阿波羅：古希臘的醫神

第11單元 阿波羅：古希臘的醫神 Apollo：the God of Healing in Ancient Greece 陳玲華台大外文系副教授 [醫學與人文 2010年12月]

Outline I. Apollo in the Hippocratic Oath II. Apollo, the god of healing(The Iliad) III. The cult of Apollo IV. Apollo’s divine family ˙ father: Zeus ˙uncles: Poseidon, Hades ˙mother: Leto ˙sister: Artemis ˙son:Asclepius, the god of medicine V. Apollo’s unhappy love ˙ Cassandra ˙ Daphne ˙ Coronis: mother of Asclepius (The Metamorphosis) VI. The cult of Asclepius

I. Apollo in the Hippocratic Oath希波克拉底誓言中的阿波羅ApolloHippocrates

Hippocrates (460-377 BC) the father of medicine • Hippocrates, who is often described as the founder of modern medicine, left a legacy of 53 scientific books on medical topics, known as the Corpus Hippocraticum. • Modern doctors still take the Hippocratic Oath which is the basis of medical ethics.

The Hippocratic Oath: “I swear by Apollo the physician and Asclepius, and Health, and All-heal, and all the gods and goddesses . . .”

“Into whatever houses I enter, I will go into them for the benefit of the sick, and will abstain from every voluntary act of mischief and corruption; and, further from the seduction of females or males, of freemen and slaves….” “Whatever, in connection with my professional practice or not, I see or hear, in the life of men, which ought not to be spoken of abroad, I will not divulge, as reckoning that all such should be kept secret….”

II. Apollo: the god of healing • The Greeks believed that illness was a punishment sent by the gods to whom they prayed for a cure. • Apollo was associated with light and healing, but if he was angry, his arrows could cause plague. • Apollo, the god of archery, punished Agamemnon and his Greek camp with plague in the Trojan War. When his anger was appeased, he granted his healing.(Homer, The Iliad, Book I )

III. The cult of Apollo • Apollo’s temple at Delphi was of paramount importance in Greece. • He was well-known as a god of prophecy, and at Delphi he would reply to questions about the future, known as the “oracle.” • Apollo was also the patron god of music and poetry, and the protector of herdsmen and flocks. • His forename Phoebus means “bright,” and he became connected with the Greek sun-god Helios in the Hellenistic Age.

IV. Apollo’s divine family • Father: Zeus, the king of the gods on Olympus • Uncles: Poseidon, the god of the ocean Hades, the god of the underworld • Mother: Leto, the goddess of Delos • Sister: Artemis, the goddess of hunting • Son by a mortal woman, Coronis: Asclepius, the god of medicine

V. Apollo’s unhappy love ˙ Cassandra: the discredit of her prophesy ˙ Daphne: the laurel tree ˙ Coronis: mother of Asclepius (The Metamorphosis)

VI. The cult of Asclepius • Son of Apollo and Coronis • Father of Hygieia (Hygiene) and two Greek doctors at Troy, Machaon and Podalirius • Sanctuaries of Asclepius all over the Greek world. • The temple and theater at Epidaurus. • “Temple sleep”: a healing ritual at Asclepius’ temple to provide divine medical cures for the ailing people

˙ Asclepius & his staff with a serpent twisted around it 　（厄斯克里皮斯與他的蛇杖）˙Asclepius’ temple at Cos　（厄斯克里皮斯的神廟）

阿波羅 ： 古希臘的醫神