That version was translated by 1611, and ever since then most theologians have followed in its footsteps, and have kept the interpretations of the medieval Englishmen of that time, while the rest of the world has become “modern”, and has updated its language. Or have we?
Here are the definitions of those words, from Liddell & Scott’s An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon, Oxford University Press, Impression of 1999, First edition 1889. I will supply English transliterations in place of all of the original Greek words:
pharmakon: “a drug, medicine, Homer etc.: the pharmaka applied outwardly were christa, egchrista, epichrista (ointments), and pasta, epipasta, kataplasta (plasters), Theocritus, Aristophanes; those taken inwardly brosima, and potima, pota, pista, Aeschylus, Euripides, etc… 2. In bad sense, an enchanted potion … so a charm, spell, enchantment … also a drug, poison … II. a remedy, cure, Hesiod …. ”
pharmakeia: “the use of drugs, potions, spells, Plato. 2. poisoning, witchcraft … Demosthenes. II. remedy, cure, Aristotle.”
pharmakos: “a poisoner, sorcerer, magician, N.T.”
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