reading the Deuterocanon

[deird1]

Excuse me while I briefly go religious and political simultaneously:

Honour physicians for their services, for the Lord created them. … The skill of physicians makes them distinguished, and in the presence of the great they are admired. … The Lord created medicines out of the earth, and the sensible will not despise them. … He gave skill to human beings that he might be glorified in his marvellous works. … My child, when you are ill, do not delay, but pray to the Lord, and he will heal you. … Then give the physician his place, for the Lord created him; do not let him leave you, for you need him. There may come a time when recovery lies in the hands of physicians, for they too pray to the Lord that he will grant them success in diagnosis and in healing, for the sake of preserving life. He who sins against his Maker will be defiant towards the physician.
Sirach 38:1–15

In other words: "Stop ignoring doctors and insisting God will heal you! God gave you doctors and medicine! What else do you want?"

Comments

[conuly]

Oooh.

[deird1]

Isn't it interesting that we've clearly been having this same argument for several thousand years now?

[lirazel]

OH THAT'S SO GOOD.

(Also I need to familiarize myself with the Deuterocanon.)

[deird1]

ISN'T IT.

The Deuterocanon is really interesting. Some of the stories are rather crazy - in a way that makes me notice how crazy some of the Old Testament stories I'd unthinkingly accepted actually are. And the book of Sirach just makes me fangirl like a wild thing. (It has stuff on humility, helping the poor, gossip, table manners, and this passage on doctors. It also has some …interesting… views on women, but, eh, it's the Deuterocanon, and I'm terribly Protestant, so I don't mind as much when it goes weird and unhelpful.)

[lirazel]

I am a typical Protestant (and American, I guess) in that I am all about taking what works and leaving what doesn't!

Some of the stories are rather crazy - in a way that makes me notice how crazy some of the Old Testament stories I'd unthinkingly accepted actually are

I know that feeling!

[zeborah]

I really should get around to reading the Deuterocanon. The only copy I have is in my French Bible (I also have a Korean and a Reo Māori one along with a few versions of English ranging from KJV to NIV) but my French shouldn't be *too* rusty, probably.

[deird1]

I started reading it because I was needing a break from the "standard" Bible - and then because I realised I didn't particularly have a reason to consider it not "standard Bible", other than the reason I grew up with (that Catholics are kinda weird). So I'm very gradually getting through it.